Clinical nurses see unanswered questions at the point of care. UCSF Health Department of Nursing provides pathways to investigate them and share the findings through professional presentations and academic publications
Nurse scientists are PhD-prepared nurses who work within the health system. They provide scientific mentorship and connect clinical nurses with faculty, trainees, and operational leaders. Together, these relationships move promising questions toward rigorous research, evidence implementation, and clinical scholarship.
Research and clinical scholarship are part of UCSF Health's Magnet culture of nursing excellence. The ANCC Magnet Program® recognizes nurses' contributions to New Knowledge, Innovations & Improvements. Learn about the Magnet model.
Nursing research in action
Identifying difficult IV access risks in oncology care
Clinical nurses in adult infusion centers saw that some patients needed multiple IV attempts before treatment. With support from the Clinical Nursing Research Grant, a clinical nurse-faculty team studied how oncology infusion nurses assess risk factors for difficult intravenous access.
The work produced two peer-reviewed publications in 2025, generating evidence that can help identify higher-risk patients and inform nursing education.
2025 at a glance
Our impact
Calendar year 2025. Updated annually.
Infrastructure for inquiry
Programs & opportunities
Meet the Research & Scholarship Team
Our nurse scientists support clinical nurses caring for pediatric and adult populations across UCSF Health's inpatient and ambulatory settings. A scholarship development specialist provides dedicated guidance for publishing and presenting. The team includes UCSF Health and School of Nursing faculty members, who are part of our academic-practice partnership.
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Partner with us
Research collaborations
Investigators across UCSF and beyond can connect with nursing expertise and clinically embedded research support. We participate in the University of California Nurse Scientist Collaborative that enables multisite nursing research.
Philanthropic support
Investment can provide seed funding for cutting edge research ideas, protected time for clinical nurses, student experiences, dissemination support, and the infrastructure needed to scale promising work.