Hi. I’m Kamila Alexander.

I am a public health nurse scientist, a parent and spouse, a Black woman and I wake up every day excited about the research and teaching that aims to eliminate all kinds of violence— particularly intimate partner & sexual violence as well as reproductive coercion, which are so common to the experiences of Black women in our communities.

Kamila A. Alexander, PhD, MSN/MPH, RN
Associate Professor
Associate Director, PhD and Postdoctoral Programs

Kamila A. Alexander is an Associate Professor and Associate Director of the PhD and Postdoctoral programs at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Her research examines the socio-structural determinants of trauma and violence on sexual, mental, and reproductive health outcomes among marginalized young people. As a trained advanced practice public health nurse, Dr. Alexander uses health equity and social justice lenses to examine the complex roles that intimate partner violence, HIV resilience, societal gender expectations, and economic opportunity play in the experience of intimate human relationships. She is recognized for her scientific and community-engaged leadership as a member of the inaugural cohort of Betty Irene Moore Fellowships for Nurse Leaders and Innovators.

Dr. Alexander has been a leader in advancing health equity in interprofessional activities and leadership roles within and outside Johns Hopkins.  She is the inaugural Chair of the Nursing Initiative of the Mid-Atlantic Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Consortium, Lead Faculty for the Violence Working Group at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy, Chair of the HIV/STI Committee of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, and the Associate Director of the NIH-sponsored Interdisciplinary Research and Training in Trauma and Violence T32 Training Program at Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Alexander earned a B.S. in Exercise Science from Howard University, a BSN and MSN/MPH from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and a PhD in Nursing Science from the University of Pennsylvania. Her goals are to not only promote health and prevent morbidities but to lead and create investigations that affect practice and policy on a global scale.

Awards

2020  Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Dean’s Award – Outstanding Nurse Researcher

2020  Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators

2018  Johns Hopkins University Catalyst Award, Office of the Provost

2018  New Investigator Award Finalist, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine

2017  Leadership Program for Women Faculty, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

2017  Student Outreach Resource Center (SOURCE) Faculty Fellow Award for Excellence in Teaching

2015  New Nurse Faculty Fellowship Award, Maryland Higher Education Commission

2012  Wealtha McGurn Research Award, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA

2012  Fontaine Award for Excellence in Fellowship, W. T. V. Fontaine Society, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Publications

  1. *†Spearman, K. Perrin, N., Bethell, C., Alexander, K.A., Hardesty, J., Campbell, J. (in press) Intimate Partner violence and Children’s Health after Parental Separation: Development and Psychometric Testing of the HELP-T Scale, Child Maltreatment

  2. *Glick, J.L., Baugher, A.R., Morris, E., German, D., Alexander, K.A., Cha, S., Sionean, C. for the NHBS Study Group (2025) Exploring HIV Risk among Sexual Minority Women by Identity and Behavior in a Population-based Sample of Low-income Heterosexually Active Women. LGBT Health, https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2024.009

  3. *†Marineau, L. A., Perrin, N. A., Johnson, R. M., Uzzi, M., Alexander, K. A., Irvin, N. A., Thurman, P., & Campbell, J. C. (2025). Association of Substance Use with Types of Assault-Related Injury Among Black Men in Baltimore, Maryland. Substance use & misuse, 1–9. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2025.2487974

  4. *Willie, T.C., Sharpless, L., Knight, D., Shah, A., Antar, A., Watts, T., Alexander, K. and Kershaw, T., 2025. Women’s Sociocultural Representations of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and Intimate Partner Violence in Heterosexual Relationships: A Qualitative Story Method. medRxiv, pp.2025-02.

  5. *†‡Marineau, L., Chambers, S., Alexander, K.A. (Accepted for publication) Alcohol and Cannabis use in the context of violence experiences and traditional masculinity attitudes among Black emerging adult men in Baltimore, Maryland. Journal of Interpersonal Violence

  6. *†Spearman, K., Marineau, L., Owolabi, B.A., Hardesty, J., Vaughan-Eden, V, Alexander, K., Bethell, C., & Campbell, J. (2025). “Part of the abuse is not letting me get him medical care”:  A qualitative examination of intimate partner violence and children’s health needs. Child Abuse & Neglect, 164, 107451. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107451

  7. Denison, J. A., Willis, K., DeLong, S. M., Sievwright, K. M., Agwu, A. L., Arrington-Sanders, R., Prabhu, S., Williams, A.M., Fields, E.L. , Alexander, K.A. ... & Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research Adolescent and Young Adult Scientific Working Group. (2024). Advancing Adolescent and Young Adult HIV Prevention and Care and Treatment Through Use of Multi-level Theories and Frameworks: A Scoping Review and Adapted HIV Ecological Framework. AIDS and Behavior, 1-14.

  8. *†Phillips, K. A., Kernshaw, T., Alexander, K. A., Sharpless, L., Katague, M., & Willie, T. C. (2024). Examining the Role of Posttraumatic Stress and Depressive Symptoms in HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Motivation Among Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. AIDS and Behavior, 1-15.

  9. *Sabri, B. Hanson, G., Patch, M., Wilson, P., Alexander, K.A., Njie-Carr, V., Campbell, J.C. (2024) Characteristics of abusive relationships with presence of firearms: Impact of partners’ firearm ownership on immigrant women’s mental health and safety-related empowerment. Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody & Child Development, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/26904586.2024.2423401

  10. *Perrin, N., Guillaume, D., Bloom, T., Alexander, K., Olawole, W., Clough, A., ... & Glass, N. (2024). Dating Violence Victimization, Perpetration and Suicidality Among Adolescents. Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Nursing, 1-13.

  11. *Glass, N., Bloom, T., Alexander, K. A., Emezue, C., Olawole, W., Clough, A., ... & Perrin, N. (2024). Effectiveness of the myPlan Teen App, a Digital Healthy Relationship and Safety Planning Intervention With Adolescent Aged 15–17 Years. Journal of Adolescent Health.

  12. *Huang AK, Nguyen M, German D, Alexander K.A., Charlton BM, Glick JL. (In Press) Health care utilization and care-seeking behavior among vulnerablized sexual minority women (SMW): A socio-ecological approach. 2024. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.