ERIN JOHNSON COLE, DNP, CNM, WHNP-BC, NCMP, FACNM portrait
  • Associate Professor (Clinical), College Of Nursing
  • Director, Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track , College Of Nursing
  • Adjunct Assistant Professor, Obstetrics And Gynecology

Research Summary

Erin's research interests focus on adolescent reproductive care, motivational interviewing and patient behavior change, effective patient education, interprofessional education, and innovative models of nurse-midwifery and women's health nurse practitioner education.

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Yale University. Project: The Politics of AIDS in Africa: Causes, Impacts, and Proposed Action
  • Bachelor of Science, Nursing, University of Utah
  • Doctor of Nursing Practice, Nursing, University of Utah. Project: A Motivational Interviewing Toolkit for Prenatal Care Providers to Address Weight in Pregnancy

Biography

Erin Johnson Cole is a Certified Nurse-Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner with the BirthCare HealthCare faculty practice, where she provides full-scope midwifery and women's health care, including pregnancy and postpartum, labor and delivery, contraceptive, menopause, and routine gynecologic care. Erin received a BA in Political Science from Yale University and both her BSN and DNP from the University of Utah, where she was awarded the Elizabeth Fuhriman Gardner Prize for The Outstanding Woman Student in the Health Sciences. She completed her clinical training at the University of Utah Medical Center, Intermountain Medical Center, Planned Parenthood, and with Indian Health Services in Chinle, Arizona.

Erin’s first career was in secondary education, teaching English and history to middle and high school students, and as a result, she has a strong research interest in patient education, adolescent reproductive care, interprofessional education, and innovative models of midwifery and women's health education. She is currently the interim Specialty Track Director of the Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Program, teaches doctoral-level courses in the nurse midwifery and women's health program, and mentors students through their DNP projects. She helped to found a non-profit educational program in Kolkata, India, in 2007 and has a passion for global health and health policy, serving on committees in these fields both locally and nationally throughout her career.

Erin’s philosophy of care is one of partnership with women, empowering them with the knowledge to make fully informed personal choices about their health and acknowledging the unique needs of each individual. She affirms patient, watchful waiting and non-intervention in normal physiologic processes, respecting the rhythm and pace of each individual’s experience and honoring the natural course of a woman’s lifecycle. The care she provides is personalized and holistic, and she advocates for such care for all women. She scored in the top 10th percentile nationwide for patient satisfaction and is a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Provider.

Career Highlights

Currently developing Interprofessional Education Program for OB-CNM Learners at the University of Utah in conjunction with OB Resident Program Director

Recipient of the ACNM Excellence in Teaching Award in 2019, the Sigma Theta Tau Gamma Rho Excellence in Practice Award in 2021, Fellowship in the American College of Nurse Midwives and the Utah Nurse Practitioner State Excellence in Education Award in 2022

Providing holistic and sensitive care for adolescents, women, and families in both Colorado and Utah

Recipient of the Elizabeth Fuhriman Gardner Prize for Outstanding Woman Student in the Health Sciences at the University of Utah in 2013

Founding member of Waterford-in-India, an summer-intensive liberal arts education program for Grade X-XI students in Kolkata, India