Ann K. Cashion, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor Emerita
874 Union Ave., Room 344
Memphis, TN 38163
acashion@uthsc.edu
Ann K. Cashion, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor Emerita, has been exploring the use of omic
biomarkers to predict clinical outcomes and guide therapies for more than 20 years.
Her previously funded National Institutes of Health (NIH) research and clinical interests
targeted genetic/genomic and environmental components associated with outcomes in
patient populations including organ transplantation and traumatic head injury. Before
returning to UTHSC, she combined emerging technologies and behavioral questionnaires
to investigate gene-environment interactions leading to obesity in recipients of kidney
transplantations.
Dr. Cashion returned to UTHSC after serving for eight years at the NIH where she served
in leadership positions including the Acting Director of the National Institute of
Nursing Research (NINR), the Scientific Director of NINR’s Division of Intramural
Research, and Deputy Director and Senior Advisor to the Office of the Director at
NINR. In these roles, she established a thriving intramural research program focused
on advancing symptom science, a program that now includes the NINR-led, trans-NIH
Symptom Science Center. Additionally, with then-NINR Director Patricia A. Grady, PhD,
RN, FAAN, Dr. Cashion developed the NIH Symptom Science Model to guide symptoms research
in the intramural program.
At UTHSC, Dr. Cashion is currently participating in the College's efforts to address
health care inequities, teaching doctoral seminars and conducting leadership seminars
for faculty and students. Before going to the NIH, Dr. Cashion held the position of
Professor and Chair of the Department of Acute and Chronic Care in the UTHSC College
of Nursing, where she had served on the faculty since 2000. During her tenure as a
professor, Dr. Cashion mentored numerous doctoral students, three of whom received
NINR pre-doctoral funding (F31) allowing them to incorporate genomics into their programs
of research. She also chaired an NIH Integrated Review Group Study Section for training
applications.
Dr. Cashion is a well-known scientist and leader with numerous awards and recognitions.
She has more than 70 publications, serves as a scientific reviewer for multiple journals
and professional organizations, and was a past member of the National Academy of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine’s Roundtable on Genomics and Precision Health. Dr. Cashion
received her BSN from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her MNSc from
the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences campus, and her PhD from the University
of Tennessee Health Science Center. She did a postdoc at the NIH.