Kelly Powers, PhD, RN, CNE, FNAP

Kelly Powers, PhD, RN, CNE, FNAP is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing. She has been a faculty member at UNC Charlotte since 2008 and has taught in the BSN, MSN, and DNP programs. Her current courses are focused on teaching and
mentoring DNP students to conduct scholarly projects, preparing MSN students for the nurse educator role, and advancing graduate students’ interprofessional collaboration competencies. Dr. Powers is a Certified Nurse Educator.

Dr. Powers has a specific interest in interprofessional education (IPE). She created and teaches an IPE course for graduate students in nursing, social work, and other programs within the College of Health and Human Services. She is on the Steering Committee of the North Carolina Interprofessional Education Leaders Collaborative
(NC-IPELC), working to advance interprofessional education and practice state-wide. In 2024, Dr. Powers was inducted as Distinguished Scholar Fellow of the National Academies of Practice.

Dr. Powers is passionate about nursing research and scholarship. She has received external and internal funding to support her research, disseminates her results in peer-reviewed journals, and presents at regional, national, and international conferences. Dr. Powers is on the Editorial Boards of Journal of Professional Nursing and Dimensions in Critical Care Nursing. She also serves as Co-Chair of the UNC Charlotte School of Nursing’s Academy for Clinical Research and Scholarship (ACRS). Prior to joining the faculty at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Powers worked as a Registered Nurse in a variety of settings; including critical care, emergency, medical/surgical, and rehabilitation.

AREAS OF RESEARCH

Dr. Powers’ research focuses on interventions to improve nursing and interprofessional practice to optimize care quality and health outcomes, with a specific interest in simulation and interprofessional interventions.

EDUCATION

PhD, 2014, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nursing

MSN, 2007, William Paterson University

BSN, 1999, Villanova University

EXTERNAL AFFILIATIONS

Distinguished Scholar Fellow of the National Academies of Practice – Nursing Academy
North Carolina Interprofessional Education Leaders Collaborative (NC-IPELC), Steering Committee
Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, Gamma Iota Chapter Board
Editorial Boards of Journal of Professional Nursing and Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing