Cynthia S. Teel, PhD, RN, FAAN

Professional Background

Dr. Cynthia Teel is a Chancellor’s Club Teaching Professor, Professor of Nursing, and Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs at the University of Kansas School of Nursing. Dr. Teel completed undergraduate work at California State University, Hayward and then received a MS in nursing from the University of Nevada, Reno. She received her PhD from the University of Arizona before coming to Kansas City to join the School of Nursing in a faculty role. Her early research interests were in family caregiving and response patterns to significant losses. More recently, her research is focused on building educational capacity for nurses at all levels.

Dr. Teel has been a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing since 2011. She also completed the 3-year Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Leader Fellowship in 2009. She has received multiple professional awards including being named as a Top 10 Reviewer in 2020 and 2022 for the Journal of Nursing Education. She received the Glendon G. Cox Faculty Leadership and Excellence award; the March of Dimes, Nurse of the Year: School of Nursing Educator award; the Daisy Faculty Award; the Nurse of the Year Award from the Kansas State Nurses Association; the KUMC Faculty Investigator Research Award; the Kemper Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching and Advising; and the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching.

• PhD, Nursing, Clinical Research Nursing, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
• MS, Nursing, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV
• BSN, Nursing, California State University, Hayward, CA
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

• Midwest Nursing Research Society, Member, 2009 - Present
• American Nurses Association, Member, 2008 - Present
• Midwest Nursing Research Society, Grants Review Committee, Member, 2007 - 2009
• Midwest Nursing Research Society, Vice President, 2004 - 2006
• Midwest Nursing Research Society, Development Committee, Chair, 2004 - 2006
• Midwest Nursing Research Society, U/G Student Research Task Force, Member, 2004 - 2005
• Sigma Xi University of Kansas Medical Center Chapter, President, 2003 - 2004

Research

Overview

Dr. Teel’s research and inquiry is focused on building innovative educational models that will expand educational capacity for nurses at all educational levels and providing access to learning experiences to students in any location. She is partnering with others – including the KU Lawrence Center for Design Research and T-Mobile – to explore new models for nursing education. The team is using advanced and developing technologies, including simulations that incorporate virtual and augmented reality. These technologies and experiences focus on building excellence in nursing practice, particularly in diverse rural and underserved settings. Recent funding from HRSA is supporting a rural RT/RN education project focused on Long-COVID and pulmonary rehabilitation. Other HRSA funding is supporting DNP students in having rural clinical experiences as they learn about primary care. Another HRSA grant is focused on providing a post-doctoral Fellowship for recent APRN graduates to live, learn, and work in rural and underserved communities.

To support inquiry in these areas, Dr. Teel has received several grants over her career, with funding from diverse entities including HRSA, NINR, American Heart Association, RWJF, Jonas Philanthropies, HCFGKC, Kansas Board of Regents, and others. She has multiple peer-reviewed, data-based publications and presentations, where she has reported research findings from these diverse projects.

• Supporting one PhD student as a Jonas Nurse Scholar, Jonas Philanthropies , PI

• Icenogle, Mary, Busenhart, Cara, Buller, Carol, Peterson, JoAnn, Schwartz, Lori, Whitney, Lucinda, Teel, Cynthia. 2020. A creative action plan for mental wellness: Tools for primary care in rural and underserved settings. Creative Nursing, 26 (4), online
• Herlihy, Kesa, Teel, Cynthia. 2020. Faculty perceptions of nursing student preparation in undergraduate clinical simulation. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 15 (3), 181-185
• McGee, Jerrihlyn, Stephenson, Erin, Teel, Cynthia, Moore, W., Todd, Peltzer, Jill. 2019. African American and Latinx adolescents’ perspectives of nursing as a career choice. Journal of Nursing Education, 58 (9), 519-524
• Peltzer, Jill, Shen, Qiuhua, Pierce, Janet, Selig, Brian, Hober, Christine, Carlton, Liz, Teel, Cynthia. 2018. The Kansas nurse leader residency program: Building nurses' capacity to lead change. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 34 (5), E1-E8
• Moody, Linda, Teel, Cynthia, Peltzer, Jill. 2018. Advancing nursing education: BSN completion messaging materials for associate degree program nursing faculty. Nursing Education Perspectives, 39 (6), E21-E25
• Shen, Qiuhua, Peltzer, Jill, Teel, Cynthia, Pierce, Janet. 2018. Kansas nurse leader residency programme: Advancing leader knowledge and skills. Journal of Nursing Management, 26, 148-157
• Peltzer, Jill, Teel, Cynthia, Shen, Qiuhua, Pierce, Janet. 2017. Culturally competent nursing care: A descriptive study of Kansas nurses and pre-licensure and RN-BSN programs. The Kansas Nurse, 92 (3), 11-12
• Peltzer, Jill, Teel, Cynthia, Pierce, Janet, Carlton, Elizabeth, Ford, Deb. 2017. Successful communication in leadership: Experiences of the northeast Kansas nurse leader residents. The Kansas Nurse, 92 (3), 7
• Teel, Cynthia, Peltzer, Jill. 2017. The Kansas nurse leader residency program: A statewide initiative to foster nursing leadership. The Kansas Nurse, 92 (3), 6