UT Health San Antonio

Allison D. Crawford, PhD, RN

Assistant Professor

An avid Nursing Professor and Researcher, Dr. Allison Crawford, PhD, RN brings years of clinical and instructional experience to the University of Texas Health at San Antonio’s School of Nursing where she conducts health research involving childbearing communities influenced by incarceration. As a registered obstetrical nurse with post-doctoral training in digital health, Dr. Crawford is an expert on creating interventions to address the barriers women experience who have criminal justice oversight.

Her research directly informed two Texas state laws passed in 2019 (HB 1651) and 2021 (HB 1308) to improve healthcare for women in Texas county jails. Dr. Crawford co-leads a state network of researchers, practitioners, and criminal justice administrators who meet to discuss research, programs, and policies related to the health of people who have criminal justice involvement. Her academic partnerships and strong connections to community organizations make her uniquely suited to leading community-based research.

Dr. Crawford’s research is currently funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01HD103634-03S2. The long-term goal of her research is to develop health interventions that enable self-efficacy and access to care discreetly and affordably using technology.