Roberta Christopher, EdD, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, NE-BC, EBP-C, CAIF
Associate Professor of Nursing; Assistant Director of DNP Programs
Telephone number (904) 256-8926
Email address rchrist6@ju.edu
Office location AHSC 2193
Downloadable resume or CV CV
Office Hours:
By appointment
Education
EdD, University of Phoenix
MSN, University of North Florida
BSN, University of North Florida
Professional Information
Dr. Roberta Christopher joined Jacksonville University in April 2015 as an Assistant Professor in the Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences (BRCHS), specifically within the Keigwin School of Nursing. With more than 27 years of experience in nursing, she has dedicated her career to advancing the field through education, research, and clinical practice. Dr. Christopher earned both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of North Florida. She later completed her Doctorate in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction. Her doctoral dissertation research focused on the relationship among presenteeism, absenteeism, nurse safety outcomes, and quality of care.
Currently serving as an Associate Professor, Dr. Christopher's teaching philosophy is rooted in an appreciative, student-centered approach that emphasizes emancipatory learning experiences through caring pedagogy and the principles of Communitas. This approach is exemplified in her recent publication, Academic Caring Pedagogy, Presence, and Communitas in Nursing Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic, published in Nursing Outlook.
As the Assistant Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs, Dr. Christopher provides critical guidance and oversight for doctoral projects, ensuring students meet the highest standards of scholarly writing and evidence-based practice. She also chairs the Jacksonville University Institutional Review Board (IRB), advancing research ethics and oversight.
Dr. Christopher holds multiple board certifications, including Nurse Executive (NE-BC), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC), Evidence-Based Practice Certification (EBP-C), and she is a Certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator (CAIF). Additionally, she is a Watson Caring Science Post-Doctoral Scholar®, completing her fellowship in July 2020 with Dr. Jean Watson, and she is recognized as a Caritas Coach®.
Her scholarly contributions include publications in respected journals such as the Nursing Outlook, Nurse Leader, Journal of Professional Nursing, Journal of Nursing Administration, Nursing Today, Cochrane Nursing Care Field, Nursing Economics, International Nursing Review, and Resuscitation. Dr. Christopher has served as a past president of the Lambda Rho Chapter-at-Large of Sigma Theta Tau International, and she is a former representative of the Florida Nurses Association to the Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC). Currently, she is an invited member of the NOBC Impact Group, focusing on researching the impact of nurses on boards. She has also been involved with the HIMSS TIGER Scholars Workgroup.
Dr. Christopher's teaching expertise spans undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, with a strong focus on quality, safety, informatics, leadership, and ethics in nursing education. She is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of nursing leaders and fostering an environment of collaborative learning and professional growth.