Professor
Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development
Department
Department of Health Behavior and Clinical Sciences
Contact
University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482
Cynthia Arslanian-Engoren is not accepting new PhD students.
Interests
Decision making
Women's' Heart Disease: Disparities and Biases
Heart failure
Cognitive dysfunction
Self-care management
Dr. Arslanian-Engoren is a nurse scientist with decision-making expertise. She has extensively studied the decisions of emergency department nurses' who triage women for symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction (MI) and the treatment seeking decisions of women with acute MI. As part of this research, she developed and tested the Nurses' Cardiac Triage Instrument © (Arslanian-Engoren & Hagerty, 2013), a 30-item, three factor (patient presentation, unbiased nurse reasoning process, nurse action) instrument with good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = .903, .809, .718); with additional psychometric testing in 2025 (Blakeman et al, 2025). Instrument available upon request. Her research focuses on the prevention and risk reduction of cardiovascular disease, the timely recognition of cardiac symptoms that warrant treatment evaluation, heart failure self-care and cardiovascular disease risk factors and sexual minorities. Her team tested an innovative education and cognitive training intervention to improve self-care management decisions for older adults with heart failure. Her research has been published in American Journal of Cardiology, American Journal of Critical Care, Circulation, Journal of Cardiac Failure, Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, Journal of Emergency Nursing, and Nursing Research.
Teaching
Dr. Arslanian-Engoren is an experienced academician who has taught across the curricula. At the undergraduate level, she has used her expertise to teach clinical decision-making and adult health nursing. At the graduate level, she has taught nursing theory, research, and advanced practice didactic and clinical courses to the acute care graduate nursing students. In addition, she has mentored undergraduate honors students and graduate students in the completion of their research and scholarly projects (e.g., master’s projects, doctoral preliminary examinations, dissertations, etc.). Dr. Arslanian-Engoren often includes students as members of her research team, providing mentorship experiences and experiential knowledge of critical aspects of scientific inquiry.
Affilliations/Service
Editorial Board Member, Heart & Lung
Editorial Board Member, Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing
Trustee, Midwest Nursing Research Society Foundation (2018-2022)
Member-at-Large, American Heart Association, Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing Council, Leadership Committee (2021-2025)
American Heart Association, Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing Council, Nominating Committee
American Academy of Nursing, Policy Conference Planning Committee Member (2024-2025)
Notable Awards/Honors
Pioneering Spirit Award, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 2024
University of Michigan Center for Interprofessional Education Award for Innovation and Excellence (Team Based Clinical Decision Making, A3 Problem), 2022
Fellow (Distinguished Fellow in Nursing), National Academy of Practice (FNAP), 2021
University of Michigan Provost's Teaching Innovation Prize, 2015
Fellow, American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), 2012
Fellow, American Heart Association (FAHA), 2008
Education
PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 1999
Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 1998
MSN, Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, OH, 1994
BSN, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 1989
Publications Highlights
Sinha, S. S., Geller, B. J., Katz, J. N., Arslanian-Engoren, C., Barnett, C. F., Bohula, E. A., Damluji, A. A., Menon, V., Roswell, R. O., Vallabhajosyula, S., Vest, A. R., van Diepen, S., Morrow, D. A., & American Heart Association Acute Cardiac Care and General Cardiology Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Cardiopulmonary, Critical Care, Perioperative and Resuscitation; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; and Council on Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease (2025). Evolution of Critical Care Cardiology: An Update on Structure, Care Delivery, Training, and Research Paradigms: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 151(10), e687–e707. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001300
Blakeman, J. R., Kim, M., Eckhardt, A. L., DeVon, H. A., & Arslanian-Engoren, C. (2025). Psychometric testing of the Nurses' Cardiac Triage Instrument in a nationwide sample. The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 10.1097/JCN.0000000000001182. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCN.0000000000001182
Wu, J. R., Latimer, A., Thapa, A., Arslanian-Engoren, C., Smith, J. L., Thompson, J. H., Lin, C. Y., Kang, J., Hammash, M., Amin, M. I., Biddle, M. J., Lee, K. S., Heo, S., & Moser, D. K. (2025). Multidimensional Determinants of Functional Status in Patients with Heart Failure. Heart International, 19(1), 41–47. https://doi.org/10.17925/HI.2025.19.1.2
Arslanian-Engoren, C., Giordani, B., Nelson, K., & Moser, D.K. (2021). A pilot study to evaluate a computer-based intervention to improve self-care in patients with heart failure. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 36(2), 157-164. doi: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000782. PMID: 33369990.
Fordyce, C.B., Katz, J.N., Alviar, C.L., Arslanian-Engoren, C., Bohula, E.A., Geller, B.J., Hollenberg, SM., Jentzer, J.C., Sims, D.B., Washam, J.B., van Diepen, S.(2020). Prevention of Complications in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 142(22):e379-e406. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000909. PMID: 33115261.
Tamis-Holland, J.E., Jneid H., Reynolds, H.R., Brilakis, E.S., Agewall, S., Brown, T.M., Lerman A., Kumbhani D.J., Arslanian-Engoren, C., Bolger, A.F., Beltrame J.F. (2019). Contemporary diagnosis and management of patients with myocardial infarction in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA): A Scientific Statement for Healthcare Professionals from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 139(18), e891-e908. Doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000670.
Wilbur, J., Braun, L.T., Arslanian-Engoren, C., Lauver, D.R., Halloway, S. (2018). Assessing and addressing cardiovascular risk in young women. Nursing Outlook, 66(3): 325-328.
Hayes, S.N., Kim, E.S., Saw, J., Wood, M.J., Lindsay, M.E., Adam, D., Ganesh, S.K., Tweet, M.S., Gulati, R., Naderi, S., Shah, S., Mieres, J.H., Arslanian-Engoren, C., Thaler, D.E., & Economy, K.E. (2018). Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: Current State of the Science: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 137(19), e523-e557.
Arslanian-Engoren, C., & Scott, L.D. (2017). Delays in treatment seeking decisions among women with acute myocardial infarction. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 36(5), 298-303.doi:10.1097/DCC.0000000000000260.
Moser, DK, Arslanian-Engoren, C, Biddle, MJ, Chung, ML, Dekker, RL, Hammash, MH, Mudd-Martin, G, Alhurani, AS & Lennie, TA. (2016). Psychological aspects of heart failure. Current Cardiology Reports, 18(12), 119.
Arslanian-Engoren, C & Scott LD. (2016). Women’s perception of biases and barriers in their myocardial infarction triage experience. Heart & Lung: The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 45(3), 166-172.
Arslanian-Engoren, C., Eastwood, J-A., DeJong , M.J., & Berra, K. (2015). Participation in heart-healthy behaviors: A secondary analysis of the American Heart Association Go Red Heart Match Data. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 30(6), 479-483.
Arslanian-Engoren, C, Giordani, BJ, Algase, D, Schuh, A, Lee, C & Moser, DK. (2014). 'Cognitive dysfunction in older adults hospitalized for acute heart failure.' Journal of Cardiac Failure, 20(9), 669-678.
Arslanian-Engoren C, Hagerty BM. (2013). The development and testing of the nurses’ cardiac triage instrument. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice: An International Journal, 27(1), 9-18.