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heather tubbs-cooley

Heather Tubbs Cooley, Ph.D., RN, FAAN

Pronouns: she/her

Ellen Fontaine Winston Distinguished Professor

Assistant Dean for Research

ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1662-1368

Box 980567, Richmond, VA 23298-0567

Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems

Education

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship (Implementation and Improvement Science), Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
  • Ph.D. (Nursing Science), University of Pennsylvania
  • M.S. (Nursing), University of Pennsylvania
  • B.S. (Nursing), Western Michigan University

Research/Scholarship Interests

  • Nurse workload (measurement, validation and outcomes)
  • Organization and financing of nursing services
  • Pediatric and neonatal quality and safety
  • Nursing workforce issues
  • Health services research

Teaching

Heather Tubbs Cooley teaches graduate health policy and research methods courses. She coordinates research curriculum and experiences across the undergraduate and graduate programs and is a research mentor to learners at all levels.

Tubbs Cooley is currently accepting Ph.D. students whose research interests intersect with her program of research. Students interested in working with her should inquire via email prior to submitting their program application.

Select Publications

  • Kim S, Carle AC, Pickler R, Jun J, Tubbs-Cooley HL. Missed Nursing Care in Neonatal Intensive Care Units for Infants Experiencing or at Risk of Experiencing Substance Withdrawal. Res Nurs Health. 2026 Jul 3:10.1002/nur.70096. doi: 10.1002/nur.70096. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42397103; PMCID: PMC13383121.
  • Tubbs-Cooley HL, Carle AC, Mark BA, Gurses AP, Pickler RH, Hall PD, Bartman T. Nurse Workload and Missed Nursing Care in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. JAMA Pediatr. 2025 Dec 1;179(12):1335-1342. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.3647. PMID: 41051752; PMCID: PMC12501858.
  • Tubbs-Cooley HL, Perry M, Keim-Malpass J. To Improve the Inpatient Experience, Invest in the Human Side of Health Care. Pediatrics. 2020 Mar;145(3):e20193760. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-3760. Epub 2020 Feb 3. PMID: 32015141.
  • Tubbs-Cooley HL, Mara CA, Carle AC, Mark BA, Pickler RH. Association of Nurse Workload With Missed Nursing Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. JAMA Pediatr. 2019 Jan 1;173(1):44-51. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.3619. PMID: 30419138; PMCID: PMC6583427.
  • Tubbs-Cooley HL, Mara CA, Carle AC, Gurses AP. The NASA Task Load Index as a measure of overall workload among neonatal, paediatric and adult intensive care nurses. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2018 Jun;46:64-69. doi: 10.1016/j.iccn.2018.01.004. Epub 2018 Feb 12. PMID: 29449130; PMCID: PMC12863577.

View full publication list

Current Funded Grants

Name of Grant Role Funding Agency Period
Understanding Health System Leaders' Decision-making Process for Financial Investment in Nurse Staffing Co-I Association for Leadership Science in Nursing 9/01/26-3/30/28
Health Status and Healthcare Access of Healthcare Support Workers Sponsor/Mentor Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation 7/01/24-6/30/27

Professional Service

  • Member, American Academy of Nursing Standing Committee on the State of Nursing Science
  • Merit reviewer, Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute
  • Peer reviewer, National Institutes of Health

Links

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