Janice Unruh Davidson PhD DrPH(c) DNP RN-BC FNP-BC NEA-BC CNE ANEF FAANP FNAP
Dr. Janice Unruh Davidson is Executive Dean of Nursing for Sura College, Inc. Dr. Davidson specializes in Rural Family Health, Bio - Agro Health, Interprofessional Collaboration, and Advanced Practice Nursing/Leadership. She brings over 30 years of combined academic and practice expertise to her role. Dr. Davidson started her career as a burn nurse in Wichita, Kansas and went on to practice as a Public Health Nurse, where she worked with selected Kansas health departments doing Kan-Be-Healthy (EPSDT) screenings. Dr. Davidson ultimately served to promote social change, spending nearly ten years working with underserved populations in rural Mississippi and Alabama.
Dr. Davidson has served in recent years as a Dean of Nursing, and a long-time professor of DNP, MSN, and Public Health curricula at such schools as Walden University, Chamberlain University, Purdue Global, and Sura College. Her previous experience includes tenured academic and administrative leadership positions at Mississippi University for Women, Fort Hays State University and Bethel College. Between 2006-2023, Dr. Davidson owned and operated consulting firms that specialized in healthcare research, informatics, statistical analysis and market research, for which she was recognized in 2010 among the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) Top Ten Women in U.S. Business.
Currently, Dr. Davidson is a nationally-recognized AgriSafe Network® Public Health Nurse Scholar, Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP), a National League for Nursing (NLN) Academy of Nursing Education Fellow (ANEF), and a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (FNAP). In addition, Dr. Davidson holds national board certification as a nurse informaticist, family nurse practitioner, nurse executive advanced, and nurse educator. Her research has been presented in nearly 100 venues globally, and she has authored more than 40 publications including refereed journal manuscripts, book chapters, administrative studies, monographs and multimedia contributions. Her works have been further cited in over 30 national and international publications.
Dr. Davidson has been recognized with awards for outstanding institutional service, national teaching excellence, quality curriculum consulting for the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (QNONPF), and she has served previously as a national accreditation visitor for both the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. She has additionally served as a national program evaluator for the NLN Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA) and as an appointed member of the NLN CNEA Program Review Committee. Most recently Dr. Davidson has served on the NLN CNEA Policy and Procedures Review Committee.
Dr. Davidson holds a Doctor of Philosophy in nursing from Texas Woman’s University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Wichita State University. In addition, Dr. Davidson earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Advanced Practice Leadership from Chamberlain University and is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Public Health at Walden University. She was inducted as a Fellow to AANP in 2001.