Michele Lopez

Dr. Michele Lopez is a lifelong healthcare practitioner, educator, author, and researcher whose work advances nursing education and promotes improved patient outcomes.

She serves as an assistant professor and course coordinator, where she focuses on supporting student success and strengthening the culture of nursing practice and academia. She serves as an Honors student advisor, supporting the academic and professional development enrolled in the university's Honors College. In recognition of her dedication to teaching and mentorship, Dr. Lopez was awarded the prestigious Kenan Award for Teaching Excellence at the 2024 Pace University Commencement ceremonies.

Her scholarship examines nursing education, inclusivity and accessibility for students with disabilities, incivility in academic environments, and the experiences of nursing students transitioning into professional practice. Dr. Lopez is the team lead for a Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation grant initiative focused on enhancing inclusivity in nursing education for students with physical disabilities, reflecting her commitment to advancing equitable learning environments within the profession.

Dr. Lopez contributes to the advancement of professional standards in public health as an item writer and reviewer for the National Board of Public Health Examiners and remains actively engaged in community health and emergency preparedness through her service with the Medical Reserve Corps. Her work reflects a sustained commitment to strengthening nursing education, supporting the development of future nurses, and promoting public health initiatives that improve patient and community outcomes.

DHEd, Health Education
A.T. Still University
College of Graduate Health Studies
Mesa, AZ

MA, Nursing Administration, Leadership and Organization
Columbia University
Teachers College
New York, NY

BS, Nursing
Pace University
Lienhard School of Nursing
Pleasantville, NY

AAS, Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
SUNY Westchester Community College
Valhalla, NY

• Kenan Award for Teaching Excellence (May 2024)

• Diversity and Inclusion in Nursing Grant, Josiah H. Macy Jr. Foundation (awarded $206,711)
• Crochet and Connect, 2026 Wellbeing Award (awarded $2500)

• Fundamentals of Nursing. Wolters Kluwer. Under contract; expected publication Spring 2027.
• Medical–Surgical Nursing. Wolters Kluwer. Under contract; expected publication Fall 2028.
• Video-based educational modules addressing incivility in nursing academia for nursing leadership education resources.
• Digital learning materials and instructional content developed for nursing education platforms.
• Advanced clinical case studies for nurse practitioner education integrated into electronic health record (EHR) simulation platforms.
• Item writer and reviewer, National Board of Public Health Examiners certification examinations.

• Certified Nurse Educator (CNE), National League for Nursing (NLN)
• Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE), Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education (CBDCE)
• Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE), Society for Simulation in Healthcare
• Mental Health Provider
• Ally LGBTQ Trained Faculty Member
• Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
• New York State Teaching License-Professional Certificate in Nursing Education
• New York State Registered Nurse
• Florida State Registered Nurse by reciprocity
• New York State Licensed Practical Nurse
• Stephen Minister

• Course Coordinator Committee, Department of Nursing, chair
• Anti-Racist Education (ARE) Committee, member
• Test Development and Item Writing Committee, member. Contributes to departmental assessment quality through the development and review of examination items, including Next Generation NCLEX-style questions, supporting student readiness for licensure.
• Pace University Awards Committee, member (2025–2026)
• University Recruitment and Retention Committee, member
• Nursing Department Search Committee, member
• Nursing Department Awards Committee, member
• Nursing Appeals Committee, member
• Pace University Wellness Ambassador. Develop and deliver wellness workshops addressing the spiritual dimension of the Wellness Wheel.
• Interprofessional Education (IPE) event, Peers Teaching Peers, a collaborative learning initiative between nursing and occupational therapy students, co-program developer

• Reimagining nursing education: developing inclusive pathways for students with physical disabilities. American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Transform 2025 Annual Conference. Anaheim, California (December 3-6, 2025)
• Trauma, Depression, and Anxiety. HEAL Haiti: Annual Workshop for Healthcare Providers in Haiti. (August 20, 2024)
• Reimagining Nursing Education: The Innovative Educator’s Approach to a Healthy Learning Environment for Nursing Students. SIGMA Theta Tau: SIGMA 35Th Annual International Nursing Research Congress. (August 6-9, 2024)
• Breaking Boundaries: Addressing LGBTQ+ Health Care Needs. ACHNE Annual Institute, Chicago, IL. (June 6-9, 2024)
• Keynote Speaker: Nursing Student’s Perceptions of Incivility in Academia. Nursing World Conference Boston, MA (October 16-18, 2023)
• Thriving in Challenging Times: NED TALK (Nursing Education Talk): The Intentional Educator: Reimagining Nursing Education. University of Maryland School of Nursing, Institute for Educators Annual Conference-Nursing Education (April 20, 2023)
• Nursing Student Perceptions of Incivility in Academia, poster presentation. 58th Annual Stewart Maitland Conference (May 2022)

• The Journal of Quality in Health Care and Economics, editor

• American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• American Association for Diabetes Educators
• Access in Nursing/Doctors with Disabilities, board member
• Association of Community Health Nursing (ACHNE)
• HEAL Haiti 
• National League for Nursing American Nurses Association
• Phi Theta Kappa
• Sigma Theta Tau
• Society of Public Health Education

• Lopez, M.L. (2026, March). From applause to action: Why New York’s nursing strike matters for patients, nursing students, and the future of the nursing profession. American Nurse Online Journal.
• Brodie, L., Lopez, M., Jackson, B., Parish, A., DeMille, D., Hein, S., Betchkal, R., Meeks, L., Lewis, A. (2025). Access in nursing education: The interactive process for determining disability accommodations. Creative Nursing, 31(4),368-374.
• Lopez, M.L. (2025, November 2025). A wrecking ball is coming for America’s nursing workforce. Stop it. Special to the USA TODAY Network.
• Lopez, M.L. (2025, September 9). Mocked on TikTok. How nursing incivility erodes patient trust and compromises health outcomes. American Nurse Online Journal.
• Lopez, M.L. (2024, July/August). Nursing student perceptions of incivility in academia. Nursing Education Perspectives, 45(4), 239-241.
• Lopez, M.L. (2023). Emphasizing health literacy in nursing education: Equipping nursing students with literacy skills to improve patient outcomes. The Journal of Quality in Health Care & Economics, 6(6). 1-6.
• Lopez, M.L. (2023, December). Unmasking incivility in nursing: The hidden cost to patient care. The Journal of Quality in Health Care & Economics, 7(1), 1-4.

Dr. Michele Lopez’s research focuses on advancing nursing education and improving the academic environments in which future nurses are prepared for practice. Her work examines the experiences of nursing students as they transition into professional roles, with particular attention to the factors that influence student success, professional identity formation, and the development of competent and compassionate nurses.

Through qualitative inquiry, her research explores how educational structures, mentorship, and academic culture shape learning experiences and impact student confidence, retention, and readiness for practice. A central focus of Dr. Lopez’s scholarship is promoting inclusive and supportive learning environments in nursing education.

Her research investigates issues such as incivility in academic settings, accessibility for students with disabilities, and strategies to strengthen inclusivity within nursing programs. Through this work, she aims to inform educational practices and policies that support diverse learners, foster respectful academic cultures, and ultimately contribute to the preparation of a resilient and well-prepared nursing workforce.

• NURS 110: Essentials of Professional Nursing
• NURS 298: Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Research
• NURS 360: Medical Surgical Nursing: Foundations
• NURS 380: Adult Nursing: Acute and Chronic Care
• NURS 409: Concepts of Evidence Based Practice for Practice Improvement
• NURS 412: Clinical Management in Adult Medical Surgical Nursing