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Kelly M. Bower, PhD, MSN/MPH, RN

Specialties and Expertise
- Cardiovascular
- Community
- Disparities
- Diversity
- Equity
- Health Behavior
- Maternal Health
- Obesity
- Public Health
- Social Determinants of Health
- Substance Use/Addiction
- Trauma
- Women's Health
Overview
Kelly Bower’s research and her public health nursing practice focus on the elimination of racial disparities in women’s, maternal, and infant health. She aims to understand the structural and social determinants that underlie disparities and develop interventions to reverse them. In particular, her work leverages existing health care and public health services, such as maternal, infant, and early childhood home visiting, to implement interventions that promote health equity. Dr. Bower applies a community-engaged approach to her research that comes from her 20 years of experience practicing as a public health nurse working with government and non-profit organizations in Baltimore City, birthing hospitals throughout Maryland, and home visiting programs across the country. She has received funding from the Health Resources & Services Administration and the National Institutes of Health. She earned her PhD from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where her dissertation focused on the relationship between residential segregation, food store availability, and racial disparities in obesity among women.
Additional Resources
Below are selected resources. For more information, please see full CV.
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Publications/Research
Bower, K.M., Kramer, B., Warren, N., Ahmed, S., Callaghan-Koru, J., Stierman, E., Wilson, C., Lawson, S., Creanga, A. (2023). Development of an instrument to measure awareness and mitigation of bias in maternal health care. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology Maternal-Fetal Medicine, epub ahead of print.
Bower, K.M., Geller, R.J., Jeffers, N., McDonald, M., Alhusen, J. (2023). Experiences of Racism and Perinatal Depression: Findings from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 2018. Journal of Advanced Nursing, epub ahead of print.
Duggan, A.K., Bower, K.M., Zagaja, C., O’Neill, K., Daro, D., Harding, K., Ingalls, A., Kemner, A., Marchesseault, C., Thorland, W. (2022). Changing the home visiting research paradigm: Models’ perspectives on behavioral pathways and intervention techniques to promote good birth outcomes. BMC Public Health, 22.
Bower, K.M., Nimer, M., West, A., & Gross, D. (2020). Parent involvement in maternal, infant, and early childhood home visitation programs: An integrative review. Prevention Science, 21(5), 728-747.
Bower, K.M., Geller, R.J., Perrin, N.A., & Alhusen, J. (2018). Experiences of Racism and Preterm Birth: Findings from Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 2004-2012. Women’s Health Issues, 28(6), 495-501.
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Awards/Honors
2018 Honorable Mention for the Charles E. Gibbs Leadership Prize for the Best Paper Published in Women’s Health Issues in 2018
2015-2016 SOURCE Service-Learning Faculty Fellow, Johns Hopkins University
2014 Excellence in Teaching Award, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Alumni Association
2014 School of Nursing Informer and Educator (SONIE) Award, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Office of Marketing and Communications
2013-2014 Discovering Leadership for the Future, Academic Leadership Academy, Maryland Nurse Support Program
2013-2014 Leadership Program for Women Faculty, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Office of Women in Science and Medicine
2013 New Nursing Faculty Fellowship, Maryland Higher Education Commission
2012 Student Abstract Award, Epidemiology Section of the American Public Health Association
2007 Departmental Qualifying Exam, Honors Pass, Department of Health Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
2000 Sigma Theta Tau National Nursing Honor Society, Nu Beta Chapter
1999-2001 Dean’s List, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
1998 Eta Sigma Gamma Honor Society for Health Science Scholars, University of
Richmond
1998 Pi Beta Gamma Honor Society for International Scholars, University of Richmond