Patti Rager Zuzelo, EdD, is nationally certified as an adult health clinical nurse specialist and an adult nurse practitioner. Her doctorate is in higher education leadership (Widener University, 1998) and her dissertation was recognized with the Center for Education’s Dissertation of the Year award. She held a research appointment with Einstein Healthcare Network and served on its Institutional Review Board from 2002 – 2012. Zuzelo received the network’s 2005 Shared Governance Award in recognition of her evidence-based practice and research initiatives within the nursing department. Zuzelo’s research includes studies addressing moral distress, technology, caring and in-patient violence. She authored The Clinical Nurse Specialist Handbook, (2007; 2010) recognized with the 2007 AJN Book of the Year Award in the Advanced Practice Nursing Category. Zuzelo has a recently authored the Indirect Care Handbook for Advanced Nursing Roles: Beyond the Bedside (in press).
Zuzelo was recognized with a 2007 Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching and has held academic positions that include tenured Professor of Nursing. She has been recognized with a number of awards including the 2006 Nurse Researcher Nightingale Award of Pennsylvania and several Kappa Delta Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau, International awards in Nursing Education and Research.
Zuzelo is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. She has served as president, National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) and has served on several national committees and panels, including the ANCC Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist examination content expert panel, the Strategic Advisory Group for Quality and Safety Education for Nurses Phase IV, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s national Task Force on APRN Clinical Training, and the American Academy of Nursing’s LGBTQ Expert Panel. She is currently an associate editor for Holistic Nursing Practice.
Academic Distinctions
- Outstanding Mentor Nominee, Drexel University Graduate Student Association, 2020
- Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, 2007
- Nursing Research Award; Kappa Delta Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau, International, 2010
- American Journal of Nursing 2007 Book of the Year Award: Advanced Practice Nursing Category for the Clinical Nurse Specialist Handbook, 2008
- Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania, Nurse Researcher Category; Award Recipient, 2006
- Shared Governance Award, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, 2005
Faculty Fellowships
- Fellow, American Academy of Nursing
- Fellow, Academy of Nursing Education
Professional Society
Sigma Theta Tau, International
National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists
American Association of Nurse Practitioners
American Nurses Association
Pennsylvania State Nurses Association
Selected Publications
Zuzelo, P. (2020). Indirect Care Handbook for Advanced Nursing Roles: Beyond the Bedside. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett, Learning.
Zuzelo, P. (2007; 2010). The Clinical Nurse Specialist handbook. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett. (2007 AJN Book of the Year: Advanced Practice Nursing category)
Zuzelo, P., Curran, S., & Zeserman, M. (2012). Registered nurses’ and behavior health associates’ responses to violent inpatient interactions on behavioral health units. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 18, 112-126.
Zuzelo, P. (2007). Describing nurses’ moral distress. Nursing Ethics, 14, 344-359.
Editorial review board membership:
Holistic Nursing Practice
Research Interests
LGBTQ+ Health and Equity; Evidence-Based Practice; Moral Distress; Higher Education
2009 Postmaster Certificate: Adult Nurse Practitioner Track
School of Nursing and Health Sciences; La Salle University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1998 Doctor of Education
Higher Education Leadership; Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania
1986 Master of Science in Nursing
Nursing Administration; University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1986 Certificate in Business Administration
Wharton School of Business; University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1981 Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania