Katherine Scafide, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAAFS

Katherine Scafide, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAAFS is a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Nursing within the College of Public Health at George Mason University. She is an internationally recognized nurse scientist whose work integrates forensic science, health equity, digital health, and artificial intelligence to improve the detection and documentation of injuries, particularly among populations historically underserved by clinical and forensic systems.

Dr. Scafide is a Principal Investigator and co-Director of the Injury Analytics Lab, an interdisciplinary research environment spanning nursing, engineering, computer science, biostatistics, forensic science, and public health. Her research program is supported by over $10 million in external funding, including awards from the U.S. Department of Justice, NIH-affiliated initiatives, and private foundations. A major focus of her work is the Evidence-Based AI Software for Injury Detection (EAS-ID) program, which develops AI-enabled, imaging-based tools to support equitable injury assessment across diverse skin tones and care settings.

Her scholarship includes clinical trials, imaging and measurement science, and implementation research, with publications in leading forensic and health journals. She also contributes to national standards through service with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science.

Dr. Scafide is committed to doctoral mentorship and actively recruits PhD students interested in technology-enabled health equity, injury and violence research, digital imaging, measurement science, and interdisciplinary methods. PhD students in her lab engage in team-based research, advanced analytics, grant writing, and high-impact dissemination while developing independent programs of scholarship.

Research

Selected Grants

• Scafide, K. N. (PI), Lattanzi, D. (Co-PI), & Wojtusiak, J. (Co-PI). Evidence-based AI software for injury detection (EAS-ID). Private family foundation. July 2023–December 2026.
• Scafide, K. (PI), Lattanzi, D. (Co-PI), & Wojtusiak, J. (Co-PI). Collaborative artificial intelligence platform for bruise age analysis. National Institute of Justice (DOJ), Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes, FY 2021 (15PNIJ-21-GG-04145-SLFO). January 2022 – December 2026.
• Wojtusiak, J. (PI), Scafide, K. N. (Co-PI), & Lattanzi, D. (Co-PI). Technical and ethical evaluation of artificial intelligence-based tools for assessing injuries on diverse skin colors. National Institute of Health (NIH), Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity (AIM-AHEAD). October 2024–September 2025.
• Scafide, K. (PI), Ekroos, R., Mallinson, R., & Hayat, M. Improving the forensic documentation of injuries through alternate light: A researcher-practitioner partnership (2019-NE-BX-0008). National Institute of Justice (DOJ), Research and Evaluation on Violence Against Women. January 2020- June 2023.
• Scafide, K.(PI), Sheridan, D. (Co-PI), Downing, N., & Hayat, M. Analysis of alternate light in the detection and visibility of cutaneous bruises (2016-DN-BX-0147). National Institute of Justice (DOJ), Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes. January 2017–June 2020.

Selected Publications

• Scafide, K. N., Arundel, L., Assas, G., & King, E. L. (2025). Pressure injury detection using alternate light: A proof-of-concept study. Journal of Wound Care.Link.
• Aminfar, K., Scafide, K. N., Wojtusiak, J., & Lattanzi, D. (2024). From structure health monitoring to forensics: Adapting computer vision to support victims of violence. Proceedings of Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE): Health Monitoring of Structural and Biological Systems XVIII, 12951.Link.\
• Downing, N., Scafide, K. N., Ali, Z., & Hayat, M. J. (2024). Visibility of inflicted bruises by alternate light: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Forensic Science, 69(3), 880-887.Open Access Link.
• Scafide, K. N., Ekroos, R. A., Mallinson, R. K., Alshahrani, A., Volz, J., Holbrook, D. S., & Hayat, M. J. (2023). Improving the forensic documentation of injuries through alternate light: A researcher-practitioner partnership. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 19(1), 30-40. Open Access Link.
• Scafide, K. S., Downing, N. R., Kutahyalioglu, N. S., Sheridan, D. J., Langlois, N. E., & Hayat, M. J. (2022). Predicting alternate light absorption in areas of trauma based on degree of skin pigmentation: Not all wavelengths are equal. Forensic Science International. Open Access Link.
• Scafide, K. N., Ekroos, R. A., Mallinson, R. K., Alshahrani, A., Volz, J., Holbrook, D. S., & Hayat, M. J. (2022). Improving the forensic documentation of injuries through alternate light: A researcher-practitioner partnership. Journal of Forensic Nursing. Open Access Link.
• Scafide, K. N., Downing, N. R., Kutahyalioglu, N., Sebeh, Y., Sheridan, D. J., & Hayat, M. J. (2021). Quantifying the degree of bruise visibility observed under white light and an alternate light source. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 17(1), 24-33.Link.
• Scafide, K. N., Sheridan, D. J., Downing, N., & Hayat, M. J. (2020). Detection of inflicted bruises by alternate light: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 65(4), 1191-1198. Open Access Link.
• Scafide, K. N., Narayan, M. C., & Arundel, L. (2020). Bedside technologies to enhance the early detection of pressure injuries: A systematic review. Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing, 47(2), 128-136. Open Access Link.

Affiliations

• National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science, Forensic Nursing Sub-committee
• American Academy of Forensic Science 
• International Association of Forensic Nursing
• Academy of Forensic Nursing
• Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science
• Southern Nursing Research Society
• Sigma Theta Tau, National Nursing Honor Society

Credentials

• Fellow, American Academy of Nursing (FAAN)
• Fellow, American Academy of Forensic Science (FAAFS)
• PhD, Nursing, Johns Hopkins University
• MSN, Forensic Clinical Nurse Specialist, Johns Hopkins University
• BSN, Nursing, Georgetown University