Jo Ann A. Otts, DNP, NEA-BC

Education

• DNP – Executive Leadership, Loyola University New Orleans, 2017
• MSN – Health Care Systems Management, Loyola University New Orleans, 2015
• BA, Healthcare Administration, Graceland University, 1998
• ASN, Louisiana Tech University, 1979

Research and Scholarly Interests

• Factors influencing nursing workforce development, transition to practice, and retention in rural and medically underserved communities
• Influence of academic–practice partnerships on nursing workforce development, professional practice, and patient outcomes
• Implementation and sustainability of evidence-based practices and their impact on nursing-sensitive quality and safety outcomes
• Impact of online learning strategies and generative AI on critical thinking, clinical reasoning, engagement, and learning outcomes in graduate nursing education
• Effectiveness of clinical decision support tools in supporting nursing judgment, clinical decision-making, and patient outcomes

Selected Publications

• Pittman, J., Riley, B., Campbell, A., Campbell, M., Hawkins, D., Otts, J.A. (2026). Pressure injury prevention clinical decision support tool. Advances in Skin & Wound Care. 39(2): p E124-E134, March 2026. https://doi.org/0.1097/ASW.0000000000000405
• Pittman, J., Anderson, J., Bentley, E., Clanton, C., Hammonds, L.S., McCoy, K., Otts, J.A., Riley, B. H., Sturm, T. A. (2026). Gap analysis methodology for mapping baccalaureate and graduate nursing curricula to the AACN essentials: A step-wise approach. Journal of Professional Nursing.
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-professional-nursing
• Guy M., Smith P.T., Bentley E.S., Otts J.A. (2025) College of nursing and community partners: Capacity-building to address health disparities in rural and underserved populations. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10436596251398673
• Perrin, A.J., Otts, J. A. (2025). Reducing clinical documentation burden: an evidence-based quality improvement initiative. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 21(7), 105433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2025.105433
• Otts, J. A., Pittman, J., Riley, B., Mestas, L., Hall, H., Morton, P. (2024). Building a research-focused academic practice partnership: A stepwise approach. Journal of Professional Nursing. 53, 118-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2024.05.012
• Fenske, R., Otts, J.A. (2024). Incorporating generative AI to promote inquiry-based learning: Comparing Elicit AI Research Assistant to PubMed and CINAHL Complete. Medical References Services Quarterly. 43(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2024.2403272

Selected Presentations

• Otts, J.A., Thomas, A. (2026). Sustained Faculty-Student Mentoring: A Teaching Intervention to Support NCLEX Success and Strengthen Alabama’s RN Workforce. Poster Presentation. ASNA Annual Symposium 2026. Tuscaloosa, AL
• Pittman, J., Bentley, E., Guy, M., Johnson, P., Otts, J.A., Powell-Lewis, S., Riley, B. (2025). Transcultural Self-Efficacy in Nursing Faculty and Students. Oral presentation, Sigma Theta Tau Biennial Convention 2025, Indianapolis, IN.
• Otts, J.A., Fenske, R. (2024, May). How Can Faculty Incorporate AI to Promote Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL)? Oral Presentation at the Conference on Teaching and Learning 2024. Mobile, AL
• Pancione, K., Stuart, W., Otts, J.A., Urquhart, B. (2024, May). Panel Presentation. Staying Relevant: Reflecting on AI Use in Course Assignments, at the Conference on Teaching and Learning 2024. Mobile, AL

Research 

Grant Funding

• Otts, J.A. (Project Director). (2026). Expanding Mentorship, Pipeline Development, Opportunity, Workforce Readiness, Experience, and Retention through Education (EMPOWERED). Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) -26095, Nursing Workforce Development (NWD).
  $2,155,798. Funded 2026, 4 years. This grant aims to increase the number of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who enroll in and graduate from nursing degree programs, using evidence-based strategies such as pipeline programs or comprehensive support services.

Ongoing Research Support

• Health Resources and Services Administration-23-016, Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR)-Pathway to Registered Nurse Program (PRNP). Funded. Project Director: Leigh Minchew; 2023, 4 years. Leveling Education and Social Support Resources to Advance Professional Nursing Practice (LEAP). Otts, J. A. (Lead Professional Mentor). This grant aims to enhance the education, practice quality, and retention of LPNs/LVNs from disadvantaged backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented in nursing, for career advancement through preparation for future registered nurse (RN) practice and qualification for
  future professional leadership roles.

Completed Research Support

• Pittman, J., Otts, J.A., Riley, B., Campbell, A., Campbell, M. Clinical Decision Support (CDS) Tool to Guide Pressure Injury Prevention and Management. (August 15, 2024 – August 14, 2026) Smith + Nephew Grant. (Role: Co-investigator).
• Health Resources and Services Administration-22-056, Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention-Mobile Health Training Program (NEPQR-MHTP). Funded. Project Director: Emily Bentley; 2022, 4 years, 2022. Nursing, Recruitment and Education to Expand Access to Culturally Aligned Healthcare (Nursing REEACH). Otts, J. A. (Project Coordinator, 2024-2026). This grant aims to recruit, educate, train, and mentor diverse nursing students to become leaders in managing social determinants of health by providing care in several rural communities and underserved areas in Alabama and Mississippi.
• Centers for Disease Control DP21-2109, Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities (CCR). Mobile County Board of Health (DP21-2109) Grant Number NU58DP007043. Funded; Responsible Investigator for the Subcontractor, Ashley Williams; 2021, 3 years. Otts, J.A. (Evaluator). This grant aims to form a coalition of community-based
  organizations to build a workforce of Community Health Workers in Mobile County to support communities that struggle with health disparities and have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teaching

Doctoral Courses

• NU 611 Translating Evidence into Practice Systems
• NU 661 DNP Project Planning & Development Progression
• NU 662 DNP Nurse Executive Administration Residency I
• NU 663 DNP Nurse Executive Administration Residency II
• NU 664 DNP Nurse Executive Administration Residency III

Graduate Courses 

• NU 607 Scientific Underpinnings of Advanced Nursing Practice
• NU 613 Organizational & Systems Leadership
• HSC 504 Leadership and Change Management Advancing Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities
• NU 566 Nursing Administration Field Study
• NU 567 Nursing Administration Internship
• NU 568 Nursing Administration Seminar
• HSC 571 Managing Health Care Personnel
• NU 607 Scientific Underpinnings of Advanced Nursing Practice. Course Coordinator
• NU 608 Evidence Based Practice & Quality Improvement in Health Care Systems
• NU 610 Health Policy and Finance

Undergraduate Courses

• NU 101 Seminar in Nursing
• NU 499 NU Honors Senior Project

Certifications

• Nurse Executive, Advanced –Board Certified. American Nurses Credentialing Center 

Affiliations

• Alabama State Nurses Association
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• American Nurses Association
• American Organization of Nurse Leaders
• Association for Leadership Science in Nursing
• Gulf Coast Organization of Nurse Leaders
• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, Zeta Gamma Chapter
• Transcultural Nursing Society