Erickson named research chair at nurse-midwife association
Elise Erickson, PhD, CNM, an assistant professor in the University of Arizona College of Nursing, will serve a three-year term as chair for the Division of Research at the American College of Nurse-Midwives.
Elise Erickson, PhD, CNM
“This position is an honor and an excellent opportunity to help connect and strengthen the broader community of nurse-midwives engaged in research across the country,” said Erickson. “There is so much important work being done by our profession, both in science and quality improvement. It’s crucial to highlight and advance this work as we are facing critical issues in maternal health, particularly as it relates to health disparities.”
“Dr. Erickson’s work to improve maternal health will be amplified in this role,” said Brian Ahn, PhD, dean of the College of Nursing. “Her experience both academically and in the community caring for maternity patients will benefit everyone.”
Erickson has been a member of ACNM for nearly 20 years and became a fellow in 2021. She served in the Oregon affiliate of ACNM in past years when she was involved in scholarship fundraising for the organization.
“Elise is an innovator," said Sheila Gephart, PhD, RN, a professor and interim chair, Advanced Nursing Practice and Science Division. "She is a designer and a thinker which are the fuel for her research success. Yet, most of all she is deeply passionate to improve the care and experience of childbirth. She recognizes the maternal health crisis our nation is trying to crawl out of and believes that research and an empowered workforce are essential to doing so.”
Erickson previously worked at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, where she was an assistant professor in the School of Nursing. She joined the University of Arizona in 2022. She holds additional appointments as an assistant professor of pharmacy practice-science at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, obstetrics and gynecology and the clinical translational sciences at the College of Medicine – Tucson and is a member of the BIO5 Institute. Erickson also works with the All of Us Research Program and the Health Sciences SensorLab.
“While my primary appointment has been assigned to research, I teach independent study courses with graduate students, and mentor honors undergraduate students and research interns on top of this effort. I plan to join a midwifery service locally soon,” she said.
“My research is centered on addressing why some people experience a smooth, healthy labor and birth while others do not. We are trying to develop tools for clinical practice that will allow better prediction of healthy versus complicated births,” said Erickson, the principal investigator in the Mechanisms Underpinning Maternal Health Lab.
Erickson said she is thankful to Kathleen C. Insel, PhD, RN, a professor at the College of Nursing, for recruiting her from Oregon and for being supportive of her research.
“Dr. Elise Erickson is one of a rare cadre of scholars who bring excellence in clinical practice, knowledge expertise communicated effectively to others in teaching and service, and an integration of biological, social determinants of health and behavioral science in research,” said Insel. “Dr. Erickson is poised to move forward our understanding of and interventions to improve maternal health. I am delighted Dr. Erickson chose the University of Arizona.”