Azita Emami, PhD

JAD profile

Affiliation(s): 

University of Washington School of Nursing

Biography & Research: 

Azita Emami is Executive Dean of the University of Washington School of Nursing. Dr. Emami’s career has spanned multiple countries, as has her advocacy on behalf of global equity in access to healthcare and an expanded role for the nursing profession in delivering primary care. Dr. Emami has been a powerful and productive advocate for international collaboration, full healthcare partnership for nurses, and consistent standards of education that enable nurses to provide primary care needs globally. She was one of the leaders of the Nursing Now USA initiative, which was part of an international effort that raised the visibility of nursing and created a new vision globally of nursing’s role in the healthcare ecosystem. She has been a national leader in developing efforts directed at diversity, equity and inclusion including establishing the nation’s first Center for Antiracism in Nursing. Dr. Emami is a trustee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which is committed to improving health and health equity in the United States. Dr. Emami earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from the renowned Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, where she grew up after emigrating from Iran. She went on to gain a master's degree in international health care from Karolinska and the Red Cross College of Nursing; a nursing education degree with a teaching certification, and a doctorate in medical sciences from Karolinska. Dr. Emami’s research has resulted in more than 70 publications in peer-reviewed journals nationally and internationally. This body of work reflects her research interests in cross-cultural care, elder and dementia care, the development of cultural competence, and the evolving policy and clinical roles of nurses nationally and internationally. She maintains an active research schedule with collaborations around the world.