Kathryn Laughon

Kathryn Laughon, PhD, RN, FAAN is an Associate Professor at the University of Virginia School of Nursing. She holds dual advanced degrees from UVA (BSN and MSN) and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University. Her primary roles include forensic nursing examination, research on intimate partner violence (IPV), and teaching research methods/evidence-based practice.

• Affiliations: Director of UVA Health's Emergency Forensic Center, Board Member of the Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International

Research focuses on IPV's impact on women/children, disability-related health disparities, and perinatal health inequities. Key areas include forensic nursing innovations, trauma-informed care, and policy advocacy around gun violence prevention.

Publications emphasize IPV screening improvements, disability/perinatal intersections, and intervention technologies like the myPlan app for college survivors. Recent work addresses asylum seeker health in migrant camps and brain injury mechanisms in IPV cases.

• Awards: Shannon Award (clinical/academic excellence), Historical Nursing Research Award, multiple grant recognitions

Grants supported by NIH/NINR, CDC, and nursing foundations. Active in policy initiatives through professional organizations and academic leadership.

Led development of strangulation assessment tools and trauma-informed clinical pathways. Current projects explore HPV self-testing for immigrant women and racial disparities in postpartum depression.