Dr. Kalisha Bonds Johnson is a T32 National Institute of Nursing Research Postdoctoral Fellow at Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from The University of Tennessee at Martin with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2007. She graduated with her Masters in Science in Nursing in 2012 from Vanderbilt University, specializing as a Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Most recently, Dr. Bonds Johnson graduated with a PhD from Oregon Health & Science University in 2019. During her PhD program, she was funded through several mechanisms, including the SAMHSA at American Nurses Association Minority Fellowship Program and the Jonas Foundation as a Veterans Healthcare Scholar. In her PhD studies, Dr. Bonds Johnson focused on how the caregiving experiences of African American persons with dementia and their African American family caregivers were associated with their quality of life. Specifically, Dr. Bonds Johnson focused on interpersonal factors such as decision-making involvement and their relationship quality. In her postdoctoral fellowship, she is advancing this line of inquiry to focus on decisions made about health care for African American persons living with dementia and how these influences affect the quality of life of African American persons living with dementia and their family caregivers. Dr. Bonds Johnson hopes to improve health outcomes from African American persons living with dementia and their families through clinical interventions and/or theoretical developments.
When Dr. Bonds Johnson is not writing manuscripts or grants, she spends her time with her loving husband, Eric Johnson. They will celebrate their wedding anniversary in September.