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Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)

Emory’s PhD program in Nursing is committed to improving human health, the experience of health, and the provision of health care through the discovery of new knowledge and its translation into practice. The program is designed to prepare researchers who want to revolutionize health care and improve health outcomes for diverse populations.

The Fall 2024 priority application deadline is December 1 2023, and the final application deadline is January 2, 2024.

Virtual Open House Events

All virtual open house events will take place Tuesday evenings from 6-7 p.m. EST on Zoom. Use the links below to register.

  • Click here to watch a recording from a previous Open House.

Program Contacts

emorysonphdprogram@emory.edu

Jean Harrell
Graduate Program Administrator

Overview

Emory University’s School of Nursing PhD program is a full-time, intense learning experience designed to develop the next generation of researchers who will change the face of health care. The program is interdisciplinary, drawing on the strengths of Emory University and its partners in areas as varied as the humanities, natural and social sciences, public health, engineering, law, and business.

At Emory, we offer a PhD track with a focus on data science in addition to our standard PhD curriculum. 

Signature Areas of Focus

Our program is built on the research strengths of our faculty in five signature areas:

Other Areas of Focus

Emory nursing faculty are committed to supporting the learning and discovery for our doctoral nursing students. We have faculty who are renowned scholars within a diverse range of expertise in areas such as:

  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • Cancer
  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Caregiver Well-Being
  • Data Science
  • Environmental Health
  • Farmworker Health
  • Global Health
  • Health Informatics
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Maternal/Child Health
  • Mental Health
  • Metabolic Disease
  • Nurse Workforce and Quality of Patient Care
  • Pain, Opioids, and Harm Reduction
  • Palliative Care
  • Sleep Research
  • Symptom Science
  • Transgender Health

For additional information, please visit our Office of Nursing research page.

Faculty

Curriculum

Teaching Assistant Training & Teaching Opportunity Program

The PhD in Nursing trains students to teach through the Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunity Program, or TATTO, program. This program provides a short course offered in late summer before the first year, training and teaching assistantships and teaching associateships.

The Jones Program in Ethics

The Jones Program in Ethics (JPE) at Emory University provides students with a foundational, cross-disciplinary introduction to the question of ethics for their research, training and careers. It is a required, integral part of the curriculum in LGS doctoral programs: Learn more Link here:

T32 Nurse Scientist Training Opportunities

Our National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) funded training T32 program prepares pre-doctoral and post-doctoral nurse scientists to develop and test interventions to improve health outcomes of persons with or at risk for chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and neurological diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus, HIV-AIDS, and asthma/COPD.

Provisional Artificial Intelligence Track

Artificial intelligence (AI) and associated computational sciences (machine learning, natural language processing, cybersecurity, etc.) are fundamentally changing the healthcare landscape. Accompanying these changes are tremendous opportunities as well as profound ethical concerns and social impacts. View a summary of the program. View a provisional version of the courses of study.

Mayra Sainz
Mayra
Sainz

... interests are partnering with community organizations to conduct research that explores, addresses, and evaluates programs that reduce health disparities in BIPOC communities. Specifically, she is interested in partnering with religious communities to improve the quality of life for Latinx families impacted by dementia.

View Profile

Admission Requirements

Fall 2024 Application Deadlines

  • Priority deadline: December 1, 2023
  • Final deadline: January 2, 2024

Applications are submitted through Emory's Laney Graduate School (LGS). For more about LGS admissions, click here.

For admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing program, Emory University seeks highly qualified applicants with the discipline and motivation to excel in interdisciplinary research. To be considered for admission, you must submit the following items:

  • Completed application
  • Submission of a personal statement that describes the applicant's vision for what they want to study, who they want to study with, and why they want to study at Emory.
  • Research interests that match faculty expertise
  • Three (3) recommendations
  • Satisfactory TOEFL scores (if applicable)
  • World Education Services (WES) report (if applicable)
  • Transcripts issued by the registrar’s office from each post-secondary institution attended
  • Resume or curriculum vitae

Emory University considers applicants who hold a BSN or MSN from a CCNE or NLNAC accredited program in the US or an international equivalent (Applicants holding a degree in a non-nursing related discipline will be considered on an individual basis).

Students entering with a BSN and intending to pursue advanced practice certification must be eligible for licensure as RN in Georgia by the end of the first year of study.

Application

Student Grant Spotlights

Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing is proud to announce a momentous achievement as three exceptional PhD students, Abby Britt, Stephanie Lee, and Mary Claire Montilus, have been awarded the prestigious Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowships (F31) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These fellowships reflect the exceptional dedication and research excellence demonstrated by these students within their respective fields.

Abby Britt, one of the recipients, has been awarded the fellowship for her pioneering research project titled "Prenatal Epigenetics: Trauma and Outcomes of Labor Dysfunction." This study aims to unravel the intricate physiological mechanisms through which trauma may contribute to disparities in labor complications by investigating epigenetic changes. The research focuses on understanding the impact of trauma on maternal health, specifically among Black pregnant individuals. The insights gained from Abby's study will not only advance the fields of trauma, epigenetics, and pregnancy but also hold the potential to identify modifiable risk factors for labor complications, offering a pathway to reducing racial disparities in pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality.

Stephanie Lee, another recipient, is recognized for her significant contribution in receiving the fellowship award for her impactful research project titled "The Experience of Cancer Related Financial Hardship Among Individuals with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in the Rural Southeast." Stephanie's study addresses the critical issue of cancer-related financial hardship among rural cancer survivors, particularly those with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). By exploring the experiences of those facing financial challenges due to the costs of cancer care, her research has the potential to inform the development of interventions tailored to reduce the risk of financial hardship and improve health outcomes and quality of life for rural cancer patients.

Mary Claire Montilus, the third recipient, has been awarded the fellowship for her impactful research project titled "Effects of trauma on retention in HIV care and durable viral suppression among African American men and women." Mary Claire's study delves into the profound implications of trauma among African American people living with HIV, aiming to understand its role in health disparities seen in the HIV health continuum. Her research seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the long-term clinical implications of trauma on retention in HIV care and durable viral suppression, ultimately contributing to efforts to reduce health inequities in this community.

The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)has awarded its grant for The Impacts of Racial Discrimination and Disrespectful Maternity Care on Severe Maternal Morbidity Among Black Birthing People in The United States to Roseline Jean-Louis, RN, BSN, and a PhD Student with Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. The F31 research project grant gives Roseline and her team the opportunity to conduct a case-control study with a nested qualitative study collecting quantitative and qualitative data on 100self-identified Black birthing people who gave birth in a U.S. hospital within six months of enrollment. The findings of this study will impact practice in many ways, including revision of standardized care practices of providers to improve risks of adverse outcomes in minority populations.

Meet our Students

Meet our current and past doctoral students and learn a little more about how they impact the world of nursing research.

Student graduate’s dissertations include:

  • How Does Prescription Drug spending Affect Medication Adherence, Acute Care Use, and Health Care Costs in Heart Failure? (Blake McGee)
  • Risk Factors of recurrent Hospital Admissions for Young Adults Presenting with Hyperglycemic emergencies at an Inner City Hospital (M.K. Findley)
  • Determinants of Preterm Infants’ Language Environment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Lauren Zauche)
  • Complement Activation and Perinatal Outcomes in African American Women (Alexi Dunn, NIH funded)
  • Brain-Gut Axis and Its Influence on Gestational Weight Gain (Sara Edwards, NIH funded)
  • Social Isolation and Retention in Care among Older Adults Living with HIV/AIDs (Moka Yoo-Jeong)
  • PBDE Exposure, Thyroid Disruption, and Antenatal Depression in African American Women (Abby Mutic)

A full list of student accomplishments is updated regularly (PDF).

Here are just a few job titles of our graduates.

  • Chief Nursing Officer with the Jamaican Ministry of Health
  • Epidemic Intelligence Service, Center for Disease Control
  • Pediatric Center for Wellness
  • RTI International – Division of Public Health and Clinical Research
  • The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Center for Pediatric Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice

Tuition and Awards

Full-Tuition Scholarships

All full-time admitted students are granted full tuition waiver and receive an annual stipend over 12 months in exchange for teaching and research services. The stipend is drawn from a combination of faculty advisor grant support, school support and student research grants received during the program. Stipends are renewed each year, contingent upon satisfactory academic and research performance, for a total of four years. Faculty and students work together to identify and apply for National Institutes for Health's National Research Service Award and other fellowships for stipend and research support funding during the doctoral program. Students also receive Professional Development Support Funds from Laney Graduate School to attend conferences and support research-related expenses.

T32 Predoctoral Fellowships through Spring 2023

The School of Nursing offers a research training program for selected predoctoral students to focus on developing and testing interventions to improve health outcomes of persons with or at risk for chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and neurological diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus, HIV-AIDS, and asthma/COPD. Individuals selected as fellows in this training program receive a monthly stipend, benefit assistance, assistance for professional travel, and modest funds to support research related expenses. The Laney Graduate School also offers scholarships to PhD students.

Charting Innovative Paths for Nursing Research & Scholarship

Student Presentations at GANLC 2023

Many of our students participated in the 11th Annual Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition Doctoral Symposium, “Charting Innovative Paths for Nursing Research & Scholarship” at Emory Nursing Learning Center on 2/11/23.

Students gave the following presentations at the Event:

  • Policing Mental Health: Race and Psychiatry in Atlanta
    Avi Wofsy – PhD Student, Emory University
  • Childhood Trauma Exposure and Length of Labor: A Potential Oxytocin-Linked Contributor to Adverse Perinatal Outcomes in Black Birthing People
    Abby Britt – PhD Student, Emory University
  • Personal Measures of Air Pollution During Pregnancy and Infant Head Circumference and Length at Birth
    Hina Raheel – PhD Student, Emory University
  • Ways of Knowing: The Historical Intersections of Breastfeeding, Capitalism, and Whiteness
    Octavia Vogel – PhD Student, Emory University
  • Bots and Fake Participants: Ensuring Valid and Reliable Data Collection Using Social Media Recruitment MethodsZ
    Roseline Jean Louis – PhD Student, Emory University

Many students presented posters. Hayden Herring, 1st year student, won 1st place for his poster.

Hayden Herring, 1st year student, won 1st place for his poster.

FAQ

Application Process Questions

Additional Questions

Featured Story

Emory nursing doctoral students receive prestigious NIH predoctoral fellowship awards

Emory nursing doctoral students receive prestigious NIH predoctoral fellowship awards
Read More

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