Taleah A. Frazier, BSN, RN, is the 2026-2027 recipient of the M. Elizabeth Carnegie African American Scholarship, an honor awarded to Black nurses enrolled in doctoral programs in memory of Dr. M. Elizabeth Carnegie. Taleah earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) School of Nursing in 2022, where she graduated with distinction and highest honors. She is currently a PhD Candidate at the UNC School of Nursing. Taleah’s passion for nursing was sparked by adverse experiences that she and her family members had within the healthcare system, and she became a nurse to ensure that underrepresented patients receive care that is compassionate and culturally sensitive. After learning about the maternal mortality crisis and serving as a volunteer birth doula, this mission became more specific to supporting and empowering expecting families. 

Taleah was introduced to research during her undergraduate program as a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, and quickly fell in love with studying people, systems, and how the two interact to shape health. In the first year of her BSN program, she was selected as a scholar for the prestigious Hillman Scholars in Nursing Innovation Program, a BSN-to-PhD program that prepares nurses to lead innovative and effective change in the field of healthcare. After opting to complete a nurse residency in obstetric/women’s health nursing, Taleah returned to UNC in 2023 to begin her PhD studies. 

As a graduate student, Taleah has been involved in many academic and professional activities. She serves as a student representative on her school’s Academic Advisory Council and Dean’s Student Advisory Council, and previously sat on the PhD Executive Committee while serving as co-president of the Doctoral Student Organization. She was a member of the Interprofessional Health Equity Education Collaborative, an organization dedicated to educating and empowering health professionals to promote the health of all, as well as her clinical unit’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative, a group focused on addressing gaps in perinatal cardiovascular care. She is a Research Assistant for The HARMONY Study, a randomized-controlled trial that implemented a culturally-tailored mindfulness intervention for African American women with cardiometabolic risk, and has participated in two NIH-funded fellowships (Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training program and Advanced Research Training in Social Determinants of Health program).  

Taleah hopes to become a nurse researcher who investigates the multilevel determinants that contribute to cardiometabolic disease among reproductive-age populations and aims to use her research to drive policy-level changes that improve maternal healthcare for all. Her dissertation is a stepping stone towards reaching that goal, and is a multi-method study examining associations between mindfulness, stress, and cardiometabolic risk in reproductive-aged Black women. 

Receiving the M. Elizabeth Carnegie African American Scholarship places Taleah within a class of distinguished nurse scholars, highlighting the impact of her work while providing invaluable support to help her achieve her long-term goal of becoming an innovative, change-making nurse researcher. She aims to uphold Dr. Carnegie's legacy by continuing to exhibit her dedication to nursing leadership and education.