Summary
Ezra C. Holston’s first official research experience while a graduate student in the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University was examining the relationship between the cardiovascular responses and self-reported mood/psychological responses of Black female caregivers and non-caregivers with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. He served as co-PI with Dr. Sandra Picot (PI for the parent study that was a 1.6 million-dollar National Institute of Nursing Research & the Cleveland Foundation funded study). He has received extensive laboratory training for (1) Cortisol Research, Mental Health Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; (2) Electrophysiological Research, the Brain Research Laboratories, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY; and (3) Genetics Research, The University of Iowa College of Nursing, Iowa City, IA. He has served as PI on electrophysiological research projects: (1) the relationship between abnormal electrophysiological features and the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, (2) the electrophysiological basis of the theory of retrogenesis, and (3) abnormal electrophysiological patterns of dementia in clinical EEG data. Some of his other research projects, while functioning in various roles (i.e., PI, co-PI, co-Investigator, or research assistant/associate), related to (1) the relationship between selected genetic alleles and phenotype in older adults with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, (2) the electroconvulsive therapy antidepressant effects on the anterior cingulate gyrus in persons with major depression with psychotic features, (3) the stimulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary axis during an induced sate of anxiety and stress, (4) physiological response to group intervention for victims of intimate partner violence, and (5) the exploration and examination of centenarians’ resilience, lifestyle, and dietary behaviors in socially and financially challenged geographical locations.
Professional Experience
Ezra C. Holston is currently teaching NURS 737 Population and Health Aggregate Issues (University of Nevada Reno). He has taught across the curricula (from undergraduate nursing students (traditional and non-traditional) to doctoral-level students (PhD candidates)). The courses he has taught include nursing research, biopsychological research in aging, biobehavioral theory, cultural competency, nursing theory, informatics, pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutics/pharmacology, community nursing, professional roles and issues, physiology of substance dependence, and neuropsychiatry. He has mentored students across the curricula and served on several committees for PhD candidates. He is also a reviewer for several scientific and professional journals as well as a grant reviewer for Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society and a repository reviewer for the Virginia Henderson Library.
Publications
Holston, E. C., & Callen, B. (2017). Growing up on an Appalachian farm: A centenarian perspective. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 85(3), 289-304.
Holston, E. C. (2017). Working with families: Applying the nursing process. In C. Rector (ed.) Community and public health nursing: Promoting the public’s health, 9th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health.
Taylor, J. Y. & Holston, E. C. (2016). An exploratory study using cortisol to describe the response of incarcerated women IPV survivors to MAMBRA intervention. Nursing Research and Practice, 2016, 1-8. doi:10.1155/2016/7068528
Holston, E. C. & Callen, B. (2016). Exploring Appalachian centenarians’ perception of nutrition. Journal of Aging: Research & Clinical Practice, 4, 1-3. doi: 10.14283/jarcp.2016.111
Holston, E. C. & Taylor, J. Y. (2016). Emotional intelligence in nursing students: Describing emotional intelligence in the last 2 years of a BSN program. International Journal of Advances in Psychology, 5, 11-22. doi: 10.14355/ijap.2016.05.003
Holston, E. C. (2015). The electrophysiological phenomenon of Alzheimer’s disease. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 36(8), 603-613.
Jenkins, D. & Holston, E. C. (2015). Conceptualizing the CHOICE of driving retirement by older adults. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 31(2), 90-97.
Holston, E. C. (2014). Describing brain activity of persons with AD and depressive symptoms. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 28(6), 413-419.
Taylor, J. Y. & Holston, E. C. (2014). MAMBRA’s impact on IPV symptoms of incarcerated women. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 35(5), 344-355.
Research Interests
Alzheimer’s disease, Electrophysiology, Genetics, Aging Research, Centenarian Research, Neuropsychiatry
Education
- Post-Doctorate, 2005 Clinical Genetics & Clinical Research, The University of Iowa Colleges of Medicine & College of Nursing, Iowa City, IA
- Post-Graduate, 2005 Molecular Genetics, National Institutes of Health & Georgetown University, Washington, DC
- PhD, 2003 Theory Development in Nursing Science, New York University College of Nursing, New York, NY