Assistant Professor
Department
Department of Systems, Populations and Leadership
Contact
University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482
Interests
Health inequities and racism
Patient-Provider communication
Maternal and infant health
Racial residential segregation
Dr. Emily Dove-Medows is a certified nurse midwife and professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. Her program of research centers on ending preventable morbidity and mortality related to racism. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Michigan she practiced nursing and midwifery in the Detroit area for over a decade.
Dr. Dove-Medows has over 15 years of nursing research experience with marginalized populations. Currently, her research examines perceptions of structural and social determinants of population health to develop patient- and provider-level interventions. Her most recent contribution is focused on improving maternal and infant health outcomes by reducing blaming communication within the clinical settings. She has conducted research that explores pregnant Black women’s perceptions of neighborhood disorder, discrimination, and preterm birth, and introduced new qualitative measures of residential segregation.
Teaching
Dr. Dove-Medows teaches in the undergraduate nursing program at the University of Michigan, primarily in the Maternity Care clinical areas. She has lectured graduate programs including Midwifery, Family Nurse Practitioner, Public Health, and Psychology programs.
Affilliations/Service
Legislative Co-Chair, Michigan Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives
Member, Michigan Maternal Mortality Review Committee
Editorial Review Board Member, Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing
Notable Awards/Honors
Inaugural Scholar, National Institute of Nursing Research Social Determinants of Health Summer Institute, 2024
March of Dimes Hero for Babies, 2025
Education
Ph.D., Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 2021
MSN, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 2011
BSN, New York University, New York, NY 2009
BA, New York University, New York, NY 1999
Publications Highlights
Dove-Medows, E., Thompson, L., McCracken, L., Kavanaugh, K., Misra, D.P., & Giurgescu, C. (2021). I Wouldn’t Let it Get to Me: Pregnant black women’s experiences of discrimination. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 46(3), 137-142.
Dove-Medows, E., Davis, Jean., McCracken, L., Lebo, L., Misra, D., Giurgescu, C., Kavanaugh, K. (2022) A mixed methods study of experiences during pregnancy among black women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing, 36(2), 161-172.
Dove-Medows, E., Misra, D.P., McCracken, L., & Giurgescu, C. (2022). Racial residential segregation, neighborhood disorder, and racial discrimination among black pregnant women. Public Health Nursing, 39(5), 917-925.
Dove-Medows, E., Misra, D.P., Benkert, R., & Giurgescu, C.A. (2022). Qualitative approach to the dimensions of segregation among Pregnant Black Women. Journal of Urban Health, 99(4), 692–700, doi:10.1007/s11524-022-00661-3.
Dove-Medows, E., Walsh, A.R., & Williamson, F.A. (2025). Perceptions of blame among Black Women during prenatal care: A mixed methods study. Patient Education and Counseling, PEC108707.