Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States
Dr. D. Scharp is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and nursing scientist whose work lies at the intersection of clinical care, health disparities, informatics, and gerontological research. With over a decade of clinical and academic experience, Dr. Scharp leverages natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning in the study of urinary incontinence, hospitalization risks, and bias in clinical documentation. She is a published researcher, a dedicated mentor, and an invited speaker recognized for her scholarly and clinical contributions to nursing and health informatics.
Publication Profile
Orcid
Educational Background 🎓
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Ph.D. in Nursing – Columbia University (2021–2024)
Dissertation: Leveraging Natural Language Processing to Identify Risk for Hospitalizations Among Older Adult Home Healthcare Patients with Urinary Incontinence
Advisor: Dr. Maxim Topaz
Fellowships:
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RHeaDI Fellowship Program (T32NR007969)
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Research on Disparities in Aging and Dementia (DiAD) (T32AG066598), Mount Sinai
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MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner – Georgetown University (2012–2015)
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BSN, Biology Minor – Wagner College (2006–2010)
Graduated Magna Cum Laude, earned Department Honors and multiple student leadership and academic awards.
Professional Experience 💼
🔹 Clinical Experience:
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Family Nurse Practitioner – Costa Berkshire Group, NY (2017–2021)
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Family Nurse Practitioner – Tri-County Community Action Agency, RI (2015–2017)
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Registered Nurse – MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and other institutions (2010–2015)
🔹 Research Experience:
Research Interests 🔬
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Natural Language Processing (NLP) in healthcare
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Health disparities in aging populations
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Home healthcare and hospitalization prevention
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Urinary incontinence in older adults
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Clinical decision support systems
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Bias and stigmatizing language in clinical documentation
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Maternal health equity and symptom documentation
Awards and Honors🏆✨
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Urologic Nursing Outstanding Reviewer Award (2020)
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Caring Star Award – MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (2011 & 2012)
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Mary Burr Award, Senior Scholar Athlete Award, Department Honors, and multiple scholarships and academic distinctions from Wagner College
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Magna Cum Laude Graduate – Wagner College
Professional Memberships🧩
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Gerontological Society of America
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American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)
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International Continence Society
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Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates (Reviewer)
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Sigma Theta Tau – Columbia and Wagner Chapters
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Eastern Nursing Research Society
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Multiple state nurse practitioner associations
Teaching and Leadership📚
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Invited speaker at George Washington University and Columbia University
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Instructor and mentor for doctoral and nursing students in informatics, grant writing, and evidence-based practice
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Co-editor, AMIA Student Working Group Newsletter
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Doctoral Seminar Leader and Peer Mentor, Columbia University
Conclusion🌟
Dr. D. Scharp exemplifies a modern nurse scientist — grounded in clinical practice and committed to solving pressing healthcare problems through advanced informatics and research. Her robust academic training, clinical expertise, and data science focus enable her to address disparities in aging, chronic conditions, and maternal health. With a strong foundation in NLP, data-driven decision-making, and mentorship, she is poised to continue shaping the future of health equity, nursing science, and healthcare innovation.
Publications 📚
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📄 Age-related differences in unmet needs and their predictors among adults with bladder cancer
📘 Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations | 🗓️ July 2025
🔗 DOI: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2025.06.007
👩🔬 Contributors: Danielle Scharp, Tung-Ming Leung, Bente Thoft Jensen, et al.
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🧩 Symptom Burden: A Concept Analysis
📘 Nursing Science Quarterly | 🗓️ April 2025
🔗 DOI: 10.1177/08943184241311908
👩🔬 Contributors: Danielle Scharp, Sarah E. Harkins, Maxim Topaz
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💬 Applying NLP to Understand Symptoms Among Older Adults with Urinary Incontinence
📘 Journal of Nursing Scholarship | 🗓️ January 2025
🔗 DOI: 10.1111/jnu.13038
👩🔬 Contributors: Danielle Scharp, Jiyoun Song, Mollie Hobensack, et al.
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🧠 Developing a Clinical Decision Support Framework in Home Health for Heart Failure
📘 Journal of Nursing Scholarship | 🗓️ January 2025
🔗 DOI: 10.1111/jnu.13030
👩🔬 Contributors: Sena Chae, Danielle Scharp, et al.
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🏥 Social Determinants of Health Documentation Across Racial/Ethnic Groups
📘 Journal of Nursing Scholarship | 🗓️ January 2025
🔗 DOI: 10.1111/jnu.12980
👩🔬 Contributors: Mollie Hobensack, Danielle Scharp, et al.
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🏩 Secondary Qualitative Analysis of Stigmatizing Language in Hospital Birth Settings
📘 Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing | 🗓️ January 2025
🔗 DOI: 10.1016/j.jogn.2024.10.003
👩🔬 Contributors: Veronica Barcelona, Danielle Scharp, et al.
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📝 NLP Applied to Clinical Documentation in Post-Acute Care: A Scoping Review
📘 Journal of the American Medical Directors Association | 🗓️ January 2024
🔗 DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.09.006
👩🔬 Contributors: Danielle Scharp, Mollie Hobensack, et al.
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🧓 Comorbidities of Older Adults with Urinary Incontinence: A Scoping Review
📘 Geriatric Nursing | 🗓️ September 2023
🔗 DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2023.08.005
👩🔬 Contributors: Danielle Scharp, Sarah E. Harkins, Maxim Topaz
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🗣️ Qualitative Analysis of Stigmatizing Language in Birth Admission Notes
📘 Nursing Inquiry | 🗓️ July 2023
🔗 DOI: 10.1111/nin.12557
👩🔬 Contributors: Veronica Barcelona, Danielle Scharp, et al.