Assistant Professor, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing
Teaching Information
Teaching Interests
- Acute & Critical Care
- Family-Centered Care
- Evidence-Based Practice
- Behavioral Research Methods
Research Information
Research Interests
- Informal Caregiving
- Self-Regulation
- Decision-Making
- Psychometrics
- Leadership Science
Research Projects
- A Randomized Trial of REFRAME: an Emotion Regulation Intervention to Improve Psychological Outcomes in Surrogate Decision-Makers of the Critically Ill (2026–2031)
National Institute on Aging, NIH (R01AG100745)
Role: Principal Investigator - Using Music Therapy to Support Family Members with Complex Decisions in the Intensive Care Unit (2024-2026
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (#40094)
Role: Principal Investigator - Development of an eHealth Debiasing Intervention for Surrogate Decision-Makers of the Critically Ill (2019-2023)
National Center for Advancing Translational Science, NIH (KL2TR002547)
Role: KL2 Clinical Research Scholar
Awards and Honors
Nominee, Harriet H. Werley New Investigator Award
2026
Midwest Nursing Research Society
Nominee, J. Bruce Jackson, MD, Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring
2025
Case Western Reserve University
Best Faculty Paper Award
2022
Midwest Nursing Research Society
Family Health Early Career Investigator Award
2021
Midwest Nursing Research Society
Decision-Making New Investigator Award
2020
Midwest Nursing Research Society
Young Alumni Award for Excellence
2019
Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing Alumni Association
Publications
Select Publications
- Pignatiello, G., Tuschman, P.J., Griggs, S.A., Schiltz, N.K., Demaree, H.A., Klinck, A., Hoffer, A. and Hickman Jr, R.L., 2026. Evaluation of a Tablet-Based Emotion Regulation Intervention for Surrogate Decision-Makers of Patients With Critical Illness: Pilot Nonrandomized Trial. JMIR Formative Research, 10, p.e73769.
- Pignatiello, G.A., Tuschman, P.J., Griggs, S., Schiltz, N.K., Hoffer, A. and Hickman Jr, R.L., 2025. Rethinking Regret: Reappraisal Tendencies Buffer Regret for ICU Surrogates Following Patient Death. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 47(9), pp.799-809.
- Pignatiello, G.A., Griggs, S., Irani, E., Hoffer, S.A. and Hickman Jr, R.L., 2023. Longitudinal Associations among Symptoms of Family Intensive Care Unit Syndrome. American Journal of Critical Care, 32(4), pp.309-313.
- Pignatiello, G.A., Griggs, S. and Hickman, R.L., 2022. Sociocultural Moderators of Emotion Regulation in Family Members of the Critically Ill. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 44(12), pp.1183-1192.
- Pignatiello, G.A., Martin, R.J. and Hickman Jr, R.L., 2020. Decision Fatigue: A Conceptual Analysis. Journal of Health Psychology, 25(1), pp.123-135.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy
Nursing
Case Western Reserve University
2018
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Summa Cum Laude
Case Western Reserve University
2013