Ashley K. Parks is a Nurse Practitioner, educator, and researcher with nearly two decades of experience in graduate nursing education, clinical practice, and research. Her work centers on health equity, culturally responsive care, and the intersection of pharmacology, health policy, and social determinants of health. She has taught and mentored nursing students across campus-based and online programs, led curriculum development for advanced practice nursing, and collaborated on interdisciplinary initiatives that enhance learning, compliance, and community impact. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes curiosity, critical thinking, and mutual respect, creating spaces where students are empowered to bridge theory and practice while challenging and engaging in dialogue that promotes diverse lived experiences.
Education
- PhD candidate, Population Health and Health Policy, University of Massachusetts Boston
- MS, Community Health Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner, University of Michigan
- BSN, Nursing, Oakland University
Area of Expertise
Parks' current research centers on the social determinants of health, with a particular emphasis on the evolution of the Strong Black Woman (SBW) Schema and how it shapes health outcomes for women of color. She is also passionate about exploring cannabis as both a science and a medicine, including the stigma tied to its use in reproductive health, its role in coping, and the importance of capturing lived experiences through qualitative research.
Courses
Parks is currently the Course Coordinator for NURP 424 - Advanced Pharmacology Across the Lifespan in the School of Nursing. She has also taught the following courses during her teaching career:
- Advanced Practice Health Promotion Across the Lifespan
- FNP Clinical Decision Making
- FNP Immersion
- Graduate and Undergraduate Health Assessment
- Graduate and Undergraduate Nursing Research
- Mental and Psychosocial Health of the Urban Family for Nurse Practitioners
- Moral and Ethical Decision-Making for Advanced Practice Nurses
- The Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse
Licenses/Certifications
- Family Nurse Practitioner - American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) - Board Certified
- Registered Nurse – State of Michigan
- Good Clinical Practice (GCP) - Social and Behavioral Research Best Practice for Clinical Research
- Information Privacy Security (IPS)
- Social & Behavioral Research Investigators and Key Personnel
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
- American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
- American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)
- Association for Cannabis Health Equity and Medicine (ACHEM) Freedom Initiative Workgroup
- Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS)
- State of Michigan – Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) – DEI Workgroup
Women of Color in Pharma - Co-PI: Re-imagining Nursing Initiative Grant Application – Integrating Telehealth into Nursing Education
- Robert & Donna Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences Research Assistant Award 2022 & 2025
Publications
Parks, A. K., & Hayman, L. L. (2024). Unveiling the Strong Black Woman
Schema—Evolution and Impact: A Systematic Review. Clinical Nursing Research, 33(5), 395–404. https://doi.org/10.1177/10547738241234425
Kim, S. S., Roberts, T. M. E., Khusbo, J. E., Watriboonruang, W., Parks, A., & Lewczyk, J. (2022). Asian American nursing students’ experiences of racial microaggressions amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Focus group discussions. Nurse Education in Practice, 64, Article 103459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2022.103459
Presentations
- Navigating Resilience: An Exploration of the Strong Black Woman Schema – A Poster Presentation Eastern Nursing Research Society 36th Annual Scientific Sessions – April 2024
- Medical History, Science, and State of Affairs for Cannabis, ACHEM Freedom Initiative Workshop Series – November 2024
- Common Medical Conditions and Populations Who May Benefit Most ACHEM, Freedom Initiative Workshop Series – December 2024
- When Medicinal Cannabis Use and the Law Collide: Case Studies with Focused Populations, ACHEM Freedom Initiative Workshop Series – January 2025
- A Forgotten Medicine: Integrating Cannabis History and Science into Nursing Education
Virtual Nursing Theory Week – March 2025 - The Weight of Strength and Its Toll on Black Women’s Health, University of Michigan Black Maternal Health Week – April 2025
Awards
Robert & Donna Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences Research Assistant Award 2022 & 2025