Advanced Practice Nursing: Essential Knowledge for the Profession

Susan DeNisco is the Director of the Post Baccalaureate, Doctor of Nursing Practice/Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Sacred Heart University. She has held a variety of leadership positions including Interim Director of the School of Nursing and Director of Graduate Nursing Programs. She coordinated the Family Nurse Practitioner Program there from 2000 - 2010. She led the development of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program which was implemented in 2010. Susan received a DNP degree in Clinical Leadership from Case Western Reserve University, an MS in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program from Pace University, and a BSN from Western Connecticut State University. Dr. DeNisco is the Executive Director of College of Health Professions, Center for Community Health & Wellness. She served on the Executive Board of the Connecticut Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Society in a variety of elected positions including President from 2005-2009. She is certified as a Childbirth Educator by the Council of Childbirth Education Specialists. Dr. DeNisco's impressive career includes 30 years of clinical experience as a Family Nurse Practitioner in a variety of primary care settings. Her work has largely focused on medically underserved populations including disenfranchised groups such as migrant farm workers, refugees and the homeless. Dr. DeNisco's current clinical practice areas include internal medicine at a large federally qualified health center for the medically underserved in Bridgeport, CT. Her scholarly interests include evidence-based treatment modalities for alternative treatments for pain, depression and anxiety disorders. She has published several articles and book chapters on these topics. Her doctoral research focused on the relationship between resilience and diabetes outcomes in African American women. She was recently inducted as a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She is the recipient of numerous state and national awards including the American Academy of Nurse Practitioner Connecticut State Award for Excellence, The National Nursing Center Consortium Primary Care Champion Award, the Connecticut Nurses Association, Diamond Jubilee Josephine Dolan Award for Outstanding Contributions to Nursing Education. Most recently she received the Connecticut League for Nursing, Jane E. Murdock “Life-Long” Learning Award for her contributions to nursing education.She has been awarded several grants by the Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging to implement health promotion programs for elderly Latinos residing in Bridgeport. Most recently, Dr. DeNiscoreceived funding by the Department of Health and Human Services, Advanced Nursing Education Workforce grant. The project, entitled Alternatives to Opioids for Pain (ALTOP) will benefit patients who are at risk for misuse of opioids for non-cancer chronic pain. As a Family Nurse Practitioner, Dr. DeNisco feels she is able to combine her love for clinical practice with teaching since education provides the foundation for all health promotion and wellness activities.