Michelle Zappas
Associate Teaching Professor and Director, Master of Science in Nursing Program
Nursing expert, focusing on health care for vulnerable populations across the lifespan.
Michelle Zappas
Associate Teaching Professor and Director, Master of Science in Nursing Program
Nursing expert, focusing on health care for vulnerable populations across the lifespan.
Biography
Michelle Zappas, DNP, FNP-BC is an associate teaching professor and director for the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program. She received her BSN, MSN and DNP from Columbia University. Equipped with a solid educational foundation, Zappas embarked on a fulfilling clinical career as a family nurse practitioner (FNP).
She fell in love with community-based family medicine during her work as a family nurse practitioner and the director of nursing at a family practice in the South Bronx, New York City. There she established a deep commitment to providing evidence-based, preventative and cost-effective health care to a diverse patient population across the lifespan. Since then, she has gained invaluable experience working in various health care settings, including primary care clinics, community health centers and specialty clinics. She has experience in women’s health, urgent care, diabetes, chronic disease management and dermatology. Part of what intrigues Zappas about the role of the FNP is that they tend to be generalists, dabbling and exploring many topics.
Drawing on her passion for education and a desire to shape the future of nursing, Zappas transitioned into academia. Joining the esteemed faculty of USC, she brought a wealth of clinical knowledge and experience into the classroom. She has presented research findings and best practices at national and international forums, contributing to the advancement of evidence-based practice.
Zappas’ research interests are about as broad as her clinical interests; however, she is particularly interested in the care of people with disabilities, especially the deaf and hard of hearing community. Her passion for research and scholarship has inspired students and alumni to pursue their own scholarly endeavors. With a passion for education, clinical practice, scholarship and leadership, Zappas is delighted to serve as the program director of the USC MSN-FNP Program and make significant contributions to the nursing profession and the development of future nursing leaders.
Media
Education
Columbia University
DNP 2012
Columbia University
MSN 2009
Columbia University
BSN 2007
University of California, San Diego
BS 2001
Area of Expertise
- Prenatal care
- Congenital CMV and TORCH infections
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Dermatology
- Interprofessional Education
- Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses
- Primary care
- Diabetes and disease management
Industry Experience
- Social Services
- Education/Learning
- Health Care - Providers
- Health and Wellness
- Research
- Health Care - Facilities
- Health Care - Services
- Professional Training and Coaching
Articles & Publications
White Paper: Integration of Social Determinants of Health throughout Nurses Practitioner Curricula: A Toolkit. (2024) The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties.
Zappas, M., O’Neill, S.P., Rotz, C. (2023). Congenital cytomegalovirus infection: A case report. Journal for Nurse Practitioners.
Zappas, M. P., Devereaux, A., Pesch, M.H. (May 2023). The psychosocial impact of congenital cytomegalovirus on caregivers and families: Lived experiences and review of the literature. International Journal of Neonatal Screening, 9(2), 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijns9020030
Proceedings of the Stillbirth Summit 2023: Bridging the gap between research and practice. (2023). BMC Proceedings, 17 (Suppl 14):24.
Zappas, M., Cadena, D., Sanchez, C., Hildebrand, J., O’Neill, S. (2022). Nursing. In Gholamrezanezhad, A. & Dube, M. (Eds), Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A clinical guide. Wiley Blackwell.
O’Neill, S.P., Woodruff, K., Sanchez, C., Zappas, M.P. (February 2022). Nurses and Contracts. American Nurse, https://www.myamericannurse.com/nurse-and-contracts/.
Foreman, R.M., Zappas, M., Lavell, J. (2022). Dermatology Dilemmas: Dermatology Variations in Skin of Color. The Nurse Practitioner Journal, 47(2). doi: 10.1097/01.NPR.0000798256.17155.86.
Foreman, R.M., Zappas, M., Lavell, J. (December 2021). Children with hearing impairment and cochlear implants. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 18(3). https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1eF6w5XgHbcuxE
Zappas, M., Foreman, R.M. (2021). Pharmacogenetics in Practice: Drug management amidst rare genomic testing. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 17(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2021.07.001
Kirkland, T.W., Zappas, M., Liu, A., Hueck, S.E., Fava-Hochuli, J., & Win, M. (2021). Virtual OSCEs during COVID-19: A paradigm shift in training the next generation of nurse practitioner students. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 11(4). http://www.sciedupress.com/journal/index.php/jnep/article/view/19525
Zappas, M., Walton-Moss, B., Sanchez, C., Hildebrand, J.A., & Kirkland, T.K. (2020). The Decolonization of Nursing Education. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.11.006
Zappas, M.P., Becker K. & Walton-Moss, B. (2020). Postpartum anxiety. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.08.017
Foreman, R., Zappas, M., & Whitely, C. (2020). Antidepressant withdrawal: A guide for primary care clinicians. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 16(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2019.12.013
Zappas, M., & Foreman, R. (2020). Preparing for Preexposure Prophylaxis. Journal of Doctoral Nursing Practice, 13(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/2380-9418.13.1.3
Aisner, A.., Zappas, M., & Marks, Adrienne. (2020). Primary care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning patients. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2019.12.011
Zappas, M., Whitely C., & Carter, S. (2019). Global Travel: What to know before they go. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 15(8). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2019.02.020
Granger, T, Zappas, M, Walton-Moss, B, & O’Neill, S. (2018). Syllabus selections: A patient panel of case studies to teach across the family nurse practitioner curriculum. Journal of Nurse Practitioners, 58(8), 512.
Zappas, M., & Granger, T. (2017). Managing adolescents with type II diabetes: Promoting a healthy lifestyle. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(4), e171-e176.
Zappas, M., Gentes, M., & Walton-Moss, B. (2017). The use of incretin therapy in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(6), 418-424.
Young-Pitts, C., Hicks, R., Love, R., Harkless, G., Honig, J., Desjardins, K., Hardin-Pierce, M., Linton, D., Jones, M., Murphy, M., Rotondo, L., Robertson-Bell, T., Bursch, L., Nikbakht, S., Sutter, C., Knestrick, J., Roberts, M.E., Wijewardane, J., Anderson, S., Scordo, K., Fura, L., Witt, D., Kirkland, T., Zappas, M., Sherry, D., Johnson, M., Waldrop, J., Budd, G., Lis, G., Wolf, A., Chase, S., King, J., Ficken, D., & Newland, J. (2016). White Paper: The Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Practitioner Clinical Scholar 2016. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties.
Research Focus
The importance of Integrative Health in primary care: Western medicine will only take you so far!
Zappas, M., & Granger, T.
2018-06-11
Podium presentation at the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 2017 National Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
Use of a multifaceted team-based approach in preparing the next generation of advanced practice nurses.
Kirkland, T., Zappas, M., Jones-Holley, M., Whitely, C., O’Neill.
2018-04-09
Podium presentation at the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties 44th Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Guided inquiry learning in online graduate courses: The cycle of learning.
Granger, T., & Zappas, M.
2018-04-10
Poster presentation at the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties 44th Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Using a patient panel of case studies to teach across the FNP curriculum.
Granger, T., Zappas, M., Walton-Moss, B., & O’Neill, S.
2018-04-11
Podium presentation at the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties 43rd Annual Conference, Washington D.C.
The dermatologic detective.
Zappas, M.
2018-03-13
Podium Presentation at the California Association of Nurse Practitioners 2018 National Conference, San Diego, CA.
International Travel in 2017: What to know before they go.
Zappas, M.
2017-03-14
Podium Presentation at the California Association of Nurse Practitioners 2017 National Conference, San Francisco, CA.
Languages
- English
- Spanish
Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Panelist
- Workshop
- Host/MC
- Corporate Training