With technology and thoughtfully designed space, we simulate real-life health care situations like interviewing a patient, reading an X-ray, or administering an injection. The St. Elizabeth Healthcare Simulation Center features seven simulation rooms including an operating room and intensive care unit. Well prepared nurses, respiratory therapists, and radiological technologists are critical in emergency situations. The spaces for practice, as described below, allow for exploration and learning in a safe environment.
Consistent with the mission and values of Northern Kentucky University and the College of Health Professions, the faculty and staff of the Department of Nursing promote an innovative environment to facilitate excellence in academics, scholarship, engagement, practice, leadership and lifelong learning within a global context to promote health.
Chair, Department of Nursing
Associate Professor
FH 461A
859-572-5555
tagherc1@nku.edu
Gannon’s primary teaching focus is pediatric nursing. Gannon also partners with NKU’s clinical instructors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) to provide a seamless experience between the classroom and clinical environment. Gannon also works with the Pathways to A Nursing Degree program which bring middle school students and high school students to campus in order to introduce them to the profession of nursing. Her areas of interest are children with special healthcare needs and improving teaching methods in nursing education. In addition, Gannon has received a University Community Partnership Grant to work with Pediatric Primary Care offices to improve outcomes for children with special healthcare needs. Gannon was also awarded a summer fellowship and summer faculty grant to explore and present integrating concept mapping into both the clinical and classroom settings.
Besides teaching, Gannon is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Prior to coming to NKU, Gannon worked as a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse at the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital, and as a pediatric nurse practitioner in hematology/oncology as well as developmental disabilities at CCHMC. Currently, Gannon still practices one day a week in pediatric primary care.
Gannon has completed her Ed.D with a focus in Nursing Education at NKU. She received both her BSN and MSN at the University of Kentucky.
MSN Program Director
FH 495G
859-572-7662
hubert@nku.edu
Dr. Teresa Huber has several years of nursing experience specializing in nursing education as well as nursing administration. Teresa joined the NKU faculty in 2012, teaching traditional and accelerated BSN students. She received her DNP degree from the University of Kentucky, a MSN from Northern Kentucky University and a BSN from Bellarmine University. Her current interest are in tobacco treatment research.
Dr. Huber serves on numerous nursing committees, and is active with Sigma Theta Tau and is a recipient of the Juanita Theile Leadership award for Rho Theta Chapter - NKU. Dr. Huber also participates as a volunteer with the Nurse Advocacy Center for the Underserved in the Northern Kentucky area.
Teresa is active with numerous professional nursing organizations, and is the current president for the Kentucky Nurses Association.
NAP Program Director
FH 475C
859-572-7966
rayw2@nku.edu
Dr. Ray is the founding Director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program at NKU with over 35 years experience in anesthesia, including clinical practice and education. He holds a PhD in nursing research from the University of Cincinnati, an MNSc from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, a Certificate in Anesthesia from the Mayo Clinic, a BSN from the University of Central Arkansas and an ADN from Phillips College. He is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) with current APRN licenses in both Ohio and Kentucky and is active in the Kentucky Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists.
ABSN and BSN Program Director
Associate Professor
FH 499B
859-572-6323
robinsoner@nku.edu
Dr. Erin Robinson is an Associate Professor at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). She is the current director of the BSN and Accelerated BSN (ABSN) programs at Northern Kentucky University. Dr. Robinson received her BSN from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa, and her MSN degree from the University of Pittsburgh with a track focus in Nursing Education. Dr. Robinson’s doctoral work was completed at Northern Kentucky University, earning an Ed.D in Educational Leadership with a concentrated focus in nursing education. Her research interest centers on student’s perceptions of stress in high stakes testing environments. She has presented her research at both national and international conferences. Additionally, Dr. Robinson is involved in a longitudinal study entitled Pathways to a Nursing Degree. This study tracks middle school and high school students who are involved in early exposure to the nursing profession to determine if they choose nursing for a major in college. This program was presented at the Sigma Theta Tau 43rd Biennial Convention. Lastly, Dr. Robinson is part of the Northern Kentucky Nursing and Interprofessional Research Collaborative (NKNIRC), where is assists registered nurses with the development of a manuscript for publication. Dr. Robinson’s most recent manuscript was completed in collaboration with a colleague. The manuscript is entitled Companion dissertation: Enriching the doctoral experience, which has been accepted and will be published in the Journal of Nursing Education.
RN to BSN Program Director
Clinical Associate Professor
FH 495F
859-572-1419
teschendom1@nku.edu
Michelle Teschendorf is the Director of the RN to BSN Program. She has taught in our RN to BSN, MSN and DNP programs. Besides teaching nursing, she has 32 years of clinical experience, most of which are in the OB arena. Michelle has been teaching since 1998. Her teaching experience has been at the following levels: ADN, BSN, Accelerated Second Degree BSN, RN to BSN, and MSN.
She graduated with a diploma in nursing from Barnes Hospital School of Nursing in St Louis, MO. Twenty years later she obtained a BSN from Missouri Western University in St Joseph, MO. Followed with a MSN as a Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist and a PhD in Nursing from St Louis University in St Louis, MO. Her dissertation research was a qualitative study using an interpretive phenomenological approach titled: Practices of Intrapartal Nurses Working with Women in Pain during Labor. She won the Researcher of the Year from NKNRC in 2014 with her dissertation work.
Michelle has taught several research classes including Getting Started: Developing a Research Proposal and Developing a Research Poster for practicing nurses at St Elizabeth Hospital. Recently she has been working with researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project to improve collection data.
DNP Program Director
FH 495H
859-572-5178
zajacl1@nku.edu
Dr. Lynne Kimmey Zajac is a faculty member and the Director for the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at NKU. She has over 28 years of experience in nursing education at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Currently, she teaches graduate and doctoral courses in nursing research, epidemiology, leadership, and advises for DNP scholarly projects. She holds a Ph.D. in Nursing Education from the University of Northern Colorado, a Master‘s Degree from Case Western Reserve University, and a B.S. with a concentration in nursing from Albright College. She is certified as an Adult Health Nurse Practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Her areas of expertise and interest include adult health, nursing education, diversity in nursing education, and nursing scholarship and research.
Nurse Anesthesia Assistant Director
FH 475A
859-572-5242
kendonb1@nku.edu
Dr. Kendon is originally from New Zealand, and migrated to the US in 1992. Working as a trauma nurse at Jackson Health in Miami, he attained his BSN from a distance learning program at Massey University in New Zealand. As a travel nurse, he has worked in a variety of Emergency and Trauma practice settings, including Vail, Colorado, San Francisco and London, England. He has a keen interest in cooking and attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and received a diploma in Culinary Arts in 2006. He then attended Florida International University (FIU), graduating with an MSN in Nurse Anesthesia, 2008. Continuing at FIU, he graduated in 2011 with a post master’s in nursing education, and was adjunct faculty at the STAR simulation center. He recently completed his Doctor of Nursing Practice at the University of Cincinnati, where he was also clinical and didactic faculty and the Director of Simulation in the Nurse Anesthesia Program.
Assistant Professor
(859) 572-5327
adamstr@nku.edu
Dr. Tracey R. Adams is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing and the Adult-Gerontology Concentration Coordinator. Dr. Adams earned her BSN and MSN degrees from the University of Cincinnati and her DNP degree from Duke University. A graduate of Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Dr. Adams practiced and taught law prior to entering the nursing profession.
Dr. Adams worked in critical care before earning her Master's degree as an Adult Nurse Practitioner. She specialized in pain and symptom management as a Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner before transitioning into her current role as an Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner, where she currently maintains a limited clinical practice.
Dr. Adams’ research interests include improving systems of care, measuring patient and population outcomes, and improving access to and effectiveness of evidence-based, clinical practice. Areas of interest include survivorship and quality of life issues, especially bone health of the post-menopausal patient.
She is a member of the American Nurses Association, the Kentucky Nurses Association, the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives, and National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses. She is also a member of the University of Cincinnati and Duke University chapters of Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society of Nursing.
Dr. Adrianne J. Lane is Chair of and Professor in the Department of Advanced Nursing Studies. As Chair, Dr. Lane has major responsibility for the post-licensure nursing programs, including the RN to BSN, MSN, and DNP programs. She has over thirty-five years of experience as a nurse educator in doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate education. She has an extensive background using online, hybrid, and seat-based formats for course delivery. Her content expertise includes curriculum development, student assessment, program planning and evaluation, health policy, and technology-supported education.
She received her BSN from Indiana University, her MSN from University of Kentucky, and an EdD in Educational Administration with a focus in Higher Education and Evaluation from the University of Cincinnati. She is a NLN Certified Nurse Educator. Dr. Lane’s research interests include increasing access to care for underserved rural populations with a focus on breast cancer screening and prevention. In 2014 Dr. Lane received the Oncology Nursing Society’s Excellence in Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Award.
Judy Audas, DNAP, APRN-CRNA, MSN
Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing
FH 475A
859-572-5627
audasj1@nku.edu
Judy Audas came to NKU with 20 years of experience as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) . She has spent most of her clinical practice at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) where she developed a passion for working with students. Judy spent 5 years at the University of Cincinnati as the Assistant Program Director for their Nurse Anesthesia Program before coming to NKU as Associate Professor and Associate Director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program in January, 2018. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, a Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati, and a Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice from Wolford College in Naples, Florida. Judy has also completed a Post-Master's in Nursing Education at the University of Cincinnati. Didactic expertise is in Pediatric Anesthesia, Advanced Pharmacology, and Advanced Principles of Anesthesia. She still works clinically at CCHMC, where she continues to train nurse anesthesia students and is also active in research.
Judy has contributed a great deal of service to her professional organization, the Ohio State Association of Nurse Anesthetists (OSANA), where she has served for several years on the OSANA Board of Directors and is currently the OSANA President.
In her free time, Judy enjoys boating, travelling, and spending time with family and friends.
Jillian Boyle, RN, BSN, MSN, SANE
Lecturer
FH 395B
859-572-7919
hayj@nku.edu
Jillian Boyle joined Northern Kentucky University (NKU) as full-time faculty in the fall of 2017. Since 2014, Jillian worked for NKU as an adjunct faculty member, teaching in the clinical setting for both the accelerated and traditional BSN programs. Currently, Jillian teaches Medical-Surgical Nursing didactic courses as well as introductory skills lab courses for the accelerated and traditional baccalaureate-nursing students.
Jillian obtained her BSN from Northern Kentucky University in 2009 and her MSN from Xavier University in 2016. Most of her career focus has been within Critical Care, working for St. Elizabeth Healthcare for nine years as an RN, primarily in the Emergency Department (ED). Jillian continues to work in the ED as a staff nurse while also maintaining her license as an active licensed Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). She is a member of Xavier University’s chapter of Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society of Nursing, the Emergency Nurses Association, the American Nurses Association, the Kentucky Nurses Association, and the American Nursing Informatics Association. Jillian received the Northern Kentucky Nursing and Interprofessional Research Collaboration (NKIRC) award for Exemplary Clinical Project/Evidence Based Practice for her research on utilization of the electronic medical record for objective nursing workload and acuity determination.
Jillian is passionate about her career in nursing and the profession overall. In her spare time, she enjoys staying active, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.
Tracy Buckler MSN, RN
Lecturer
FH 397C
859-572-7611
bucklertr@nku.edu
Tracy Buckler joined the Northern Kentucky University team in August of 2017. She teaches several different classes, including Principles of Obstetrical Nursing, OB clinical and Holistic Assessment. She is currently serving as the Faculty Advisor for the Student Nurses Association.
Tracy received her BSN from Thomas More College in 1992, and her MSN from NKU in 2006. Her primary area of expertise is in Maternal Child Nursing. She worked for 10 years at the Christ Hospital in Labor and Delivery and 15 years at St Elizabeth Healthcare in a home visiting role for underprivileged mothers and children. She has been in nursing education since 2006.
In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, camping and boating in Lake Cumberland. She loves to hike, read and learn new things.
Assistant Professor
FH 395K
859-572-1571
engeld1@nku.edu
Deb Chilcote is an assistant professor in the Department of Nursing. She has her BA in Sociology from the University of Central Florida, her RN from Christ Hospital School of Nursing, her BSN from the College of Mount Saint Joseph, and her MSN from NKU.
Deb has experience in Medical Surgical Nursing and Women’s Health, where she worked in Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, and Newborn Care. She is a certified Maternal Newborn Nurse by the National Certification Corporation.
She is a member of Rho Theta, Alpha Kappa Delta, and the Golden Key International Honour Society. Deb also received the Outstanding Qualitative Research Award at NKU. She enjoys reading, the theatre, and spending time with her family, and all types of trivia.
Simulation Facilitator/Lecturer
HE 327C
859-572-5632
fielerg1@nku.edu
Gina Fieler is a full time faculty member in the Department of Nursing. She splits her time between Simulation Lab Facilitator and Lecturer. She also teaches various courses such as beginning skills lab and junior level clinical reasoning.
Gina earned her BSN from the College of Mount St. Joseph and her MSN from Xavier University. She has been a nurse for over twenty years. Her clinical experience includes adult cardiac care with specialties in cardiac monitoring, treadmill stress testing, and pacemaker interrogation and reprogramming.
Gina is passionate about experiential education through simulation and offering a variety of simulation experiences to students across the nursing curriculum. She has presented at multiple conferences regarding education through simulation and the positive impact it has on student communication, confidence, care, and overall performance.
Assistant Professor
FH 395E
859-572-7965
freemant1@nku.edu
Traci has worked as a lecturer and clinical faculty in NKU’s College of Health Professions for almost 12 years. She is currently an assistant professor teaching courses in the first year of the baccalaureate program. She also serves as clinical partner to the clinical faculty teaching in the first three years of the program.
She earned her MSN in Nursing Education from NKU in the Spring of 2011 and her BSN in Nursing from University of Massachusetts-Salem, in 1990. She is currently in her final year of her doctorate at the University of Southern Indiana and will earn her DNP in the spring of 2018.
Before entering into a career in nursing education, she worked in a variety of health care settings including insurance case management, critical care, neurosurgical nursing and rehabilitation nursing. She is immediate past president of the Rho Theta chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, NKU chapter and is actively involved in multiple student activities and workgroups.
Adult Gero Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Concentration Coordinator
FH 495B
859-572-1305
gallr1@nku.edu
Roxanne Gall, MSN, ACNP-BC is the Concentration Coordinator for the Adult Geriatric-Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program in the Department of Advanced Nursing. As the Concentration Coordinator she has the major responsibility of advising and facilitating student’s didactic and clinical experiences in the MSN, NP Advancement and Post-MSN AG-ACNP tracts. She has over 35 years experience as a Critical Care RN with 25 of those years as a CNS and 17 years as an ACNP. She was a nurse educator for 6 years at the University of Kentucky in the Undergraduate program and this is her second year as an on-line educator in the Graduate program.
She received her BSN, MSN and a Post-MSN as an ACNP at the University of Kentucky. Her clinical interests are Cardiology, Cath Lab, CT Surgery including Transplants and Assist Devices; Vascular Surgery and Emergency Medicine. She has worked as the Cardiothoracic NP and LVAD Coordinator at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Pulmonary Medicine at the VAMC, in a private General and Vascular Surgery practice as well as ED’s and Urgent Care. She has worked with the KBN on the nominating committee; the KCNPNM to achieve prescription privileges for Nurse Practitioners in Kentucky, and has served as a Chairman on the Foster Care Review Board in Fayette County, Ky. She volunteers at the cold shelter working with the homeless and underserved population in Northern Kentucky. She is a Kentucky Colonel and continues to actively practice as an ACNP.
Associate Professor
FH 395C
859-572-7663
grinnells1@nku.edu
Sandra Grinnell earned her BSN from Jamestown College, her MSN/NNP from the University of Pennsylvania, and her ABD from the University of North Carolina. Sandra has earned all but dissertation in Teaching/Learning from the University of North Dakota and is currently enrolled at Grand Canyon University in Arizona for an EdD in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in Higher Education.
She has experience in direct patient care and particularly neonatal care. She has worked in hospitals around the U.S. and in Germany. Sandra led a workshop for full and part-time clinical and didactic faculty titled “Making the Connection: Using Concept Maps to Engage Students in Meaningful Learning.”
Assistant Professor
FH 495E
859-572-1553
hartj5@nku.edu
Dr. Julie Hart is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing. Dr. Hart earned her BSN from Thomas More College, her MSN from Northern Kentucky University, and her DNP from the University of Southern Indiana. Dr. Hart is a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE). This designation distinguishes her professionalism and expertise as an academic nurse educator. Dr. Hart’s primary teaching focus is nursing fundamentals. She thoroughly enjoys working with beginning nursing students. Dr. Hart also serves as the BSN Clinical Coordinator and is responsible for ensuring quality clinical experiences for all BSN students.
Prior to teaching at NKU, Dr. Hart worked as a staff nurse at St. Elizabeth Edgewood. While at St. Elizabeth she worked on an adult medical/surgical unit before transferring to the Women’s and Children’s unit.
Dr. Hart’s areas of research interest include simulation and nursing workforce development. In alignment with her research interests, Dr. Hart is a faculty leader for the Pathways to a Nursing Degree program. Dr. Hart works with middle and high school students during Nurse Career Day and Summer Nurse Camp. These programs provide students with early expose to the nursing profession. Dr. Hart has published some of her work in the Journal of Nursing Education, Clinical Simulation in Nursing, and Nursing Forum. In addition, she has presented her work at regional and international conferences including, QSEN, INACSL, Sigma Theta Tau International, and the University of Kentucky. Dr. Hart provides service to the nursing profession through her role as counselor for the Rho Theta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International.
Beth Hickey
Lecturer
FH 397D
859-572-6153
hickeybe@nku.edu
Beth earned her Diploma in Nursing from Christ Hospital School of Nursing and her BSN and MSN from Northern Kentucky University. She is also a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse. She has been teaching at NKU since 2000 as either a full-time or part-time faculty. She currently teaches Clinical Skills Development, Health Assessment, Transition to Nursing, and Capstone. Her background is in Rehabilitation Nursing, Leadership & Management, and Home Health. She enjoys teaching and looks forward to helping students gain the skills needed to become excellent health care professionals. Beth is also a CPR instructor and coordinates CPR classes for the students in the College of Health Professions.
When not in the classroom or skills lab, Beth enjoys reading, scrapbooking/crafting, and spending time with her husband and three children. She is active in volunteering in her children’s school and teaching CPR classes in the community.
Professor
859-572-5327
lanea6@nku.edu
Dr. Adrianne J. Lane has more than 35 years of experience as a nurse educator in doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate education. She has an extensive background using online, hybrid, and seat-based formats for course delivery. Her content expertise includes curriculum development, student assessment, program planning and evaluation, health policy, and technology-supported education.
She received her BSN from Indiana University, her MSN from University of Kentucky, and an EdD in Educational Administration with a focus in Higher Education and Evaluation from the University of Cincinnati. She is a NLN Certified Nurse Educator. Dr. Lane’s research interests include increasing access to care for underserved rural populations with a focus on breast cancer screening and prevention. In 2014 Dr. Lane received the Oncology Nursing Society’s Excellence in Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Award.
Associate Professor
FH 399A
859-572-5983
martinc@nku.edu
Caron Martin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing. She earned her BSN and MSN from the University of Kentucky. In addition to teaching, she is employed as a staff nurse in the cardiac surgery recovery department at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, KY. Her clinical focus has been in critical care with a major emphasis in cardiac care.
Caron serves as the chairperson of the Admission, Progression, Graduation committee of the Department of Nursing. She is currently teaching pathopharmacology and writing a book on the topic.
In her free time, Caron loves spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.
Professor
FH 395M
859-572-6541
mccoy@nku.edu
Carrie McCoy has been with NKU since 1983 in several roles, including faculty, Director of the Accelerated BSN Program and Chair of Nursing. Dr. McCoy has a Masters in Burn and Trauma Nursing from The University of Cincinnati, a Master of Science in Public Health and Ph.D., in nursing from the University of Kentucky. Dr. McCoy is Board Certified in Emergency Nursing and currently serves as a Contributing Editor for the Journal of Emergency Nursing. She also serves on the research committee at St. Elizabeth Health Care.
Dr. McCoy’s passions are emergency nursing, injury prevention, rural health and environmental health. Dr. McCoy has conducted research on injury in farm women and use of bicycle helmets and has chaired a number of graduate student theses committees
Dr. McCoy enjoys the outdoors and during the summer months when not teaching raises organic produce which she sells at her local farmer's market.
Nurse Executive Leadership Concentration Coordinator
Associate Professor
FH 395J
859-572-6324
mcerlanek1@nku.edu
Dr. Kimberly McErlane PhD, MSN, RN, CNS is an ssociate Professor at Northern Kentucky University. She is an experienced nurse educator and clinical nurse specialist. For over thirty years, Dr. McErlane has practiced nursing in a variety of settings including intensive care, telemetry, post-anesthesia care and outpatient surgery. Dr. McErlane completed a Master of Science Degree in Nursing at the University of Cincinnati and a PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Phoenix. The focus of her doctoral dissertation was Wok Family Balance of Deans of Nursing in Baccalaureate Nursing programs. She has been teaching critical care, medical surgical nursing, and nursing administration for the past twenty years. Additionally, Dr. McErlane has published and presented in the areas of critical care, medical surgical nursing and nursing education. Past teaching experience includes teaching African students in Togo, West Africa and leading American nursing students in international experiences. Dr. McErlane served as the Director of the Northern Kentucky Interprofessional Research Collaborative for four years and remains active in the Sigma Theta Tau, Rho Theta Chapter.
Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration Coordinator
859-572-5327
eisenmanj@nku.edu
Jennifer Moreland is faculty member and alumna of the Department of Nursing at Northern Kentucky University. She is the Concentration Coordinator for the Family Nurse Practitioner Program and the Clinical Coordinator for all Primary Care Nurse Practitioners at NKU. She has seven years of experience in Nursing Education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She received her Associates of Applied Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing at NKU and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice at NKU. She has been a Registered Nurse for fifteen years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for seven years. She is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and specializes in Orthopaedics.
Associate Professor
FH 499A
859-572-5777
mutschk1@nku.edu
Dr. Karen Mutsch has been an Assistant Professor of Nursing in the College of Health Professions at Northern KY University for five years in the Advanced Nursing Studies Department. Dr. Mutsch teaches in the masters and doctor of nursing practice (DNP) programs. She teaches research, nursing theory and evidence based practice. When teaching she places a strong emphasis on the application of evidence to system and clinical problems. In addition to teaching Dr. Mutsch serves on the university institutional review board and faculty senate committee. She has chaired over 20 investigative projects and is now chairing DNP students with their dissertation projects.
Karen continues to work as a nurse in the community as a case manager. At this community hospital she is involved with core measures, quality improvement projects, performance rates, and teaches patients with heart failure and their families using evidenced based guidelines. Karen also participates in the Research Council at the hospital and mentors nurses, student nurses, and other disciplines with their research. Dr. Mutsch promotes research and quality management activities that support program, departmental, and organizational objectives and integrates nursing research with quality assessment and continuous improvement activities.
Dr. Mutsch received the 2008 Greater Cincinnati Chapter of American Association of Critical Care Nurses Research Grant for “Effects of Medication Discharge Planning on Patients’ Knowledge of Cardiovascular Drugs Prior to Hospital Discharge” and the 2008 Anthem “Meritorious” Award for the abstract “Effects of Medication Discharge Planning on Patients’ Knowledge of Cardiovascular Drugs Prior to Hospital Discharge”. She spoke on The Effect of Medication Discharge Planning on Patients’ Knowledge of Cardiovascular Drugs Prior to Hospital Discharge. “Anthem BCBS Hospital Quality Program’s Kentucky Annual Educational Conference” (for hospital quality RN’s and physicians), Lexington, Kentucky in October, 2008 and published this work in the Quality Management Journal in 2010. She continues to research practice issues pertaining to patient care and most recently is working on a “home readiness” project for patients with COPD.
Assistant Professor
859-572-5554
nelsonk3@nku.edu
Kesha Nelson is an assistant professor in the Department of Nursing. She is also the course coordinator and clinical partner for psychiatric and mental health nursing.
Beginning in 1994, Kesha attended Cincinnati State Technical and Community College where she received her ADN. She went on to attend the University of Phoenix where she earned her BSN in 2006 and her MSN/Ed in 2008. Kesha is currently pursuing her PhD in Nursing.
Her previous experience and research focuses have been in obstetrics and gynecology, neonatology, pediatrics, public school health, oncology, emergency medicine, and psychiatric and mental health nursing.
In her spare time, Kesha enjoys listening to music and dancing.
Lecturer
FH 395D
859-572-5539
nordheims@nku.edu
Shawn came to NKU as adjunct clinical faculty in 1998. Shawn worked at NKU as adjunct clinical faculty and lecturer until December 2004. During that time, Shawn was the first recipient of the Northern Kentucky University Excellence in Part-time Teaching Award in 2002. Shawn returned to NKU in January 2010 again as adjunct clinical faculty. In the fall of 2013, Shawn joined NKU’s team full time teaching various clinical rotations at local acute care facilities.
Shawn earned an ADN (1988) from Northern Kentucky University, a BSN (1994) from University of South Carolina, and an MS (1998) from University of Utah. Shawn completed her EdD in August 2013 from NKU. Her research examined the impact of CPR training on participants’ perceived confidence levels. Shawn is certified in critical care and still teaches ACLS and BLS classes at St. Elizabeth Healthcare.
Shawn is currently serving as President Elect of the Rho Theta chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Shawn has been an elected member of the Pendleton County School Board since January 2013.
In her free time, Shawn enjoys spending time with her husband and watching her three sons play football. Shawn also enjoys running and hopes to run the Flying Pig Marathon in the future.
Karen O'Connell, PhD, RN, CEN, NEA-BC
Assitant Professor
FH 461H
859-572-7918
oconnellk@nku.edu
Karen O’Connell is an Assistant Professor currently teaching upper-class undergraduate students. Born and raised in Northern Kentucky, she received her Associate Degree and Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from NKU. She completed a Master’s of Science with a Clinical Nurse Specialist focus on Emergency/Trauma at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and a PhD in Nursing Science at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science in Bethesda, MD. Her research interests are moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries with polytrauma in wounded warriors and historical military nursing. Dr. O’Connell completed 24 years of active duty service and retired from the US Air Force. During her military career, she worked in medical-surgical, critical care, and emergency/trauma units along with serving as a Flight Nurse, an Instructor, a Nurse Scientist and serving two tours deployed to Southwest Asia.
Dr. O’Connell is happily married to Allen. They enjoy the nice weather to motorcycle and get outdoors.
Associate Professor
FH 495M
859-572-6470
pencec1@nku.edu
Cathy Pence, RN, MSN, CCRN Alumnus
Cathy received her education from Good Samaritan School of Nursing initially, and then completed a BSN from the University of Cincinnati with Suma cum laude honor. The MSN was from the University of Phoenix with 3 areas of focus: nursing research, nursing education, and nursing administration. Cathy brings to the classroom over 30 years of experience in critical care nursing, including transplant, trauma, burns, post-anesthesia care unit, emergency department, medical-surgical and cardiovascular intensive care, neuro-intensive, and cardiac care unit, medical-surgical stepdown units among TriHealth hospitals, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Deaconess, and Jewish hospitals. She began educating nursing students in 1998, and joined the NKU faculty in 2004. She teaches a wide range of courses including nursing research, capstone, medical-surgical nursing, fundamentals skills lab, holistic nursing assessment course and lab, and clinical reasoning simulation labs.
Associate Professor
859-572-5327
pfendtk@nku.edu
Kristine Pfendt is an associate professor in the Department of Nursing. She graduated from Northern Illinois University with her BSN in 1976 and later completed her MSN in 1984. Her Master’s was awarded with a focus on Medical Surgical Nursing. She also brings with her educational experience as a clinical nurse specialist.
In practice, she has worked in the areas of medical surgical nursing, hemodialysis, nursing recruitment and retention, community and public health. She also has 25 years experience as an educational specialist with focuses on management and leadership experience.
She bring to her teaching experiences and involvement with performance/process improvement, healthcare for underserved populations, NCLEX success strategies, and forensic nursing. Kristine is the co-founder and former director of the Nurse Advocacy Center for the Underserved (NACU).
In her spare time, Kristine enjoys gardening and reading.
Angela Powell
Role Transition Clinical Coordinator/ Lecturer
FH 461J
859-572-5210
powella1@nku.edu
Angela is originally from Wales in Great Britain. She moved to the US in 1987 and became a citizen in 2002. Angela joined the Northern Kentucky University team in August 2017. Angela serves as the clinical coordinator for Role Transition and for clinical groups. She will also be taking on the role of lecturer in the fall 2018.
Angela received her BSN in Psychology, Studio Arts and Nursing from NKU. She also received her MSN in 2017 from NKU.
Angela has worked at St. Elizabeth Healthcare as a staff nurse on a stroke certified unit and went on to become charge nurse and team leader. Angela also worked as a Hospice nurse where her passion still remains for the philosophy of Hospice care.
In her spare time, Angela continues to create art in her studio at home using a variety of mediums such as clay and oils. She enjoys spending time with her family and her granddaughter.
Lecturer
FH 399B
859-572-7539
rileya4@nku.edu
Angela Riley is a lecturer who joined the nursing faculty in 2009 after earning an A.D. (1978) from Maysville Community College, a B.S.N. (1995) and an M.S.N. (1997) from NKU. She is a nationally certified nurse practitioner.
Angela worked in multiple areas of health care from being a nurse’s assistant, a bedside nurse in a medical surgical area, cardiac care, intensive care, medical intensive care and surgical intensive care and currently an advanced practice registered nurse with a focus in Cardiology.
Angela’s passion in nursing include assessment, physiology, and pathophysiology and the physiologic response to pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic nursing intervention.
Angela’s non-nursing hobbies include spending time with family and animals, acoustic music and equestrian adventures.
Regents Professor
859-572-5327
robinson@nku.edu
Dr. Denise Robinson, PhD, RN, FNP is a Regents Professor at Northern Kentucky University. She is an experienced nurse educator and family nurse practitioner. For over forty years, Robinson has practiced nursing in a variety of settings including intensive care, emergency department, nursing administration and ambulatory care. Over the past 33 years at NKU, Dr. Robinson has taught BSN, RN-BSN, MSN and DNP students and has served as program director for the RN-BSN and MSN programs. Dr. Robinson completed a Bachelor and Masters’ Degree in Nursing at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, and a PhD in Adult Nursing at the University of Texas in Austin. She completed her Post MSN FNP certificate at the University of Kentucky. She has been teaching advanced practice nursing for the past twenty plus years. Dr. Robinson’s clinical practice as a FNP has included care provided at a federally qualified health center, a college health practice and a convenient clinic. Dr. Robinson also served as the Founding Dean of the College of Health Professions at NKU for 6 years. Dr. Robinson has published 8 textbooks related to advanced practice nursing. Her research interests focus on nursing outcomes, particularly as they relate to use of national guidelines and best practice. Dr. Robinson serves as a national peer evaluator for the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) as well as for regional accreditors Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Northeastern Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
Assistant Professor
FH 395G
859-572-5671
smithl22@nku.edu
Lynn Smith teaches in the Department of Nursing in the College of Health Professions. She comes to NKU from a career as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Critical Care, as well as having experience in Home Care, Cardiac Rehabilitation, and Hospice.
Lynn teaches primarily in the junior level of the BSN program; Intermediate Medical Surgical Nursing, Nursing Theories, and Clinical Reasoning. She is passionate about study abroad, and she has led groups on an Alternative Spring Break experience to Mexico City, and has taught nursing courses in Merida, Yucatan as part of the KIIS Program (Kentucky Institute of International Studies).
Lynn earned a BSN from The University of Tennessee, an MSN from the University of Cincinnati, an MDiv from Lexington Theological Seminary, and is completing her EdD at Walden University.
Lynn lives in Burlington with her husband, Carl. They enjoy travel, and playing with their five grandchildren.
Elizabeth Stine MSN, BS, RN, CMSRN
Lecturer
FH 461K
859-572-5638
stinee1@nku.edu
Professor Stine joined Northern Kentucky University (NKU) as a full time faculty member in fall 2017. Previously serving as a clinical instructor, she has taught practicums in fundamental nursing concepts and behavioral health. Her didactic teaching experience has been at the BSN and MSN levels. Growing up in Canada, she later came to the United States earning a BS degree in psychology from NKU and was chosen as the Outstanding Senior in Psychology. Over a decade later, she returned to NKU to earn a degree in nursing, receiving the award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. She received her MSN degree from Indiana Wesleyan University with a track focus in nursing education.
Currently, Professor Stine teaches courses in holistic health assessment and mental health nursing. Additionally, she serves as the clinical partner for the adjunct faculty teaching the ABSN/BSN psychiatric and mental health practicums. Besides teaching, she has over 19 years of medical-surgical and psychiatric experience in the acute care setting. She has also served on several hospital-wide councils and has worked with pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations over her career.
Professor Stine is a Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN) and was recently awarded the Professional Advancement Level III at The Christ Hospital Health Network. She is currently working on her doctoral degree and is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society of Nursing, the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society, and the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology.
Lecturer
859-572-5327
thomasa8@nku.edu
Amber Nattin Thomas works with students of all levels at the bedside, as a full time member of the Clinical Faculty. Previously for NKU, Amber taught nursing clinicals on an intermittent basis for several years, and lectured for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Amber received a Bachelor's of Science in Biology, with a double major in History from Duke University in 1993. Then, Amber joined the first class of the University of Cincinnati, College of Nursing and Health's accelerated pathway and completed her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing in 1996, followed by her Master's of Science in Nursing, with a focus area of Critical Care-Trauma in December 1997.
As a bedside, critical care nurse, Amber worked in UC Medical Center's Cardiac Care Unit for several years, then joined the Critical Care Float Pool, working for 9 years in whichever of UCMC's 7 ICUs needed help on any given day, before settling in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, where she continues to work intermittently at present.
Amber appreciates the love and support of her husband of many years, Brian, and the joys, trials and tribulations of parenting their four growing children, Maegan, William, Gabriel and Joshua.
Assistant Professor
FH 395L
859-572-5630
turkelsons@nku.edu
Sandra Turkelson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing. She obtained her diploma in nursing at the Christ Hospital School of Nursing and furthered her nursing education at the University of Cincinnati earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and then a Master of Science in Nursing degree at the University of Kentucky. While at UK she was in the clinical nurse specialist track with a focus in adult nursing. She later became a certified clinical nurse specialist.
Sandra has held a variety of positions during her nursing career. She was a staff nurse in the intensive care unit, cardiovascular surgery nurse, critical care educator, and a clinical nurse specialist and case manager in the area of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery. Sandra also held a position as director of nursing and assistant administrator in a small rural hospital. She was also a school nurse and earned a school nurse licensure from Wright State University.
Sandra came to NKU in 2001 and has taught in a variety of nursing courses in the undergraduate traditional and accelerated BSN programs.
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