Sandra Mote

Expertise

Mental illness stigma reduction and mental health care promotion; Interprofessional education simulation training for health care professional students; Therapeutic communication and relationship development; Standardized patient program

Research Interests

Stigma reduction among healthcare providers; Interprofessional simulation training

Education

• Ph.D.: Nursing Health Promotion, (2021), UMass Lowell - Lowell, MA
• MS: Nursing with honors, (1999), Rivier College - Nashua NH
• MS: Nursing with honors, Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, (1999), Rivier College - Nashua NH
• Associates Degree in Nursing, (1986), Eastern New Mexico University - New Mexico
• BFA: Major in Theatre,, (1983), Eastern New Mexico University - New Mexico
  Supporting Area: minors in music and dance

Biosketch

Sandra Mote, Ph.D., has been a full-time faculty member at UMass Lowell since 2011. She has twenty years of clinical experience as an advanced practice nurse in psychiatric nursing. She earned her Ph.D. in 2021 and her research interests include stigma reduction for patients with mental illness and substance use disorders and reducing unconscious bias and stigma among healthcare providers. In addition to her nursing degrees, she received a bachelor’s degree in fine art from Eastern New Mexico University, with a major in theatre, and minors in music and dance. Sandra has a strong interest in simulation and collaborates with University Theatre in training student actors as simulated patients. In 2022 she became the inaugural director of simulation for the School of Nursing and is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE) . Sandra has been involved in Interprofessional Education (IPE) since 2015 when she was selected as a Zuckerberg IPE fellow. Sandra along with IPE colleagues presented their work at the National Academies of Practice Conference in 2018. Currently, she serves the College as a member of the IPE steering committee, and is a leader in the area of IPE experiences.

Selected Awards and Honors

• International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) appointed co-chair of Deans, Directors, and Program Managers - Special Interest Group in 2025.
• Inducted into the National Academies of Practice for professional membership in 2025.

Selected Presentations

• 2025 Podium Presentation Fogg, N., Greer, L., Mote, S., Scott, T., & Phelps, R. (June, 2025) Keeping the Ship Afloat Amongst the Leaks: The Deans, Directors, & Program Managers SIG Addresses Common Challenges. International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL), Denver, CO. 45-minute podium presentation.
• Use of Standardized Patients to Teach Therapeutic Communication in Undergraduate Nursing Education - Eastern New England Research Society, 2015
• Using theatre students as Standardized Patients in Undergraduate Nursing Education - UML Second Annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning, 2014
• Psychiatric Simulation: Making it work in the Classroom - NEAPNA Conference, 2013 - Nashua, NH
• Therapeutic Group Proposal and Implementation: A CNL practice innovation - Clinical Nurse Leader Summit, 2010 - San Diego, CA
• Comunicacion Terapeutica, 2009 - Ceyala, Mexico
• Updates in Psychopharmacology, 2009 - Hampstead Hospital Ground Rounds
• Forest Pharmaceuticals "Psychotropic Drugs", 2007
• "Interviewing psychiatric patients in a primary care setting", 2006
• Profiles in Psychiatric Nursing, 1998

Selected Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research

• IRB # 14-049 Use of Standardized Patients in Nursing Fundamentals Education. (2014), Grant -
  Mote, S.
• Use of Standardized Patients in Nursing Fundamentals Education (2013), Grant - College of Health Sciences
  Soroken, L., Laccetti, M., Mote, S., Young, D.J.
• Developing a Successful Nursing Objective (2009), Sponsored Research -
  Mote, S., McWilliam, P. (Supporting)