Faculty180 - Vita and Individual Profile Data Sheet

Ozum Erkin, PhD, MSc

Fall 1980 - Fall 2120

Visiting Associate Professor

[email protected]

Current Position

Position: Affiliated Research Faculty

Biography

Assoc. Prof. Özüm Erkin is a public health nurse and academic with over 15 years of professional and research experience. She served at İzmir Demokrasi University, Türkiye, as Head of the Nursing Department (September 2018 – July 2025) and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences (October 2023 – July 2025). She earned her Ph.D. in Public Health Nursing and has contributed extensively to the development of nursing education and leadership in Türkiye.

Currently, Dr. Erkin  is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCUHS), USA, where she is conducting a feasibility study on yoga-based interventions for individuals with rheumatic diseases. Her research spans integrative health approaches such as yoga and laughter yoga, community-based mental health promotion, disaster nursing, and preventive interventions.

A certified yoga instructor since 2014, she has successfully integrated yoga into the nursing curriculum, advocating for its recognition as a standardized nursing intervention. She is also actively engaged in global academic networks, serving on the editorial boards of BMC Nursing and BMC Public Health.

Dr. Erkin Geyiktepe’s international experience began with an Erasmus exchange program in Belgium (2007). She has since participated in staff mobility and training programs in several European countries, including Lithuania, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, strengthening her expertise in cross-cultural nursing education.

Through her leadership, academic service, and research, Dr. Erkin continues to advance the integration of holistic, evidence-based practices into nursing and public health, bridging traditional and complementary approaches to improve health outcomes at both individual and community levels.

Degrees

2015

Ph.D., Public Health Nursing, Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences, Turkey

Work Experience

2023 - 2025

Vice Dean of Health Sciences Faculty, İzmir Demokrasi University, Izmir, Turkey

2018 - 2025

Head of Nursing Department, İzmir Demokrasi University, Izmir, Turkey

2007 - 2018

Research Assistant, Ege University Faculty of Nursing, Izmir, Turkey

Scholarly Contributions and Creative Productions

Book

Completed/Published

Yoga as a Nursing Intervention; Erkin, O., Ed.; Nova Science Publishers, Inc.: New York, 2025; p 378.

Chapter

Completed/Published

Erkin, O. Sun Protection in School-Age Children. In Health Promotion and Prevention: School-Age Children; Nova Science Publishers, Inc.: New York, 2025.
Erkin, O.; Güler, B. Yoga as a Nursing Intervention; Nova Science Publishers, Inc.: New York, 2025; p 378.

Journal Article

Accepted

Erkin, O.; Dur, Ş.; Çetin, R. C. Healing with Laughter: The Therapeutic Power of Laughter Yoga in Pediatric Health – A Systematic Review. BMC Pediatrics 2025.

Poster Presentation

Completed/Published

Erkin, O. The Effect of Yoga on Mindfulness and Perceived Stress Levels in Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Study. 15th Annual IM4US Conference, August 14–16, 2025, UCI Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, California, USA., 2025.
Özsezer, G.; Erkin, O. Rebirth with Yoga: A Phenomenological Evaluation of University Students’ Perceptions of Happiness and Hope and Sentiment Analysis Supported by Machine Learning. 15th Annual IM4US Conference, August 14–16, 2025, UCI Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, California, USA., 2025.

Presentation

Completed/Published

Erkin, O.; Özsezer, G. Social Media Influencers and Nurse‑Led Yoga Tourism: An Exploratory Study of Online Engagement and Destination Branding. Global Conference on Technology and AI in Hospitality and Tourism (GLOTECH 2025), September 16–19, 2025, Black Fire Innovation Hub, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Hybrid (onsite & online)., 2025.
Erkin, O. A Scientific Journey from Türkiye to America: The TÜBİTAK 2219 Research Grant Experience. 13th International Artemis Scientific Research Congress, May 28–30, 2025 Hybrid Format: Online (via Zoom) & In-Person in Bucharest, Romania, 2025.

Interests

Public health nursing Health promotion and prevention Integrative health in nursing (yoga and laughter yoga), Nursing curriculum development , Disaster and community health nursing, Yoga-based and integrative health interventions Community mental health promotion Nursing education and curriculum integration Disaster preparedness in nursing, International collaborations and Erasmus exchange programs Alumni relations and accreditation processes Community-based health promotion projects Editorial service (BMC Nursing, BMC Public Health), Complementary and integrative therapies in nursing practice Rheumatic diseases and yoga-based interventions Preventive and early-detection approaches in public health nursing