AnnMarie Walton

AnnMarie Walton, PhD, MPH, RN, OCN, CHES, FAAN

Dr. Walton's program of research centers on understanding and minimizing occupational and environmental exposures to carcinogens. Her dissertation work combined her educational preparation and over ten years of clinical experience caring for patients with acute leukemia to examine the pesticide protective behaviors of Latino migrant and seasonal farmworkers. 

Dr. Walton completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Nursing. She received support from a T32 Fellowship in Interventions to Prevent and Manage Chronic Illness from the National Institutes of Nursing Research and pilot funds from the NC Occupational Safety and Health Education Research Center for work that focused on understanding the protective behaviors of Nursing Assistants handling antineoplastic drug contaminated excreta. She has been very active in policy and practice recommendations to improve safe handling of hazardous drugs. Her current research with healthcare workers and their exposure to hazardous drugs is funded by the Oncology Nursing Foundation, the Center for Nursing Research at DUSON, and Litron laboratories. 

Dr. Walton teaches the population health course for MSN students and the policy course for DNP students. She also mentors DNP and PhD students and guest lectures in the pre-licensure and PhD programs. Dr. Walton is affiliated faculty in the Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program in the Nicholas School of the Environment. She is also faculty in an NIEHS funded R25 to train nurse and clinician scientists in environmental health research methods. 

Dr. Walton was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2020, received the Early Career Scientist Award from DUSON in 2022, the Faculty Teaching Award from DUSON in 2023, the DUSON DNP Chair Aawrd in 2024, and the Cheers Award from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices in 2025.