Background

Dr. Armstrong earned her BSN and MSN (Advanced Clinical Specialist in Women’s & Infants’ Health) from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and a PhD in Nursing Science from Medical University of South Carolina, while serving as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar (2015 cohort). 

Dr. Armstrong began her nursing career in Northern Virginia, practicing at Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Women’s Center, one of the nation’s largest birthing facilities. The diversity of the patient population she worked with instilled in her a passion for health equality and the care of vulnerable populations. After being invited to teach nursing clinicals for her alma mater, George Mason University, Dr. Armstrong discovered her passion for teaching and working with students. Since that time, she has held several academic appointments and finds great joy in teaching and mentoring the next generation of nurses.

Teaching

Dr. Armstrong teaches Nursing 424: Maternal Newborn Nursing, Nursing 435: Senior Nursing Capstone Practicum, and Nursing 745: Nursing Ethics, Policy, and Advocacy at the University of South Carolina. She has previously taught classes on culture and diversity, research and evidence-based practice, health assessment, community health, leadership and management, and professional issues in nursing. 

Research

Dr. Armstrong’s research foci include women’s health, the intersection of human trafficking and health care, utilization of a trauma-informed approach in patient care and in pedagogy, as well as techniques to optimize educational outcomes.

Dissemination

Dr. Armstrong has presented her scholarship at local, state, national, and international conferences, and provided insights on the health care implications of proposed human trafficking legislation to members of Congress on Capitol Hill.

Dr. Armstrong created a 10-module course, Introduction to Human Trafficking for Health Care Professionals. Through this course, professional presentations, and training sessions, Dr. Armstrong has trained more than 1,000 interprofessional health care personnel on how to identify and appropriately respond to persons who’ve experienced human trafficking, when seeking health care.

Professional Service

Dr. Armstrong is an active member of several professional organizations including:

• Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)
• HEAL Trafficking – where she serves on the Education & Training and Simulation Committees
• American Nurses Association
• South Carolina Nurses Association
• Sigma Theta Tau International

She also serves as a manuscript reviewer for several interprofessional and nursing journals.

Professional Practice

Dr. Armstrong’s clinical experience includes practice in the area of Maternal Newborn Nursing.

Research Studies (selected)

Project Title: Using survivors’ voices to guide the identification and care of trafficked persons by U.S. healthcare professionals. Principal Investigator.

Project Title: Preparedness to identify and care for trafficked persons in South Carolina hospitals: A state-wide exploration. Principal Investigator.

Project Title: Instruments to identify commercially sexually exploited children: Feasibility of use in an emergency department setting. Principal Investigator.

Project Title: Childbearing in geographically isolated communities: The Smith Island experience. Co-investigator.

Publications (selected)

Armstrong, S., & Greenbaum, V. J. (2019, July). Using survivors’ voices to guide the identification and care of trafficked persons by U.S. healthcare professionals: A systematic review. Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal 41(3), 244-260. doi:10.1097/TME.0000000000000257 

Armstrong, S., Greenbaum, V. J., López, C., & Barroso, J. (2019, May). Preparedness to identify and care for trafficked persons in South Carolina hospitals: A state-wide exploration. Journal of Human Trafficking. doi: 10.1080/23322705.2019.1603747

Rothman, E. F., Stoklosa, H., Baldwin, S. B., Chisolm-Straker, M., Kato Price, R., Atkinson, H. G., & Heal Trafficking*. (2017, July). Public health research priorities to address US human trafficking. American Journal of Public Health 107(7), 1045-1047. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.303858  

*Acknowledgement: The following HEAL Trafficking committee members contributed to the original concept and writing: Harrison Alter, MD, MS, Stephanie Armstrong, MSN, RN, Danna Basson, PhD, MPP, Vijeta Bhambhani, MS, MPH, Lindsay Gezinski, PhD, Jamie Kynn, MA, MSW, PhuongThao D. Le, PhD, MPH, Kayse Lee Maass, PhD, Ochanya Ogah, Victoria Osasah, MPH, Katherine R. Peeler, MD, Anita Ravi, MD, MPH, MSHP, Preeti Panda, MD, Frances Recknor, DrPH, LCSW, Elizabeth Singer, MD, MPH, Kanani E. Titchen, MD, and Jessica Volz BSN, RN, FNE-A/P.

Davidson, M. R., Armstrong, S. C., & Sampson, M.C. (2017, February). Childbearing in geographically isolated communities: The Smith Island experience.  Journal of Women’s Health, Issues and Care 6(1). doi: 10.4172/2325-9795.1000262 

Armstrong, S. (2017, January). Instruments to identify commercially sexually exploited children: Feasibility of use in an emergency department setting. Pediatric Emergency Care 33(12), 794-799. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000001020

Books

Armstrong, S., Davis, C. Ackerly, C., Adams-Mann, D., Albert, S., Al-Ghamadi, S., Al-Zahery, M., Bin-Ali, W., Hoffman, M., Linder, C., McIntosh, L., McKenzie, D., Oye, N., Parker, T., Rauch, A., Seibert, D., Sesay, Y., Shipe, S., Thornsbury, E., & Yancey, M. (2004). Do you know a nurse? George Mason University.