Dr. Miranda Hawks is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, where her teaching, research, and service integrate nursing education with innovation and technology. She earned her PhD in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia in 2016, following an MSN in Nursing/Clinical Nurse Leadership in 2010 and a BS in Biology from Georgia Southwestern State University in 2007. She is a licensed Registered Nurse in Georgia, a Certified Clinical Nurse Leader, and holds graduate certificates in eLearning Design and Online Teaching from the University of Georgia.

At Emory, Dr. Hawks teaches foundational courses in pathophysiology, adult health, and mental health coordination of simulation-based experiences and mentoring students across BSN, MN, and DNP programs. Her teaching is consistently recognized by students for innovation, accessibility, and supportive mentorship that earned her the Faculty Spotlight Recognition for Teaching Excellence (2025) and the Swiss Army Knife Award (2025).

Her research program focuses on AI-enabled innovation, curriculum renewal, and the future of nursing education. She currently leads or co-leads funded projects including NurseMaiT: An AI Teammate for Burnout Detection and Support (AGREC, 2025–2026) and AI-Enabled Diabetic Foot Ulcer Monitoring in Rural Communities (PIN, 2025–2026). Central to this work is advancing nursing AI co-design elevating nurses and students as active participants in shaping technologies that affect care, education, and workforce sustainability. She is also the Team Lead for the MN Enrichment Program, which includes the AI and Digital Health Enrichment Pilot, which is a professional development initiative that connects students’ prior careers with nursing leadership roles and prepares them to engage in innovation, policy, and practice transformation.

Nationally, she has contributed to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) as an Essentials Champion, served as an AACN Transform Plenary Speaker, and invited webinar speaker while helping to shape dialogue on technology adoption and education reform. Her service also extends to local and global communities including work with refugee health organizations in Atlanta and rural health innovation partnerships in Georgia.

Dr. Hawks has authored 15 peer-reviewed publications, an invited book chapter, and national editorials with scholarship spanning curriculum innovation, adolescent health, international partnerships, and AI adoption in nursing education. Her long-term trajectory includes scaling AI co-design initiatives in nursing curricula and pursuing funding to expand digital health innovations that strengthen nursing leadership and education.

• Hawks, M., Emerson, C., Myers, R. E., Epp, A., Saye, J. L., Osborne, M. C., Garringer, M., Keen, D., & Dyess, S. (February 2025). Using the Ottawa Model for nursing curriculum renewal to align baccalaureate and master’s degree programs with the 2021 AACN Essentials. Journal of Professional Nursing. [Refereed]
• Hawks, M. (2025). Balancing academic scholarship and educational technology resources in nursing education. Journal of Professional Nursing (guest editorial). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2025.03.003 [Invited Editorial]
• Patel, D., Hawks, M., & Ngo, D. (2025). Curriculum revision within nursing education in Vietnam: A review of the literature. UTSA Journal of Undergraduate Research & Scholarly Works. [Refereed]
• Hawks, M., & Jones, A. (2024). Raul Ramirez: Designing Educational Materials for Neurodiverse Patient Populations in Navigating Complex Team Dynamics. 6th edition of the ID CaseBook, Eds. Ertmer, P.A., Galezewski, K.D., Koehler, A.A., & Stefaniak, J.E. Routledge. [Invited] 
• Adebayo, M., Garringer, M., Hawks, M., & Whiddon, A. (2024). Enhancing nurse
• communication skills with SBAR experiential training. AACN Essentials Teaching
• Resource Database (Peer Reviewed). https://www.aacnnursing.org/essentials/database/kit/i/sbar-tool [Refereed]
• Saye, J.L., Patterson, T.M., Holtzhower, M., Sylvester, T., & Hawks, M. (2024)
• Curriculum mapping for AACN Essentials 2021 Adoption: Experiences of a faculty
• domain team in evolving understanding of person-centered care. Journal of Nursing
• Education & Practice, 14(9), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v14n9p1 [Refereed]
• Ngo, T. D., Hawks, M., Ruzafa-Martinez, M., Le, T. K. C., Nguyen, T. T. T., Nguyen, 
• H. T., & Nguyen, T. N. H. (2023). Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Vietnamese version of the evidence-based practice competency questionnaire for registered nurses (EBP-COQ Prof©). Nursing Practice Today, 10(3), 261-272. https://doi.org/10.18502/npt.v10i3.13435. [Refereed/Corresponding Author] 
• Ngo, T. D., Hawks, M., Nguyen, T. T. T., Nguyen, T. N. H., Nguyen, H. T., & Mai, N. 
• T. T. (2023). Self-care knowledge in patients with intestinal stomas in a selected hospital in the south of Viet Nam: A descriptive cross-sectional study. Belitung Nursing 
• Journal, 9(4), 331. https://doi.org/10.33546/bnj.2711. [Refereed/Corresponding Author] 
• Ngo, D., & Hawks, M. (2023). An international partnership between two universities in Vietnam & the United States in undergraduate nursing curriculum development. Science Talks, 5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sctalk.2023.100161. [Invited/Corresponding Author] 
• Hahn, J., Huseman-Maratea, D., & Hawks, M. (2022). Nurse leaders in the US and Vietnam apply complexity science to support innovation and collaboration. Nursing Management, 53(6), 32-37. 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000831420.35667.94 [Invited/Refereed]
• Hawks, M., Bratton, A., Mobley, S., Barnes, V., Weiss, S., & Zadinsky, J. (2022). Early adolescents’ physical activity and nutrition beliefs and behaviours. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 17(1), 2050523. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2022.2050523 [Refereed/Corresponding Author]
• Mahasneh, D., Shoqirat, N., Singh, C., & Hawks, M. (2021). “From the classroom to Dr. YouTube:” Nursing students' experiences of learning and teaching styles in Jordan. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 16(1), 5-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2020.09.008 [Refereed]
• Hawks, M., Huseman-Maratea, D., Nguyen, A., Nguyen, L., & Romkema, S. (2020). International nursing leadership: The Vietnam Nurse Practice Improvement Project. Nurse Leader, 18(3), 248-252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2020.03.013 [Refereed]

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2020.03.013 [Refereed]

Hawks is committed to fostering learner-centered approaches in nursing education by emphasizing experiential learning and universal design for learning. Striving to integrate the arts into the curriculum, Hawks aims to create dynamic and engaging educational experiences that resonate with diverse learning styles and promote deeper understanding of the content. This approach supports the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills essential for nursing practice. Through innovative teaching methods, Hawks strives to connect theoretical concepts with practical applications to enhancing students' ability to navigate complex clinical scenarios.

My research program sits at the intersection of nursing education reform, digital health innovation, and global partnership. I began by co-leading curriculum renewal with Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Vietnam to advance evidence-based practice and faculty development across international contexts. This early work emphasized the importance of systems-level approaches and equity in shaping sustainable educational change.

Building on these foundations, my current trajectory focuses on AI-enabled innovation and nursing AI co-design. I serve as Principal Investigator on NurseMaiT: An AI Teammate for Burnout Detection and Support (AGREC, 2025–2026) and Co-Principal Investigator on AI-Enabled Diabetic Foot Ulcer Monitoring in Rural Communities (PIN, 2025–2026). Both projects position nurses as active co-designers of technology ensuring that emerging digital tools reflect the realities of practice, address disparities in care, and strengthen professional capacity. These initiatives also embed student participation while creating pathways for learners to contribute to national conversations on digital health.

My scholarship has been disseminated in peer-reviewed outlets including the Journal of Professional Nursing and the International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being with contributions spanning curriculum reform, adolescent health, global collaboration, and technology adoption. National recognition includes invitations to present for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), where I have helped shape dialogue on integrating the AACN 2021 Essentials and digital health and AI.

• Faculty Spotlight Recognition for Teaching Excellence, Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing (2025)
• Swiss Army Knife Award for Innovation and Versatility, Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing (2025)
• Emory Female Founders Program Fellow, Office of Technology Transfer (2025)
• ANA Innovation Accelerator Fellow, American Nurses Association (2023)
• Governor’s Teaching Fellow, University of Georgia, Institute of Higher Education (2019–present)
• Mentorship Initiative Award, Georgia State University (2022)
• Teacher of the Year, Piedmont University (2017)