Kelly Powers, PhD, RN, CNE, FNAP

Kelly Powers, PhD, RN, CNE, FNAP is the Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Scholar
and Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at UNC Charlotte. She is Co-Director
of the UNC Charlotte School of Nursing’s Academy for Clinical Research and
Scholarship (ACRS). Dr. Powers is a Certified Nurse Educator and currently teaches
Quality Improvement Methods and Leadership in Healthcare Systems in the Doctor of
Nursing Practice program, as well as Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare for
graduate students college wide. She has a specific interest in interprofessional
education and practice (IPEP) and is on the Steering Committee of the North Carolina
Interprofessional Education Leaders Collaborative, working to advance IPEP state-wide.

In 2024, Dr. Powers was inducted as Distinguished Scholar Fellow of the National
Academies of Practice.

Dr. Powers’ research seeks to improve healthcare experiences and outcomes by
improving team-based care across settings and populations. To accomplish this goal,
she targets two areas: 1) Person-centered care – Transform healthcare approach to
include the patient and family/caregiver as essential partners to address individual
needs and empower decision-making. 2) Interprofessional competencies – Enhance
interprofessional collaboration competencies to address the health consequences of
siloed and fragmented care. Dr. Powers has received external and internal funding to
support her research, including grants from the National League for Nursing and the
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. She is on the Editorial Boards of the
Journal of Professional Nursing and Dimensions in Critical Care Nursing. 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 person-centered and team-
based care to optimize care quality and health outcomes.

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

North Carolina Interprofessional Education Leaders Collaborative (NC-IPELC), Steering Committee

Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society – Gamma Iota Chapter – Vice President

Editorial Boards of Journal of Professional Nursing and Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing