PhD, RN, FAAN , Doctoral (Alumni)
Phyllis Sharps is the Elsie M. Lawler Endowed Chair, associate dean for community programs and initiatives, and a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Dr. Sharps is the director for the Center for Community Innovations and Scholarships, which leads community nurse-managed centers through the East Baltimore Community Nurse Centers as well as the Health and Wellness Program at the Henderson Hopkins Partnership School. Her practice and research examine the consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV) among pregnant and parenting women, specifically the effects of IPV on the physical and mental health of pregnant women, infants, and very young children. She has published numerous articles on improving reproductive health and reducing violence among African American women. Dr. Sharps has been Principal Investigator for a $3.5 million, five-year research grant funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)—the groundbreaking “Domestic Violence Enhanced Home Visitation (DOVE)” tested whether a public health nurse home visit intervention could reduce effects of IPV among pregnant women and their newborns. Currently, she is Principal Investigator for a second five-year NIH/NCID $4.2 million grant, “Perinatal Nurse Home Visitation Enhanced with mHealth,” which tests the use of computer tablets for screening and intervening for IPV in the home. Dr. Sharps received a two-year, $1.2 million grant from the Health Services Resources Administration (HRSA)—“Advanced Nurse Education Workforce (ANEW)”, which provides scholarships to primary care nurse practitioner students preparing to work among underserved populations.
In all, Dr. Sharps is author of more than 100 articles, one book, and 10 book chapters. She has presented peer-reviewed papers at national and international conferences. In 2009, Dr. Sharps gave testimony before the U.S. Congress and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on the need to reform health care to provide better access to evidence-based nursing practice for pregnant women and new mothers. Other important policy initiatives informed by contributions from her multidisciplinary research teams have resulted in appointments to the Institute of Medicine (now National Academy of Medicine) Board on Military and Veterans Health and the IOM Committees on the Qualifications of Professionals Providing Mental Health Counseling Services under TRICARE. Appointment to the veterans’ health committee was in recognition of her work as a nurse in the military, her women’s health expertise, and her study of abuse during pregnancy in military women. Dr. Sharps is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, a 2013 inductee into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, and 2015 recipient of the Visionary Pioneer Award from the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She received her BSN from University of Maryland School of Nursing, MS (Maternal and Child Health) from University of Delaware School of Nursing, and her doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She also completed a fellowship in adolescent health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.