Meet Our New Postdoc Isaac Payton
Dr. Isaac K. Payton, PhD, MBA, MSN, PMHNP-BC, was reared in Plum Branch, South Carolina, a municipality in McCormick County. Growing up in the rural South provided the impetus for his commitment to lifelong learning—an endeavor that translates into promoting health outcomes and enhancing health empowerment among vulnerable populations.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Grambling State University, a Historically Black College and University, in Grambling, Louisiana in 2011. In 2016, he completed dual graduate degrees—a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with an emphasis on Leadership in Healthcare Systems and a Master of Business Administration—from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. While working at an academic, urban Level I trauma center, Dr. Payton observed the pervasive impact of mental health challenges on patient outcomes, which inspired him to specialize in psychiatric nursing.
In 2018, he enrolled at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas, located within the largest medical center in the United States. He earned a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a concentration in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing in May 2021 and subsequently obtained certification as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Most recently, in August 2025, Dr. Payton completed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing Science with a cognate in Public Health from the University of Florida in Gainesville. As a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Florida State University within the Center for Population Sciences and Health Empowerment (C-PSHE), his research enterprises focus on applying interdisciplinary approaches to identify, understand, and address psychosocial health, care, and distress factors that contribute to differences in health outcomes among particular MSM populations. His long-term goal is to become a Mental Health Implementation Nurse Scientist dedicated to developing and implementing effective public health interventions.
Dr. Payton’s program of research supports the C-PSHE’s vision to lead and implement community-engaged, scientific, operational research and practice using principles and tools of population sciences that promote health for all people.