Milisa Manojlovich, Ph.D., RN, FAAN
University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482
Interests
- Cancer care delivery
- Interdisciplinary communication
- Visual-based methodologies
- The role of communication in diagnostic error
Dr. Manojlovich studies how communication can be used to improve healthcare delivery for cancer patients. She uses innovative visual-based methods (both video and photo) to improve care delivery by understanding the patient perspective and guiding the development of education materials that patients will comprehend and use. Patient education is a modifiable aspect of cancer care delivery that could contribute to better treatment outcomes and improved quality of life. Her research is agnostic to cancer type or population because the vast majority of cancer patients enter the healthcare system at some point for cancer care and how that care is delivered is dependent on communication.
Dr. Manojlovich studies communication from two angles – conceptual and methodological - to provide the greatest impact. Conceptually, in health care communication is commonly defined as information exchange, borrowing heavily from aviation which focuses on sender-receiver characterizations and thus a transactional view of communication. Dr. Manojlovich promotes a broader view of communication, one focused on developing shared understanding between communicators and the transformational nature of communication that results when two people – with different perspectives – come to understand one another and learn something new. Methodologically, Dr. Manojlovich is expanding the focus of communication to include how education is provided to, and received by, oncology patients who are prescribed oral anti-cancer agents (OAAs) to treat their cancer. OAAs cause a wide range of worrisome toxic reactions, leading to non-adherence. Since improving adherence may have a far greater impact on clinical outcomes than advances in new drug treatments, innovative methods based on the transformational power of communication are needed because of the recognition that improved adherence will ultimately reduce morbidity and mortality from cancer. Dr. Manojlovich is currently co-investigator on studies, listed below.
Visit her Prevent Harms through Discovery and Innovation (PIVOT) Hub website.
Current Research Grants and Programs
- Patient Engagement in Reporting Medication Events during Transitions of Care (PI Jiang). 1R01HS02784601. Role: co-I
- Engineering whole health into hospital care to improve wellness: The M-Wellness Laboratory (M-Well) (PI Saint). 1R18HS028963. Role: co-I
- Ensuring Safe and Effective Delivery of Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy for Veterans (Co-PIs Harrod & Krein). VHA. 1I01HX003691-01. Role: co-I
- Comparing inotrope practice variation in Cardiac Survey. (PI Mathis). 1R01HL167790-01. Role: co-I
- VIGIL - Vectors of intelligent guidance in long-reach rural healthcare. ARPHA-H. Role: co-I
Teaching
Dr. Manojlovich’s teaching philosophy is a blend of constructivism and humanism. She uses the principles of adult education to provide structure within which learning can occur. She invites her students to engage in learning along with her and facilitates the exploratory process by creating an environment where students feel safe to express their thoughts and ideas. Dr. Manojlovich uses creative teaching strategies to enhance classroom experiences and includes components of cooperative learning in every class session. She teaches at both undergraduate and graduate levels, in clinical and didactic courses. As a faculty member she believes that, to facilitate the School’s teaching mission, her primary responsibility is to support and advocate for students.
Affiliations / Service
- Co-Director, National Clinician Scholars Program at Michigan
- Senior Editor, BMJ Quality & Safety
Notable Awards / Honors
- Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) Dissertation Grant, 2003
- New Investigator Award, Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues, AcademyHealth, 2008
- Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan, Spring/Summer Research Grants Program, 2012
- Award for Excellence in Nursing Research: Sigma Theta Tau International – Rho Chapter, 2015
- Recognized "Top-Cited Scientist", Science-Wide Author Databases for Standardized Citation Indicators, Sept. 2022
- Ruth M. Colket Visiting Professor, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Feb. 22-23, 2022
Education
- Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- MS, Rush University, Chicago, IL
- ADN, Indiana University, Gary, IN
- BEd, University of Windsor, Windsor Ontario, Canada
- BA, Queen’s University, Kingston Ontario, Canada
Publication Highlights
Manojlovich, M., Rizvi-Toner, A., DasGupta, R., Farris, K., Friese, C. R., Kostoff, D., Mackler, E., Millisor, V., & Titler, M. G. (2023). Video reflexive ethnography as an intervention to improve oral anti-cancer agent patient education: A pilot study. PEC Innovation, 2 100148. doi: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2023.100148
Manojlovich, M., Blok, A.C., Wright, N., Azhari, E., Farris, K.B., Friese, C.R., Mackler, E., Titler, M., & Byrnes, M. (2023). Photo elicitation, an approach to better understanding the patient experience with OAAs: Pilot study and future implications. Supportive Care in Cancer, 31(652). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-023-08128-0
Jiang, Y., Hong, M., Cho, Y., Friese, C.R., Hawley, S., Manojlovich, M., Krause, J., & Gong, Y. (2024). Acceptance and use of digital technologies for medication safety events self-reporting after care transitions to home in patients with cancer: A survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26, e47685. https://doi.org/10.2196/47685
Manojlovich, M., Bettencourt, A.P., Mangus, C.W., Parker, S.J., Skurla, S.E., Walters, H.M., & Mahajan, P. (2024). Refining a framework to enhance communication in the emergency department during the diagnostic process: An eDelphi approach. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 50(5), 348-356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjq.2024.01.013
Guetterman, T. & Manojlovich, M. (2024). Grand rounds in methodology: Designing for integration in mixed methods research. BMJ Quality & Safety, 33, 470-478. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2023-016112
Bunni, D., Walters, G., Hwang, M., Gahn, K., Mason, H., Manojlovich, M., Gong, Y., & Jiang, Y. (2024) Oncology patients’ willingness to report their medication safety concerns from home: A qualitative study. Supportive Care in Cancer, 32(6), 352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08565-5
Rizvi Toner, A., Coe, T., Friese, C.R., Manojlovich, M., Wallner, L., & Farris, K.B. (2024). Patient symptoms, self-management, and unscheduled health care use during the first six months of targeted oral anticancer agent therapy: A mixed-methods study protocol. BMJ Open, 14(2): e081375. PubMed PMID: 38355181; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10868296
