Assistant Professor

Email: ashley.ritter@hunter.cuny.edu

Telephone: 212-481-4350

Office: Brookdale Campus, W807

Dr. Ashley Z. Ritter is an assistant professor at the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing at Hunter College of The City University of New York. She is an experienced nurse practitioner and translational research scientist who has made extensive contributions to the knowledge and practice of caring for older people.

With over two decades of experience in clinical, academic, and community-based settings, Dr. Ritter has developed a proven track record of engaging stakeholders to address the challenges and complex health needs of older people across diverse settings. Her expertise extends to a wide range of areas, including community-engagement, implementation science, mixed methodology, and multidisciplinary teams.

In addition to her clinical and research contributions, Dr. Ritter is an advocate for social justice and healthcare equity. She approaches her work with a keen understanding that building healthy communities with appropriate services requires an intentional pairing of science with systems reform. Dr. Ritter is also the Co-Founder and prior CEO of Those Nerdy Girls, an award-winning non-profit science communication platform started during the COVID-19 pandemic providing factual, practical information to guide health decisions on topics including aging, mental health, reproductive health, information literacy, and other health issues via social media outlets.

Education

MSHP, Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania, 2020

PhD, Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, 2018

MSN, Adult Gerontologic Nurse Practitioner, University of Pennsylvania, 2010

BSN, Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, 2007

Honors and Awards

Pennsbury High School Hall of Fame Award, Pennsbury School District, 2023

Ida B. Wells Public Engagement Award, Those Nerdy Girls, Interdisciplinary Association of Population Health Scientists, 2023

Nancy Tatum RN Award for Distinguished Service in Geriatric Nursing and Research, 2022

Fellow, Philadelphia College of Physicians, 2022

Young Alumni Award of Merit, University of Pennsylvania, 2020

Alumni Spirit Award University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, 2019

Claire M. Fagin Leadership Award, 2018

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Predoctoral Scholar, 2015

Edward J. Safra Visiting Nurse Scholar (Parkinson’s Disease), 2012

Member, Pennsylvania Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Consortium, 2012

Sigma Theta Tau International, Xi Chapter, 2010

University Medical Center at Princeton Clinical Nurse of the Year, Nominee, 2009

University Medical Center at Princeton Nursing Excellence Award in Leadership, Nominee, 2008

First Place Ann May Meridian Outstanding Research Poster Presentation, 2008

George H. and Estelle M. Sands Scholar, 2005

Research Areas

Grants and Publications