Brigitte S. Cypress

Dr. Brigitte S. Cypress is a nationally recognized critical care family research nurse scientist, phenomenologist, educator, and advocate whose scholarship advances patient- and family centered care in intensive care units (ICUs). A leading voice in family engagement and qualitative nursing science, her work addresses persistent barriers to family involvement through evidence-based strategies grounded in compassion, policy advocacy, and systems thinking. Her program of research focuses on optimizing family engagement during patient- and family centered interdisciplinary rounds (PFCC-IR), reducing sychological distress among families of critically ill patients, and strengthening communication and shared decision-making in critical care. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, Dr. Cypress has generated foundational evidence demonstrating the benefits of family engagement while identifying modifiable organizational barriers within ICU workflows. Her current work centers on Nurse-TECHFamily, a nurse-led, telehealth-enabled framework and intervention developed from early phenomenological inquiries and two completed experimental studies informed by Family Systems Theory and Stress and Coping Theory. This work promotes equitable virtual family engagement, with particular emphasis on underserved and ethnically diverse communities.

Dr. Cypress is the author of two books and more than 40 peer-reviewed articles, has delivered over 90 professional and keynote presentations, and has accrued more than 5,100 citations. Her scholarship has been recognized with numerous national and international honors, including the Rutgers University–Camden Chancellor Award for Research and Creative Activity, the Eastern Nursing Research Society Suzanne Feetham Nurse Scientist Family Research Award, the Nursing Hall of Fame Award for Research and Scholarship (Teachers College, Columbia University), her alma mater’s highest award for an alumnus- the Far Eastern University Green and Gold Award for Excellence in Research and Education, and multiple Excellence in Nursing Research Awards in the United States and internationally. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (NAP), Nursing Academy, the only nurse Laureate Fellow of the International Communicology Institute (ICI), and a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM).