Assistant Professor
Education
Biography
Dr. Leigh Ann Bray Dayton received her BSN in 2012, and her MSN in 2014 both from The University of Alabama. She completed her PhD in Nursing in 2018 and her Mixed Methods Research Certificate in 2022 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dr. Bray’s clinical background includes experience in both pulmonary care and cardiovascular intensive care both within the pediatric population. Dr. Bray has been an educator for 7 years and has taught across undergraduate and graduate programs in the areas of pediatrics, fundamentals, and mixed methods research. She also has leadership experience as Co-Director of a BSN Honors Program and as the Chair of the Behavioral and Prevention Research Core at Capstone College of Nursing. She has mentored over 25 students including both undergraduate and graduate students and is passionate about mentoring the future generation of nurses and nurse scientists.
Her area of research interest is addressing health disparities to improve quality of life among the pediatric population and those with pediatric onset chronic illness. Her current work, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, focuses on increasing access to healthy food, safe and accessible physical activity, improving access to health behavior and lifestyle treatment programs, and increasing awareness and access to routinely recommended adult vaccinations. This work stemmed from her program entitled, On Track to Wellness, that provides education to elementary school children on the topics of physical activity, nutrition, accidental poisoning prevention, and stress. Dr. Bray has over 25 peer-reviewed publications and has presented at multiple conferences at the local, regional, and international levels.