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Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview of Academic-Practice Partnerships

Abstract

Leading Academic-Practice Partnerships in Nursing and Healthcare: A Paradigm for Change is a comprehensive guide for unlocking the power of partnerships—transforming healthcare by improving care processes, care coordination, and patient outcomes through collaborative partnerships among nursing academic and practice sectors. Written by experts immersed in this work for well over a decade, this indispensable resource shows how to develop robust partnerships focused on health systems, population health, and community care—and how to build the organizational structure needed to sustain and grow those partnerships.

This book provides:

• An understanding of why academic-practice partnerships are important, their benefits, and the nurses’ role in partnership development

• A framework supported with tools and processes for developing an effective academic-practice partnership

• Case studies and real-world examples of successful partnerships

• Timelines for expected growth, personnel, and funding needed for sustainability

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Description

Chapter 1 provides:

• An introduction and overview of academic-practice partnerships in nursing, including rationale, relevance, definitions, components, and influential factors

• An overview of contemporary trends in nursing and healthcare necessitating the need for an academic practice partnership paradigm in nursing education and service

• A review of professional and academic perspectives and challenges in developing or modifying academic practice partnership paradigms to improve nursing and healthcare

Notes

EPUB ISBN: 9781646482078

PDF ISBN: 9781646482085

Author Details

Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Dean and Professor Emerita at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing (UABSON) and serves as an executive leadership coach and consultant.

Maria R. Shirey, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FACHE, FNAP, FAAN, is Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing at UABSON. She is Director of the school’s Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for International Nursing and holds a seat on the UAB Medicine Enterprise Board of Directors that governs the UAB Hospital and Health System.

Cynthia S. Selleck, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN, is Professor Emerita at UABSON. She served as Professor and Associate Dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships at UABSON from 2010–2018, developing and leading multiple sustained academic-practice partnerships.

Michele H. Talley, PhD, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, is Professor at UABSON and Associate Dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships. She also serves as the Clinic Director for the Providing Access to Healthcare Clinic, founded by UABSON in 2011.

Connie White-Williams, PhD, RN, NE-BC, FNAP, FAHA, FAAN, is an Associate Professor at UABSON and Senior Director in the Center for Nursing Excellence and Heart Failure Transitional Services for Adults Clinic at UAB Hospital, a clinic she co-founded.

Sigma Membership

Nu at-Large

Lead Author Affiliation

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Type

Book Chapter

ISBN

9781646481491

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Expert Opinion (nationally/internationally recognized)

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Academic-Practice Partnerships, Nursing, Nurse Family Partnership, Healthcare Education, Social Determinants of Health, AACN Essentials, Sustainability, Community Health

City

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Publisher

Sigma Theta Tau International

Version

Publisher's Version

Rights Holder

Copyright © 2026 by Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing - All rights reserved. This book is protected by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Any trademarks, service marks, design rights, or similar rights that are mentioned, used, or cited in this book are the property of their respective owners. Their use here does not imply that you may use them for a similar or any other purpose.

Review Type

None: Professionally Edited Material

Acquisition

Publisher-submission

Date of Issue

2026-04-02

Full Text of Presentation

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[Excerpt from] Leading Academic-Practice Partnerships in Nursing and Healthcare

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