Dr. "Sandy" Branson holds the academic rank of associate professor of clinical nursing in the Department of Undergraduate Studies of Cizik School of Nursing. Branson has a BS in Psychology from the University of Houston, BSN from Texas Woman's University, and MSN in Leadership and Administration, post master's certificate in Education, and PhD as the Hamill Foundation Scholar in the Accelerated Ph.D. Program, the latter three from UTHealth Cizik School of Nursing. Branson’s clinical background is in acute care, community health, clinical education, and healthcare leadership and administration. She maintains a faculty practice as an Operations Administrator in a hospital setting. She teaches a variety of leadership/management and quality improvement/evidence-based practice courses online and is a community clinical instructor. Branson is the author of several peer-reviewed publications. Branson's primary research is in human-animal interaction that investigates the contribution of animals in peoples' lives and in the treatment and recovery process, but she also conducts research in other areas including vaccine hesitancy and mental health in nurses, and workforce support. She has a long history being part of organizational teams that plan, implement, and evaluate quality improvement and evidence-based practices in the hospital and community settings. She has been honored by receiving academic scholarships, service awards, abstract awards, and received the Outstanding Houston Nurse award from Texas Nurses Association District 9.