Heather L. Tubbs Cooley

Image
Heather Tubbs Cooley Portrait
First Name
Heather
Last Name
Tubbs Cooley
Credentials
PhD, RN, FAAN
Associate Professor
she/her/hers
Address
200H Heminger Hall
Address (Line 2)
1577 Neil Avenue
City
Columbus
State
OH
Zip Code
43210

Dr. Heather Tubbs Cooley is an expert in pediatric and perinatal health care quality and patient safety, with a research program focused on the care delivery mechanisms linking the organization and financing of nursing services with patient outcomes. Incorporating theoretical frameworks and methods from health services research, psychology and systems engineering, she studies clinician workload, staffing resources and dynamics, and other organizational factors that affect the reliable delivery of high-quality nursing care. Her work spans pediatric populations and settings including general inpatient and home-based pediatric care and neonatal intensive care environments and has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

Dr. Tubbs Cooley began her clinical career as a pediatric medical-surgical nurse and has worked in pediatric inpatient and private duty settings. She has extensive experience as a clinician and scientist in top children’s hospitals and currently is a principal investigator in the Center for Perinatal Research at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Tubbs Cooley teaches and advises across the undergraduate and graduate curriculums. She is an ardent supporter of students from underrepresented backgrounds and welcomes both students and post-doctoral research Fellows into her lab.

Education

  • Post-doctoral Fellowship, Quality Improvement & Implementation Science, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
  • PhD, Nursing, University of Pennsylvania
  • BS, Nursing, Western Michigan University

PubMed Bibliography

Tubbs Cooley Lab

Publications
Funded Research Grants
Degree Certifications
Honors
Professional Activities

News

October 08, 2025

The Ohio State University College of Nursing is aiming to double undergraduate enrollment by 2027 in response to nationwide nursing shortages.

Read all about it in The Lantern:

Click here to read the article

October 01, 2025

Full-time program can be completed in as few as 18 months

A new program at The Ohio State University College of Nursing is helping students with a degree and an interest in a career in health care reach their goals at an accelerated pace.

The college launched the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (aBSN) program in 2024 for students who have finished college in a non-nursing field but desire to have a career in nursing. The full-time program can be completed in as few as 18 months.

Calendar

October 24, 10:00 a.m.
Heminger Hall
1577 Neil Ave
Columbus
Oh
43210