Azza Ahmed headshot photo

Pronouns: She/her

Phone: 765-494-1272

Office:

502N University Street
47906

Curriculum Vitae Selected Publications Back to Directory

Azza Ahmed

Associate Professor, School of Nursing

Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion


Areas of Expertise

  • Infant feeding and Lactation support
  • Tele-lactation support
  • Maternal sleep and lactation outcomes
  • Maternal Mental Health during Breastfeeding,
  • Breastfeeding Education for eHealth care Providers

HHS Signature Research Area(s)

  • Developmental Health and Wellness
  • Sustainable Organizations and Thriving Communities

School of Nursing Research Area(s)

  • Family, Maternal and Child Health
  • Health Promotion and Population Health

Biography

Dr. Ahmed is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (CPNP) and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Her research program is focused on breastfeeding promotion, education, and support. She collaborated to develop and test interventions that support and improve breastfeeding outcomes and maternal self-efficacy among vulnerable populations specifically preterm infants and low-income families using technology and digital health. She developed a comprehensive tele-lactation system and integrated videoconferencing and tested its effect in improving breastfeeding outcomes and maternal mental health. In addition, over the past several years, her interprofessional research collaboration also focused on studying biobehavioral factors that affect delayed lactogenesis II and breastfeeding outcomes, specifically sleep disturbance among pregnant women and the risk of delayed lactation among socioeconomically disadvantaged women. Dr. Ahmed is also interested in improving breastfeeding education among health professionals. She has been recognized for her research and services nationally and Internationally through the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing’s Audrey Hepburn Award for the Contribution for the Health and Welfare of Children, Excellence in Nursing Research Award from Delta Omicron Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International, and Tony and Mary Hulman Health Achievement Award in the field of Health Science Research, Indiana Public Health Association. She was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2019 and recently inducted as a Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association (March 2022).

Education

  • Doctor of Nursing Science, University of Cairo, Egypt
  • Post-Masters Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Certificate, Purdue University
  • International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

  • Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Current Courses

  • NUR 500 - Theoretical Constructs in Nursing
  • NUR 505 - Socio-Cultural Influences on Health
  • NUR 69040 - Collaboration Seminar

Selected Honors/Awards

  • Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association (FILCA) , - March 15 2022,
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) - October 2019
  • Experienced Leadership Academy Scholar, SIGMA - Jan 2021
  • Audrey Hepburn Award for the Contribution for the Health and Welfare of Children, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing - August 2015

Selected Grants

  • Co-Investigator, Sleep, feeding, and obesity risk during infancy in African American and Latinx families. CTSI/CTR, Kameron Moding (PI)
  • Principal Investigator, Barriers and Contributor Factors in Implementing Tele-lactation Support among Low-income Mothers, Clifford Kinley Trust Grant Award
  • Principal Investigator, Sleep and Obesity during Pregnancy: Impacts on Breastfeeding Success among Indiana's Rural Mothers, Grant: Agricultural Science and Extension for Economic Development, Purdue University
  • Principal Investigator, Effect of Web-based Monitoring on Breastfeeding Outcomes, CTSI/CTR
  • Principal Investigator, Breastfeeding Outcomes and Perceived Maternal Self-efficacy among Low-income Mothers of Late Preterm Infants, Clifford Kinley Trust Grant Award

Professional Affiliations

  • American Academy of Nursing
  • Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science
  • Midwest Nursing Research Society
  • International Lactation Consultant Association
  • Sigma Theta Tau International