Mercy N. Mumba, PhD, RN, CMSRN

Education

• PhD, Nursing Science Research and Education, The University of Texas at Arlington, 2016
• BSN, Bachelor Science in Nursing, The University of Texas at Arlington, 2010

Biography

Dr. Mercy Ngosa Mumba is an award-winning scientist and philanthropist. She is a published author in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and her research is widely funded by various agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with over $20 million in grant funding. She is an Associate Professor and Founding Director of the Center for Substance Use Research and Related Conditions in the Capstone College of Nursing at the University of Alabama. She is also a Sigma Liaison to the United Nations. Dr. Mumba serves as the current Director of Membership on the Southern Nursing Research Society Board of Directors. She graduated with her PhD from the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation in December 2016 and with her Honors Bachelor of Science in Nursing in December 2010. She is the author of the award-winning book “A nurses step-by-step guide to transitioning to an academic role: Strategies to jumpstart your career in education and research”. Dr. Mumba is the substance use and related disorders section editor for the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services and serves on the American Academy of Nursing’s Psychiatric, Mental Health, and Substance Use Expert Panel. Her research focuses on substance use disorders, addictive behaviors, and their comorbid mental health conditions. She is particularly interested in the impact of social determinants of health and the role of health disparities in preventing, treating, and managing these conditions. Dr. Mumba is passionate about improving the human condition through evidence-based initiatives and interventions, and is a strong advocate for increasing research productivity, infrastructure, and human capital globally. She is personally involved in many initiatives that improve health care outcomes and promote holistic wellness and quality of life among individuals and communities, worldwide.

As a Professor, she enjoys transferring knowledge to the next generation of nurse clinicians, nurse educators, nurse leaders, and nurse scientists. She is especially grateful for the opportunity to mentor the next generation of scientists, regardless of discipline and profession. She is an exceptional researcher and her intra-professional research lab at the University of Alabama is home to several undergraduate and graduate honor students from various professions and disciplines, including nursing, medicine, biochemistry, psychology, public health, social work, engineering, and education. She has worked collaboratively with and mentored high achieving students for almost 10 years. She believes that mentoring has benefits for both the mentor and mentee, because it invigorates passion for inquiry and discovery.

Dr. Mumba is also a passionate servant leader who believes in the power of advocacy to affect policy changes that result in positive population outcomes. She serves on many boards and committees internationally, nationally, and locally, Including the International Organization of African Nurses, Lovebound International, the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, the Southern Nurses Research Society, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She believes in giving back to the profession of nursing through service, scholarship, and mentorship. Professional engagement and service makes Dr. Mumba’s work worthwhile and allows her the opportunity to interact with people from all walks of life from around the world. Dr. Mumba considers herself a global citizen, and her worldview is informed by diverse perspectives from interactions with individuals around the globe.

Every summer, Dr. Mumba takes a group of nursing students to Zambia, Africa where she was born and raised on medical mission trips. They set up mobile clinics in rural areas, providing free healthcare services to some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities in Zambia. This is something she is especially passionate about and prioritizes because it is her way of giving back to the communities in which she grew up in. She also works collaboratively with the University of Zambia School of Nursing and Lusaka Apex Medical University to provide consultative services related to uptake and implementation of evidence-based nursing in both the nursing school curricula and practice settings. Dr. Mumba’s long-term goal as relates to Africa is to improve the quality of nursing education in Zambia and other African countries, increase the number of doctoral prepared nurses on the African continent, and to improve patient outcomes through implementation of person-centered health care systems and processes.

Honors and Awards

• Emerging Nurse Scientist – Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 2022
• The University of Alabama President’s Faculty Research Awards – Emerging Scientist Category for Social Behavioral Sciences, 2021
• 40 and Under Award Recipient: National Black Nurses Association, 2020
• New Investigator Award Recipient: American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2020
• Southern Nursing Research Society Early Science Investigator Award, 2019