Research and Scholarship

Yale School of Nursing is within one of the world’s most distinguished research universities and proud of its role in advancing scientific knowledge. From the time it was founded in 1923, the School has expanded its research and scholarship portfolio by educating nurse leaders and researchers who will affect population health outcomes, demonstrate the highest standards of excellence in research, and innovate evidence-based approaches to health care delivery.

Research at Yale School of Nursing has a sterling history, and our faculty continue to produce research and scholarship that shape and improve clinical practice in meaningful ways. YSN faculty lead research across a wide range of clinical areas, from chronic disease management, including HIV/AIDS, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer; to pregnancy and early childhood outcomes, including pregnancy and birth outcomes, neurodevelopment in early life, and adolescent parenthood; and more, including pain, stress, palliative care, sleep, and biobehavioral science. Regardless of clinical area, our faculty approach research and scholarship through the lens of addressing health inequities and improving social determinants of health, and this research consistently produces new knowledge that informs health policy as well as global and planetary health. Nursing research at Yale continues to evolve as new areas of science are identified: most recently, YSN faculty quickly organized to identify and launch new nursing research efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.

Nursing faculty, doctoral students, and postdoctoral fellows collaborate with researchers from other professions and disciplines. With transdisciplinary colleagues, nursing faculty are conducting leading-edge translational research to address the most pressing needs of vulnerable people in the community. Key partners include the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI)—Yale’s Clinical and Translational Science Award—through YCCI’s community outreach and engagement core, as well as the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA), Yale Child Study Center, Yale Cancer Center, and Yale Institute for Global Health (YIGH). Yale School of Nursing nurse researchers serve as leaders and team members in these multidisciplinary and multisite endeavors. The scope of these projects is often much larger than single-site or single-investigator studies. The promise of these larger studies is a greater impact on the health and well-being of vulnerable populations.

Yale School of Nursing is committed to advancing research and scholarship through active mentorship and provision of support services throughout all phases of proposal development, conduct of research, and dissemination of results. Notably, YSN houses the Yale Center for Sleep, Biobehavioral, and Translational Research, a 2,800 square foot facility to support the conduct of cutting-edge clinical and translational research focused on improving understanding of the interactions of sleep, circadian, biological, and behavioral phenomena in relation to health. The intent of the Center and its core faculty is to address significant health problems through the provisions of facilities, infrastructure support, consultation, and education. An active academic community is the foundation for making progress toward fulfilling the School’s mission of “better health for all.”