Bio
Dr. Ashley M. Ruiz, PhD, BSN, ADN, RN, is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Emory University in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, theorist, and a clinician with a specialization as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. Her research expertise in qualitative inquiry is rooted in Black Feminist thought, Intersectionality, and Postcolonial Feminism to examine Black women's experiences of secondary victimization, a form of violence in social institutions that lead to re-traumatization, following sexual assault within the nurse-patient relationship and healthcare models. Dr. Ruiz’s methods and methodologies center women’s voices to support advances toward health equity globally and across the United States. Her work has been used across state-wide trainings to improve healthcare responses to sexual assault in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Georgia.
In building off of research in times of crisis, Dr. Ruiz leads a novel area of research to explore the syndemic mechanisms of rapid-onset climate-related and water-related disasters in the Southeastern region of the United States on worsening pre-existing health disparities. Through community-based practices, Dr. Ruiz bridges expertise in gender-based violence against women, climate, and disaster research to anticipate and develop novel approaches towards mitigating future threats towards advances in health equity.
Areas of Interest
- Environmental Health
- Health Disparities
- Health Services Research
- Methods
- Public Health
- Vulnerable Populations
- Women's Health
Publications
- +Ruiz, A. M., Hammett, J. F., Baca-Atlas, S. N., Moore, K. M., Weitzel, J., Kirwan, M., Mkandawire-Valhmu, L., & Gondwe, K. (2026). A Systematic Review of Healthcare Providers' Approaches to Practices That Contribute to Secondary Victimization of Sexual Assault Survivors. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 14(14), 2111. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14142111.
- +Ruiz, A.M., *Muñoz, L., *Walsh, T., *Hardy, G., *Ranjbari, B., *Contreras, M.M., Leslie, S.L., & Nevitt, M. A scoping review of rapid-onset climate-related disasters & gender-based violence against women. Clim. Risk Manag. 2026, 52, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2026.100809.
- +Ruiz, A. M., *Moore, K. M., Woehrle, L. M., Kako, P., Davis, K. C., & Mkandawire-Valhmu, L. (2023). Experiences of dehumanizing: Examining secondary victimization within the nurse-patient relationship among African American women survivors of sexual assault in the Upper Midwest. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 329, 116029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116029.
- +Ruiz, A., Luebke, J., *Moore, K., ^Vann, A. D., Gonzalez, M., Jr, *Ochoa-Nordstrum, B., Barbon, R., Gondwe, K., & Mkandawire-Valhmu, L. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on help-seeking behaviours of Indigenous and Black women experiencing intimate partner violence in the United States. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 10.1111/jan.15528. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15528
- +Ruiz, A., Luebke, J., *Klein, K., Hawkins, M., *Callari-Robinson, J., & Mkandawire-Valhmu, L (2021). The Role of Hegemonic Masculinities in the Lives of Ethnic Minority Women. Advances in Nursing Science. 44(1).
Awards & Affiliations
- 2024 Early Science Investigator Award Southern Nursing Research Society
- 2022 Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship Award University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee
- 2019-2020 Graduate Student Excellence Fellowship Award University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee
- 2019 Simon-Ontscherenki & Nurses of West Allis Memorial Hospital Scholarship University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee
- 2019 National Women’s Studies Association Scholarship National Women’s Studies Association
- 2019 Milton & Joan Morris Doctoral of Nursing Practice School of Scholarship University of Wisconsin —Milwaukee
- 2019-2020 Chancellor’s Graduate Student Award University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee