Melissa Faulkner (PhD 1991)

Atlanta, Georgia

Melissa Faulkner, PhD, RN, FAAN is a PhD 1991 graduate of the UAB School of Nursing. She is currently the National Director of Nursing Research at Ascension. Previously, she was Professor and Lewis Distinguished Chair in Nursing at the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions at Georgia State University, where she still holds an adjunct appointment. Prior to her time at Georgia State, she held academic appointments at the University of Arizona, Southeast Missouri State University, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Arizona State University. She has extensive experience in child health, particularly pediatric diabetes. She has taught undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students, as well as interdisciplinary courses.

Dr. Faulkner has an established program of research focusing on adolescents and the psychosocial and physiological alterations they may encounter, particularly the cardiovascular risks that are associated with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Dr. Faulkner’s research is aimed at the development and testing of a community-based, personalized exercise intervention for teens diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Faulkner is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She served as the only nurse representative on the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Medical and Scientific Oversight Committee. She was named a UAB School of Nursing Visionary Leader in 2010.