Background

Dr. Robin Dawson is the Interim Dean and Associate Dean for Academics at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing. She is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner with 30 years of nursing experience across acute care, inpatient, and community-based settings. Drawing on clinical practice, communication science, implementation research, and patient-centered methodologies, she develops and evaluates innovative approaches to improve access to care, patient engagement, and health outcomes. A central theme of her work is understanding how interactions among patients, families, students, and healthcare providers shape healthcare experiences and outcomes.

Dr. Dawson's scholarship areas include:

1. Examination of communication within healthcare encounters, including turn-taking, conversational structure, and provider communication practices. This work informs development of educational and training strategies that help nursing and healthcare students build skills for managing complex clinical conversations and delivering patient-centered care.
2. Development and evaluation of innovative screening and service delivery approaches designed to improve access to care in rural and underserved communities. Examples include technology-enabled screening methods, such as infrared scanning and patient-collected biological specimens, as well as community-based models that reduce barriers to early identification of health concerns and facilitate timely intervention.
3. Understanding the lived experiences of patients and families through qualitative and mixed methods research. This work seeks to identify contextual factors that influence healthcare utilization, engagement, and outcomes and to use those insights to tailor interventions, improve care delivery, and enhance patient-centered outcomes.

Collectively, her research seeks to strengthen healthcare delivery systems by improving communication, expanding access to screening and preventive services, and developing evidence-informed interventions.

Teaching

Dr. Dawson teaches health sciences and research methods courses for the College of Nursing and the SC Honors College. She also has a background in pediatric primary care clinical teaching for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and medical students. She has taught the following courses during her time at the University of South Carolina:  

Research Methods

• NURS 813 – Nursing Research Methods III (Qualitative Research Methods)
• NURS 790 – Research Methods for Nursing
• NURS 791 – Seminar in Clinical Research 

Honors College

• SCHC 279 – Introduction to Nursing Research: Honors 
  
• SCHC 284 – Introduction to Clinical Laboratory Science: Honors
  

Vulnerable Populations 

• NURS 505 – Caring for Limited English Proficient Patients  

Women’s Health

• WGST 113 – Women and Their Bodies in Health and Disease 

Research

She is an NIH-funded nurse scientist whose expertise includes healthcare communication, patient-centered care, implementation research, and innovative strategies to improve access to screening and preventive services in rural and underserved communities. Her research focuses on strengthening healthcare delivery systems through improved communication, expanded access to screening and preventive services, and evidence-informed interventions. Her work has been supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and The Duke Endowment.

Dissemination

Creed, J., Dawson, R.M., Pate, L., Gibbs, S. Scott, A. & Bowers, T. (2023). Innovative Strategies to Enhance DNP and PhD Faculty Collaboration. Sigma: Creating Healthy Work Environments 2023 (Podium presentation).

Dawson, R., Catledge, C., Scott, A., Pate, L., & Vereen, G. (2022, July). Hepatitis B immunity among undergraduate nursing students and alignment with best practices. Sigma 33rd International Nursing Research Congress, Edinburgh, Scotland (Podium presentation). 

*Patel, K., *Rugh, K., Dawson, R., Raynor, P., & Corbett, C. (2022, July). Early healthcare communication skills training in an undergraduate honors laboratory course. Sigma 33rd International Nursing Research Congress, Edinburgh, Scotland (Podium presentation). 

Dawson, R.M. & Richardson, J. (2022, Jun).  School nurses and asthma care in the Southeastern United States. [Podium]. Association of Community Health Nursing Educators Annual Institute, Alexandria, Va.
 
*Harper, T., Dawson, R.M., & Jenerette, C. (2021, Oct.). Mapping transition in sickle cell disease to Meleis’ Transition Theory: A scoping review. Nursing in Sickle Cell Disease Symposium: Advancing the Science of Sickle Cell Disease. (Podium presentation).

Dawson, R.M., Gibbs, S., Davis, V., Murillo, C., Lawrence, M.K., Mele, C., *Kovach, B., & *LaRosa, L. (2021, Oct.). A sociolinguistic, simulation-based approach to teaching culturally respectful communication. Transcultural Nursing Society 47th Annual Conference, Albuquerque, N.M. (Podium presentation).

Kell, A. & Dawson, R.M. (2021, Oct.). Promoting culturally sensitive care for limited English proficiency patients through interpreter use: A targeted literature review. Transcultural Nursing Society 47th Annual Conference, Albuquerque, N.M. (Poster presentation).

Gibbs, S., Davis, V., Mele, C., Murillo, C., Lawrence, K., & Dawson, R.M. (2020, Jun.). “I felt the connection”: A qualitative exploration of standardized patients’ experiences in a delivering bad news scenario. International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation & Learning Annual Conference, Raleigh, NC. (Podium presentation).

Professional Service

A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Dr. Dawson has held national leadership roles. She has reviewed for Advances in Nursing Science, Hispanic Health Care International, Journal of Rural Health, Qualitative Health Research, and Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 

• Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE), Vice President
• Pearce Faculty Fellow (SCHC): 2020-2022
• Lancaster County Health and Wellness Commission: 2019-present
• The Children’s Council, Baby Blocks: 2018-present
• mHealth workgroup: 2015-present
• Women’s and Gender Studies affiliate faculty: 2014-present
• Migrations workshop: 2014-present 

Professional Practice

Dr. Dawson is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner with 30 years of clinical experience across acute care, inpatient, and community-based settings. 

Research Studies (selected)

Current research support
The ITALIC Study: Integrating Telemedicine and At-home evaLuatIon to Catalyze early detection among  rural and minority South Carolinians, The Duke Endowment, Grant Agreement 7154-S. Nolan, M. (PI) & Dawson, R.M. (co-PI).

Completed research support
South Carolina's Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk And Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Award No. 1 NH75OT000099-01-00 $4,897,232; 06/01/2021-05/31/2023. Nolan, M. (PI); Boehme, H. and Dawson, R.M. (co-Is). 

A Patient-Centered Asthma Management Communication Intervention for Rural Latino Children. NHLBI/NIH (1 K23 HL133596-01A1) - $722,424. 8/15/2017- 07/31/2023. Estrada, R.D. (PI). Mentors: Heiney, Messias, Ownby. 

The Feasibility of a Linguistic Pedagogical Approach to Teaching Communication Skills to Advanced Practice Nurses. USC College of Nursing Office of Research - $4,912. 6/2018-6/2019. Mele, C., Estrada, R.D. (Co-PI), Graham, C., Davis, V., & Gibbs, S. (Co-I).

Qualitative Exploration of Future and Current Nurses Perceptions and Experiences on the Transition into the Nursing Workforce. USC VP for Research – ASPIRE I. $15,000, 5/2018-8/2019. Wirth, M. & Estrada, R.D. (co-I).

Publications (selected)

 *Warren, K., Felder, T.M., Boghossian, N.S., Dail, R.B. & Dawson, R.M., (2026). Unrecognized and unheard: Experiences of Black mothers navigating the "Good NICU Mother" ideal Across the preterm birth continuum. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth .

*Barron, M., Dawson, R.M., Corbett, C., Wirth, M., & Williams, E. (2026). Strategies for Improving Communication Among Health Providers and Adult African American Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): A Scoping Review. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.

*Patel, H., *Hamilton, B., Kell, A., *Paras, B., Criswell, S., Nolan, M, & Dawson, R.M. (2026). “You can live with it or you can die”: Southern Gothic Storytelling of Diabetes Management in a Rural South Carolina Town" Qualitative Health Research, 10497323251403548. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323251403548 

*Hamilton, B., Miller, T., Dawson, R. (2025) Nursing Support Pillows Present in Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths – Georgia, January 2013 – December 2022. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 74.

Selph, M., Kell, A. & Dawson, R.M. (2025). Using Simulation to Increase Interpreter-Use Confidence in Advanced Practice Nursing Students. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 37(8), 456-461. doi: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000001153 

Dawson, R.M., Boehme, H.M., Criswell, S., *Dunham-Thornton, J., & Nolan, M.S. (2024). “We rely on each other”: A qualitative exploration of rural Eastern Region Native American experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Heliyon, 10(13). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33456 

Boehme, H. M., Dawson, R. M., Williams, T., Gual-Gonzalez, L., Rodriguez-Ramos, C., Brown, N., . . . Nolan, M. S. (2023). “Ain't about the money, ain't about the haircut”: Experiences of servant leadership in black-owned barbershops and beauty salons during the COVID-19 pandemic. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 3, 100225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100225 

Cayir, E. Felder, T.M, Nkwonta, C. Jackson, J.R., & Dawson, R.M. (2022). Discovering new connections: Insights from individual and collective reflexivity in a mixed methods study. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. DOI: 10.1177/16094069221105707/ ID: IJQM-21-0400.R2) 

Wickersham, K. E., Dawson, R. M., *Becker, K. P., *Everhart, K. C., *Miles, H. S., *Schultz, B. E., . . . Jenerette, C. M. (2022). Experiences of African Americans living with sickle cell disease. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 0(0), 10436596211070600. doi:10.1177/10436596211070600 

Owens, O.L., Dawson, R.M., & Thompson, T.L. (2020). Development of the Prostate Cancer Treatment Decision Framework: A context specific expansion of the Risk as Feelings Hypothesis. Cancer Nursing. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000000918. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33332918

Dawson, R.M., Felder, T.M., Donevant, S.B., McDonnell, K.K., Card, E., Campbell, C., & Heiney, S.P. (2020). What makes a good health “app”? Identifying the strengths and limitations of existing mobile application evaluation tools. Nursing Inquiry, 27(2), e12333. doi:10.1111/nin.12333 

Owens, O.L., Dawson, R.M., & Thompson, T.L. (2020). Development of the Prostate Cancer Treatment Decision Framework: A context specific expansion of the Risk as Feelings Hypothesis. Cancer Nursing. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000000918. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33332918

*Nkwonta, C.A, Dawson, R.M., & Adegboyega, A. (2020) “I don’t think I have a chance to get it”: International      university student HPV knowledge and preventive behaviors. Journal of American College Health. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2020.1740232. PMID: 32240076 PMCID: PMC7529732 [Epub ahead of print]

Worthy, K., Dawson, R.M., & Tavakoli, A.S. (2020). Relationships among nursing deans’ leadership styles and faculty job satisfaction levels. Journal of Nursing Education, 59(2):68-75. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20200122-03

*Wright, P., Dawson, R.M., & Corbett, C. (2020). Social construction of biopsychosocial and medical experiences of women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Journal of Advanced Nursing, (76)7, 1728-1736. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14371 

*Horton Dias, C., & Dawson, R. M. (2020). Hospital and shift work influences on nurses' dietary behaviors: A qualitative study. Workplace Health & Safety, 68(8), 374–383. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165079919890351 

Dawson, R.M., Felder, T.M., Donevant, S.B., McDonnell, K.K., Card, E., Campbell, C., & Heiney, S.P. (2020). What makes a good health “app”? Identifying the strengths and limitations of existing mobile application evaluation tools. Nursing Inquiry, 27(2), e12333. doi:10.1111/nin.12333

Owens, O. L., Estrada, R. M., Johnson, K., Cogdell, M., Fried, D. B., Gansauer, L., & Kim, S. (2019). ‘I’m not a chance taker’: A mixed methods exploration of factors affecting prostate cancer treatment decision-making. Ethnicity & Health, 1-20. doi:10.1080/13557858.2019.1606165

Dawson, R.M., Williams, A.P., & Richardson, J. (2019). Development and evaluation of a theory based approach to reducing carbon monoxide (CO) morbidity and mortality:  The CO Blitz Model. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 36(3), 115-123. doi: 10.1080/07370016.2019.1630967

*Donevant, S. B., Estrada, R. D., Culley, J. M., Habing, B., & Adams, S. A. (2018). Exploring app features with outcomes in mHealth studies involving chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and hypertension: A targeted exploration of the literature. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 25(10), 1407–1418. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocy104 

*Donevant, S.B., Messias, D.K.H., & Estrada, R. (2018). Utilization of mobile applications in collaborative patient-provider monitoring of chronic health conditions: An examination of three theoretical frameworks to guide practice. Journal of Informatics Nursing, 3(2), 6-11.

*Lawrence, K., Messias, D. K. H., Estrada, R. D., & Long, V. (2018). Peer teaching in high-fidelity simulation: Participant experiences and reflections. Nurse Educator, 43(6), 312-316. doi:10.1097/nne.0000000000000540

Newsome, B., McDonnell, K.K., Hucks, J.R. & Dawson Estrada, R. (2018). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Clinical implications for patients with lung cancer. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 22(2), 184-192. doi: 10.1188/18.CJON.184-192

Estrada, R.D. & Messias, D.K.H. (2017). Language co-construction and collaboration in interpreter-mediated primary care encounters with Hispanic adults. Journal of Transcultural Nursing. 1043659617747523. doi:10.1177/1043659617747523

Felder, T.M., Estrada, R.D., Quinn, J., *Hayne, P., Phillips, K., Heiney, S. (2017). Expectations and reality: Perceptions of support among African American breast cancer survivors. Ethnicity and Health. 1-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2017.1373072 

Estrada, R.D. & Messias, D.K.H. (2015). A scoping review of the National CLAS standards literature: Focus and application patterns. Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved,26(4), 1089-1109.

Estrada, R.D., Reynolds, J. & Messias, D.K.H. (2015). A conversation analysis of verbal interactions and social processes in interpreter-mediated primary care encounters. Research in Nursing and Health, 38(4), 278-288.

McDowell, L., Messias, D.K.H. & Estrada, R.D. (2011). The work of language interpretation in health care: Complex, challenging, exhausting, and often invisible. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 22(2), 137-147.

Messias, D.K.H., McDowell, L. & Estrada, R.D. (2009). Language interpretation as social justice work: Perspectives of formal and informal healthcare interpreters. Advances in Nursing Science, 32(2), 128-143.

^{*indicates student; publications prior to 2019 as Estrada, R.D.}