327A Victoria Building
3500 Victoria Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
412-648-4608
F: 412-383-7227
Jrl72@pitt.edu
Profile
Dr. Bench graduated from Pitt’s traditional BSN program in 2014 with magna cum laude status. She then graduated in 2017 with her DNP in a neonatal nurse practitioner focus. Dr. Bench currently serves as a full-time Assistant Professor in the Department of Acute & Tertiary Care. Her research focuses on the impact of music therapy and recorded music interventions in the neonatal population. Dr. Bench has successfully implemented a music intervention in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Magee-Womens Hospital that was able to improve vital signs for critically ill patients in the intensive care unit. Additionally, Dr. Bench has presented nationally regarding her research in music interventions. Dr. Bench also holds special academic and clinical interest in the training and development of new staff members in the neonatal intensive care unit, as well as a focus on new nurse development. Clinically, she has practiced as a neonatal intensive care nurse as well as a neonatal nurse practitioner for over five years.
Teaching
Dr. Bench currently teaches undergraduate BSN as well as accelerated second-degree BSN students in laboratory and clinical settings, with primary involvement in teaching in medical-surgical instruction. Dr. Bench also has extensive experience in lecturing for neonatal nurse practitioner students in a didactic setting, as well as orienting new nurses and nurse practitioners in the NICU setting.
Service
In addition to her role as faculty, Dr. Bench currently practices as a neonatal nurse practitioner at Magee-Womens Hospital. She is also a member of the National Association for Neonatal Nurses.