Brianna Morgan, PhD profile photo

Brianna Morgan, PhD

Assistant Professor | M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing Villanova University

  • Villanova PA

Dr. Brianna Morgan is a geriatric and palliative nurse practitioner who researches supportive care for older adults living with dementia.

Contact
Villanova University logo

Villanova University

View more experts managed by Villanova University

View all Experts

Social

Areas of Expertise

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders
Dementia
Palliative Care
Geriatrics
Caregiving

Biography

Dr. Brianna Morgan is a board-certified Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with advanced certification in Hospice and Palliative care and over a decade of clinical experience. Her research aims to develop evidence for strengths-based psychosocial interventions for older adults with early-stage cognitive impairment using community-engaged research methods. Dr. Morgan completed her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania and a postdoctoral fellowship at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care. Dr. Morgan was named an Emerging Leader by the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation in 2022. She is also an active member of the Gerontological Society of America. Dr. Morgan practices as a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner at Penn Medicine, where she provides home-based primary geriatric care to homebound older adults.

Education

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

PhD

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

MSN

Adult Gerontological and Primary Care, Palliative Care Minor

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

BSN

Affiliations

  • Gerontological Society of America (GSA) : Member, 2012-Present
  • Hospice and Palliative Nurse Association (HPNA) : Member, 2015-Present

Select Media Appearances

Caregiving After Disaster

The Songwriter Podcast  online

2026-05-19

Caregiving researcher and Villanova assistant professor of nursing Dr. Brianna Morgan works predominantly with older patients experiencing dementia. Like Ian, many of them struggle to talk about their experience. One way that Brianna helps them communicate is by using poetic analysis, translating the themes in their interviews into poems that she shares with their loved ones and caregivers.

“The reason we did it was to help describe these really complex experiences in a more simple way,” Brianna says. “Typically what we do in qualitative research is that we have these long beautiful quotes, and people who have changes in their memory and thinking can’t always do that. But it doesn’t mean that the depth of what they’re saying isn’t there.”

View More

Research Grants

Nursing Research Development Grant

Villanova University College of Nursing

2026-2027

CurePSP CARES Pilot Grant

CurePSP Foundation

2026-2027

LBDA Mentorship Program Award

Lewy Body Dementia Association $4000

2025-2026

Select Academic Articles

“I’m His Brain”: A Qualitative Study of Care Partners Supporting the Inner Strength of Persons Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association

The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association

2025

View more

Experiences of Inner Strength in Persons Newly Diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Qualitative Study

Geriatric Nursing

2025

View more

Surviving Aging – An Assets-Based Approach

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

2024

View more

Powered by