Brandon Varilek

Education

PhD in Nursing - 2020 - South Dakota State University
BAN in Nursing - 2013 - Augustana University

Certifications
2015-2020: PCCN (Progressive Care Certified Nurse)
2021-Present: PCCN-K (Progressive Care Certified Nurse - Knowledge)
2017-Present: CCTC (Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator)
2020-Present: CNE® (Certified Nurse Educator®)
2021-Present: CHPN® (Certified Palliative and Hospice Nurse®)

Academic Responsibilities

Graduate and Undergraduate Nursing Courses

Grants

Mollman, Sarah (Principal Investigator), Varilek, Brandon (co-investigator). Title: Adapting an Early Palliative Care Intervention for American Indian and Rural Patients with Advanced Cancer. Funding Source: Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation, Serious Illness and End of Life Emergent Innovation Grant. (1/1/2022-12/31/2023)

Mollman, Sarah (Principal Investigator), Varilek, Brandon (co-investigator). Title: Achieving Health Equity for Rural Patients Living with Advanced Cancer: Adapting an Early Palliative Care Intervention. Funding Source: South Dakota State University, RSCA Challenge Fund. (7/1/2021-6/30/2022).

Varilek, Brandon (Principal Investigator). Title: Assessing Palliative Care Knowledge Among Female Veterans with Serious Illness. Funding Source: South Dakota State University, College of Nursing Seed Grant. (5/1/2021-4/30/2022).

Professional Memberships

Transcultural Nursing Society
Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society - Phi Chapter
American Nurses Association
South Dakota Nurses Association
National League of Nursing
Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association
The Society of Federal Health Professionals (AMSUS)
Palliative Care Research Cooperative (PCRC) Group

Area(s) of Research

-Palliative and End of Life Care
-Veterans' Health
-End-Stage Renal Disease
-Cystic Fibrosis
-Transplantation

Applications of Research

Wiley, H. R. L., Varilek, B. M., Saucedo-Crespo, H., Sakpal, S. V., Auvenshine, C., Steers, J., Nelson, M. E., & Santella, R. N. (2021). Kidney transplant outcomes in Indigenous people of the Northern Great Plains of the United States. Transplant Proceedings, 53(6), 1872-1879. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.transproceed.2021.05.003

Varilek, B. M., & Isaacson, M. J. (2021). Female Veteran use of palliative and hospice care: A scoping review. Military Medicine, 186(11-12), 1100-1105. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usab005

Varilek, B. M., & Isaacson, M. (2020). The dance of cystic fibrosis: Experiences of living with cystic fibrosis as an adult. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(17-18), 3553-3564. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15397

Minton, M. E., Isaacson, M. J., Varilek, B. M., Stadick, J. L., & O'Connell‐Persaud, S. (2018). A willingness to go there: Nurses and spiritual care. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(1-2), 173-181. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.13867

Isaacson, M., Karel, B., Varilek, B. M., Steenstra, W. J., Tanis-Heyenga, J. P., & Wagner, A. (2015). Insights from health care professionals regarding palliative care options on South Dakota reservations. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 26(5), 473-479. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659614527623