She is best known for her contributions to improving the mental health of vulnerable populations (including truckers), developing psychiatric treatment environments, and promoting the voice of nursing in public dialogue.
Prior to joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins University, where she is currently the inaugural Associate Dean for Faculty Development,[4] Shattell was the Chair of the Department of Community, Systems, and Mental Health Nursing at Rush University,[5] and she served as the associate dean for research and faculty development in the College of Science and Health at DePaul University.
[7] She documented the importance of establishing and maintaining therapeutic relationship between nurse and patient, including the importance of demonstrating understanding and employing empathy to reinforce a positive psychological balance for a patient as a means of combating the social stigma of mental illness.
[8] Shattell further demonstrated the importance of providing support through joining in activities, including the importance of physical touch, such as a placing a hand on the shoulder, as a tangible means of demonstrating support.
[8] She also reported on the value of nurses sharing emotion with patients, including tearfulness, blunt feedback, and straight talk, as importance to developing a sense of genuine relationship.