Jean Giddens, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF

Professional Background

Dr. Jean Giddens has been the Dean of the University of Kansas School of Nursing since April 2024. Previously she served as professor and dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing for 11 years.

Dr. Giddens brings extensive teaching experience across associate degree, baccalaureate degree, and graduate degree nursing programs in New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Virginia, and Kansas. She is a nationally recognized leader in nursing education, known for sustained innovation in teaching and learning, concept-based curricula, competency assessment, models of care, and academic progression. She has also served as a consultant to multiple nursing programs throughout the country.
Her scholarship is widely disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and national and international presentations. She developed case-based electronic media programs to support teaching and learning, and is editor of Concepts for Nursing Practice, author of Mastering Concept-Based Teaching and Competency Assessment, and co-author of Health Assessment for Nursing Practice.

Dr. Giddens leadership has significantly influenced national nursing education standards and initiatives. As a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow, Dr. Giddens convened a national forum of thought leaders focused on redesigning nurse practitioner education. Through funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Academic Progression in Nursing program, she led a statewide collaborative curriculum initiative in New Mexico that increased the proportion of baccalaureate-prepared nurses. She has also been invited to participate in Josiah Macy Foundation conferences, including Educating Nurses and Physicians: Toward New Horizons (2010) and Enhancing Health Professionals Education Through Technology (2015).

Dr. Giddens has provided extensive leadership within the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), serving on multiple committees, task forces, and the Board of Directors. She contributed to AACN’s Vision for Nursing Education and subsequently served as co-chair of the AACN Essentials Revision Task Force. She served as chair-elect and chair of the AACN Board of Directors from 2022 to 2026.

Dr. Giddens earned a BSN from the University of Kansas, an MSN from The University of Texas at El Paso, and a PhD from Colorado State University. She is a member of the 2011 cohort of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows program.

• BSN, Nursing, University of Kansas
• MSN, Medical-Surgical Nursing, University of Texas El Paso
• PhD, Education, Colorado State University

• American Associations of Colleges of Nursing, Chair, 2024 - Present
• American Associations of Colleges of Nursing, Chair Elect, 2022 - 2024
• American Associations of Colleges of Nursing, Member, 2019 - 2022

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• Giddens JeanForet, Mullaney Susan. 2023. Incorporating the AACN Essentials ‘spheres of care’ into nursing curricula. Journal of Professional Nursing, 47, 9-14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.03.015
• Giddens Jean, Douglas JayP., Conroy Shelley. 2022. The Revised AACN Essentials: Implications for Nursing Regulation. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 12 (4), 16-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s2155-8256(22)00009-6
• Giddens Jean, Mansfield JerryA.. 2023. A New Era for Nursing Education. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 39 (1), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1097/nnd.0000000000000955
• Giddens J, Curry-Lourenco K, Miles E, Reeder E. 2021. Enhancing learning in an online doctoral course through a virtual community platform.. Journal of professional nursing : official journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 37 (1), 184-189