Background

Dr. Tucker received a BA in Biology from the College of Charleston in 2005. She received an AD in Nursing Science from Cabarrus College of Health Sciences in Concord, NC in 2009. In 2015, she received a Master’s degree in nursing education from Excelsior College. In 2021, she received a PhD in Nursing Science from the University of South Carolina, College of Nursing. After receiving her doctorate, Dr. Tucker received additional research training as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University, School of Medicine with a focus in perinatal epidemiology and maternal health disparities. 

Teaching

• NURS 730 Population Health Nursing
• NURS 818 Social and Structural Determinants of Health
• NURS 803 Scientific Knowledge in Nursing

Research

Dr. Tucker is a nurse scientist who studies why maternal health outcomes diverge so sharply along lines of race, income, and geography, and what can be done about it. Grounded in a decade of bedside practice in labor and delivery, her research traces how structural conditions such as housing instability, neighborhood disadvantage, and fragmented access to care shape physiologic stress during pregnancy, raising risk for preeclampsia, peripartum cardiomyopathy, and postpartum morbidity and readmission.

Two lines of work carry this forward. The first asks whether heart rate variability, measured continuously through wearable devices, can signal rising blood pressure and preeclampsia risk earlier than routine prenatal visits allow, offering a low-burden way to monitor pregnancies that are currently checked too infrequently. The second is community-engaged and situated in the birthing room itself, examining how nurses and doulas can work together rather than at cross purposes so that women receive care that is both clinically sound and respectful. Across both, Dr. Tucker partners with survivor advisory boards, community doula organizations, rural clinical sites, and statewide linked data to generate evidence that can move practice and policy in South Carolina and beyond.

Dissemination

Dr. Tucker has presented at local and national meetings, some of which include the American Heart Association, State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research, and the Southern Nursing Research Society.

She also speaks in community and professional settings, including a keynote address on maternal mortality for the Midlands chapter of the National Black Nurses Association, and writes for public audiences, including The Conversation.

Professional Service

 Dr. Tucker is a member of the following organizations: 

•  American Heart Association
• Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses 
  Academy Health 
• South Carolina Nurses Association, Women’s Health Chapter
• Sigma Nursing  
• Southern Nursing Research Society 
• Midlands SC National Black Nurses Association Chapter

Professional Practice

Dr. Tucker has practiced as an RN in labor & delivery and postpartum for 10 years.

Research Studies (selected)

Building Bridges in the Birthing Room: Developing a Nurse-Doula Collaboration Protocol and Scale. University of South Carolina College of Nursing, Perinatal, Pediatrics, and Family Research Center (PPFRC) Small Grant. $7,500. July 2026- present. Principal Investigator.

HALO: Heart Rate Variability and Longitudinal Blood Pressure Observation in Pregnancy. University of South Carolina ASPIRE grant. $15,000. July 2026-present. Principal Investigator.

Hospital Variations in Postpartum Care Access, Quality, and Outcomes: The Intersectionality of Residence Location and Race/Ethnicity. NICHD. 8/2024-7/2025.

Examining disparities and trends in postpartum readmission rates.  NIH/NINR Loan Repayment Program. 07/01/2022-06/30/2024. Principal Investigator. 

Publications (selected)

Google Scholar