Dr. Michelle Nichols is an Assistant Professor at the College of Nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and a Research Scientist. Dr. Nichols completed her undergraduate work at the University of Maine, obtaining degrees in both French and Nursing and studied at the University of Paris, Sorbonne. She obtained her Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of Phoenix and her PhD from the Medical University of South Carolina.

Prior to joining MUSC, Dr. Nichols worked as a researcher for the Veterans Administration (VA) conducting studies with Veterans and Active Duty Service members both at the VA and on military bases, in collaboration with the Department of Defense. She served as an Assistant Professor at the School of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, she has worked in the community establishing partnerships with underserved youth and their families and community stakeholders to identify and address health disparities from a community-engaged perspective.

Dr. Nichols is a member of the American Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, Council for Advancement of Nursing Science, Southern Region Nursing Society, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association, Mixed Methods Research International Association, and the Global Health Council. She has held several leadership positions, serving on the Board of Directors for local non-profit organizations and community coalitions and as Project Director for the National Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems (TBIMS). Among her awards, she received the 2014 American Nurses Association (ANA) Presidential Scholar Award through the American Nurses Foundation.

Her research interest includes reducing health disparities through health promotion and disease prevention in underserved populations, the use of community-based participatory research methods, prevention and treatment of chronic diseases locally and globally, and clinical research ethics. Dr. Nichols works with underserved children and adolescents and their parents along with Veterans and military families using family and socio-ecological based approaches toward health literacy and health behavior change.

Health Promotion/Disease Prevention, Health Disparities, Underserved and Vulnerable Populations, Children, Adolescents, and Families, Community-Based Participatory Research, Chronic Health Conditions (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease), Ethics, Global Health, Veteran and Military Health