Carla Fallas
- DNP, Nursing Education, Duke University
- M.S., Nursing FNP, Winston-Salem State University
- B.S., Nursing/Spanish, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Carla Fallas is an assistant professor for the School of Nursing at Lenoir-Rhyne University. She teaches Advanced Health Assessment for the FNP, Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Concepts of Clinical Nursing (Adult Health), and Advanced Concepts of Clinical Nursing (Geriatric) in the FNP-DNP program. She also serves as the clinical placement specialist for the FNP program assisting students with clinical placements and collaborating with preceptors in North Carolina and surrounding states. In addition, Fallas has 10 years of experience as an active nurse practitioner.
In her doctoral research, Fallas recognized a need to bridge the gap between Spanish-speaking individuals and education for Type 2 diabetes. Her dissertation implemented a six-month intervention, creating a Type 2 diabetes self-management program that focused on improving access to care providers, encouraging self-efficacy and teaching better diabetes management strategies. For the last eight years, Fallas works as an FNP at the Camino Health Center, a Charlotte nonprofit serving low-income Latino families. She works closely with the Camino Research Institute by identifying and addressing the barriers that slow or halt the uptake of proven health interventions and evidence-based practices. In the clinic, she establishes and implements quality improvement initiatives and participates in numerous community outreach programs.
In September 2020, Camino Health Center nominated Fallas for the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics 5th Annual Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Award for Health Equity. This award acknowledges the work of staff and faculty members in free clinics who are making a difference in one of several areas. Fallas was nominated for her work in bettering chronic disease outcomes.
Her areas of interest are chronic management, especially diabetes mellitus, education and self-management, health literacy, diverse population management, obesity, depression and leadership. Her perspective as an educator is to instill an appreciation of deep understanding rather than just superficial exposure. In order to do this, she desires to assist students in reflecting and reaffirming their values, cultural differences and beliefs. As an educator, she is committed to implementing and mastering the following principles: student-faculty contact, cooperation among students, active learning, prompt feedback, high expectations, respect for diversity and timeliness on task.