Teresa Kelechi, PhD, RN

Medical University of South Carolina

Professor, Assocate Dean for Research, David & Margaret Clare Endowed Chair

Dr. Teresa J. Kelechi, PhD, RN, GCNS, CWCN, FAAN, is Professor, the David and Margaret Clare Endowed Chair, and Associate Dean for Research at College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston, SC. She received her BSN from Kent State University, MSN in Gerontological Nursing from Case Western Reserve University, and PhD from the University of South Carolina. She became a certified wound care nurse in 1996. Her research focuses on symptom and self-management interventions for chronic venous disease (CVD) and recurring leg ulcers. She developed a non-pharmacologic wound prevention model that includes monitoring skin temperature with infrared thermometers and applying of a cooling pack over skin affected by CVD, both of which have demonstrated significant patient benefits in reducing ulcer recurrence. Her work has significantly shaped clinical nursing practice and advanced the science of improving chronic ulcer outcomes.