Ratchneewan Ross, Ph.D., RN, FTNSS, FAAN

Professor & PhD Program Director
School of Nursing, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Phone: 330-696-9456
E-mail: ratchneewan.ross@louisville.edu
Website: https://profiles.louisville.edu/ratchneewan.ross

Expertise Areas:

Mental health and health promotion among vulnerable populations who have experienced extreme stress, violence, trauma, and stigmatization; Research methods; Theory development

Languages spoken, read/write*:

Thai,  Lao,  English

Select Publications:

Articles:

    1. Ross, R, Avorgbedor, F., Dery, S., & Asamoah, A. E., Mifleh, A., Sapkota, S., & Hirst, J. (2024). Using an innovative approach “Mixed Systematic-Realist Review” (MSRR) to generate a new pragmatic framework of HIV stigma reduction. DOI:10.20944/preprints202409.1131.v1
    2. Ross, R., Sheppard, F., Almotairy, M., Hirst, J., & Jenkins, M. (2024). Pilot study of the SATELLITE on nurses’ knowledge and confidence toward assessing and caring for female victims of sexual violence. Nursing Reports, 14 (2), 1287-1296. DOI:3390/nursrep14020097
    3. Ross, R., Hess, R. F., Pittman, C., Croasmun, A., & Baird, M. B. (2022). Validation of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25/Nepali Version Among Bhutanese Refugees in the United States. Journal of nursing measurement, 30(1), 168–178. https://doi.org/10.1891/JNM-D-20-00136
    4. Ross, R., Letvak, S., Sheppard, F., Jenkins, M., & Almotairy, M. (2020). Systemic Assessment of Depressive symptoms among Registered Nurses (SAD-RN): A new situation-specific theory. Nursing Outlook, 68(2), 207-219. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2019.08.007
    5. Ross, , & Hess, R. F. (2019). Social Pressure for Pregnancy (SPPS): Its development, psychometric properties, and potential contributions to infertility and depression research. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 27(1), 5-15. doi: 10.1891/1061-3749.27.1.5.

Present/Future Directions 

My present project is to train healthcare providers in Ghana, West Africa to screen for depression among HIV-infected perinatal women. Perinatal depression is a significant public health concern, particularly among HIV-infected women. In Ghana, routine screening for depression among perinatal women remains uncommon, largely due to persistent mental health stigma and insufficient provider training. Recognizing this gap, our project is enhancing the capacity of healthcare providers in Ghanaian governmental facilities to screen for perinatal depression. Early detection and treatment can help prevent ARV non-adherence, faster progression to AIDS, and negative mother-newborn relationships.

Updated 09/2025