Dr. Olga Yakusheva is an economist and a Professor of Nursing at he Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Furthermore, she holds the position of the Economics Editor for the International Journal of Nursing Studies (IF=8.6). Dr. Yakusheva has an academic background in mathematics (BS) and economics (MS, PhD), specializing in economic theory and methods, and big data analytics. She completed post-doctoral training in health services research at the Yale Schools of Medicine and Public Health.

Internationally recognized as an expert on the economic value of nursing and its contribution to patient, societal, and organizational outcomes, Dr. Yakusheva is one of the leading economists influencing national nursing policy. In 2023, she was inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.  Dr. Yakusheva has published her work in nursing, economics, policy, and health services research journals; she is currently a principal investigator on two R01s that examine ways to optimize nursing care delivery in hospitals; she is also funded by the American Nurses’ Association (ANA) Enterprise and the American Nurses’ Foundation for her work on the economic value of nursing and nursing payment across the care continuum.   

Dr. Yakusheva presently serves as an economic advisor to the ANA Enterprise, the ANA Enterprise Research Council, and The Joint Commission’s Nurse Stakeholder Committee. Alongside a nursing colleague, she co-directs the ANA’s new initiative, "Framing and Articulating the Economic Value of the Nursing Profession." This includes leading the national summit, "Re-imagining the Economic Value of Nursing." Dr. Yakusheva is the lead author of a recent six-part series in Nursing Outlook titled “Value-informed nursing practice and leadership” and several recent publications proposing alternatives payment models for nursing reimbursement.