Martha Abshire Saylor, PhD, RN, FHFSA, FAHA, is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and a nationally recognized nurse scientist specializing in heart failure, palliative care, and family caregiving. Her research focuses on reducing the physical, emotional, and existential burden experienced by individuals with serious illness and supporting the family caregivers who play essential roles in their care. Dr. Abshire Saylor brings more than twenty years of clinical and research experience to her work, spanning leadership in clinical trial design, mixed‑methods research, caregiver assessment, and end‑of‑life decision making.
Dr. Abshire Saylor is the developer and principal investigator of the Heart Failure Resilience Intervention for Caregivers (HEROIC), an innovative strengths‑based program designed to enhance caregiver well‑being, resilience, and self‑efficacy. Her studies, funded by the NICHD and NINR, demonstrated HEROIC’s feasibility, acceptability, and promise in improving mental health and reducing caregiver burden.
Her scholarly portfolio includes more than 100 peer‑reviewed publications in leading journals across cardiovascular nursing, gerontology, palliative care, and implementation science. Her work has shaped national and international guidelines for psychosocial and palliative care in advanced heart failure and has been cited in major scientific statements from the American Heart Association and the Heart Failure Society of America. She also serves on the Board of Directors for HFSA.
A committed educator and mentor, Dr. Abshire Saylor teaches and advises doctoral students across PhD and DNP programs and serves as Co‑Director of the Johns Hopkins Predoctoral Clinical Research Training Program (T32). She has been recognized with multiple awards for excellence in teaching and research mentoring. In recognition of her achievements and contributions, she was named the inaugural Mary K. Ousley, RN Johns Hopkins Center for Innovative Medicine Scholar and leads efforts in the Initiative for Humanizing Medicine. Across her research, teaching, and service, Dr. Abshire Saylor is dedicated to advancing equitable, person‑centered care and strengthening the wellbeing of patients, families, and the clinicians who serve them.
JHU Center Affiliation:
Center for Equity in Aging
Center for Cardiovascular & Chronic Care
Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care