Faculty

Sharon Tucker, a distinguished scholar in psychiatric mental health nursing and evidence-based practice, is the dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Central Florida.

Tucker joined UCF as a professor and chair of the Department of Nursing Practice in 2024. Her leadership experience spans more than two decades and includes roles at The Ohio State University, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the Mayo Clinic where she began her clinical career.

As a leader and scholar, Tucker has made sustained impacts on the profession by empowering nurses through a culture of well-being and leveraging evidence-based and data-driven decisions to improve patient outcomes.

An implementation science leader and change management expert, Tucker has focused her research on behavior change through mental health and wellness interventions and practice, and organizational change through evidence-based practice.

To date, she has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has been an invited speaker and panelist across the U.S. and around the world. In addition, she is co-author of an evidence-based practice 2.0 article series in the American Journal of Nursing and co-author of the award-winning Evidence-Based Practice in Action (Second Edition).

Education

• Ph.D. in Nursing, Rush University
• MSN, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
• BSN, College of Saint Teresa
• ADN Rochester Community College
• Nationally Board Certified Integrative Nurse Coach, American Holistic Nurses Association
• Nationally Board Certified Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, ANCC
• Certified Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher, School of Positive Transformation

Selected Editorial Activities

• Associate Editor, Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing
• Editorial Board Member, Journal of Nursing Care Quality

Selected Awards & Honors

• Fellow, American Academy of Nursing (AAN)
• Fellow, National Academies of Practice

Selected Professional Activities

• Alumna, Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program
• Past President, Midwest Nursing Research Society
• Practice Committee Chair, American Holistic Nurses Association