Cheryl Neisser, PhD, MSN, BSN, BS, ASN
Critical care, oncology, and gerontology nurse Cheryl L. Neisser defines her major life’s work with just one word: teaching. Since 1991, after signing on as a teaching assistant while a student in Penn Nursing’s master in nursing administration program, Dr. Neisser has taught dozens of courses to thousands of Penn nursing students, primarily at the undergraduate level. Dr. Neisser also earned her PhD in health services research at Penn and a post-master’s certificate in the Transformative Nursing Education Program at Penn Nursing.
“Penn faculty are known leaders who advance the science of nursing. I wanted to learn from nurse leaders at Penn, and I never left.”
Education
- PhD, University of Pennsylvania , 2003
- MSN, University of Pennsylvania , 1993
- BSN, Gwynedd-Mercy College, 1986
- BS, Gwynedd-Mercy College, 1986
- ASN, Gwynedd-Mercy College, 1984
Teaching
Dr. Neisser has promoted curriculum innovations such as the first online nursing course for the Penn Doctorate in Nursing Practice program. In the summer of 2016, she was part of the team that launched the online version of “Introduction to Research Methods and Designs” (NURS637), an existing course for all master’s students. With help from online experts in Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Neisser helped adapt the curriculum for online learning for 20 students. She will work with course director Linda Hatfield, PhD, NNP-BC, and other team members to review and revise the course.
Dr. Neisser also serves as co-course director of “Pathways to Practice” (NURS159) for accelerated, second-degree nursing students who already have a degree in another field. The course covers foundational aspects of the nursing profession.
Opportunities to Learn and Collaborate at Penn Nursing
Dr. Neisser serves as course director and lecturer for “Nursing Care of the Older Adult” (NURS255), one of two acute care medical-surgical courses in the undergraduate curriculum. The course combines didactic lectures with clinical experiences and a simulation laboratory component.
Dr. Neisser also serves as a mentor to graduate and undergraduate nursing students and faculty. Noting the lack of a formal faculty mentoring program when she joined Penn Nursing, Dr. Neisser started a faculty mentorship program called “9 o’clock Coffee” for clinical nursing faculty at Penn teaching students at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to discuss issues ranging from navigating the health care system to working with students.
As principal investigator for a “Lessons in Leadership” project, supported with a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Dr. Neisser collaborated with faculty and students from Penn Nursing and nurse leaders throughout the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The team created discussion and resource guides based on a video series dealing with the experiences of 12 nurse leaders. The guides were designed for use throughout the core undergraduate courses at Penn Nursing, by the University of Pennsylvania Health System management team, and for public access on the Moore Foundation website. With input from representatives of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, especially Dr. Kathleen Burke, Dr. Neisser facilitated the creation of project discussion guides to promote leadership skills in orientation and management programs throughout the Penn system.
Selected Career Highlights
- Member, American Nurses’ Association and Sigma Theta Tau International
- Dean’s Award, Teaching Assistant Award, and Master’s Merit Scholarship Award, School of Nursing
- Panel Participant, Nurse Educator, Lippincott Nursing Symposium
- Presenter, Chinese Delegation, Penn’s Fox Leadership Global Health Program
Related News
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Investigating the Effects of Critical Illness in Early Childhood on Neurocognitive Outcomes
Approximately 23,700 children in the U.S. undergo invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure annually. Although most survive, little is known if they have worse long-term neurocognitive function than children who do not undergo such procedures. There are concerns about neurotoxic effects of critical illness and its treatment on the developing brain. Therefore, infants and young children may be uniquely susceptible to adverse neurocognitive outcomes after invasive mechanical ventilation.