Overview
Ragan Johnson, DNP, FNP-BC, CNE, is an associate clinical professor at Duke University School of Nursing. Dr. Johnson earned a DNP with a public health concentration in 2012 and a MS in Nursing in 2005, both from The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN. She received her BS in nursing from Tennessee State University in 2001. Her nursing and advanced practice nursing career has focused on improving health equity and caring for patients from underserved communities.
Dr. Johnson has focused her scholarship on translating evidence-based interventions to the communities at risk. She has a strong passion for reducing new infections of HIV among Black adolescents and young adults. She has used barbers and barber shops as community venues to reach hardly reached populations, at places and with the people they trust. Currently, Dr. Johnson is serving as Co-Investigator on one funded grant for Black women in salons to increase knowledge, awareness, and utility of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). She is also Co-Investigator on a second grant aimed to increase conversations between Black fathers and sons around healthy sexual behavior.
Dr. Johnson has focused her scholarship on translating evidence-based interventions to the communities at risk. She has a strong passion for reducing new infections of HIV among Black adolescents and young adults. She has used barbers and barber shops as community venues to reach hardly reached populations, at places and with the people they trust. Currently, Dr. Johnson is serving as Co-Investigator on one funded grant for Black women in salons to increase knowledge, awareness, and utility of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). She is also Co-Investigator on a second grant aimed to increase conversations between Black fathers and sons around healthy sexual behavior.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Associate Clinical Professor in the School of Nursing
·
2021 - Present
School of Nursing
Recent Publications
Toward an End to the HIV Epidemic for Black Women in the US South: Redefining the Success of Preexposure Prophylaxis Uptake for Black Women.
Journal Article Sexually transmitted diseases · December 2025 Full text CiteTeaching Up: Addressing Hierarchical Challenges in Clinical Education.
Journal Article Nurse Educ · November 2025 Full text Open Access Link to item CiteIdentifying CFIR Inner Setting Factors in the Implementation of a Salon-Based Intervention to Reduce Barriers and Improve Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Uptake Among Black Women in US South.
Journal Article Community health equity research & policy · October 2025 US Black women are disproportionally represented in new HIV diagnoses. PrEP is effective in HIV prevention, but Black women's uptake is low. The UPDOs salon-based intervention is effective in overcoming barriers to care but scaling implementation is needed ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of Using PrEP Doing it for Ourselves Protective Styles: A Multilevel Intervention to Improve HIV Testing and PrEP Uptake among Southeastern US at-risk populations
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029Community Partnered Engagement to Reduce Violence Among Youth of Color
ResearchSignificant Contributor · Awarded by The Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation · 2025 - 2026A Multi-level, Salon-Based Intervention to Promote Awareness, Accurate Knowledge and Uptake of PrEP Among Black Women Living in the United States South
ResearchResearcher · Awarded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. · 2020 - 2024View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
University of Tennessee Health Science Center ·
2012
D.N.P.
Middle Tennessee State University ·
2001
B.S.N.