Dr. Susan Brasher is an Assistant Professor, tenure track, and has an extensive pediatric background in both the inpatient setting as a Registered Nurse in a pediatric dedicated hospital and in the outpatient setting as a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (CPNP). She has several years of experience teaching Pediatric Nursing to both undergraduate and graduate nursing students. She received her PhD in Nursing from the University of Florida with an emphasis on pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically autism spectrum disorder. She has served as a Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Investigator (Co-I) of numerous funded grants focusing on Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has several years of experience as PI, Co-I, and project coordinator of multiple funded patient-centered outcomes research institute (PCORI) awards working with community members and research teams to address health disparities of children and young adults on the autism spectrum. She has served as a PCORI ambassador since 2018 to expand knowledge and participation in patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) across the country.

1. Burrell, T.L., Gillespie, S., Pickard, K.E., Brasher, S., Buckley, D., Sharp, W.G., Scahill, L. (2023). A survey of community providers on feeding Disorders in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06013-7
2. Pickard, K., Burrell, T. L., Brasher, S., Buckley, D., Gillespie, S., Sharp, W., & Scahill, L. (2023). Examining adaptations necessary to support the implementation of a parent-mediated intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder and moderate feeding problems. Autism, 0(0).https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231166181
3. Shackleford, J., Nelson, J., & Brasher, S. (2023). Nurses' perceptions of a novel rooming-in program for infants with critical congenital heart disease. American Journal of Critical Care, 32(1), 54–61. https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2023790
4. Buckner, S., Gallego, R., McNaughton, D., Brasher, S., Stanley, J., Jacobs, A., Hamborsky, J., & Schillie, S. (2022). Addressing immunizations in nursing education: Immunization resources for undergraduate nursing. Journal of Professional Nursing, 42, 173-177.
5. Brasher, S., Muirhead, L., & Stapel-Wax, J. (2022). Racial and ethnic disparities in autism spectrum disorder: Implications for care. The Nursing Clinics of North America, 57, 489-499. doi: 10.1016/j.cnur.2022.04.014
6. Muirhead, L., Brasher, S., Broadnax, D., & Chandler, R. (2022). A Framework for Evaluating Social Determinants of Health Curriculum Integration. Journal of Professional Nursing, 39, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.12.004
7. Robertson, B., Brasher, S., & Wright, P. (2022). An approach to integrating social determinants of health in an accelerated pre-licensure academic-practice partnership program. Nurse Educator, 47(2), 130-131. doi: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000001111
8. Morgan, L., Close, S., Siller, M., Kushner, E., & Brasher, S. (2021). Teachers’ experiences: Social emotional engagement- knowledge and skills. Educational Research, 64(1), 41-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2021.1988865
9. Brasher, S., Middour-Oxler, Chamber, R., & Calamaro, C. (2021). Caring for adults with autism spectrum disorder in the emergency department: Lessons learned from pediatric emergency colleagues. Journal of Emergency Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2020.12.013
10. Brasher, S., Becklenberg, A., Darcy Mahoney, A., Ross, K., & Stapel-Wax, J. (2021). Integrating early brain science and skills into prelicensure nursing curriculum to promote parent-child interaction. Nurse Educator. doi: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000000983
11. Muirhead, L., Brasher, S., Vena, C., Hall, P., & Cadet, A. (2021). Assimilation of expert clinicians into the academy: A competency-based faculty development plan. Nurse Educator, 46(2), 121-125. doi: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000000859
12. Shackleford, J., Chambers, R., Nelson, J., Scott, M., & Brasher, S#. (2020). Nurses’ perceptions of rooming-in for caregivers of infants with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD). Journal of Pediatric Nursing. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2020.08.008
13. Brasher, S., & Stapel-Wax, J. (2020). Autism spectrum disorder for the primary care provider: Importance of early diagnosis and intervention. Advances in Family Practice Nursing, 2, 159-168. doi: 10.1016/j.yfpn.2020.01.006
14. Blumling, A., Brasher, S., & Stapel-Wax, J. (2019). Engaging parents of children with autism spectrum disorder to identify rural health disparities and factors related to delayed diagnosis and treatment. International Journal of Child Health and Human Development, 12(4), 379-389. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2445582725/A655403544164799PQ/1
15. Close, S.M., Brasher, S.N., Blumling, A., Talboy, A., & Martyn, K. (2019). Transition of health care in children with chronic health conditions. Advance in Family Practice Nursing, 1, 201-210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfpn.2019.01.004
16. Elder, J.H., Kreider, C.K., Brasher, S.N., & Ansell, M. (2017). Clinical impact of early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder on the prognosis and parent-child relationships. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 10, 283-292. doi: https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S117499
17. Elder, J.H., Brasher, S.N., & Alexander, B.A. (2016). Identifying the barriers to early diagnosis and treatment in underserved individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families: A qualitative study. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 00, 1-9. doi: 10.3109/01612840.2016.1153174
18. Brasher, S.N., & Elder, J.H. (2015). Development of an internet survey to determine barriers to early diagnosis and intervention in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Neurology and Neuroscience, 1, 1-5. doi: 10.21767/2171-6625.s10007

Dr. Brasher enjoys teaching Pediatric Nursing to both graduate and undergraduate students.

Dr. Brasher's research expertise is in Pediatrics. Her research primarily focuses on autism spectrum disorder. She is recognized as a interdisciplinary collaborative researcher to address topics in autism spectrum disorder.

• Fellowship of the American Academy of Nursing
• Distinguished Faculty Award
• Distinguished Faculty Award
• Excellence in Collaboration Award
• Research Poster Award
• PhD research poster presentation award
• PhD Dissertation Award
• Outstanding Research Presentation
• Jonas Nurse Leader Scholar
• The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
• Golden Key International Honor Society

Selected Media Coverage

Patient-Centered Project Aims to Fill Gap in Addressing Transitioning to Adulthood in Autism Spectrum Disorder
https://news.emory.edu/stories/2018/01/nursing_brasher_pcori_autism/campus.html

Nurturing Engagement in Stakeholders on Transitioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder (NEST)
https://www.pcori.org/research-results/2018/nurturing-engagement-stakeholders-transitioning-autism-spectrum-disorder-nest

Forming Partnerships Among Key Stakeholders to Address Transitioning to Adulthood in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
https://www.pcori.org/research-results/2017/forming-partnerships-among-key-stakeholders-address-transitioning-adulthood

Breaking the Cycle of Autism Disparities
https://www.breakthecycleprogram.org/break-the-cycle-of-autism