KEYSER, W.Va. — For Diana Niland, nursing education extends beyond clinical skills to caring for the whole person: mind, body and spirit.
A nurse practitioner and faculty member at the West Virginia University School of Nursing, Niland holds a unique role that connects classroom instruction, simulation-based learning, student wellness programming and research across undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.
Niland supports all 200-level and above Bachelor of Science in Nursing courses at the Keyser Campus, located at Potomac State College, through faculty-led simulation laboratories designed to strengthen clinical judgment and patient-centered care. She also teaches NSG 311 and 312, guiding students through clinical experiences in partnership with Hampshire Memorial Hospital in Romney.
In addition to her undergraduate teaching, Niland contributes to evidence-based practice, standards of care, and nutrition coursework and supports graduate-level instruction in NSG 705 and 706 for students in the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and Family Nurse Practitioner programs.
At the core of Niland’s work is a holistic philosophy of health shaped by her personal faith and professional experience.
“If you leave one area unattended, you will not succeed,” Niland said. “At the core of spiritual wellness is peace.”
That philosophy is reflected in her leadership of the student organization Faith Community Health and Wellness, which promotes spiritual, mental and physical well-being among students. The group’s annual Holistic Health Fair brings together campus and community resources focused on total wellness and features research posters presented by senior nursing students.
Niland said the organization also collects student survey data to better understand how college students experience wellness and spirituality, helping guide future programming and outreach.
Niland’s academic research centers on nutrition and preventive care, including her dissertation work on fruit and vegetable intake. She integrates those findings into student programming, encouraging students to consider how small, practical changes can have a meaningful impact on long-term health.
Through her work with senior BSN students in the NSG 411 campus-based rotation, Niland guides poster presentations and wellness initiatives that emphasize nutrition, prevention and patient education.
“Even simple steps can help students and patients begin to think differently about their health and your actions naturally follow the direction of your thoughts”, she said.
Niland also serves as an interventionist on an ongoing National Institutes of Health-funded R01 study focused on heart failure patients and their caregivers. In the study’s second year, she works directly with participants assigned to the intervention group by conducting home visits to support patient care and caregiver education.
The study has enrolled more than 70 participants and is working toward a goal of 105 within the project timeline.
In addition, Niland is leading research on how nursing students perceive and provide spiritual care at the bedside. She said existing literature suggests many students feel unprepared to address patients’ spiritual needs, a gap she hopes to help close through education and training.
Looking ahead, Niland said she is focused on expanding her work in spirituality and nutrition while continuing to mentor future nurses at every stage of their academic journey. She is also involved in a Nursing Academy for incoming ninth-grade students, an initiative designed to introduce young learners to the profession and address the growing national nursing shortage.
“Nursing is a wonderful profession that brings wonderful opportunities,” Niland said. “Even if one area isn’t for you, there are so many paths where you can find your place and make a difference.”
-WVU-
ms/01/27/26
MEDIA CONTACT:
Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu