Thesis and Dissertation Advisors - Biology

VALRIE ANN GERARD, M.A., Ph.D.
Content Editor/Writer: Science and Medicine

Scope:  biology, botany, chemistry, ecology, environmental policy, environmental science, evolutionary biology, geography, geology, marine science, mathematical modeling, medicine, oceanography, physiology, veterinary medicine, zoology, and related scientific fields.

Academic Editing/Writing Experience:

• Science and medical editor and writer since 2001.
• Specializes in organization, interpretation, and clear presentation of complex information.
• Helps clients (including non-native English speakers) improve their writing skills for future projects.
• Past and current clients from Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Patagonia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, the U.K., the U.S., and Venezuela.
• More than fifty publications and one million dollars worth of successful grant proposals.
• Over thirty years of teaching experience, including scientific writing courses.
• Served as advisor and/or mentor to many graduate and undergraduate students.
• Past experience as associate editor and/or reviewer for over two dozen scientific journals, including Science, and government funding agencies.

Provides fast turnaround.
Helps you submit your dissertation, thesis, proposal, or project on time.

Graduate students:  Many students who fail to finish their degrees quit in the writing phase.  Don’t become a “dissertation dropout”!  

• Get help with the thesis/dissertation proposal stage -  Val provides help with your proposal, including literature review and research plan. 
• Get help with methods, data interpretation and presentation – Val specializes in helping you write clear, concise, and accurate Methods and Results sections, and in designing figures and tables.
• Get help writing the final thesis/dissertation – Val shows you how to organize your material, including your Literature Review and Discussion, and polishes your writing.
• Get help with revisions – Val helps you make changes in response to comments by your advisor and committee members.
• Get help with the defense – Val can help you prepare your presentation, and will provide you with practice sessions if desired.
• Get help with publications – Val will guide you through the manuscript preparation process and help you get your work published.

Undergraduate students:  Most students do not take any writing courses beyond English 101.  Term papers and theses can be major hurdles in completing your degree.  Don’t trip over those hurdles!

• Get help with science projects – Val can help you design your project and interpret the data.
• Get help with term papers – Val provides assistance with term papers, helping you improve the organization and writing.
• Get help with your thesis – Val can help you organize and write an undergraduate thesis.

DEBBIE J. NOG-SMITH
Nursing - Health

Advising – Coaching – Mentoring
Research, Writing Consultant, and Editor for Graduate Students in Nursing and Allied Health Fields

Dr. Nog-Smith (RN, PhD, NP) is a nurse practitioner, educator, and researcher. She has been in nursing education since 1996 and has watched the transition from traditional brick and mortar to hybrid and online education. She is board certified in family and adult advanced practice, complementary and alternative health as an aromatherapist/herbalist, and has integrated traditional and complementary methods into her private practice.

Recently, she has transitioned into mentoring and coaching students, faculty, and practitioners to move from finding the “question” to defending the thesis or dissertation, and, writing the article for publication. She assists students in the fields of nursing and health with both qualitative and quantitative research theses and dissertations. She has been commended by her students for motivating them to manage their time, prioritize, move forward, and complete the thesis, dissertation, or capstone writing process. She is a gifted coach and understands the difficult process of balancing work, family, school, and the stressors of the research process.

She offers help with:

• research and writing
• editing and content organization
• research proposals (qualitative and quantitative)
• methodology chapters
• literature reviews
• abstracts
• topic tutoring (nursing and allied health friends)
• annotated bibliographies
• oral defense preparation

Topics:

• nursing research, education, administration, and advanced practice
• healthcare administration
• complementary and alternative health care
• social justice
• cultural competency
• integral studies
• curriculum and instruction
• distance and online learning
• nursing ethics
• advanced nursing practice curriculum and evaluation
• nursing retention
• “nurse bullying”
• advanced nursing practice topics
• youth voice and choice, character education
• feminism/feminist theory
• health education
• health care for the underserved
• geriatric nursing
• non-profit: boards of directors, grant writing, program design and evaluation.

"Debbie is passionate about her work. She is supportive and enthusiastic and believes in the capabilities of others. Her medical knowledge and critical life experiences in academia and the community make her a great coach and guide."
Dr. Samantha Dietz, Miami, Florida

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