Biography

Jeanne Alhusen, PhD, CRNP, RN, FAAN — associate dean for research, professor of nursing, and an award-winning scholar and mentor — researches ways to improve maternal mental health and, consequently, early childhood outcomes, particularly for marginalized groups. In 2021, she earned a $1.9M NICHD grant to study the influence of psychosocial stress on maternal and infant health outcomes for persons with disabilities, work that was informed by a two-year NIH-funded study.  Her research has been funded by NIH, HRSA, and numerous foundations. As a family nurse practitioner, she brings extensive clinical expertise and is committed to understanding the barriers health care providers encounter in screening and intervening on these risks to develop interventions that eliminate disparities in maternal-child health outcomes.

Her research has helped inform federal guidelines, including the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations on screening for intimate partner violence and preventing perinatal depression as well as MCH evidence, a consortium of national maternal-child health leaders that inform Title V program initiatives as well as developing State Action Plans. She has served as a leader in the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal nurses, serving two terms on their National Board of Directors, developing their Fellows program, and leading their research strategic planning efforts. Dr. Alhusen is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and currently serves as Chair of the Trauma & Violence Expert panel.

Dr. Alhusen earned her BSN from Villanova University, an MSN from Duke University, and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and Medicine in 2013. As a board-certified advanced practice family nurse practitioner, she brings extensive professional nursing experience with a particular interest in the health disparities in maternal and child health.