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Elizabeth A. Crago

PhD, MSN, RN
Associate Professor
Acute & Tertiary Care

Profile

Dr. Crago’s research focuses on the clinical complications that influence recovery after acute neurological injury, including protein and genomic markers in plasma and cerebral spinal fluid that may be influential or predict recovery. Currently, she is attempting to identify biologic predictors of injury and recovery following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Dr. Crago specifically is interested in the influence of sex steroids and insulin-like growth factors on the brain in this patient population.

Dr. Crago has received foundation and institutional funding in the following areas:

  • The role of estrogen in the development of delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • The relationship of hormone levels to outcomes after acute aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • Assessing the relationship of cerebral vascular reactivity to outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • The effect of IGF1 gene variants on functional outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

She has additional expertise in other biologic markers (20-HETE, ET-1) and phenotypes (cardiac complications) in patients with neurologic injury as well as neurologic monitoring including transcranial Dopplers, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and non-invasive cardiac monitoring.

Clinical Emphasis

Dr. Crago’s clinical expertise is in emergency and critical care nursing with a special emphasis on the care of patients with neurological injury. She maintains her faculty practice as a staff nurse in the Emergency Department at Independence Health. 

Scholarly Emphasis

Dr. Crago has received foundation and institutional funding in the following areas:

  • The role of estrogen in the development of delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage 
  • The relationship of hormone levels to outcomes after acute aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage  
  • Assessing the relationship of cerebral vascular reactivity to outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage 
  • The effect of IGF1 gene variants on functional outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage  

She has additional expertise in other biologic markers (20-HETE, ET-1, inflammatory markers) and phenotypes (cardiac complications) in patients with neurologic injury as well as neurologic monitoring including transcranial Dopplers, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and non-invasive cardiac monitoring. Prior to her faculty position, Dr. Crago served as a Project Director on multiple NIH funded grants where she became adept at patient recruitment, data collection and study organization.

Teaching

Dr. Crago is currently the primary instructor for the senior undergraduate course NUR1121 Advanced Clinical Decision Making and the graduate course NUR3287 Research Designs and Methods at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. She is a clinical instructor in the emergency department for senior undergraduate nursing student. Dr. Crago mentors DNP, PhD and Honors students as well as undergraduate students in the URMP program. Dr. Crago provides guest lectures to graduate/doctoral nursing students on acute neurological assessment and injury [Pathophysiology; Critical Care & Cardiopulmonary Clinical Emphasis (ACNP-DNP)].

Dr, Crago, currently serves as the Dean of the paramedic program at Mutual Aid Ambulance Service, where she also provides instruction on pathophysiology topics related to medical emergencies including neurologic injury, pulmonology, endocrinology, toxicology, hematology and anaphylaxis. Dr. Crago provides lectures on neurologic problems in the Critical Care and Emergency courses at Independence Health and helped design and implement Intracranial Pressure Monitoring Education as well as ongoing (yearly) stroke education. As a certified instructor, she provides community and professional First Aid, ACLS, and PALS instruction.

Service

Dr. Crago is a member of the Emergency Nursing Association where she serves on the Research Committee. She is a member of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses and served on a panel of nurses to write the 2025 clinical practice guidelines for the care of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. She is also a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the International Society of Nursing Genetics, the Eastern Nursing Research Society, Sigma International, the Society for Critical Care Medicine, and the Neurocritical Care Society. Dr. Crago held leadership positions in the nursing section as well as society-wide committees.in the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Crago has been a grant reviewer for the American Association Neuroscience Nursing Foundation and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. She is an abstract reviewer for American Heart Association International Stroke Conference, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the Neurocritical Care Society and the Emergency Nurses Association. Dr. Crago also provides peer review for journals including the Journal of NeuroCritical Care, Journal of Emergency Nursing, and both the American and British Journals of Neuroscience Nursing.