As a researcher and educator, Lindsay Mullins, PhD, FNP-BC, occupies the prestigious position as the Sister Agnes Marie Fitzsimons Endowed Chair of Gerontology at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU). Her Baccalaureate in Nursing is from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana. Her Master of Science is in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner program from Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Her PhD is in Curriculum Instruction and Design from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Dr. Lindsay Mullins
PhD, FNP
Like Sister Agnes Marie Fitzsimons, Dr. Mullins has a passion for serving others through health and education. In 1966 Sister Agnes Marie Fitzsimons came from Northern Ireland to Louisiana to serve as Administrator of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, located in South Louisiana’s Acadian Region. Dr. Mullins carries on the mission initiated by Sister Agnes Marie Fitzsimons through her position at Fran U.
Since August 2017, Dr. Mullins has served as the Sister Agnes Marie Fitzsimons Endowed Chair of Gerontology and teaches in graduate nursing programs. She has held multiple faculty and director positions at FranU, most recently the director of the Family Nurse Practitioner program. As a practicing Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Dr. Mullins works with hospice patients in their homes.
In her program of research, Dr. Mullins focuses on community-level healthy aging. Since 2014, she has been the Principal Investigator for the Culturally-Informed Healthy Aging Project – HUD Housing (CIHA). The CIHA research integrates nursing, anthropology and epidemiology as an approach for a Nurse Practitioner to systematically partner with communities and providers to assess social determinants of health to identify community cultural capital (community strengths and assets) and issues central to aging and health. The CIHA program partnered with four HUD facilities owned by Our Lady of the Lake to serve as a model program to provide population-based gerontology and healthy aging interventions.
In 2016, Dr. Mullins and two colleagues published a manuscript, “Community models of care: A Scoping Review” in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 42(12), 12-20. She has presented on various aspects of community-level healthy aging at various conferences with a majority of her poster and podium presentations focused on gerontology. The most recent presentations were at Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and American Gerontology Society (AGS) and her most recent manuscript was titled “Internet programming to reduce loneliness and social isolation” published in Research for Gerontological Nursing. Currently, she serves as a reviewer for both GSA and AGS.
Dr. Mullins continues to develop initiatives that include a Healthy Aging Mentor/Mentee program for FranU faculty and students as well as a program to recruit and engage high school students interested in gerontology. In the Fall, Dr. Mullins will also continue her “Healthy Aging Talk Around” lecture series. This includes community discussion with older adult groups from the surrounding areas that will educate them on topics related to healthy aging. The discussion topics are audience choice, though they may include such topics as Caregiving, Mental Health, Nutrition, Sexuality, Physical Activity, and Spirituality. Healthy Aging Talk Around lectures are free and open to all community members.
Of most importance, Dr. Mullins is dedicated to up hold the FranU mission, to educate and form Franciscan servant leaders of all faiths. Her ongoing work as the Endowed Chair reflects the mission set forth through the Sister Agnes Marie Fitzsimons Gerontology Endowment, as well, to prepare culturally informed servant leaders in gerontology, and healthy, active, and successful aging.