The Lillian Carter Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility has named Jacob Kariuki, PhD, assistant director for global health research, effective November 1.
The center is part of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University.
In this role, Kariuki will help set the strategic direction of the center, which seeks to improve the health of vulnerable people worldwide through nursing education, research, practice and policy. His work will focus on driving innovation and developing partnerships in service of the center’s global initiatives, particularly in Africa. He will also serve as an associate professor at the School of Nursing.
Kariuki comes to Emory from the University of Pittsburg, where he has served as an assistant professor in the School of Nursing and a faculty affiliate in the Center for Behavioral Health and Smart Technology.
He earned a PhD in population health and health policy and a Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where he also earned a post-master’s certificate in the adult-gerontology nurse practitioner program. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, in Kenya. A pre-doctoral fellow with the American Heart Association, he has also served as a faculty trainee in the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute program, which seeks to increase diversity among individuals engaged in heart-related research.
Kariuki's research focuses on the primary prevention of cardiometabolic diseases in high-risk and underserved populations. His current research projects involve leveraging accessible technologies to mitigate barriers to physical activity among insufficiently active adults with obesity.
A senior associate editor of the Behavioral Medicine journal, he helped author an upcoming American Heart Association scientific statement on increasing the equity of physical activity promotion for optimal cardiovascular health. As a certified adult gerontology nurse practitioner, his clinical work focuses on risk and functional assessment to promote independence and optimal quality of life in older adults. He also teaches courses on preventive health, intervention development, and the well-being of older adults.
The Lillian Carter Center has long been home to global, regional and local student serving-learning opportunities and a renowned international visiting scholars program. More recently, the center has become a hub of support for Emory School of Nursing grant initiatives that improve health equity. Earlier this fall, the school received $11.8 million in funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration for work in Atlanta, South Georgia, and the Southeast. Kariuki’s appointment signals the center’s dual commitment to health research and health equity in a global context.
“Dr. Kariuki’s commitment to global scholarship and service will fold in beautifully to the work of the Lillian Carter Center, and his research on heart health, gerontology, and health equity will further strengthen our teaching and research,” says Tricia Benson, executive director of the Lillian Carter Center and chief engagement officer at the Emory School of Nursing. “We are delighted that Dr. Kariuki is joining our faculty and our work.”
About the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Ranked No. 2 in BSN and master’s degree programs and No. 6 in Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs by U.S. News & World Report, the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing produces nurse leaders who are transforming health care through science, education, practice and policy. Graduates go on to become national and international leaders in patient care, public health, government, research and education. Others become qualified to seek certification as nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives. The DNP program trains nurse anesthetists and advanced leaders in health care administration, and the school also maintains a PhD program in partnership with Emory's Laney Graduate School. The school is also among the top five nursing schools in the U.S. for funding from the National Institutes of Health. For more information, visit nursing.emory.edu. Follow the School of Nursing on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.