Valerie Danesh, PhD, RN, FCCM, FAAN

Associate Professor

Email

Valerie.Danesh@BSWHealth.org

Positions

Associate Professor: School of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine

Research Investigator: Center for Applied Health Research
Baylor Scott & White Health

Education

PhD from University of Central Florida: 08/2015 - Orlando, FL

Professional Statement

Valerie Danesh, PhD, RN, FCCM, FAAN is a Research Investigator at Baylor Scott & White Health in Texas and Associate Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Her health services research contributes to linking nurse-led interventions with patient outcomes across the continuum, from pre-ICU care to ICU recovery. Current work includes examining cognitive impairment and driving safety after critical illness and intervention development to test peer support interventions for ICU survivors. Dr. Danesh is an elected Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine and the American Academy of Nursing.

Websites

Google Scholar

Danesh Lab

VIICTR Profile

Selected Publications

Potter, K, Danesh, V, Butcher, B, Eaton, TL, McDonald, AD, Girard, TD. " Return to driving after critical illness " JAMA IM. 2023 Mar 27;
Pubmed PMID: 36976554.
Danesh, V, Work, BD, Chen, DF, Van, J, Mart, MF, Welch, SA, Davidson, M, Ely, EW, Williams Roberson, S, Jackson, JC & Boehm, LM. " Delirium and self-reported driving behaviors and outcomes after critical illness " JAMA Network Open. 2025 Sep 2; 8 (9) : e2531224.
Pubmed PMID: 40928776.
Danesh, V, McDonald, AD, Hansmann, KJ, Boehm, LM, Su, H, Eaton, TL, Toth, KM, Arroliga, AC, Work, BD & McPeake, J. " Driving behavior and driving outcomes after acute and critical illness: A systematic review " IJNS. 2025 Aug 1; 168 : 105105.
Pubmed PMID: 40334531.
Danesh, V & McDonald, AD. " Driving performance and clinical decision-making " JAMA Network Open. 2026 Jan 29; 9 (1) : e2554479.
Pubmed PMID: 41609830.

Projects

Long-Term Outcomes of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Patients in an Integrated System in Texas (LTO-ECMO): Baylor Scott & White Research Institute (01/2023 - present)

Funding

Driving Rehabilitation and Innovation for Evaluating Risk in Post-Intensive Care Unit Survivors (DRIVE-PICS) #1R21AG080339: $456,698.00 (04/01/2023 - 12/31/2024); Grant funding from National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging (NIH/NIA); Older adults are at risk for ICU-acquired cognitive decline discernible from clinical, biological, and imaging- related changes in the brain following delirium and critical illness. Our Driving Rehabilitation and Innovation for Evaluating Risk in Post Intensive Care Unit Survivors (DRIVE-PICS) application seeks to implement in-vehicle kinematic driving data with neurocognitive assessments for essential formative work to develop data-based insights into driving behaviors. DRIVE-PICS is designed to contribute to a critical gap in health promotion to develop an evidence-based, in-vehicle driving assessment system to provide actionable driving safety data and rehabilitation strategies tailored to older ICU survivors, their care partners, and clinicians.