Dr. Jacqueline Nikpour, PhD, RN, is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and serves on the steering committee for the Georgia Nursing Workforce Center. Her research lies at the intersection of health policy, health equity, and nursing care, emphasizing the development and evaluation of nurse-led care models focused on cross-setting care coordination, chronic disease management, and patient-centered care. Leveraging her clinical nursing background and expertise in value-based healthcare delivery, Dr. Nikpour is committed to improving equitable patient outcomes through policy-driven research. An active member of AcademyHealth and its Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues, she collaborates across disciplines to position nurses as key partners in achieving a high-value, equitable healthcare system

1. Nikpour, J., Langston, C., Brom, H…Brooks Carthon, J. M. (2025). Improvements in Transitional Care Among Medicaid-Insured Patients With Serious Mental Illness. Journal of nursing care quality, 40(1), 76-83.
   ‍https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000805
2. Nikpour, J., Brom, H., Mason, A., Chittams, J., Poghosyan, L., & Brooks Carthon, M. (2024). Better Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Practice Environments Reduce Hospitalization Disparities Among Dually-Enrolled Patients. Medical care, 62(4), 217–224.
   https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000001951‍
3. Nikpour, J., Yakusheva, O., Cramer, E., Muir, K. M., & Norful, A. (2023). To Improve Outcomes Under
4. CMS’ ‘Making Care Primary’, Focus On Registered Nurses. Health Affairs Forefront.
   Retrieved from https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/improve-outcomes-under-cms-making-care-primary-focus-registered-nurses‍
5. Brooks Carthon, J.M., Nikpour, J., Rettberg, G., Thomas-Hawkins, C., Henderson, M., Agor, D., &
6. Villarruel, A.M. (2024). Addressing Burnout Amongst Nurses of Color: Key Priorities and Calls for Action. Nurs Outlook, 72(6) 102297.
   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2024.102297‍
7. Nikpour, J. & Brooks Carthon, J.M. (2023). Characteristics, Work Environments, and Rates of Burnout and Job Dissatisfaction Among Registered Nurses in Primary Care. Nurs Outlook, 71(4), 101988.
   ‍https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2023.101988

Dr. Nikpour’s teaching philosophy emphasizes critical thinking, evidence-based decision-making, and meaningful community engagement within nursing education. Recognizing the diverse roles and settings nursing students enter, she prioritizes developing students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills over content memorization. Dr. Nikpour integrates examples from her research and clinical experiences into her lectures and seminars, employing interactive and collaborative approaches. She fosters inclusive classrooms as spaces where students collectively build knowledge through open dialogue and mutual respect. Dr. Nikpour also advocates for innovative, real-world learning, involving students in research projects to prepare them as adaptable, thoughtful, and socially responsible leaders in the evolving healthcare landscape

Dr. Nikpour’s research focuses on developing and evaluating innovative models of primary care nursing to improve patient outcomes and reduce racial and socioeconomic health disparities. Specifically, she examines how primary care registered nurses (RNs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) can be effectively integrated into healthcare teams to address chronic disease management, care coordination, and social determinants of health. Through her prior and ongoing research, Dr. Nikpour employs large clinical and administrative datasets, rigorous quantitative methods, and mixed-methods approaches to explore organizational factors that influence the effectiveness of primary care nursing models. Her recent work includes examining barriers faced by Black NPs advocating for equity-centered care, and evaluating the impact of RN-led interventions on post-discharge outcomes among individuals with co-occurring serious mental illnesses.

• 2024: Article of the Year, Nursing Outlook
• 2020: Alice S. Hersh National Student Scholarship, AcademyHealth
• 2018: Future of Nursing Scholar, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation