Kathy Jo Ellison received her undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and her Master's and Doctoral degrees in Nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has taught at both the graduate and undergraduate levels at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Tennessee, and at Auburn University. She has been on the faculty at Auburn University for 24 years. Her primary teaching areas include Evidence-Based Practice, Adult and Community Health, and Cross-Cultural Studies. Kathy Jo Ellison's research interests are primarily oriented toward chronic illness and caregiver education and support. She has also conducted research on mammography attitudes and behavior, blood glucose control in post-operative diabetic clients, and several areas of student and patient education. Current areas of development include education and support of persons with memory problems and improved nursing education for mass casualty incidents.