Endowed professor expands doctoral training in nursing

A few years ago, nurse educator Alison Davis was ready for something new — a fresh challenge, a close-knit academic home and a place where her research could grow.

When three different colleagues pointed her toward Auburn’s College of Nursing, she paid attention. And when the offer came with a donor-funded professorship, Davis knew she had found the right fit.

“I wanted something a little smaller with a strong sense of community, and I found that here at Auburn,” she said. “The endowed professorship — which has allowed me to do the research I always wanted to do — is the icing on the cake.”

As the Gregg E. Newschwander Endowed Professor, Davis has also had the opportunity to build a relationship with the longtime dean whose name her position carries. Newschwander has led the college since 2009, making him the longest-serving dean in its history.

“He's just a wealth of knowledge as an administrator and a nurse educator,” she said. “His perspective is invaluable, and he’s generous with his insight, whether the question is simple or complex. To have that kind of role model and mentor around is a gift.”

Advancing nursing scholarship

Davis, who holds a master’s from Duke and a doctorate from Mercer University, came to Auburn to lead and help grow the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing program, which prepares students to teach future nurses and advance nursing science through research. Support from her endowed position has strengthened her own scholarship, giving Davis new insights and experiences to bring back to the classroom.

“I’ve been here less than a year, and it’s already helped me so much,” she said. “Travel funding has allowed me to expand my network, strengthen my research and become a better teacher.”

Davis loves guiding her students through the dissertation process and sharing her own research with those who are just beginning their journeys into scholarly publishing. She has recently shifted her research focus from nursing education and simulation-based learning to prenatal and perinatal mental health.

“I’m really interested in studying maternal mental health before and after pregnancy, especially depression and anxiety,” she said. “Right now, I’m building the foundation for future grant funding.”

Subject matter expert

As a Fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and the National League for Nursing, Davis is highly qualified to equip the next generation of nursing educators. Since arriving on campus in late 2025, she has strengthened the curriculum and helped make the program more robust — more than doubling enrollment.

She has expanded the program’s coursework to give students a stronger toolkit for evaluating and synthesizing research, while adding a big data course that helps them use large healthcare datasets in their work.

“I took a little time to get settled and learn the program before we began making adjustments,” she said. “Even though Ph.D. programs aren’t programmatically accredited like BSN, MSN and DNP programs, we wanted to make sure we remained closely aligned with the outcomes national bodies expect.”

Davis says that while preparing educators is vital, advancing nursing research is equally important to the field.

“Nurses are at the forefront of healthcare — they’re right there with patients,” she said. “That nursing science component is so important. Through our research, we can make a real impact on patient outcomes, both in Alabama and across the nation.”

Extra support

Davis is grateful for the generous donors who funded her endowed position. Whether it’s used for professional development, networking with colleagues at other institutions or resources to enhance teaching and research, that support gives faculty like her the flexibility to pursue the work they care about most — a powerful example of how endowed faculty positions advance scholarship, strengthen teaching and expand what is possible across the university.

“Nurse educators tend to be go-getters, so having that extra support to pursue our goals is wonderful,” she said. “Really, it’s priceless; it gives us the freedom to pursue the work that matters most — and the time to do it well. You can’t put a dollar value on that.”