Associate Chief Nurse for Research
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
Pittsburgh, PA

Adjunct Faculty, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
Pittsburgh,PA
 

Dr. Baniak obtained her Doctorate (PhD) in Nursing from Binghamton University and completed her post-doctoral fellowships (T32) in Technology and Sleep Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned a spot in the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators and serves as Chair of the VA Office of Nursing Services, Nursing Research Advisory Committee. She has been an active member of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Assembly on Nursing since 2015 where her efforts were recognized as a recipient of the 2022 American Thoracic Society Early Career Achievement Award. Additionally, Dr. Baniak received the 2023 VA VISN 4 Secretary’s Award for Excellence, and the 2024 Cameos of Caring award for Research and Scholarship.

Dr. Baniak’s program of research investigates the impact of impaired sleep on patient outcomes and its implications for nurse performance and patient safety and is aimed at guiding VHA nursing research and practice to improve Veteran healthcare.