Recipient of the Mary Elizabeth Carnegie Scholarship earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas at Austin in 2004 and her Master of Arts in Sociology from The University of New Orleans in 2013. She has been a nurse for 15 years specializing in population health and community-based nursing.

Nursing Science is a part of Erika’s life work and supports her goal to work with underserved populations and at-risk communities impacted by poor health outcomes and decreased health equity. Nursing Science contributes to the development of population health research interventions and community-based advocacy initiatives aimed at minimization of vulnerability factors specific to underserved populations and at-risk communities.

Erika is a PhD candidate at the University of Texas at Tyler College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Erika’s dissertation research is focused on examining the effects of a population-specific intervention on maternal perceptions towards breastfeeding among Black women. Erika hopes to defend her dissertation in December of 2018. She is an active member of Sigma Theta Tau Honors Society of Nursing. Erika currently works at Optum as a Population Health and Disease Management Case Manager and hopes to transition into a Nurse Scientist role upon completion of her doctorate.