Assistant Clinical Professor
Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Atlanta, Georgia

Meet Laurie Ray, a dedicated women’s health nurse practitioner with more than a decade of experience providing gender-inclusive gynecologic and family planning care. As an undergraduate at Emory, Ray double-majored in women’s studies and chemistry, a combination that led her to a career in women’s health.

She earned her bachelor of science in nursing and master of science as a women’s health nurse practioner from the Columbia University School of Nursing. Since 2012, she has provided gender-inclusive gynecologic and family planning care and contributed to first-in-human trials for new methods of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Ray returned to Emory for her doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and is now an assistant clinical 0rofessor in Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, where she teaches future nurses to provide patient-centered and evidence-based care.

Ray serves on the Policy Advocacy Committee for the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health and the Clinical Affairs Committee for the Society of Family Planning.

She enjoys being outside in the warm sun with her kids, eating popsicles, identifying plants, and traveling with her family—especially by train. Ray finds fulfillment in witnessing the transformation of students into competent, compassionate clinicians and staying in touch with graduates as they embark on their careers. She values using her experience and knowledge to help patients make informed decisions and achieve their health goals and says Emory inspired her to think critically and to apply theory to practice. The opportunities and mentorship she received at Emory have been instrumental in her career, and she is committed to paying it forward by advocating for change and supporting future nurse leaders.