Assistant Professor
Saint Martin's University
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Dr. Shandeigh “Nikki” Berry is a first generation student, an honored graduate from Washington State University, and the first in the College of Nursing to receive the prestigious Karan P. DePauw Leadership Award. Dr. Berry teaches undergraduate courses at Saint Martin’s University in nursing theory and philosophy, palliative and end-of-life care across the lifespan, and management of chronic conditions. Dr. Berry brings eight hears of experience as a practicing registered nurse, with expertise in geriatric, palliative, operating room, and trauma nursing.
Dr. Berry’s research in perinatal loss, grief, and bereavement focuses on decreasing the emotional trauma parents experience in the wake of a life-limiting fetal diagnosis. She has been published in multiple referred journals, including Journal of Neonatal Nursing, Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecological Nursing, Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, and Death Studies. Her research has been presented nationally and incorporated into international perinatal palliative care curricula. She collaborates with Thai researchers at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand researching holistic palliative care practices. Other research specialties include high-stakes communication, perinatal palliative care, translational research, interpretive phenomenology, and mixed-methods studies.
Dr. Berry is the founder of the Project Poppyseed, which offers online perinatal loss, grief, and bereavement resources for families and health care professionals. With over two million pregnancies ending in perinatal loss each year in the United States, the vision of Project Poppyseed is to break the silence of perinatal loss. Those interested in learning more about Project Poppyseed can visit the website at projectpoppyseed.org and stay up to date by following Project Poppyseed on social media.