Dr. Marita Titler

Reflecting on her own decision to pursue graduate school, Dr. Marita Titler says she wanted to advance her career and aspired to be more actively involved in leading research – especially research that would impact patient care in acute care settings. “I knew that if I wanted to be one of the players leading research, I needed to have the skill set and the credentials.”

 

Dr. Titler’s love of science and desire led her to pursue a Master’s degree. But her ultimate goal was to be a nurse researcher in a clinical practice in an academic medical center. So, with a Master’s in nursing, ten successful years of teaching under her belt, and a passion for research, Dr. Titler altered her teaching schedule in order to become a full-time doctoral student.

 

Since earning her PhD, Dr. Titler has built a highly respected body of work and has become an internationally recognized expert in health services research, translation science, and evidence-based practice. She recently came to U-M to help strengthen the partnership between the School of Nursing and the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS). Dr. Titler was attracted to U-M because of its innovative approach to education, practice, and research.

 

Dr. Titler prizes U-M’s interdisciplinary culture as an important benefit to graduate students in the School of Nursing. “Scientists from other disciplines are very open to working with nursing students in their program of research. They realize nursing has an important voice.”

 

When it comes to research, there is a very robust commitment to science here, both within the School of Nursing and across the U-M campus. “The PhD program gives you the knowledge and skills to not only conduct research, but also to emerge as a leader in your area of specialization, and within the field of healthcare.”