Eileen T. Lake

Eileen T. Lake, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Sociology (School of Arts & Sciences). Her research focuses on the impact of nursing work environments and clinical expertise on patient outcomes, integrating organizational sociology perspectives to advance healthcare quality metrics. She leads NIH and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded studies analyzing nurse staffing, practice environments, and outcomes in neonatal intensive care and acute care settings. Her work bridges nursing science, health policy, and sociology, addressing disparities in healthcare access and quality. Key areas include racial disparities in hospital resources, pandemic-related moral distress among nurses, and the role of work environments in mitigating missed care. Dr. Lake’s methodologies emphasize large-scale data analysis, including the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (4,300+ units), and instrument validation for practice environment assessments. Her contributions span diverse audiences, informing policy and clinical practice.