Innovative discoveries define the School of Nursing's research enterprise.
The school consistently ranks among the nation's top nursing schools in federal research funding. For 2022, the school led the country as the No. 1 public recipient of National Institutes of Health grants, securing $13.2 million to fund research that drives advancements in health.
Our research breakthroughs improve the health and wellbeing of our communities — locally, nationally and globally. Across the school, including our renowned doctoral and post-doctoral programs, our faculty, scholars, students, alumni and staff are committed to advancing health equity for all.
Biobehavioral Research: Symptom Science
Mission:
The goal of the Biobehavioral Research Program in Symptom Science is to advance knowledge in the field of symptom science through faculty research and research training of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. The specific focus of the School’s research program is on research that integrates biomarkers, social determinants, and the individual’s symptom experience. Through such integrative studies, there is increased potential to develop more comprehensive knowledge of the mechanisms underlying symptoms, unique predictors of diverse symptom profiles, and precision-based approaches to symptom management.
Health Equity
Projects:
- Motivating Interdisciplinary Lactation Knowledge (MILK) Research Lab (principal investigator: Ifeyinwa Asiodu)
- Studying Inclusive Mentor Networks to Diversify the Biomedical Workforce (principal investigator: Mica Estrada)
- Effects of Job Quality in the Service Sector on Health Related Outcomes across the Life Course (principal investigator: Kristen Harknett)
- Jamaica CARES Project: Connecting HIV/AIDS Resources to Engage Jamaican Sexual and Gender Minorities (principal investigator: Orlando Harris)
- Healthcare Decision-Making in California Women's Prisons: Historical Legacies of Injustice and Modern Regulatory Constraints (principal investigator: Jennifer James)
- The Ethics of Inclusion: Diversity in Precision Medicine Research (principal investigator: Janet Shim)
Community & Population Health
Projects:
- Reducing Pesticide Exposures to Preschool-Age Children in California Child Care Centers (principal investigator: Abbey Alkon)
- Integrating Tobacco Use Cessation into Family AIDS Care and Education Services (principal investigator: Stella Bialous)
- Linking Minority Youth to Substance Use and HIV Prevention and Care (principal investigator: Carol Dawson-Rose)
- Impact of COVID-19 on Disinfectant Exposure and Associated With Health Effects (principal investigator: Soo-Jeong Lee)
- AmbassADDOrs for Health: Supporting Youth Women's Health Through Girl-Friendly Drug Vendors (principal investigator: Jenny Liu)
- Tobacco Retail Policy Innovation to Reduce Health Disparities (principal investigator: Ruth Malone)
Aging and Life Course
Projects:
- Collaborative Approach for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Research and Education (principal investigator: Van Ta Park)
- Hospice Use in Older Adults With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: Patterns, Policies and Caregiver Experiences (principal investigator: Lauren Hunt)
- Access and Use of Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults Living Alone With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias From Four Racial/Ethnic Groups (principal investigator: Elena Portacolone)
- Relationships of Dementia Care Workforce Experiences, Training, and Work Environment to Resident Outcomes in Skilled Nursing Facilities (principal investigator: Laura Wagner)
- Reducing the Social and Economic Impacts of Caregiving for Older Adults With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias in the In-Home Supportive Services System Through Training (principal investigator: Jarmin Yeh)
Digital Health, 'Omics and Data Science
Projects:
- Substance Use and DNA Methylation at the Intersection of Sex and Gender (principal investigator: Annesa Flentje)
- The Impact of Interventions to Treat Incident Diabetes on Circulating MicroRNAs in the Diabetes Prevention Program (principal investigator: Elena Flowers)
- Developing an AI-Based Lifestyle Intervention for Prevention of Dementia (principal investigator: Yoshimi Fukuoka)
- An Investigation of the Molecular Mechanisms for and Prediction of the Severity of Cancer Chemotherapy-Related Fatigue Using a Multi-Staged Integrated Omics Approach (principal investigator: Kord Kober)
- Perinatal Precursors of Early Microbiome Development (principal investigator: Sandra Weiss)