Amanda M. Emerson, PhD, RN

Professional Background

Amanda Emerson, PhD, RN, is Associate Professor in the School of Nursing where she teaches courses in philosophy of nursing science, theory, and qualitative research methods. Dr. Emerson has supervised student doctoral work on historical trauma, moral distress in critical care nursing, spiritual coping in heart failure patients, and spiritual coping in parents of adult children with schizophrenia. Emerson holds a second PhD in English and formerly taught early American literature and women’s studies. Her clinical practice as an RN was in intermediate post-surgical cardiac care.

Research

Overview

In her research, Dr. Emerson seeks to improve health and health services access in populations affected by criminal legal system involvement. For eight years, Emerson helped lead components of the Sexual Health Empowerment ([S]HE) project in the KUMC Department of Population Health. These NIH/National Cancer Institute-funded studies, which reached nearly 200 women in KC-area jails, centered on preventing cervical cancer by increasing up-to-date screening and HPV vaccination in people who have criminal-legal system involvement.

Emerson is currently principal investigator on the National Institute of Nursing Research funded Aging-Related Health and Aging Acceleration in Older Women with Criminal Legal System (AGELIS) study (2026-2030) (1R01NR021186), which examines how incarceration and other life course factors interact to affect functional ability in later life. Emerson also leads the Older Women Leading Healthy Aging Research Together (OWLHART) project, funded by a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award (EACB-34382) (2024-2026). OWLHART aims to increase capacity in older women, researchers, and community stakeholders to engage collaboratively in patient-centered outcomes research to reduce early frailty in women post-incarceration. In a third project, funded by a Betty Irene Moore Nurse Leaders and Innovators Fellowship (2024-2027), Emerson and her team are partnering with a community group of older women to co-design and test an age-focused, facilitated-reentry tool. Emerson has also been recipient of a KL2 Mentored Career Development Award, 2022-2024 (CTSA grant from NCATS awarded to Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute [KL2TR002367]); an International Association of Forensic Nursing Research Grant; and an Aging Research in Criminal Justice and Health (ARCH) Network pilot award. Emerson’s publications are indexed in PubMed and Google Scholar.

• Thimmesch, Amanda, Aponte, Camila, Krueger, Kathryn., J., Knittel, Andrea., K., Emerson, Amanda. 2025. A scoping review of research to address older women’s health during and after incarceration. Women's Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057251392754
• Jaffe Brotkin, Elana, Paresh Patel, Shivani, Palmquist, Aunchalee, Emerson, Amanda, Hemberg, Jordana , Lorvick, Jennifer, Ramaswamy, Megha, Knittel, Andrea. 2025. How menopause symptoms shape experiences of the criminal legal system: A qualitative study across the United States. Social Science and Medicine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953625008391
• Emerson, Amanda, Li, X., Zaller, N., Ramaswamy, M.. 2024. Characterizing Aging-Related Health in Older Women with a History of Incarceration: Multimorbidity, Polypharmacy, Mortality, Frailty, and Depression. Journal of Aging and Health, 37 (3-4), 135-147. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08982643241233322
• Emerson, Amanda, Dogan, Marisa, Hawes, Elizabeth, Wison, Kiana, Mildrum Chana, Sofia, Kelly, Patricia., J, Comfort, Megan, Ramaswamy, Megha. 2024. Cervical cancer screening barriers and facilitators from the perspectives of women with a history of criminal-legal system involvement and substance use. . Health & Justice, 12 (9). https://healthandjusticejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40352-024-00262-z
• Emerson , Amanda , Lipnicky , A. , Comfort, M. , Lorvick , J. , Cropsey , K. , Smith , S. , Ramaswamy , M. . 2021. Health and health care of women with criminal justice involvement in three cities: A comparison of older adult women and younger adult women. . Journal of Aging and Health, 34 (1), 60-70. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9549913/
• Onyeali, Rose, Howell, Benjamin., A, Innis, D., Keith, Emerson, Amanda. 2023. The case for transitional services and programs for older adults reentering society: A narrative review of US departments of correction and recommendations. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 19 (1), 4-19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36757114/
• Emerson , Amanda ., M. . 2021. A phenomenological reflection on women's lived experience of giving in circumstances of material scarcity. . Nursing Inquiry , 29 (2), e12456. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8882691/