New Faculty Spotlight: Monica R. McLemore

What is your Research Focus?

Dr. Monica R. McLemore is a tenured professor in the Child, Family, and Population Health Department and the Interim Director for the Center for Anti-Racism in Nursing at the University of Washington School of Nursing. Prior to her arrival at UW, she was a tenured associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco and was named the Thelma Shobe Endowed Chair in 2021. She retired from clinical practice as a public health and staff nurse after a 28-year clinical nursing career in 2019, however, continues to provide flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

Her program of research is focused on understanding reproductive health and justice. To date, she has 96 peer reviewed articles, OpEds and commentaries and her research has been cited in the Huffington Post, Lavender Health, five amicus briefs to the Supreme Court of the United States, and three National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine reports, and a data visualization project entitled How To Fix Maternal Mortality: The first step is to stop blaming women that was published in the 2019 Future of Medicine edition of Scientific American.

She is the recipient of numerous awards and was past-chair for Sexual and Reproductive Health section of the American Public Health Association. She was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2019 and resigned in 2022 due to inaction specific to the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe vs. Wade. She became the Editor in Chief of Health Equity Journal in 2022.

What opportunities at the UW excite you?

Dr. McLemore’s research and scholarship in reproductive justice is unique and promises a substantial impact on not only the SON, but also the UW at large including the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Social Work, and Evans School of Public Policy. Dr. McLemore has an impressive track record of mentoring and supporting the professional development of diverse early career scholars and training students in collaborating with communities and community-based approaches. would provide leadership and mentorship for our newly hired early career faculty on racial justice, DEI and antiracism, and community partnerships academically and in research. Dr. McLemore will provide a role model for how best to conduct collaborative transdisciplinary science. She has contributed innovations to the field of community-partnered research methods and has developed skills that allow her to be competent and comfortable advising university leadership.