Octavia Flanagan

Dr. Octavia Flanagan serves as Assistant Professor of Primary Care at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Elmira and Director of Nursing Graduate Programs within the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, specializing in women's health and primary care nursing education.

Her academic credentials include:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing from York College of Pennsylvania (1985)
• Master of Science in Nursing from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1996), concentrating in Women's Health Advanced Practice
• Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from UNC-CH (2011), focusing on women prisoners, HIV prevention, and health promotion

Dr. Flanagan maintains 23 years of national board certification as a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner with extensive clinical and research expertise spanning behavioral health, OB/GYN, menopausal management, public health, disordered eating, obesity, weight loss maintenance, infertility, and PCOS. Her work emphasizes HIV prevention and health promotion among vulnerable populations, particularly incarcerated women, while integrating decades of specialized experience in reproductive health conditions.

As Director of Nursing Graduate Programs, she mentors future nursing professionals and shapes curriculum development, leveraging her background as a peri-operative nurse specializing in OB/GYN surgery at major medical centers and her clinical teaching experience across primary care and women's health specialties.