Background
Mallory Perry-Eaddy, PhD, RN, CCRN, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Connecticut. After graduating from UConn with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, she began her nursing career working in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC). Soon after starting there, Perry-Eaddy began to wonder: what happens to the children after they leave the hospital? Perry-Eaddy eventually decided to get her PhD in nursing (also at UConn) so she could better help the children she works with by understanding what happens after they leave the PICU. While in graduate school, she studied children recovering from spinal fusion surgery to understand their pain and recovery using biological measures such as differential gene expression. After completing her PhD she conducted postdoctoral research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, continuing her focus on post-ICU outcomes, as well as on the role inflammation plays in children’s recovery. After her postdoc, Perry-Eaddy decided to return to UConn as an assistant professor in the School of Nursing in 2022, where she teaches a range of subjects to both undergraduates and graduates.

“Nursing just fell into my lap. I wanted to help those who are vulnerable, and nursing seemed like the best fit for me,” says Perry-Eaddy. She was initially interested in working in the neonatal ICU, in which she had her first internship as an undergraduate. When working on her senior capstone in the PICU, however, she immediately fell in love with the work being done there and the varied work in the pediatric critical care field. “The PICU really just keeps you on your toes,” she says. “You never really know what to expect.” She thoroughly enjoys being able to help vulnerable children directly, which nursing allows her to do.

In her current role, Perry-Eaddy continues as a bedside nurse at CCMC while working as a professor at UConn. She has an R00 NIH-funded study, which focuses on the role of inflammatory biomarkers, in children with sepsis or pneumonia in the pediatric ICU, and their recovery. As part of the project, Perry-Eaddy and her team follow patients for three months after they leave the PICU, in order to understand their physical recovery, including the care they receive at home and at school.

Involvement with CSCH

Perry-Eaddy decided to join the Collaboratory as an affiliate due to the interdisciplinary nature, working to promote both child health and school health. She finds it very important to provide for children in all settings. Working in the PICU has helped Perry-Eaddy to realize how much of an impact illnesses have on children aside from the physical aspects. “School is their main job, so missing significant time from school due to illness impacts them not only physically, but also mentally and cognitively,” says Perry-Eaddy. Working together with other affiliates allows her to expand healthcare beyond hospital walls and into the school system in order to support children.

You can learn more about Perry-Eaddy and her work by visiting her UConn Faculty Page, X Profile, and LinkedIn Profile.

Fun Facts

Perry-Eaddy met her husband at Northwest Dining hall during their undergraduate years at UConn. She and her husband are still avid UConn basketball fans, having attended the Men’s final four games the last two years in a row.

Undergraduate Researcher Elena Roberts interviewed Mallory Perry-Eaddy and wrote this profile.