Nursing Faculty and Staff

Elizabeth Gazza PhD, RN, LCCE, FACCE egazza@chatham.edu Program Director Director of Nursing Programs, Associate Professor of Nursing Hometown : Homer City, PA Joined Chatham : 2009 Academic Areas of Interest Nursing Education (ADN, BSN, RN-BSN, MSN, DNP), Nursing Faculty Experience, Healthful Work Enviroinments, Faculty Mentoring, Scholarly Writing Personal Areas of Interest Spending time with family, walking, bicycling, yoga Biography I began my career in nursing nearly 30 years ago, just a short time after my high school guidance counselor said I was not “smart enough to be a nurse.” Whether providing care to families welcoming a new baby, or facilitating the development of students entering or advancing in the profession, I attribute my success to the outstanding educational programs I have attended and the mentors who have guided my professional and personal development. The positions I’ve held in higher education, specifically nursing education, provided me with the opportunity to guide the development of others. Seeing the success of others is the most rewarding aspect of my work. I believe an important part of this process is ensuring quality programs are available and accessible to those seeking growth. I am very committed to quality academics in higher education and have participated in the accreditation process at the program and institutional levels. My research interests focus on the experiences of being nursing faculty, which is an essential experience to understand as I facilitate the preparation of future nursing faculty. The faculty experience also has been the impetus for participation in professional service opportunities with the National League for Nursing (NLN). I have contributed to the development of an NLN position statement about faculty mentoring and tool kits aimed at enhancing the faculty experience through mentoring and the development of healthful work environments. My interest in quality education, including faculty preparation and development, guides decisions regarding lifelong learning and career advancement. My long term professional goal is to lead the academic division of a college or university.

Education • Ph.D. in Nursing, Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, PA), 2006 • MSN, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Indiana, PA), 2001 • BSN, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Indiana, PA), 1987 • Practical Nursing Diploma, Indiana County Technology Center (Indiana, PA), 1983 Publications • Slade, J. D., Wolf, D. M., Spadaro, K. C., & Gazza, E. A. (in press). Using social media to meet the needs of DNP preceptors within an online program. Online Journal of Nursing Informatics. • Shellenbarger, T., Hunker, D. F., & Gazza, E. A. (in press). Understanding the Scholarly Writing Development of Nurses in US Clinical Doctoral Programs. Accepted by Nursing Forum. • Gazza, E. A., Hunker, D. F., & Shellenbarger, T. (in press). Advancing the quality and safety of radiology and imaging nursing practice through scholarly writing. Journal of Radiology Nursing. • Gazza, E. A., & Hunker, D. F. (2012). Facilitating scholarly writer development: The writing scaffold. Nursing Forum, 47(4), 278-285. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6198.2012.00275.x • Gazza, E., A., Shellenbarger, T., & Hunker, D. F. (2012). Developing as scholarly writers: The experience of students enrolled in a PhD in nursing program in the United States. Nurse Education Today. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2012.04.019 • Gazza, E. A., & Sterrett, S. E. (2011). The leadership journey: From belief to reality. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 6(2), 59-63. • Gazza, E. A., & Shellenbarger, T. (2010). The lived experience of part-time baccalaureate nursing faculty. Journal of Professional Nursing, 26(6), 353-359. • Gazza, E. A. (2009). The experience of being a full-time nursing faculty member in a baccalaureate nursing education program. Journal of Professional Nursing. 25(4), 218-226. • Gazza, E. A. (2008). Mentoring matters. The Community College Enterprise, 14(2), 57-62. • Gazza, E. A., & Young, P. (2008). Cultivating healthful work environments in nursing education. Nursing Education Perspectives, 29(1), 56-57. • Gazza, E. A., & Shellenbarger, T. (2005). Successful enculturation: Strategies for retaining newly hired nursing faculty. Nurse Educator, 30(6), 251-254. • Gazza, E. A. (2004). Establishing a supportive culture through mentorship. Phi Kappa Phi Forum, 84(4), 47-48. • Gazza, E. A. (2004). Corporate compliance training manual. Pensacola, FL: National Nursing Staff Development Organization. Certifications • Lamaze International: Certified Childbirth Educator, Fellow in American College of Childbirth Educators Awards • National League for Nursing, project entitled, The Experience of Being a Full-Time Nursing Faculty Member in a Baccalaureate Nursing Education Program (2005). • The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation & The Higher Education Foundation, Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students (2007) • The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation & The Higher Education Foundation, Nursing Education Grant (2006, 2007, 2008) • Recipient of Marion A. Murray Scholarship for Nursing Excellence, IUP (2001) • Content Pedagogy Award, IUP Center for Teaching Excellence (2004) • Recipient of Nurses’ Educational Funds, Inc. (NEF) Scholarship (2004) • Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges (2006) Organizations • Lamaze International. Member • Phi Kappa Phi, Member • National League for Nursing, Member Achievements • Reviewer of poster presentation proposals, National League for Nursing 2008 Faculty Leadership Conference (2007) • Reviewer for National League for Nursing, Nursing Education Grant proposals (2008) • Butler County Community College President's Merit Award (2007, 2008) • Lamaze International, Inducted as Fellow in American College of Childbirth Educators-2002 Presentations • Gazza, E. A., Shellenbarger, T., & Hunker, D. F. (2012, June). Becoming a scholarly writer: The experiences of first semester PhD students. Peer reviewed presentation of research at Nursing Education Today and Nursing Practice Today 2012, 4th International Nurse Education Conference, Baltimore, MD. • Gazza, E. A. (2010, April). Applying evidence to practice: The evolving role of advanced practice nursing. Invited keynote speaker at Nurse Practitioner Association Mohawk Valley Chapter New York Education Day, Utica, NY. • Gazza, E. A., & Hunker, D. F. (2010, January). Recognizing doctoral level writing deficiencies: Strategies for success. Peer reviewed poster session presented at AACN Doctoral Education Conference, Captiva Island, FL. • Shellenbarger, T. & Gazza, E. A. (2009, June). The use of contingent faculty: Confirming part-time faculty experiences. Peer reviewed presentation at AAUP Globalization, Shared Governance, and Academic Freedom: An International Conference. Washington, DC. • Gazza, E. A. (2009, January). Dean, director, committee chair: Don’t be afraid to go up there! Presented at 2009 National League for Nursing Faculty Leadership Conference, New Orleans, LA. • Gazza, E. A. (2009, January). Understanding those you lead. Presented at 2009 National League for Nursing Faculty Leadership Conference, New Orleans, LA. • Gazza, E. A., Hiser, M. A., & Aul, K. (2008, May). Mentoring matters. Presented at 2008 Faculty of the Future 6 Conference, Newtown, PA. • Gazza, E. A. (2008, January). Understanding the faculty experience as an evidence-based approach to resolving the faculty shortage. Poster session presented at 2008 National League for Nursing Faculty Leadership Conference, Orlando, FL. • Brady, M., Gazza, E. A., & Young, P. (2008, January). Using the mentoring tool kit to develop leaders. Presented at 2008 National League for Nursing Faculty Leadership Conference, Orlando, FL. • National League for Nursing Task Group on Healthful Work Environments. (2007, September). Mentoring of nursing faculty tool kit. Poster session presented at National League for Nursing 2007 Education Summit, Phoenix, AZ. • Brady, M. & Gazza, E. A. (2005, February). Mentoring novice and experienced faculty in nursing education. Audio-Web Seminar for National League for Nursing. • National League for Nursing Task Group for Recruitment and Retention of Nurse Educators. (2005, September). Healthful work environment tool kit. Presented at National League for Nursing Education Summit, Baltimore, MD. • Gazza, E. A. (2004, August). Enculturation of faculty through mentorship. Presented at Indiana University of Pennsylvania New Faculty Orientation, Indiana, PA.