Education
Ph.D., Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, University of South Carolina, 2017
MD, Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Istanbul University, 2006
Areas of Expertise
Well-being and resilience in helping professionals
Workplace mental health climate
Racial/ethnic mental health inequities
Intersectional methodologies
Biography
Dr. Çayır Burke started her career as a primary care physician serving at a community
health center in Istanbul, Turkey. Experiencing health system-level challenges to
a fulfilling practice as a physician and observing the structural barriers to addressing
healthcare needs of historically marginalized, racial/ethnic minoritized communities
led her to the field of public health to be part of developing macro-level solutions.
Her research examines multi-level (i.e., interpersonal, organizational and societal)
factors that shape mental health and resilience in helping professionals such as nurses,
physicians and social workers. Her scholarship incorporates an intersectional lens
to understand how race, ethnicity, gender, and nationality intersect with one another
to shape helping professionals’ work experiences and sense of professional belongingness. She
is also interested in identifying and addressing the structural sources of mental
health inequities faced by historically marginalized, racial/ethnic minoritized communities.
She loves to take nature walks with her family, make art with her daughter, and read
science fiction/fantasy novels that help us imagine a different world.
Selected Publications
Book Chapters
- Cayir, E. (Forthcoming 2024). Self-care, Communal Care and Resilience Among Minority Underrepresented
Nurses and Nursing Students. In Fontaine. D., Cunningham. T. and May. N. (eds), Self-Care
Handbook for the Student Nurse. 2nd edition. Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
- Schuller A.K. and Cayir E. (Under Review). Association between nurses’ comfort and confidence in pain management
and compassion satisfaction and fatigue. Pain Management Nursing.
- Cayir, E., Felder, T., Nkwonta, C.A., Rivers Jackson, J., and Estrada, R.D. (2022). Discovering
new connections: Insights from individual and collective reflexivity in a mixed methods
study. International Journal of Qualitative Methods.
- Cayir, E., Spencer, M., Billings, D., Hilfinger Messias, D. K., and Robillard, A. (2021). Working
against gender-based violence in the American South: An analysis of race, ethnicity,
gender, and sexuality in advocacy. Qualitative Health Research.
- Cayir, E., Haizlip, J., Ackard, R., Logan, J., Yang, G., and Cunningham, T. (2021). The effects
of the medical pause on physiological stress markers among healthcare providers: A
pilot randomized controlled trial. Western Journal of Nursing Research.
- Cunningham, T., and Cayir, E. (2021). Nurse leaders employ contemplative practices to promote healthcare professional
well-being and decrease anxiety. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 51(3),
156-161.
- Felder, T., Cayir, E., Nkwonta, C.A., Harris, E.H., and Rivers Jackson, J. (2021). A Mixed-Method Feasibility
Study of Breastfeeding Attitudes among Southern African Americans. Western Journal
of Nursing Research.
- Cayir, E., Owen, J.A., Brashers, T., Haizlip, J., and Cunningham, T. (2020). Measuring compassionate
care among interprofessional healthcare teams: Developing and testing the feasibility
of a collaborative behaviors observational assessment tool. Clinical Simulation in
Nursing.
- Cayir, E., Spencer, M., Billings, D., Hilfinger Messias, D.K., Robillard, A., and Cunningham,
T. (2020). “The only way we’ll be successful:” Organizational factors that influence
psychosocial well-being and self-care among advocates working to address gender-based
violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Honors and Awards
- Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Fellow, 2024-2025, Towson University.
- Fulbright Scholarship (Ph.D.), U.S. Department of State, Institute of International
Education. 2011-2017.
- Provost Funds for Dissertation Research. Department of Health Promotion, Education,
and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina. 2016.
- Harriot Hampton Faucette Graduate Student Research and Development Award, University
of South Carolina, Women’s and Gender Studies Program. 2014.
Professional Memberships / Affiliations
- American Public Health Association
- Maryland Public Health Association
Grants
- Workplace Mental Health Climate from the Perspectives of Underrepresented Minoritized
Nurses, Faculty Development and Research Committee Grants, Pilot Grant Towson University
July 2024 – May 2025
- $5,939 (total costs) - Principal Investigator
Teaching
- HLTH 101: Wellness for a Diverse Society
- HLTH 339: Health Behavior Theory
- HLTH 432: Measurement and Evaluation in Health Education