Faculty

Associate Professor Jean Davis’ passion for community health promotion grew from listening to her aunt and her mother, both nurses, discuss and solve community health challenges when she was a child. Davis channels that passion into research focused on physical activity support, promotion and habit formation to improve health and patient outcomes. Davis is particularly interested in susceptible populations, including Black pregnant people, persons with diabetes, cancer survivors, and veterans. She promotes health and well-being as a Duke Health-trained Health & Well-Being Coach and focuses her clinical practice on severe maternal health, cardiovascular conditions, diabetes and cancer. In addition to her faculty appointment, Davis serves as an advanced practice registered nurse scientist for the Veterans Health Administration and volunteers nationally and internationally as family nurse practitioner and population health clinical nurse specialist.

Education

• PhD, University of Central Florida
• DNP, Florida Atlantic University
• Family Nurse Practitioner Post-master’s Certificate, Barry University
• EdD in Higher Education, Nova Southeastern University
• MS, Nursing in Community/Population Health CNS, Rutgers University
• BS, Nursing, Rutgers University
• Health and Well-being Coach, Duke Health

Selected Editorial Activities

• Reviewer, MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing
• Reviewer, The Science of Diabetes Self-Management and Care
• Reviewer, Translational Behavioral Medicine: Practice, Policy, Research
• Reviewer, JOGNN: Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing

Selected Awards & Honors

• Outstanding Nurse Practitioner Educator Award, National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, 2025
• Distinguished Fellow, National Academies of Practice in Nursing, 2024
• Steven P. Hooker Research Award Finalist, American Public Health Association, 2024
• Noble Knight Nurse Award, Service Category, UCF College of Nursing, 2020
• Jonas Veterans Healthcare Scholar, Jonas Foundation, 2016-2019

Selected Professional Activities

• Governing Councilor, American Public Health Association, Physical Activity Section
• Immediate Past Chair Community and Public Health and & Health Promotion Research Interest & Implementation Group, Southern Nursing research Society
• Chair Ethics Special Interest Group, Florida Nurses Association
• Accreditation Site Visitor, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education