Donna S. Havens, PhD
Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing | Villanova University
Villanova, PA, UNITED STATES
Health systems researcher Donna Havens, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a leader and an advocate for quality nursing education, practice and patient care.
Areas of Expertise (6)
Health Systems Research
Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Workers
Nursing Leadership
Nursing Practice
Stress/Burnout of Nurses and Doctors
Quality of Patient Care
Biography
Donna S. Havens, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor of the Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. Dr. Havens is committed to advancing the field of nursing through research and engagement with nurse leaders, practicing nurses and health care organizations. Dr. Havens is one of the principal investigators on the national longitudinal CHAMPS study which the College launched in May 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to study the health effects on frontline healthcare workers and first responders. Her work includes several initiatives to translate research findings to improve the quality of patient care and nursing practice in hospitals and enhance the quality of patient care in emergency rooms located in rural North Carolina hospitals. Dr. Havens developed the groundbreaking Decisional Involvement Scale (DIS), a well-known tool used across the US and internationally by hundreds of hospitals, hospital systems, researchers and consultants to enhance clinical nurse involvement in decisions about nursing practice and patient care.
Education (4)
University of Maryland School of Nursing: PhD
Villanova University College of Nursing: MSN
Cedar Crest College: BSN
Cedar Crest College: BS
Select Media Appearances (6)
Auschwitz Survivor Urges Nurses, Doctors at Risk of Pandemic PTSD to Rid Themselves of Guilt
Newsweek online
2021-01-27
Donna Havens, the Connelly-endowed dean and professor of the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova, told Newsweek they're "very, very" concerned about health care workers' emotional well being. "Haunted" is the word nurses in a study used to describe their COVID-19 experience and they're often the last line of defense. "Before they leave, they hand the phone to their patients so they can connect with their families," Havens said. "Several told us that they were taking care of coworkers when they died."
Our Healthcare Heroes are Getting Fed Up With Us
HuffPost online
2020-12-23
“They use the word haunted,” said Donna Havens, dean of the Villanova University College of Nursing in Philadelphia. “They’re haunted by the COVID-19 experience, and talk about caring for their co-workers who died while they were caring for them. These are just unimaginable things.”
Gov. Wolf Issues Dire Plea to Pennsylvanians as COVID-19 Hospitalizations Hit 5,400 and Health-care Workers are Exhausted
The Philadelphia Inquirer online
2020-12-07
Nurses working with coronavirus patients have reported depression, sleep disorders, and traumatic stress, according to the preliminary results of a national study of the effects of the pandemic on health care workers by Villanova University’s Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. “These are incredibly stressed people who are experiencing horrific, horrific things in their workplace,” said Donna Havens, the college’s dean and a leader of the study. “This is just a huge crisis. And it’s very, very worrisome especially since we have not yet seen the effect of Thanksgiving … and then we’re going to be heading into Christmas.”
How Coronavirus is Affecting Nursing School Admissions
U.S. News and World Report online
2020-06-18
"For the first time in my career, I feel the world really understands what nurses do, and they really understand how important the contributions of nurses are to health and health care," says Donna Havens, the Connelly endowed dean at Villanova University's Fitzpatrick College of Nursing in Pennsylvania.
‘We’re Very Worried About PTSD’: Villanova to Study COVID-19’s Long-Range Toll on Frontline Workers
The Philadelphia Inquirer online
2020-05-07
The long-term consequences of these difficult shifts are the focus of a national study launched this week by Villanova University’s Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. Dubbed the COVID-19 Caring About Health for All Study (CHAMPS), local clinicians will rely on surveys to examine the long-term physical, mental, and social health effects of the pandemic on up to 20,000 front-line workers over the next two decades. Those front-line workers will include nurses like May, but also police officers, firefighters, ambulance drivers, and non-medical hospital workers such as receptionists, temperature screeners, and custodians. “We’re very worried about post-traumatic stress disorder,” said Donna S. Havens, dean of the nursing college. “In many respects, some of these people may be very wounded after this experience.”
Villanova University to Study Impact of COVID-19 on Front Line Workers
6 ABC Philadelphia online
2020-05-05
"I'm concerned that we're going to see higher levels of burnout than we already have been, especially amongst health care professionals, but, as Peter says, all of the workers and their families," said Dean Donna Havens.
Select Academic Articles (3)
Psychological responses of hospital-based nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: A cross-sectional study
Applied Nursing ResearchJanell L. Mensinger, Heather Brom, Donna S. Havens, et al.
2022
Sustaining Innovations in Complex Health Care Environments: A Multiple-Case Study of Rapid Response Teams
Journal of Patient SafetyStolldorf, Deonni P., Havens, Donna S., Jones, Cheryl B.
2020
Improving physician engagement in interprofessional collaborative practice in rural emergency departments
Journal of Interprofessional Education & PracticeKelly Might Wilson, Jennifer Leeman, Barry Saunders, Donna Sullivan Havens
2018
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