Julie Kruse, PhD, RN, FAAN

Interim Dean and Professor
Project Director, HRSA Nursing Workforce Development INSPIRE Program
Human Health Building, Room 3001
juliekruse@oakland.edu

For requests, questions, and appointments:
Dayna Niewiadomski at (248) 364-8732 or dniewiadomski@oakland.edu

Biography

Dr. Julie Kruse is Interim Dean and Professor in the Oakland University School of Nursing. Her scholarship and professional work focus on nursing workforce development, student success and retention, population health nursing, health equity, cultural humility, sense of belonging, and the social determinants of health. She has more than two decades of experience in nursing education and extensive experience leading federally funded initiatives designed to strengthen the nursing workforce and support the success of students from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds.

Dr. Kruse has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on more than $10.9 million in grant funding. In 2026, she received a four-year, $2,219,955 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Nursing Workforce Development grant for Project INSPIRE. This initiative builds upon her longstanding work developing multilevel strategies to support nursing student success and strengthen the nursing workforce. She previously served as Project Director for the four-year, $2,195,252 HRSA-funded ASPIRE program from 2021 through 2025.

Dr. Kruse is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and was inducted into the Academy in 2025. In 2025, she also received the Lillian Wald Service Award from the American Public Health Association Public Health Nursing Section. Her additional honors include Oakland University's Faculty Excellence Awards for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Research.

Nationally, Dr. Kruse has held significant leadership roles in public health nursing. She currently serves as Immediate Past Chair of the American Public Health Association Public Health Nursing Section and has served on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leadership Network. She also contributes to the advancement of national public health nursing certification through service on the National Board of Public Health Examiners CPHN Council and CPHN Standard Setting Committee.

Dr. Kruse's scholarship spans nursing workforce development, population health, health equity, nursing education, student belonging and retention, implicit bias, Just Culture, and professional identity formation. Her scholarly work has been disseminated through peer-reviewed publications as well as local, national, and international presentations. She also has extensive experience mentoring undergraduate, master's, DNP, and PhD students in research and scholarly projects.

Education

• PhD in Nursing, University of Michigan
• MS in Community Care Nursing, University of Michigan
• Certificate in Nursing Education, University of Michigan
• Certificate in International Health, University of Michigan
• BSN, Lourdes College
• Nursing Diploma, St. Vincent School of Nursing

Research Areas of Interest

• Assessment and Evaluation Processes
• Cultural Humility
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• International Health and Social Development
• Just Culture
• Nursing Student Retention
• Nursing Workforce Development and Diversity
• Population Health Nursing
• Sense of Belonging and Social Support
• Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity

Selected Recent Publications

Boni, R. L., Dingley, C., Kruse, J. A., MacIver, A. T., & Wise, E. A. (2026). Development and Psychometric Testing of the Oncology Nurses' Professional Quality of Life Questionnaire. Oncology Nursing Forum. [Accepted].

Kruse, J., Ehrlich, O., & Altmiller, G. (2026). Comprehensive Community Assessments: "Growing" a Familiar Strategy to Build Advanced-Level Competencies. Journal of Professional Nursing, 65, 196–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2026.05.008

Kruse, J. A., & Wald, H. S. (2025). Legacy of Medicine and Nursing During the Holocaust and its Contemporary Relevance: Addressing Implicit/Explicit Bias and Healthcare Inequities. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 56(12), 527–534.

Ehrlich, O., Kruse, J. A., Lackowski, A., & Glover, T. L. (2025). A Nursing Faculty Intervention for Teaching Primary Palliative Care in Baccalaureate Nursing Competency-Based Education. Palliative Medicine Reports, 6(1), 61–70.

Kruse, J. A., Podojil-Kostecki, P., & Smith, B. (2024). Living With the Aftermath: The Second Victim Experience Among Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. AANA Journal, 92(3), 173–180.

Kruse, J. A., & Wald, H. S. (2023). Legacy of the Role of Medicine and Nursing in the Holocaust: An Educational Intervention to Support Nursing Student Professional Identity Formation and Ethical Conduct. Lancet, Supplement C: Curricular Examples, 22.

Kruse, J. A., & Hays, D. (2023). Public Service Announcements: An Innovative Strategy for Introducing Competencies in Population Health. The Journal of Nursing Education, 62(11), 650–652.

Kruse, J. A., & Wald, H. S. (2023). Legacy of the Role of Medicine and Nursing in the Holocaust: An Educational Intervention to Support Nursing Student Professional Identity Formation and Ethical Conduct. Nursing Education Perspectives, 44(3), 169–171.

Hays, D., Kridli, S., & Kruse, J. A. (2022). Implementation of a Standardized National HIV Curriculum in a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program. Nurse Educator.

Kruse, J. A., Collins, J. L., & Vugrin, M. (2022). Educational strategies used to improve the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of health care students and providers regarding implicit bias: An integrative review of the literature. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 4, 100073.

Kruse, J. A., & El-Khoury, H. (2022). A poverty simulation to enhance nursing student knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward people living in poverty. Nursing Forum.

Hays, D., & Kruse, J. A. (2022). Nursing Student and Faculty Perceptions of Just Culture. The Journal of Nursing Education, 61(5), 257–260.

Books and Scholarly Works

Reyes, D., Jones, K., Kruse, J. A., & Watts-Isley, J. (Eds.). (Forthcoming). CPHN Study Guide. American Public Health Association.

Manuscripts Under Review

• Kruse, J. A., & Chahine, T. (2026). Advancing health equity through an academic-community partnership: A school-based pilot to promote nutrition, mental health, and careers in nursing and other helping professions. Hispanic Health Care International.
• Kruse, J. A., Chahine, T., & Chatman, N. (2026). ASPIRE to equity: Advancing nursing workforce development through a social determinant of health framework. Journal of Professional Nursing.
• Wald, H. S., Kumer, K. D., & Kruse, J. A. (2026). Role of Medicine During the Holocaust and its Contemporary Relevance: Sustaining Our Moral Compass; Countering Antisemitism in Medicine. BMC Medical Education.
• Kruse, J. A., Piscotty, R., & Majeed, D. (2026). From Chaos to Clarity: Variable Creation and Data Preservation After Bot Attack. Computers, Informatics, Nursing.

Selected Funded Grants

Principal Investigator/Project Director

• HRSA Nursing Workforce Development Program, Project INSPIRE, $2,219,955, funded 2026, Grant #D1956236.
• HRSA Nursing Workforce Diversity Program, Project ASPIRE, $2,195,252, funded 2021, Grant #D1942040.
• HRSA Nursing Workforce Diversity Program, Project INSPIRE, $1,876,443, funded 2017.
• HRSA Nursing Workforce Diversity Program, Project REACH, $648,294, funded 2015–2017, Grant #D19HP28486.
• HRSA Nursing Workforce Diversity Program, Discover the Nurse Within, $1,519,148, funded 2010–2013.
• Sigma Theta Tau Zeta Theta Chapter Alice-Manion Research Grant Award, $1,000, funded 2015.
• Lourdes University Faculty Scholarship Fellowship, $3,000, funded 2014 and $3,000 funded 2016.

Selected Co-Investigator Grants

• National Association of Hispanic Nurses Fuel2Flourish Award, Community-Focused Curriculum Promoting Healthy Eating and Positive Mental Health in Pontiac, Michigan: A Pilot Project, $8,250, funded 2024.
• Oakland University Oberhauser SON Faculty Grant Award, Student Wellness and Resiliency Educational Modules, $9,900, funded 2024.
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, simulation-based gaming experience addressing implicit bias in healthcare decision-making, $14,775, funded 2022.
• HRSA Advanced Education in Nursing Traineeship Grant, $1.3 million, funded 2010–2013.
• HRSA Career Ladders for LPN and CNA to BSN, $950,000, funded 2007–2010.

Overall grant portfolio: More than $10.9 million in grant funding as principal investigator or co-investigator.

Selected Honors and Awards

• Fellow, American Academy of Nursing, inducted 2025
• Lillian Wald Service Award, American Public Health Association Public Health Nursing Section, 2025
• DAISY Award, National Hispanic Nurses Association Group Recipient, 2025
• Faculty Excellence Award, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Oakland University, 2023
• Faculty Excellence Award, Research, Oakland University, 2022
• Nightingale Award for Nursing Excellence in Research, Runner-Up, Oakland University, 2022
• Faculty of the Year Excellence Award, Lourdes University, 2015
• Public Health Nursing Emerging Leader Award, University of Michigan School of Nursing, 2009

Professional Leadership and Affiliations

• American Academy of Nursing, Fellow
• American Public Health Association, Public Health Nursing Section, Immediate Past Chair
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leadership Network
• National Board of Public Health Examiners, CPHN Council
• National Board of Public Health Examiners, CPHN Standard Setting Committee
• Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations
• Michigan Health Council, Michigan Center for Nursing
• National League for Nursing
• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing
• Transcultural Nursing Society
• QSEN Academic Taskforce