Rita Konadu Amoah, PhD, RN, is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing at UMass Chan Medical School. She holds the distinction of being the first graduate of the school’s Graduate Entry Pathway to PhD in Nursing program, a testament to her pioneering spirit and dedication to advancing the discipline of nursing.
Dr. Amoah’s scholarly contributions center on nursing theory, concept development, and person-centered care. Her dissertation introduced the concept of Ubiety in Nursing Practice, which she defines as the nurse’s ability to focus on one patient at a time, even in the face of distractions. Ubiety encompasses three key constructs: the anticipation and management of distractions, the use of interaction skills to make the patient feel like the “Star of the Minute,” and the implementation of self-preservation strategies. This concept is especially relevant in the context of the global nursing shortage and the increasing number of nurses considering leaving the profession. Ubiety offers a promising pathway to improving patient safety and nurse retention.
Dr. Amoah’s research also addresses critical issues in healthcare equity, particularly the decision-making experiences of women with HIV regarding infant feeding practices in the U.S. Her work explores the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of clinicians toward breastfeeding and HIV, shedding light on structural and organizational barriers that hinder person-centered care. Her findings emphasize the importance of humanizing care by tailoring it to the individuality of each patient, thereby enhancing outcomes for both patients and nurses.
In the realm of nursing education, Dr. Amoah advocates for innovative teaching strategies that prepare nurses to deliver person-centered care in today’s complex healthcare environment. She has collaborated with esteemed nurse scientists to publish work on humanizing care through a nursing lens. This scholarship underscores the value of integrating nursing’s philosophical foundations into practice and serves as a model for doctoral students aspiring to lead the discipline. Her additional research on learner engagement and diversity of thought in nursing education further supports the development of inclusive and transformative learning environments.
Dr. Amoah is also deeply committed to global health. She is a founding member of the Nea Onnim Collaborative, a team of nurses, providers, and educators dedicated to promoting health literacy and disease prevention among Ghanaian immigrants in the Worcester area. As a member of the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing Global Health Pathway, she and her team are leading the development of a Global Health Exchange Program between UMass Chan Medical School and the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ghana. In Spring 2026, this global health program sends its first UMass Chan student cohort to Ghana to gain firsthand experience in caring for patients in resource-limited settings. This initiative reflects Dr. Amoah’s teaching philosophy: to provide students with transformative learning experiences that broaden their understanding of global health and prepare them to care for diverse populations.