Congratulations! We are so excited to welcome newly promoted associate professors, Dr. Ariana Chao, Dr. Victoria Hughes, Dr. Bushra Sabri, and Dr. Laura Samuel. Read on to learn about them.
Ariana Chao, PhD, MSN, RN, FNP-BC
Dr. Ariana Chao, joined the JHSON faculty in May 2023 after six years as an Assistant Professor on the tenure-track at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. At Penn, Dr. Chao taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level, spearheading the development of innovative courses centered around nutrition counseling, weight management, and eating disorders. She works closely with her mentees to develop and fine-tune their research skills and was awarded the prestigious Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Scholarly Mentorship in 2020. She was also the Medical Director at the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at the Perelman School of Medicine and Director of Enrichment Programs at the Penn Center for Nutrition Science and Medicine. Her research focuses on obesity treatment and obesity-related eating behaviors, particularly in underserved populations who disproportionately suffer from limited treatment access and obesity-related comorbidities. Recently she has been working on a project that is pioneering the investigation of neural responses to food stimuli and MRI changes following cognitive behavioral therapy for binge eating disorders. She is a field expert and adviser, informing decisions and providing expertise, clinical to practice insight related to weight management on advisory boards at global organizations including Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, and WW International Inc. Dr. Chao is an incredible addition to our faculty, and we are thrilled to announce her promotion to Associate Professor.
Victoria Hughes, DNS, MSN, RN, FAAN
Dr. Vickie Hughes joined the JHSON faculty in 2016 after a long and illustrious career in the military. Her clinical expertise spans the fields of mental health, resilience, and nursing leadership. After dedicating 27 years to the United States Air Force, Dr. Hughes retired as a Colonel. Her research and practice focus on promoting nurse well-being and retention through resilience-building strategies, and she is a national leader on educating pre-licensure students and practicing nurses on strategies to prevent burnout. She has taught a variety of courses across the MSN, DNP, and PhD programs, including courses on Leadership for Professional Nursing, Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Care, and Health Promotion and Risk Reduction Across the Lifespan. She has been a leader in the R3 (Renewal, Resilience and Retention) Resilient Nurses Initiative across the state of Maryland that has benefited 1500 faculty members, students, practicing nurses, and Nurse Residency Program educators. Her extensive research knowledge and successful teaching methods led to her being selected as the Outstanding Nursing Educator of the year by the Maryland Nurses Association in 2021 and have been inspirational to future nurses. Dr. Hughes has served Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Nursing Society for over 37 years including leadership roles such as Vice President Academia, Nu Beta at Large Chapter (2021), President Elect (2022) and President (2023) for the local chapter with over 800 members. Dr. Hughes has made great contributions to her field of research during her time at JHSON, and we are very excited to announce her promotion to Associate Professor.
Bushra Sabri, PhD, MSW, BSC
Dr. Bushra Sabri is a clinical social worker with a background in behavioral medicine and a specialty in family-centered practice for trauma and violence survivors. Her research focuses on exposure to violence, particularly interpersonal violence (IPV) amongst minority and immigrant women. Dr. Sabri has led a number of federally funded multi-million-dollar evidence-based prevention and intervention projects aimed to reduce health disparities among vulnerable and underserved populations. Her research incorporates technology and cultural adaptations in efforts to help and provide care access to more survivors of IPV. She played a critical role in designing the first Johns Hopkins University-wide initiative to prevent sexual assault on campus resulting in programs such as Bystander Intervention Training. As the co-chair of the JHU Provost’s Sexual Violence Advisory Committee, she has been contributing towards sexual violence prevention efforts at JHU. She teaches in the MSN and DNP programs and is active in service-learning and community outreach, earning her the SOURCE Recognition Award and a SOURCE Service-Learning Faculty Fellowship. She is also a core faculty in the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at JHU. Her work on gun violence was recently recognized through a Translational Science Award. Dr. Sabri’s work is essential to advancing women’s human rights access to quality healthcare, life choices, dignity, and freedom from discrimination, violence, and oppression. We are delighted to announce her promotion to Associate Professor.
Laura Samuel, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN
Dr. Laura Samuel’s research focuses on connecting income disparities to health and well-being. Her ability to disentangle the effects of socioeconomic disadvantage and racial discrimination on our understanding of food insecurity and financial strain, as well as how these factors affect our health, have made an substantial impact in both the research and policy realms. She has become a national research expert on analyzing the effectiveness and accessibility of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), her research cited by multiple federal organizations including Senators and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Perhaps most notable is her translation and sharing of research with the public. She co-led the creation of public facing dashboard identifying national differences in state programs for SNAP accessibility and effectiveness particularly for individuals with disabilities. She teaches across the MSN, DNP ad PhD programs at JHSON and her ability to break down complex research and statistical concepts into a digestible format for her students, as well as her hands-on teaching methods, have made her an incredible professor and mentor to many. She recently became the chair of the PhD Program Curriculum Committee. We are thrilled to announce her promotion to Associate Professor.
