PhD in Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership program
Preparing future leaders, faculty and researchers in health care and health policy
The PhD program at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis prepares students to be leaders, educators and researchers who transform health care and advance health equity. The full-time program develops expertise in nursing science, research design, health policy and leadership, with opportunities to specialize in areas aligned with students' interests and future impact.
Graduates are equipped to conduct rigorous research, educate the next generation of health professionals, and lead system-level change in academic, health system or policy environments.
Fast facts
- Type (full vs. part-time): full-time
- Duration: 4 years (48 months)
- Format: Integrated, hybrid
- Objective: to prepare graduates for formal leadership positions in health care, health policy and education and research at the university level
- Outcomes: developed leadership skills that will allow graduates to evaluate and integrate interdisciplinary perspectives, conduct transformative research and incorporate innovative technology
- Application period: Mid-September – January 5
About the program
The full-time, academic, PhD program prepares graduates as leaders in health care, health policy and education and research at the university level to:
- Conduct transformative research
- Educate health professionals and researchers
- Effect system change
- Influence and implement policy
- Advance health from multiple settings
This four-year, full-time program blends in-person and hybrid learning to support collaborative scholarship and intellectual growth. Core courses are offered in fall, winter and spring quarters (not summer), with most classes held on Thursdays and Fridays.
Students attend courses at the UC Davis Sacramento campus and take electives across both the Sacramento and Davis campuses. Course schedules are tailored each quarter to match students’ interests and research needs. A required one-day orientation for new students takes place prior to the first fall quarter.
What we're looking for
We are seeking for applicants who are deeply motivated to improve health systems and outcomes through research, education and leadership. Our ideal students are curious, driven and committed to transforming health care, especially in underserved or underrepresented communities.
In addition to core coursework, PhD students work closely with faculty mentors to specialize in research areas of their choosing. Students select cognates and methods electives aligned with their interests and may pursue further focus areas through:
- Designated emphasis (includes required coursework in specialized topic)
- Graduate certificate programs
“I wanted to find my people.”
PhD student Shontaya Carrico on why she chose UC Davis nursing school to advance her research »
What we provide
PhD students benefit from a collaborative, interdisciplinary learning environment with a strong research infrastructure and individualized faculty mentorship.
Faculty at the School of Nursing conduct innovative research in areas such as:
- Family caregiving and healthy aging
- Health equity and social determinants of health
- Serious illness and end-of-life care
- Technology-enabled health interventions
- Mental and behavioral health access
- New care models and systems redesign
Students are integrated into these research initiatives and are encouraged to pursue original scholarship that aligns with their passions and communities of interest. A full list of available PhD mentors can be found below.
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Program goals for the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership are:
- Develop leadership skills to transform health care.
- Evaluate and integrate multiple interprofessional/interdisciplinary perspectives to work and communicate as teams.
- Generate nursing science to improve health and reshape health systems through transformative research.
- Integrate cultural inclusiveness in research, practice, leadership and community engagement.
- Create, evaluate, and integrate engaged and interactive approaches to nursing education, research and practice using innovative technology.
PhD students are paired with faculty mentors whose expertise aligns with their research interests. Our faculty engage in a wide range of areas, providing students with rich opportunities for scholarly collaboration and discovery.
Alex Fauer, Ph.D., R.N., O.C.N., Assistant Professor
- Content expertise: oncology, aging, health services research, health policy, cancer survivorship, oncology nursing, intervention science, community health workers/promotores
- Methods expertise: quantitative methods, mixed methods, supportive care trials, secondary analysis, implementation science
Jennifer H. Lingler, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., Professor and Associate Dean for Research
- Content expertise: Alzheimer's disease, dementia, ethics, caregiving, health disparities
- Methods expertise: quantitative and qualitative methods
Jessica Draughon Moret Ph.D., R.N., Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing.
- Content expertise: gender-based violence, health equity, forensic nursing (SA, IPV, Child/Elder Abuse), HIV, substance use
- Methods expertise: mixed methods and qualitative methods
Jill G. Joseph, M.D., Ph.D., Emerita Professor
- Content expertise: underserved populations, including children and economically disadvantaged seniors with serious health issues, hospitalized patients
- Methods expertise: study design, secondary analysis of extant databases, epidemiologic methods, research question development
Julie T. Bidwell Ph.D., R.N., F.A.H.A., Associate Professor
- Content expertise: caregiving, interpersonal relationship dynamics, heart failure and chronic cardiovascular disease self-management, aging, stress and mental health
- Methods expertise: quantitative, dyadic study design and analysis, intensive designs, longitudinal cohort designs
Leigh Ann Simmons, Ph.D., M.F.T., F.A.A.H.B., Professor
- Content expertise: maternal-child health, pregnancy, postpartum, health equity, digital health, community engagement, chronic disease prevention, cardiometabolic disease risk, women's health, low resource families, rural populations
- Methods expertise: clinical trials, implementation science, community engaged participatory research, mixed methods
Patrick S. Romano, M.D., M.P.H., Professor
- Content expertise: health care quality and safety, measuring and driving quality improvement, nurse staffing and experience, ICD disease classifications and their use in research
- Methods expertise: health services research methods (especially using claims and other administrative data sets), electronic clinical quality measures, risk-adjustment methods
- Content expertise: health disparities, health equity, health outcomes research, allostatic load, nursing education, inclusive classrooms and work environments, clinical nursing, nursing leadership
- Methods expertise: mixed methods and qualitative methods, with particular expertise in qualitative descriptive designs, narrative inquiry, and phenomenology
Roschelle L. Fritz, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., Associate Professor
- Content expertise: gerontechnology, remote patient monitoring, smart homes, AgeTech, assistive devices, age friendly environments, gerontology, chronic disease management, cultural safety, health disparities
- Methods expertise: includes qualitative description, machine learning, AI, ground truth, email interviewing, community-based participatory research, multiple language data collection, sensors, Apple watches, multidisciplinary research
Sheryl L. Catz, Ph.D, Professor
- Content expertise: health behavior change, treatment engagement, treatment adherence, HIV, vaccine hesitancy, smoking cessation, chronic disease management, mobile health
- Methods expertise: randomized controlled trials, survey research, remote interventions, primary data collection, mixed quantitative-qualitative methods
Shu-Fen Wung, Ph.D., M.S., R.N., A.C.N.P.-B.C., F.A.A.N., Professor
- Content expertise: cardiovascular nursing, myocardial ischemia and arrhythmias, multiple chronic conditions, digital health, aging, health technology, human factors, metabolic conditions, human-technology interfaces
Victoria F. Keeton, Ph.D., M.S., R.N., C.P.N.P.-P.C., C.N.S., Assistant Professor
- Content expertise: pediatrics, perinatal health, early childhood, obesity, biomarkers of stress and metabolic health, health equity, latinx/e populations
- Methods expertise: quantitative and qualitative methods, thematic analysis, cohort studies, community-partnerships, biomarker analysis, clinical genomics
Required courses for the doctoral program include a combination of required core courses and electives that include a required number of cognate courses and methods courses tailored to student research interests.
- International graduate requirements
- Full time enrollment (12 units per quarter) is required.
- Required courses for the doctoral-degree program include a combination of core, cognate and research methods courses.
- Doctoral students are required to pass an oral qualifying examination. The intent of the oral qualifying examination is to determine whether the student is adequately prepared and sufficiently intellectually independent to conduct doctoral-level research. The exam may include both an oral component as well as the student’s proposal for the dissertation research.
- A doctoral dissertation is required. Students will enroll in dissertation units as full-time students after the qualifying exam until the dissertation is complete.
- Ph.D. students typically complete the program in four years.
- Doctor of Philosophy Degree requirements
