Stephanie Hart, Ph.D.
Pronouns: she/her
Assistant Professor
Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems
Education
- Postdoctoral Training, Duke University, National Clinician Scholars Program
- Ph.D. (Nursing), East Carolina University
- M.S.N. (Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner), East Carolina University
- M.A. (Exercise Science), East Carolina University
- B.S. (Exercise Science, Minor in Psychology), Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Research/Scholarship Interests
Hart’s program of research focuses on improving hypertension and stroke outcomes through community-engaged approaches in rural and underserved communities. Her work examines how individual, community, health system, and policy factors shape access to care, hypertension management and stroke recovery. Drawing on interdisciplinary training in exercise science, psychology, public health and nursing, she uses diverse methodologies and participatory approaches to understand the lived experiences of people managing chronic cardiovascular conditions and to co-develop interventions aligned with community priorities.
Her research includes studies of disparities in stroke care access and quality using national cohort data, as well as qualitative and participatory work exploring barriers and facilitators to hypertension control after stroke. She collaborates closely with community partners and multidisciplinary teams to design, implement and evaluate interventions that support hypertension management and stroke prevention, strengthen community–clinical linkages and address social and structural drivers of cardiovascular health.
Area of Current Clinical Practice
Hart is an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner with clinical experience caring for adults with chronic diseases, particularly in rural and underserved community settings.
Teaching
Hart teaches two courses in the Ph.D. program focused on foundational and advanced concepts in health care quality and health services research. Through these courses, she guides students in examining research frameworks, measures and methods and in applying these concepts to the development of rigorous research proposals. She also mentors Ph.D. students in the development of their scholarly work.
Select Publications
- Hart, S., Cummings, D.M., Safford, M.M., Cherrington, A.L.,…Shikany, J.M. (2025). Centering Community Engagement in a Hypertension Clinical Trial: Strategies to Engage Rural Black Patients in the Southeastern Collaboration to Improve Blood Pressure Control. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Accepted; 2026.
- Hart, S., Howard, G., Cummings, D.M., Noonan, D., Albright, K., & Howard, V.J. (2025). Age and sex differences in antihypertensive prescribing and trends in smoking cessation counseling at stroke discharge. Neurology Open Access,1: e000012.
- Hart, S., Howard, G., Cummings, D., Albright, K. C., Reis, P., & Howard, V. J. (2024). Differences in Receipt of Neurologist Evaluation During Hospitalization for Ischemic Stroke by Race, Sex, Age, and Region: The REGARDS Study. Neurology, 102(7), e209200.
- Hart, S., Lysaght, C., & Wedge, R. (2024). Development of interprofessional competencies through the process of collaborative clinical reasoning: A qualitative study. Professional Case Management, 10.1097/NCM.0000000000000774. Advance online publication.
- Cummings, D. M., Jones, S., Bushnell, C., Halladay, J., Hart, S., Kinlaw, A. C., Psioda, M., Wen, F., Sissine, M., & Duncan, P. (2023). Disparate statin prescribing following hospital discharge for stroke or transient ischemic attack: Findings from COMPASS. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 71(8), 2476–2484.
Current Funded Grants
| Name of Grant | Role | Funding Agency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart 2 Heart Blood Pressure Control/Carolina Consortium to Improve Blood Pressure Control in Vulnerable Populations | Co-Investigator | Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute | 2022-27 |
Professional Service
Hart contributes to professional and community service through scholarly reviewing, organizational leadership and engagement in public health and nursing initiatives. She is an active member of the American Heart Association, North Carolina Public Health Association and the Southern Nursing Research Society. She was recently appointed to the AHA Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing’s Stroke and Neurovascular Nursing Science Committee (2025–2027). Hart also volunteers as a site visitor for the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) and has held roles on academic curriculum committees, interprofessional education initiatives and community health coalitions.