Dean Donna S. Havens
Health-systems researcher and experienced leader, Dean Havens is a passionate advocate for quality nursing education and practice as well as exceptional patient care.
Donna S. Havens, PhD, RN, FAAN was announced on June 4, 2018 as Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor of the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing.
As dean, Dr. Havens serves as the chief administrator of the College, leading its strategic and academic planning, faculty scholarship, teaching and service; strengthening the student experience; promoting clinical and community partnerships; providing financial oversight; and overseeing fundraising and alumni relations.
Greetings from Dean Havens
Welcome to the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing.
Nursing is a life-changing profession. So is your Villanova Nursing education. Let’s bring it into focus.
On our website, I hope you will enjoy learning more about us and see what motivates and energizes us about nursing, our students and our partnerships. Discover what makes us a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence in Nursing Education. Visit us, talk with us. Enjoy our collegial, encouraging culture, and our can-do spirit, built on a foundation of rigorous science.
See how we innovate. Read about the relationships we cultivate, and how they benefit you and society. Read about our research, conducted by students and faculty, often with interdisciplinary colleagues near and far.
See how we educate. We take your education as seriously as you do, creating opportunities for you to grow as a person, as a nurse and as a professional with a global perspective and a dedication to inquiry.
We take our faculty-student partnerships just as seriously. Our faculty are experts in myriad of specialties. They are teachers, scholars and mentors, who open lifelong relationships to you as you expand your practice, scholarship and leadership in our profession.
Villanova is a great place to be and so is the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. Whether you’re here in Driscoll Hall on our beautiful campus in suburban Philadelphia, or elsewhere in the nation or the world, you are part of a legacy of nursing leaders who have made an impact at all levels of health care. When we join together for your education, you also join a powerful and committed Villanova Nursing alumni network.
We are a diverse group of people - from around the country and the globe- with diverse interests, but we come together in Veritas, Unitas, Caritas to ignite change for the health of the world. Join us as we inspire each other. See what we can do together.
Welcome to Villanova Nursing.
Donna S. Havens, PhD, RN, FAAN
Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor
Bio of Dean Havens
Donna S. Havens, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor of the Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing (FCN). She began in that role June 30, 2018. Her career in the nursing profession spans decades and has included a blend of roles in nursing practice, academia, administration and research in the U.S. and abroad.
As dean, Dr. Havens has led FCN to its sixth consecutive designation as a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence in Nursing Education as well as through a new strategic planning process; enhanced the operations, support and funding for College’s research and innovation enterprise; created new academic leadership positions including a Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence (IE); further diversified the faculty, staff and the student body; and launched IE and Healthy Work Environment initiatives. Her leadership has also included spearheading FCN’s navigation through the COVID-19 pandemic while advocating for nurses, patients and communities in the national media. In parallel, Dr. Havens also serves as co-principal investigator in FCN’s national Caring About Health for All Study (CHAMPS) – launched in May 2020 – which examines the experience and self-reported health and well-being of essential workers and first responders, service staff and healthcare professionals who provided support for patients, families, treatment sites and the community during the pandemic.
Dr. Havens has extended FCN’s reach through external industry partnerships and interprofessional collaborations both inside and outside Villanova, including the Certificate in Healthcare Design and Innovation in association with the Villanova School of Business. Through effective fundraising efforts, she has increased the giving to FCN, enabling more students to experience a Villanova Nursing education through scholarships and fellowships, fostering a reimagining of the Simulation and Learning Resource Center, and creating an additional second degree accelerated BSN Flex track, an accelerated PhD track, and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner MSN and post-graduate certificate options.
Dr. Havens brings broad international experience to her role at Villanova. She has held several appointments abroad, including as a visiting international scholar at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. She also served as the Frances Bloomberg International Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Toronto Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and as a visiting professor in the National Nursing Research Unit at the King’s College Florence Nightingale School of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care in London.
Dr. Havens spent more than a decade at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing as a professor, division chair and, later, interim dean of the school. As interim dean, she planned new academic programs to respond to health care needs regionally, nationally and internationally, and enhanced student enrollment and retention. In addition, a nurse faculty-run van was launched to perform health assessments in underserved areas, and the school’s first faculty practice was developed in partnership with the North Carolina Association of Independent Pharmacists.
She came to UNC from the Pennsylvania State University College of Nursing, where she was the Eberly Endowed Professor of Research and associate dean for Research. She also was a member of both the dean’s leadership team and the core team, which provided interim leadership to the school while a new dean was recruited.
Dr. Havens is committed to advancing the field of nursing through research and engagement with nurse leaders, practicing nurses and health care organizations. She has served as principal investigator on various federally funded studies focused on improving nursing practice and patient care. Her most recent work includes several initiatives to translate research findings to improve the quality of patient care and nursing practice in hospitals and enhance the quality of patient care in emergency rooms located in rural North Carolina hospitals.
Dr. Havens developed the groundbreaking Decisional Involvement Scale (DIS), which is a well-known tool used across the globe by hundreds of hospitals, hospital systems, researchers and consultants to enhance clinical nurse involvement in decisions about nursing practice and patient care. Her research has been honored by the American Organization of Nurse Executives with the National Nurse Researcher Award and by Villanova’s Fitzpatrick College of Nursing with its Medallion for Distinguished Contributions in Nursing Research. Dr. Havens was also inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame.
A dedicated practitioner, teacher and scholar, she is also a passionate advocate for quality nursing education and practice, as well as quality patient care, and community and global initiatives to improve the health of underserved populations. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, has held leadership roles in a number of nursing organizations, including the American Nurses Association, and has served as a board member at prestigious councils, foundations, hospitals and community organizations.
Dr. Havens completed postdoctoral study at the University of Pennsylvania in the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, and she earned her PhD at the University of Maryland, her MSN at Villanova University and her BS in Nursing at Cedar Crest College. She is also a graduate of the competitive AACN-Wharton Executive Leadership Program to advance chief academic administrators at the enterprise level.
Books and Monographs Book Chapters:
* Data Based
Wood, S.O., Havens, D.S., Leighton, L.G. (2007). Appreciative inquiry case applications. In J. Stavros (Ed.) Appreciative Inquiry Handbook (2nd ed.), Brunswick, OH: Crown Custom Publishing.
Havens, D.S., Burton, D., Cadmus, E., Cox, K., Fuller, & J., Boyer, S., & (2005). Redesign of nursing work. In
B. Cleary & B. Rice (Eds.). Nursing Workforce Development: Strategic State Initiatives. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Received two AJN Book of the Year awards: 1) History and Public Policy and 2) Professional Development & Issues (2005).
*Havens, D.S., & Mills, M.E. (1997). Are staff nurses getting paid what they are worth? In J.McCloskey & H. Grace (Eds.), Current Issues in Nursing (5th ed.), St.Louis:C.V. Mosby.
*Havens, D.S., & Mills, M.E. (1994). Are staff nurses getting paid what they are worth? In J. McCloskey & H. Grace (Eds.), Current Issues in Nursing (4th ed.), St. Louis: C.V. Mosby.
Havens, D.S. (1989). Designing our destiny through the redesign of practice. The Initiative to Restructure Nursing Practice. Harrisburg, PA: The Pennsylvania Nurses Association.
Havens, D.S. (1984). Networking. In J. Nowak and C. Grindel (Eds.). Career Planning for Nurses. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott.
Articles in Refereed Journals
* Data Based
+ Student
*+ Copel, L.C., Mensinger, J.L., Havens, D.S., Bradley, P.K., Brom, H.M., +D’Annunzio, C., +Durning, J. D., Maldonado, L., McKenzie, A. B., Smeltzer, S. C., Yost, J. (Under review). Healthcare Worker, Support Personnel, and First Responder experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What They Wanted the World to Know. Journal of Clinical Nursing.
*Smeltzer, S., Copel, L., Maldonado, L. Bradley, P.K., Havens, D.S. (2022). Vulnerability and coping experiences of health care workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. 17(1).
*+Mensinger, J., Brom,. H., Havens, D.S., +Costello, A.M., +D’Annunzio, C., +Durning, J., Bradley, P.K., Copel, L., Maldonado, L., Smeltzer, S., Yost, J., Kaufmann, P. (2021). Psychological responses of hospital-based nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: A cross-sectional study. Applied Nursing Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2021.151517517.
*+ Kaufmann, P. G., Havens, D.S., Mensinger, J.L., Bradley, P.K., Brom, H.M., Copel, L.C., +Costello, A., +D’Annunzio, +C., Durning, J. D., Maldonado, L., McKenzie, A. B., Smeltzer, S. C., Yost, J. (2021). The COVID-19 study of healthcare and support personnel (CHAMPS): A longitudinal observational study. JMIR Research Protocols, 10 (10): e30757, doi: 10:2196/ 30757.
Yeo, S., Kayama, M., Toles, M., Asahara, K., D'Auria, J., Havens, D., Horiuchi, S., Montano, N., Sherwood, G., Hayashi, N., Kamei, T., Oku, H., and Yoshida, C. (2021). St. Luke's International University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill collaboration project to develop the first DNP program in Japan. Journal of Professional Nursing. 37;4, 771-776.
+Mariani, B. & Havens, D.S., & +Metz, S. (2020). A college of nursing spirals upward during a global pandemic. Journal of Nursing Education. 1;59(12):675-682. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20201118-04. PMID: 33253396.
*+ Wilson, K., Leeman, J., Sanders, B. & Havens, D.S. (2018). Improving physician engagement in interprofessional collaborative practice in rural Emergency Departments. Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice. 11: 51-57.
*Havens, D.S., Vasey, J., & Gittell, J. (2018). Relational coordination among nurses and other providers: Impact on nurse satisfaction, emotional exhaustion and work engagement. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 48(3):132-140. doi: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000000587. PMID:29389801 . E-Pub ahead of print, February 2018.
*+Johnson, S. & Havens, D.S. (2017). Nurses’ and physicians’ perceptions of nurse-physician collaboration: A systematic review. Journal of Nursing Administration, 47(3): 165-171.
*Van Bogaert, P., Peremans, L., Diltour, N., Van heusden, D., Dilles, T., Van Rompaey, B., Havens, D.S. (2016). Staff Nurses’ Perceptions and Experiences about Structural Empowerment: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study. PLoS One. 2016 Apr 1;11(4):e0152654. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152654. PMID:27035457
*Goode, C., Reid-Ponte, P. & Havens, D.S., (2016). Transition to practice residency: An essential requirement for new graduates from basic RN programs. Journal of Nursing Administration. 46(2):82-6. doi: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000000300.
*+Stoldorf, D.P., Havens, D.S., & Jones C.B (2016). Sustaining innovations in complex healthcare environments: A multiple-case study of rapid response teams. Journal of Patient Safety. Jan 11. [Epub ahead of print]
*Van Bogaert, P., Peremans, L., de Wit, M., Franck, E., Olaf, T., and Havens, D.S. (2015). Nurse managers’ perceptions and experiences regarding staff nurse empowerment: A qualitative study. Frontiers in Psychology. 14;6:1585. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01585.
*+Yurek, L., Havens, D.S., Hayes S., and Hughes, L. (2015). Factorial validity of the Decisional Involvement Scale as a Measure of Content and Context of Nursing Practice. Research in Nursing & Health. 38(5):403-16. doi: 10.1002/nur.21668. Epub 2015 Jun 12.
*Van Bogaert, P., Van heusden, D., Somers, A., Wouters, K., Van Aken, P., & Havens, D.S. (2014). Impact of the Productive Ward program within a hospital transformation process on the practice environment, nurse burnout, quality of care and nurse-reported job outcomes: a longitudinal multilevel study.
Havens, D.S. (2014). The commitment to influential nursing administration research: An interview with Dr. Donna Sullivan Havens. Journal of Nursing Administration, 44(5).
*+Warshawsky, N. & Havens, D.S. (2014). Nurse manager job satisfaction and intent to leave. Nursing Economic$. 32(1), 32-39.
*Havens, D.S., +Warshawsky, N. & Vasey, J. (2013). Nurse work engagement by generational cohort: A view from U.S. rural hospitals. The Journal of Nursing Management (International), 21, 927-940.
*+Warshawsky, N., Rayens, M.K., Lake, S., & Havens, D.S. (2013). The nurse manager practice environment scale: Development and psychometric testing. Journal of Nursing Administration. 43(5), 250-257.
Shafer, D., Parker, K., Kantz, B., & Havens, D.S. (2013). The road less traveled: a rural hospital’s journey to Pathway to Excellence. Nursing Management, February, 26-31.
*Havens, D.S. & +Warshawsky, N. (2012). Features of nursing practice environments in rural US hospitals: PES-NWI measurement. Journal of Nursing Administration, 42(11): 519-525.
*+Warshawsky, N., Havens, D.S., & Knafl, G. (2012). The influence of interpersonal relationships on nurse managers' work engagement and proactive work behavior. Journal of Nursing Administration, 42(9):418-25.
*Havens, D.S. (2011). Positive organizational scholarship: a tool for leading with excellence. Nurse Leader. 9(5), 26-30.
* +Warshawsky, N., Havens, D.S. (2011). Global use of the PES-NWI to measure features of the nursing practice environment: A review of the literature. Nursing Research. 60(1), 17-31.
*Havens, D.S., Vasey, J., Gittell, J., & +Lin, W. (2010). Relational coordination among nurses and other providers: Impact on the quality of care. Journal of Nursing Management (International).18, 926-937.
*Jones, C.B., Havens, D.S., & Thompson, P.A. (2009). Chief nursing officer turnover and the crisis brewing: Views from the front line. Journal of Nursing Administration, 39(6), 1-8.
* Aiken, L.H., Havens, D.S., Sloane, D.M. (2009). The Magnet Nursing Services Recognition Program: A Comparison of Two Groups of Magnet Hospitals. Journal of Nursing Administration, 39(7-8), S5-S14 Supplement: Suppl. S. (Republished in special Magnet Hospital edition).
*Havens, D.S., Thompson, P.A., & Jones, C.B. (2008). CNO Retention and Turnover: CNOs tell their stories. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 38(12), 516-525.
*+Yurek, L., Vasey, J., & Havens, D.S. (2008). Use of self-generated identification codes in longitudinal research. Evaluation Review. 32(5), 435-452.
*Jones, C.B., Havens, D.S., & Thompson, P. A. (2008). Chief Nursing Officer retention and turnover: A crisis brewing? Results of a national survey. Journal of Healthcare Management. 53(2), 85-102.
*Havens, D.S., Wood, S., & Leeman, J. (2006). Improving nursing practice and patient care: Building capacity with Appreciative Inquiry. The Journal of Nursing Administration. 36(10), 463-470.
*+Kellogg, V.A., & Havens, D.S. (2006). Using an innovative method to monitor adverse events: The shift coupon. Journal of Nursing Care Quality. 21(1), 49-55.
*Havens, D.S., & Vasey, J. (2005). The staff nurse decisional involvement scale: Report of psychometric assessments. Nursing Research. 54(6), 376-383.
*Havens, D.S., & +Johnston, M.A. (2004). Achieving magnet hospital recognition: Chief nurse executives and magnet coordinators tell their stories. The Journal of Nursing Administration. 34(12), 579-588.
*+Kellogg, V.A., & Havens, D.S. (2003). Adverse events in acute care: An integrative review of the research literature. Research in Nursing and Health. 26(5), 398-408.
Havens, D.S., & Brewer, C. (2003). Promoting nursing involvement in health services research. Nursing Outlook. 51 (6), 285-286.
*Havens, D.S., & Vasey, J. (2003). Measuring staff nurse decisional involvement: The decisional involvement scale (DIS). The Journal of Nursing Administration, 33(6), 331-336.
Havens, D.S., Stone, P., & Brewer, C. (2002). Nursing and Health Services Research: Building capacity and seizing opportunities. Applied Nursing Research, 15 (4), 261-263.
Havens, D.S. (2002). Economics & nursing--critical professional issues. Nursing Leadership Forum, 6(3), 2-3.
*Havens, D.S., Labov, T., Faura, T., & Aiken, L.H. (2002). Validation of a measure to assess the hospital clinical nurse practice environment: A cross-national pilot study (Spain and the U.S.). Enfermería Clínica, 12, 13-22 (Barcelona, Spain).
*Havens, D.S. (2001). Comparison of nursing department infrastructure and outcomes: ANCC magnet and nonmagnet CNEs report. Nursing Economic$, 19(6), 258-266.
*Pugh, L.C., Havens, D.S., Xie, S., Robinson, J., & Blaha, C. (2001). Cost outcomes of a longitudinal nursing case management program for elderly CHF patients. Medical Surgical Nursing, 10(2). 71-78. Medical Surgical Nursing 2001 Writer's Award--Honorable mention.
Havens, D.S., & Dienemann, J. (2000). A resource for nursing administration research. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 30(11), 510-511.
*Aiken, L.H, Havens, D.S., & Sloane, D.M. (2000). The magnet nursing services recognition program: A comparison of two groups of magnet hospitals. American Journal of Nursing, 100(3), 27-36.
*Aiken, L.H., Havens, D.S., & Sloane, D.M. (2000). The magnet nursing services recognition program: A comparison of groups of magnet hospitals. Nursing Standard (The United Kingdom), 8(14), 41-47. (Special agreement between AJN and Nursing Standard [UK] published concurrently).
*Blaha, D., Robinson, J., Pugh, L., Bryan, Y., & Havens, D.S. (2000). Longitudinal nursing case management for elderly heart failure patients: Notes from the field. Journal of Nursing Case Management, 5(1), 32-36.
*Havens, D.S. & Aiken, L.H. (1999). Shaping systems to promote desired outcomes: The magnet hospital model. Journal of Nursing Administration, 29(2), 14-20.
*Havens, D.S. (1998). Update on nursing involvement in hospital governance: 1990-1996. Nursing Economic$, 16(1), 6-11.
*Laschinger, H.S., & Havens, D.S. (1997). The effect of workplace empowerment and perceptions of occupational mental health and work effectiveness. Journal of Nursing Administration, 27(6), 42-50.
*Havens, D.S., & Laschinger, H.S. (1997). Creating the environment to support shared governance: Kanter’s theory of power in organizations. The Journal of Shared Governance, 3(1), 15-23.
*Laschinger, H. S. & Havens, D.S. (1996). Testing Kanter’s Theory: Staff RN perceptions of work empowerment, control over nursing practice, satisfaction and work effectiveness. Journal of Nursing Administration, 26(9), 27-35.
*+Strzalka, A., & Havens, D.S. (1996). Nursing care quality: Comparison of unit hired, hospital float pool, and agency Nurses. The Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 10(4). 59-65.
Havens, D.S. (1994). Is governance being shared? Journal of Nursing Administration, 24(6), 59-63.
Havens, D.S. (1993). Evaluating case management efforts beyond length of stay data. Hospital Case Management, 1(11), 192-194, 199.
*Havens, D.S. (1992) Nursing involvement in hospital governance: 1990 and 1995. Nursing Economic$, 10(5), 331-335.
*Havens, D.S., & Mills, M.E. (1992). Staff nurse empowerment: Current status and future projections. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 16(3), 58-64.
*Havens, D.S., & Mills, M.E. (1992). Professional recognition and compensation for staff RNs. Nursing Economic$, 10(1), 15-20.
Articles in Non-Refereed Journals:
*Data Based
*Wood, S.O., Havens, D.S., Good, P., & Scheaffer, C.M. (August, 2007) Building strategic capacity for better work and better care: A strengths-based tool for strategic planning –applications in nursing. AI Practitioner. pp.43-44.
*Jones, C.B., Havens, D.S., & Thompson, P.A. (2006). Chief nursing officer retention and turnover: A crisis brewing. Voice of Nursing Leadership, 4 (6), 3, 18.
*Havens, D.S. (1991). Professional nursing practice in acute care hospitals: Current status and future projections. ANA Update, 16(1), 4,8.
Havens, D.S. (1988). Recruitment and retention action plan. The Pennsylvania Nurse, 4, 1,3,14.
Honors, Awards and Honor Society Memberships:
2018
Appointed to the International Research Board of Visitors of The School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia
Visiting International Scholar, The School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia – Research Week
2017
Visiting International Scholar, The School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia
Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame Inductee
Cedar Crest College 2017 Distinguished Nursing Alumni Award for Transformational Leadership
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing Alumni Association President’s Award
2016
The Frances S. Bloomberg Distinguished International Visiting Professor, the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, CA
2015
Inaugural Visionary Pioneer Award, University of Maryland School of Nursing
Named as one of the 30 Most Influential Deans of Nursing in the U.S. by Mometrix
2012
Pennsylvania Nightingale Award for Research Excellence
2011
The University of Maryland School of Nursing 2011 Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award
2009
The American Organization of Nurse Executives 2009 National Nurse Researcher Award
The American College of Healthcare Executives 2009 Edgar C. Hayhow Award – 2009 Article of the Year Award -- Jones, C., Havens, D.S., & Thompson, P. A. (2008). Chief Nursing Officer retention and turnover: A crisis brewing? Results of a national survey. Journal of Healthcare Management. 53(2), 85-102
2007
Best Podium Presentation Award, Designing Systems to Promote Desired Outcomes (How to Do It and How to Make it Stick) – A Model for Implementation. The International Nursing Administration Research Conference, Indianapolis IN, October, 2007
Honorable Mention – The First Laurel Archer Copp Writing Award. The School of Nursing, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2005
American Journal of Nursing 2005 Book of the Year Award: Havens, D.S., Burton, D., Cadmus, E., Cox, K., Fuller, & J., Boyer, S., & (2005). Redesign of nursing work. In B. Cleary & B. Rice (Eds.). Nursing Workforce Development: Strategic State Initiatives. New York: Springer Publishing Company. ** Two AJN Book of the Year awards: 1) History and Public Policy and 2) Professional Development & Issues
2004
Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing
2002
Villanova University 2002 Distinguished Contributions in Nursing Research Medallion
The Julia Hardy Scholar Fellow, the American Nurses Foundation
2001
Medical Surgical Nursing 2001 Writer's Award--Honorable mention. Pugh, L.C., Havens, D.S., Xie, S., Robinson, J., & Blaha, C. (2001). Cost outcomes of a longitudinal nursing case management program for elderly CHF patients. Medical Surgical Nursing. 10(2). 71-78
1991
WHO’S WHO Among Students in American Universities and Colleges – The University of Maryland
1984
Phi Kappa Phi – Villanova University
1982
Sigma Theta Tau International - Theta Rho Chapter (Cedar Crest College), current - Alpha Alpha Chapter, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill