Sarah Jane Rhoads, PhD, DNP, WHNP-BC, RNC-OB, APRN, FAAN, FAWHONN
Professor
Chair, Department of Community and Population Health
874 Union Avenue, Suite 407
Memphis, TN 38163
(901) 448-3176
srhoads@uthsc.edu
Dr. Rhoads joined the University of Tennessee (UT) Health Science Center’s College of Nursing in August 2018 as a Professor with joint appointments in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the College of Graduate Health Sciences. She is the Chair of the Community and Population Health Department in the College of Nursing. Prior to joining the UT Health Science Center faculty, Dr. Rhoads was Director of the South Central Telehealth Resource Center, Education Director for the Center for Distance Health, and Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, all at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Dr. Rhoads received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Nursing Science, and PhD degree in Nursing from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1995, 2000, and 2013 respectively. She received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the UT Health Science Center’s College of Nursing in 2006. She is certified as a nurse practitioner in women’s health and in inpatient obstetrics.
Dr. Rhoads's research areas of focus include connected health technologies, patient-centered care, community-engaged research, and maternal health. Some of her recent studies include remote patient monitoring for postpartum patients, tele-lactation services, and the impact of food security on maternal health. She has been funded as a Primary Investigator by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Her current HRSA grant of $2.6 million is a renewal of the Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) grant. The goal of the four-year grant is to increase the number of nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives to service underserved populations, increase diversity in the workforce, and train providers to address health equity and social determinants of health. The original HRSA grant of nearly $3 million was awarded in 2019 and also had the goal of supporting DNP students who would serve in underserved communities.
Several of Dr. Rhoads’ research and project grants have focused on the Mississippi River Delta region of the United States. Dr. Rhoads is passionate about improving maternal, neonatal, and pediatric care in rural areas. Dr. Rhoads was recognized as an Academy Edge Runner by the American Academy of Nursing in 2016 and was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2017.
For more information about Dr. Rhoads’ publications and research, please visit - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=IGJH7FEAAAAJ&hl=en