Donna M. Nickitas

Donna M. Nickitas, an exceptional administrator, a noted health policy scholar, and an energetic visionary regarding the future of health care and nursing education in America, is dean of the Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden. Dr. Nickitas' long history of advocacy for equitable health care, expertise in academic nursing education, and proven ability to foster a culture of cross-sector engagement ideally positions her to lead the dynamic growth of the School of Nursing–Camden and build on the school’s tradition of leadership, scholarship, and service</span></span>. She believes wholeheartedly that nurses serve society and do public good by advancing health, driving public policy, and promoting access to quality, patient-centered care.

Dr. Nickitas assumed the deanship in July 2018 after a distinguished career at the City University of New York’s Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing and The Graduate Center, where she was a professor, the executive officer of the nursing science Ph.D. program, and served previously as the former specialty coordinator of the dual degree in nursing administration/public administration. In these capacities, she played a critical role in growing enrollment and enhancing the national profile of the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing.

She is the author, co-author, or co-editor of peer-reviewed books related to the nursing profession such as Public Policy and Politics for Nurses and Other Health Professionals, third edition (2018 Jones and Bartlett) and Reviews & Rationales: Nursing Leadership & Management (2009, Prentice Hall Health). Her scholarship appears as chapters in books such as Fast Facts About the Nursing Profession Historical Perspectives in a Nutshell (2017, Springer Publishing) and Practicing Primary Health Care in Nursing: Caring for Populations, third edition (2017, Jones and Bartlett).

Dr. Nickitas’ research consistently appears in peer-reviewed journals that include Nursing Education Perspectives, Research in Gerontological Nursing, and the Journal of Nursing Education. She has received research grant support from agencies such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National League for Nursing, Jonas Philanthropies, and Sigma Theta Tau International.

Since 2008, Dr. Nickitas has served as the editor of Nursing Economic$, a journal dedicated to advancing nursing leadership and innovation. Her editorials inspire, enlighten, and motivate nurses to produce positive change on issues and trends affecting nursing and health care.

She is a member of premier national honor societies including the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing; a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing; a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice; and a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine.  She is an invited member of the Hermann Biggs Society and an invited nurse educator for Johnson & Johnson’s “Campaign for Nursing Future” webisode series.  Her achievements have been recognized with awards such as the 2017 Josephine Dolan Diamond Jubilee Award for Outstanding Contributions to Nursing Education from the Connecticut Nurses Association and the 2015 Mary Nutting Award for Outstanding Teaching or Leadership in Nursing Education from the National League for Nursing.

A retired major in the U.S. Air Force Nurse Reserve Corps, Dr. Nickitas previously served as assistant director of maternal child health nursing at Bellevue Medical Center in New York and as a staff nurse in the labor and delivery unit at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn.  She earned her Ph.D. from Adelphi University, her master’s degree from New York University, and her bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University.

She is a member of numerous professional and civic organizations, serving as treasurer of the Eastern Regional Society of Nursing, vice chair of the nursing section of the New York Academy of Nursing, and a board member of the Saint Edmund Preparatory High School in Brooklyn.

Leadership and Management

Health Policy

Nursing Education

Health Disparities / Health Equity

Civic Engagement

Service Learning

PhD (Nursing): Adelphi University, 1989

MA (Nursing): New York University, 1980

BS (Nursing): SUNY at Stony Brook, 1976

AAS (Nursing): Kingsborough Community College, 1974

Peer-Reviewed Books

• Nickitas, D. M., Middaugh, D. J., & Aries, N. (2016). Public policy and politics for nurses and other health professionals (2nd ed.). Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

• Nickitas, D. M., Middaugh, D. J., & Aries, N. (2011). Public policy and politics for nurses and other health professionals. Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

• Hogan, M. A., & Nickitas, D. M. (2009). Review & rationales: Leadership & management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Health.

• Nickitas, D. M. (1997). Quick reference guide to nursing leadership. New York: Del Mar Publications.

Work in Progress – Books

• Nickitas, D. M., Middaugh, D. J., & Feeg, V. (in progress). Public policy and politics for nurses and other health professionals (3rd ed.). Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Peer-Reviewed Book Chapters

• Nickitas, D. M. (2017). Pioneers in nursing education and social activists: Lavinia Lloyd Dock, Isabel Hampton Robb, & Mary Adelaide Nutting. In D. Hunt (Ed.), Fast facts about the nursing profession: Perspectives in a nutshell (pp. 101–106). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2017). Economics and populations in primary care. In S. B. Lewenson & M. Truglio-Londrigan (Eds.), Caring for populations (pp. 75–86). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

• Nickitas, D. M., & Burke, S. (2017). Nursing, policy, and politics: Understanding the connection. In C. Huston (Ed.), Professional issues in nursing: Challenges and opportunities (4th ed., pp. 362–381). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2016). Ethical and economical: Calling the profession to social justice. In W. Rosa (Ed.), Nurses as leaders: Evolutionary visions of leadership (pp. 149–163). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

• Nickitas, D. M., & Berger-Spinach, L. (2015). Healthcare costs matter: Economics and decision making. In S. B. Lewenson & M. Truglio-Londrigan (Eds.), Decision-making in nursing (2nd ed., pp. 181–197). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2014). Nursing, policy, and politics: Understanding the connection and importance of getting involved. In C. Huston (Ed.), Professional issues in nursing: Challenges and opportunities (3rd ed., pp. 365–386). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

• Nickitas, D. M., & Gardner, D. (2014). Health care policy and politics: The risks and rewards for public health nurses. In M. Truglio-Londrigan & S. Lewenson (Eds.), Public health nursing: Practicing population-based care (3rd ed., pp. 201–221). Boston, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles – Work in Progress

• Nickitas, D. M., & Villegas, M. (under review). Service-learning in undergraduate nursing students assigned to community outreach clinics.

• Nickitas, D. M., Dine, J., Villegas-Pantoja, M., & Jones, S. (under review). What is the relationship between mentors’ qualities and mentees’ successful progression in a nursing Ph.D. program?

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• Nickitas, D. M., Fealy, G., & De Natale, M. L. (2016). Psychometric evaluation of the Service-Learning in Nursing Inventory. Nursing Education Perspectives, 37(4), 201–209.

• Rome, B., Nickitas, D. M., & Lawrence, D. (2016). The financial landscape and the implications for nursing. Nurse Leader, 14(1), 33–37.

• Caboral-Stephens, M., Whetsell, M., Evangelista, L. S., Cypress, B., & Nickitas, D. M. (2015). U.S.A.B.I.L.T.Y. Framework for older adults. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 8(6), 300–306.

• Nickitas, D. M., & Mensik, J. (2015). Exploring nurse staffing through excellence: A data-driven model. Nurse Leader, 13(1), 40–47.

• Nickitas, D. M., & Cohen, B. (2014). Remembering Grace: A personal reflection on death and dying. Nursing in the 21st Century: A Mobile Journal, 14, 1–8.

• Anderson, R., Ellerbe, S., Haas, S., Kerfoot, K., Kirby, K., Christopher, M., et al. (2014). Excellence and evidence in staffing: A data-driven model for excellence in staffing (2nd ed.). Nursing Economic$, 1–35.

• Frederickson, K., & Nickitas, D. M. (2014). A doctoral peer mentoring program. nursing.jhu.edu/inden, 2(2), 1–6.

• Nickitas, D. M., Jacobson, M., & Stubenrauch, J. (2013). Getting others to write. Nurse Author & Editor, 23(3), 7–12.

Non–Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• Nickitas, D. M. (2016). Guiding global nursing: An interview with Annette Mwansa Nkowane. Nursing Economic$, 34(4), 182–184, 198.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2016). How nurse educators are impacting the future of nursing. Media Planet: Future of Health Care. http://futureofhealthcarenews.com/news/how-nurse-educators-are-impacting-the-future-of-nursing

• Nickitas, D. M. (2016). Shifting the curve: An interview with David C. Benton. Nursing Economic$, 34(2), 77–81.

• Mensik, J., & Nickitas, D. M. (2015). Why nurse staffing matters: A moral imperative. Nursing Economic$, 33(3), 186–187.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2015). Understanding health and payment reform—Essential for the new world of nursing: An interview with Betty Rambur. Nursing Economic$, 33(3), 155–160.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2014). Mentorship in nursing: An interview with Connie Vance. Nursing Economic$, 32(2), 65–69.

Editorials

• Nickitas, D. M. (2018). A time to make America great: Address discrimination and life expectancy. Nursing Economic$, 36(1), 5–6.

• Nickitas, D. M., & Ferguson, S. (2017). Investing in nursing: Improving health, gender equity, and economic growth. Nursing Economic$, 35(4), 158, 183.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2017). Building a culture of health centered on the patient and family. Nursing Economic$, 35(3), 109, 144.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2017). Speaking truth to power: Implications for nursing’s values and voice. Nursing Economic$, 35(2), 54, 95.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2016). Searching for meaning in times of uncertainty? Nursing Economic$, 34(6), 265, 276.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2016). Policy, politics, and the presidential campaign: What's at stake for nursing? Nursing Economic$, 34(5), 213, 254.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2016). A global health agenda: It is who we are. Nursing Economic$, 34(4), 158, 189.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2016). Mental health is population health. Nursing Economic$, 34(3), 109, 146.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2016). Taking action to reduce gun violence: It’s just common sense. Nursing Economic$, 34(1), 5.

• Nickitas, D. M., & Frederickson, K. (2015). Nursing knowledge and theory: Where is the economic value? Nursing Economic$, 33(4), 190, 239.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2015). Ethics, evidence-based practice, and economics: The metrics of quality. Nursing Economic$, 33(3), 122, 131.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2015). Predatory publishing practices: Are you in the know? Nursing Economic$, 33(2), 70, 80.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2014). Investing in nursing: Good for patients, good for business, and good for the bottom line. Nursing Economic$, 32(2), 54, 69.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2014). Navigating nurse staffing: A new partnership in the new year. Nursing Economic$, 32(1), 2, 39.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2013). The politics of health care: Congress vs. consumers. Nursing Economic$, 31(6), 265.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2013). Methods, measures, and metrics of nurse staffing: Uncovering the evidence. Nursing Economic$, 31(5), 213, 259.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2013). The cost of care in America: $2.7 trillion. Nursing Economic$, 31(4), 171, 170.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2013). Remembering Donna Diers: A true trailblazer. Nursing Economic$, 31(3), 109, 154.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2013). With our voices and our votes: Advocating gun control. Nursing Economic$, 31(2), 57, 98.

• Nickitas, D. M. (2013). Health care spending: The cold hard facts on cost, quality, and care. Nursing Economic$, 31(1), 5, 11.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – Future of Nursing Scholars

• 2017–2020
  Grant Amount: $125,000
  Purpose: Support for one nurse scholar (Cohort 4)
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. Nickitas

• 2016–2019
  Grant Amount: $350,000
  Purpose: Support for two nurse scholars (Cohort 3)
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. Nickitas

Health and Human Services Grant – City University of New York (CUNY)

• 2016–2017
  Grant Amount: $29,995
  Purpose: Nursing Science Post-Doctoral Fellowship
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. Nickitas

• 2015–2016
  Grant Amount: $29,995
  Purpose: Nursing Science Post-Doctoral Fellowship
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. Nickitas

• 2014–2015
  Grant Amount: $29,995
  Purpose: Nursing Science Post-Doctoral Fellowship
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. Nickitas

• 2013–2014
  Grant Amount: $29,995
  Purpose: Nursing Science Post-Doctoral Fellowship
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. Nickitas

Jonas Center for Nursing & Veterans Health – Nurse Leaders Scholar Program

• 2016–2018
  Grant Amount: $40,000
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. M. Nickitas

• 2014–2016
  Grant Amount: $20,000
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. M. Nickitas

• 2012–2014
  Grant Amount: $30,000
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. M. Nickitas

Other Major Funding

• 2015–2016
  Grant Amount: $5,000
  Agency: Clinical & Translational Science Center, Weill Cornell Medical College
  Title: Service-Learning Experience in Undergraduate Nursing Students Assigned to Heart-2-Heart Community Outreach Clinics
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. M. Nickitas; Co-PI: Joseph Saladino

• 2015–2016
  Grant Amount: $5,960
  Agency: Sigma Theta Tau International / ATI Educational Assessment
  Title: What is the relationship between mentors’ qualities and mentees’ successful progression in a Nursing Ph.D. Program?
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. M. Nickitas

• 2013–2015
  Grant Amount: $15,000
  Agency: Office of Academic Affairs, CUNY
  Title: Refining, Evaluating, and Implementing a Doctoral Peer Mentoring Program for First-Year Doctoral Nursing Students
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. M. Nickitas

• 2013–2015
  Grant Amount: $1.5 million
  Agency: Health Services Administration
  Title: New York City Nursing Education Consortium in Technology (NYCNECT)
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. M. Nickitas

• 2010–2012
  Grant Amount: $1.5 million
  Agency: Health Services Administration
  Title: NYCNECT (5-Year Program)
  Role: PI – Joyce Griffin Soble; Project Faculty – D. M. Nickitas, K. Nokes, L. Sharoff

• 2011–2013
  Grant Amount: $9,842
  Agency: National League for Nursing
  Title: A Multi-site Study of the Impact of Global Service Learning in Undergraduate Nursing Students
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. M. Nickitas; Co-Investigators: G. Fealy, M. L. DeNatle

• 2012–2013
  Grant Amount: $14,000
  Agency: Office of Academic Affairs, CUNY
  Title: CUNY Academic Nurse Educator (ANE) Institute for Scholarship
  Role: Principal Investigator – D. M. Nickitas; Co-PI: Keville Frederickson

• 2012–2017
  Grant Amount: $1,315,741
  Agency: National Institute of Nursing Research, NIH
  Title: Training in Interdisciplinary Research to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance (TIR) – T32 NR013454
  Role: Project Faculty – D. M. Nickitas, Dr. Kessin, Dr. Myers; PIs: Elaine Larson, Lisa Saiman

Professional Awards and Honors

• 2018-2021 - Presidential Appointee, Roosevelt House Associate, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College

• 2017 - Member, Herman Biggs Society, New York, NY

• 2017 - Josephine A. Dolan Award for Outstanding Contributions to Nursing Education, Connecticut Nursing Association

• 2015 - Mary Nutting Award for Outstanding Teaching or Leadership in Nursing Education, National League for Nursing

• 2015-2016 - Faculty Fellow, Academic Center for Excellence in Research & Teaching

• 2015-2018 - Presidential Appointee, Roosevelt House Associate, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College

• 2013 - Distinguished Scholar and Fellow, National Academies of Practice

• 2012 - Fellow, American Academy of Nursing

• 2011-2014 - Presidential Appointee, Roosevelt House Associate, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College

• 2011 - Featured Nurse Educator, Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future Webisode Series: “A Day in the Life”

• 2010 - Virginia Henderson Fellow, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing

• 2009 - Fellow, New York Academy of Medicine

• 2009 - Distinguished Alumni Award, Stony Brook University School of Nursing

• 2007 - Distinguished Alumni, Kingsborough Community College

• 2006-2007 - Fellow, AACN Leadership for Academic Nursing Programs; Mentor: Dr. Heyward Michael Dreher, Drexel University

• 1995 - Agnes Ohlson Award for Outstanding Contribution to Nursing through Political Action, Connecticut Nurses Association

• 1995 - Educator of the Year, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, Alpha Phi Chapter

• 1993 - Air Force Commendation Medal (First Oak Leaf Cluster), for Leadership and Excellence as a Medical Service Administrator

• 1987 - Doctoral Scholarship Award, Sigma Theta Tau, Alpha Omega Chapter

• 1987 - Air Force Commendation Medal for Leadership and Excellence in Nursing Practice

Editorial Activities

• 2018 - Grant Reviewer, NLN Research in Nursing Education Grant Program

• 2017 - Grant Reviewer, Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Grant Program

• 2008-present - Editor, Nursing Economic$: The Journal for Health Care Leaders, A. Jannetti Publication

• 2006-present - Editorial Board Member, Nursing Economic$

• 2004-2011 - Editorial Board Member, MEDSURG Nursing: The Journal of Adult Health

• 2016-present - Manuscript Reviewer, Nursing Education Perspectives

• 2011-present - Manuscript Reviewer, Journal of Contemporary Medicine

• 2009-present - Manuscript Reviewer, Nursing Forum

• 2007-present - Manuscript Reviewer, Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice

• 2006-present - Manuscript Reviewer, Public Health Nursing

Service to the Profession

• 2018-present - Board Member, Nursing Knowledge International, STTI

• 2017-present - Treasurer, Eastern Nursing Research Society

• 2017-present - Board Member, Regional Advisory Board, Heilbrunn Family Center for Research Nursing, Rockefeller University

• 2015-present - Vice-Chair, Nursing Section, New York Academy of Medicine

• 2014-present - Co-Lead, Raise the Voice Campaign, American Academy of Nursing

• 2014-2018 - Member, Experienced Nurse Faculty Leadership Academy (ENFLA), Sigma Theta Tau

• 2014-2017 - Secretary and Director, International Honor Society of Nursing Building Corporation Board

• 2013-2014 - Co-Chair, Committee on Nurse Training for Boards & Commissions, New York Academy of Medicine

• 2012-2014 - Member, NYU College of Nursing Building Campaign Committee

• 2012-2013, 2014-2015 - Abstract Reviewer, State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research

• 2011-2016 - Board Member, Institute for Staffing Excellence (ONE); Sub-Committee on Staffing

• 2011-2013 - Chair, Poster Review Panel, Annual Connecticut Nurses Association Conference

• 2010-2013 - Member, Connecticut Nurses Association Continuing Education Committee

• 2010-present - Member, Special Interest Nursing Group, New York Academy of Medicine

• 2009-present - Judge, American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award for Nursing Leadership

• 2009-2011 - Judge, New York Times Tribute to Nurses Awards Program

• 2008-present - External Examiner, Doctoral Nursing Candidate, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

• 2002-2010 - Board Member, Foundation of the National Student Nurses Association

• 2010, 2015-present - Certified Nurse Educator, National League for Nursing

• 2013-present - Nurse Executive Advanced, American Nurses Credentialing Center

• 2008 - Nurse Executive Advanced, American Nurses Credentialing Center

• 2003 - Nurse Administration Advanced Board, American Nurses Credentialing Center

• 2004-2010 - Certified Trainer, School Nurse Asthma Management Program (SNAMP), National Association of School Nurses

• 1982-2002 - Nurse Executive Basic Board Certified, American Nurses Credentialing Center

• 1979-2001 - Certified Childbirth Educator, Association for Psychoprophylaxis in Obstetrics

• 1978-1988 - Certified Flight Nurse, United States Air Force Nurse Corps, San Antonio, TX

• American Academy of Nursing

• National Academies of Practice

• American Association of Colleges of Nursing

• New York Academy of Medicine

• National League for Nursing

• Center for Healthcare Informatics and Policy

• International Academy of Nursing Editors

• Council on Graduate Education for Administration in Nursing

• American Association of Nurse Executives

• Connecticut National League for Nursing

• Community-Campus Partnerships for Health

• Connecticut Nurses Association

• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, Upsilon and Alpha Phi Chapters