Assistant Professor
Education
Biography
Dr. Evans F. Kyei is an Assistant Professor at the Capstone College of Nursing and a policy-focused health services researcher at the Center for Substance Use Research and Related Conditions (CSURRC) at the University of Alabama. He completed his Postdoctoral Fellowship at CSURRC and holds a PhD in Nursing with a concentration in Health Policy from the University of Massachusetts Boston. A Rappaport Public Policy Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and Civic Action Public Policy Fellow, Dr. Kyei’s work bridges research, policy, and practice to advance equitable health systems and substance use recovery efforts.
Dr. Kyei’s research program focuses on community-based and policy-driven approaches to address opioid overdose, substance misuse, and public health disparities. He has led multiple funded projects, including the Saxon Endowed Research Grant, testing the efficacy of microcurrent neurofeedback on substance use cravings and mental health outcomes, and a social support intervention to improve mental health among older adults in public housing. His prior policy experience includes work with the Office of Recovery Services at the Boston Public Health Commission, where he supported overdose prevention and recovery initiatives.
An accomplished policy scholar, Dr. Kyei has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including The Lancet, Nursing Outlook, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice, Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, and Community Mental Health Journal. He serves on the Early Career Research Board for the Journal of Advanced Nursing and as an Editorial Scholar for the Substance Abuse Journal and has reviewed for more than 20 high-impact journals.
Dr. Kyei has mentored over a dozen doctoral students and continues to champion academic and community collaboration to enhance health equity. Before transitioning into academia in the United States, he spent a decade as a clinical nurse and nurse educator in Ghana and later served as a medical education consultant for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Medical Academy in Brussels, Belgium. His global and interdisciplinary work continues to inform his efforts to strengthen recovery-oriented systems, policy innovation, and nursing leadership in behavioral health.