Skip Navigation
Image of Amanda Emerson Image of Amanda Emerson

Meet KL2 Scholar Amanda Emerson

Oct 10, 2022

Connecting with people to make a difference in their lives.

That’s what is important to Amanda Emerson, Ph.D. (English, 2004), Ph.D. (Nursing, 2017), RN. It is what led her from the English department at the University of South Dakota to her current role as an assistant professor (tenure track) in the KU School of Nursing at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Emerson’s research focus combines the interests and skills she developed in nursing with her earlier teaching and research in the nation-forming literature of the early U.S.

For her dissertation in nursing, Emerson had the opportunity to join Megha Ramaswamy’s research team on the (S)HE: Sexual Health Education project with incarcerated women to increase cervical health literacy and up-to-date cervical cancer screening. Emerson helped lead the ethnographic portion of the (S)HE study. Her interviews with women after incarceration highlighted how they managed their health and health care in the community, often while coping with trauma and homelessness. In her current work, Emerson considers Ramaswamy, Kristine Williams (KU Medical Center) and Patricia Kelly (University of Missouri-Kansas City) as mentors.

Emerson’s KL2 research is focused on women as they age during and after incarceration. Her plans include working with women, families, and providers to develop creative, strengths-based programs to address women’s aging-related health services needs.

One of the things she enjoys the most about her research is elevating the stories of the women themselves. As she puts it, social empathy or bridging social difference drives change, and that only happens when we listen to each other.

While she’s only a few months into the KL2 program, she cites a few things that the program has helped her with, including giving time and structure for her research, meeting with other KL2 scholars and hearing about their studies, and mentoring support.

To anyone interested in applying to be a KL2 Scholar, Emerson offers this advice, “Definitely work on something that you are interested in and there is a need to learn more about through research. Find a mentor who can spend time with you throughout the entire process. And if you know someone who has been through a KL2 program, reach out to them!”

Emerson’s published research (and earlier scholarship) can be found at https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0579-3113 

No Photo Available

Kelly Hale

Communications Coordinator

Latest Articles

View All
Photo of Olivia Veatch News
Mar 02, 2023 Research Spotlight – Olivia Veatch, Ph.D.
Frontiers logo News
Feb 22, 2023 "Communicating Research to the Community" Program Documents and Links
Photo of group listening to speaker
Feb 17, 2023 “Cuídate, Chécate y Muévete” (Care of yourself, Take the test, Move your body)
Frontiers logo
Feb 14, 2023 Research Symposium Poster Presentation
Frontiers logo News
Feb 07, 2023 Using Your Resources: University of Kansas Medical Center A. R. Dykes Library
Photo of John Thyfault
Feb 07, 2023 Spotlight: John Thyfault, Ph.D., FACSM, FTOS and the University of Kansas Diabetes Institute
Projects Placeholder 40 Video Title Goes Here
Feb 03, 02023 Why Is It Important to Collaborate?
Image of Dr. Tiffany News
Feb 02, 2023 Spotlight on Tiffany Schwasinger-Schmidt, M.D., Ph.D., FACP
Frontiers logo News
Jan 24, 2023 Frontiers Has an Associate Director Opening
JUNTOS event Partner News  ·  In the Community
Jan 19, 2023 JUNTOS Vaccination Event
Image of Jephte Akakpo TL1 Trainee  ·  News
Jan 17, 2023 Spotlight on TL1 Trainee Jephte Akakpo, Ph.D.
Image of Robert White News
Jan 05, 2023 Spotlight on Robert White, Ph.D., MS – Dean of the College of Biosciences at Kansas City University (KCU)
Image of Olivia Veatch Funded Projects  ·  News
Jan 05, 2023 Spotlight on Olivia Veatch, Ph.D., MS
Image of Jen Bacani News  ·  In the Community
Jan 04, 2023 Community Partner Spotlight: Dr. Jennifer Bacani McKenney
Events  ·  In the Community
Dec 21, 2022 JUNTOS December Community Events
Frontiers logo with all partners Funded Projects  ·  News
Dec 19, 2022 Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute gives six Pilot Awards
Image from JUNTOS vaccination event In the Community
Dec 15, 2022 JUNTOS Community Events
Image of Andrea Bradley Ewing News  ·  In the Community  ·  Partner News
Dec 09, 2022 Spotlight on Andrea Bradley Ewing, MPA, MA; Community Engaged Research, Health Services and Outcomes Research; Children’s Mercy Kansas City
Image of Anna Wallisch KL2 Scholar  ·  News
Dec 08, 2022 Spotlight on KL2 Scholar Anna Wallisch, Ph.D.
Image of Crawford and Ramirez News  ·  In the Community
Dec 06, 2022 Community Partner Broderick Crawford Passes Away
Image of Mock Study panel Events  ·  News  ·  Services
Dec 05, 2022 First Frontiers Mock Study Section
Photo of Rebecca Lepping Funded Projects  ·  News
Dec 01, 2022 Spotlight on Rebecca Lepping, Ph.D.
News
Nov 28, 2022 Frontiers New Tagline
Image of Stephani Stancil KL2 Scholar  ·  Funded Projects  ·  News
Nov 08, 2022 Spotlight on KL2 Scholar Stephani Stancil, Ph.D., APRN
Image of Elly Leavens TL1 Trainee  ·  Funded Projects  ·  News
Nov 08, 2022 Spotlight on TL1 Post-Doctoral Trainee Elly Leavens, Ph.D.
Image of Erin Nichols News
Nov 04, 2022 Focus on Research Informatics with Erin Nichols, Director of Research Informatics -University of Kansas Health System
Frontiers logo News
Nov 03, 2022 Call for Abstracts and Case Reports
JUNTOS logo News  ·  In the Community
Nov 01, 2022 Spotlight on JUNTOS – Center for Advancing Latino Health
Image of Romina Barral KL2 Scholar  ·  Funded Projects
Oct 14, 2022 Meet KL2 Scholar Romina Barral, M.D.
Image of Amanda Emerson KL2 Scholar  ·  Funded Projects
Oct 10, 2022 Meet KL2 Scholar Amanda Emerson
Partner Institution representatives Events  ·  News
Sep 28, 2022 Frontiers Celebrates Award Renewal
Frontiers logo News
Sep 21, 2022 University of Kansas Medical Center announces nearly $27 million NIH grant to accelerate clinical and translational research in the region
Image of Ton Mieras News  ·  In the Community
Sep 09, 2022 Spotlight on Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE)- Ton Miras Neira
Image of Jennifer Villwock KL2 Scholar  ·  Funded Projects
Aug 12, 2022 Spotlight on KL2 program recipient, Jennifer Villwock, M.D.
Image of two researchers News
Aug 04, 2022 Kansas IDeA Network Provides Another Round of Funding
Image of Heather Minchew Funded Projects
Jul 13, 2022 Spotlight on Heather Minchew
Image of Scott Weir
Jul 11, 2022 Fosociclopirox AUA Thought Leadership Series
Female researcher News
Jun 14, 2022 Women Making a Difference in Research
Image of Bertha De Los Santos TL1 Trainee
Jun 14, 2022 Spotlight on Bertha De Los Santos, KU PharmD Student
Frontiers logo
Apr 28, 2022 Frontiers Patient-Community Patient Partner Hakima Payne Receives DeVerne Lee Calloway Award
Frontiers logo Funded Projects
Apr 28, 2022 Trainees at ACTS conference
Image of Laura Mussulman
Oct 29, 2021 Laura Mussulman, MA, MPH, Named Director of Clinical and Translational Science Unit Fairway
Frontiers logo
Sep 17, 2021 Researchers at 3 CTSA Institutions Collaborate to Develop a Research Network Supporting Translational Science Across the Criminal Justice Continuum
Back to Top