Azita Emami

Azita Emami, PhD, MSN, BSN, RN, FAAN, was elected to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Board of Trustees in April 2022, effective July 2022.

Azita is the dean and Linda Koch Lorimer Professor of Nursing of the Yale School of Nursing, a position she has held since August 2023.

Azita is an internationally recognized leader in the field of nursing. Her academic leadership experience spans two countries and 25 years, including positions as executive dean of the University of Washington School of Nursing; dean of the College of Nursing at Seattle University; head of the Division of Nursing in the Department of Neurobiology Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet (Sweden); and academic leader in the Division of Elder Care in the Department of Nursing at the Karolinska Institutet.

Azita continues an active research program that has resulted in more than 80 peer-reviewed publications spanning topics that include dementia, cross-cultural issues in nursing care, and optimal ways to educate nurses so they provide culturally-competent care. She is a champion of an emphasis on wellness across the lifespan, population health, and understanding and addressing the social determinants of health.

Azita has led a national effort to identify and address issues of racism in both nursing education and healthcare. She initiated and oversaw a multiyear effort that resulted in creating the nation’s first Center for Antiracism. She is a powerful, visible advocate for equity of access to healthcare for all.

Azita is also a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine; an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering; a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing; a trustee of Yale New Haven Hospital;  an elected member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences; and a member of the board of the National Clinician Scholars Program.

Azita earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the renowned Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, where she grew up after emigrating from Iran. She went on to gain a master’s degree in international healthcare from Karolinska Institutet and the Red Cross College of Nursing; a nursing education degree with a teaching certification; and a doctorate in medical sciences from Karolinska. She is a proud recipient of the University of Washington Women’s Center’s Women of Courage award.