Rita Ferrari D’Aoust

PhD, MS, BSN, RN, ACNP, APN-BC, APRN, CNE, FAAN, FAANP, FNAP

Track Director, Post-Masters Nursing Education Certificate Program

Rita Ferrari D’Aoust is an expert in nursing workforce demands, program development and research, interprofessional education, community service, and providing access to care for vulnerable populations.

Dr. D’Aoust has long made her mark where the business of education and health care intersect. She has led advances in innovative program development, curriculum and classroom technology to enhance the philosophy of education and a mastery of financial issues in higher education. Main focuses include nursing education, expanding practice opportunities for faculty and students, and improving curriculum to meet the changing demands of health care. She has a sustained history of grant funding and leadership positions.

Dr. D’Aoust advances state and national responses for nursing workforce challenges, and in particular, education and policy implications for nurse practitioners practice readiness and scope of practice.

JHU Center Affiliation:
Center for Equity in Aging

Full CV

[email protected]

@RitaDAoust

Specialties and Expertise

D’Aoust, R., Ling, C. & Rossiter, A. (October, 2024). Improving Care for Veterans and Military-Connected Patients: A Matter of National Security. American Association of Colleges of Nursing Webinar/Virtual Presentation.

D’Aoust, R., Ling, C. & Rossiter, A. (Nov., 2023). Discussing Caring for Veterans & Families on the Nurse Practitioner podcast for SiriusXM Doctor Radio hosted by Dr Eileen Sullivan-Marx with Catherine Ling, Alicia Rossiter, & K Marx during Veterans &NP week. https://twitter.com/RitaDAoust/status/1725484639651786874

D’Aoust, R. & Rossiter, A. (2023, Nov.). Caring for Our Veterans. NP Pulse: The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner. Highlight the needs of those that have served our country and the needs of their families. Discuss the enormous insights a health care provider can gain by simply asking a patient: “Have you ever served?”https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/101-caring-for-our-veterans/id1532301119?i=1000637748143

D’Aoust, R., Bahouth, M., Battista, V., Dino, M.J., Fingerhood, M. L., Pandian, V., & Parks, H., (2022, April 5). Facebook LiveThe Future on In-Person and Virtual Care. https://youtu.be/bZmaMB5pWzs. Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Health Podcast

D’Aoust, R. & Rossiter, A. (2021, Nov.10). Preparing Providers to Care for Veterans and their Families. Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Health Podcast. https://healthpodcastnetwork.com/episodes/on-the-pulse/episode-9-preparing-providers-to-care-for-veterans-and-their-families,

D’Aoust, R. & Rossiter, A. (2021, Nov. 8). Veteran Health Care and Advocacy. RN-Mentor Podcast with Dr. Ali R. Tayyeb, PhD, RN, NPS-BC, PHN, Jonas Veteran Healthcare Scholar.

Rossiter, A. & D’Aoust, R. (2021, Oct. 13). Impact of the Jonas Scholarship on nursing education and veteran health. Jonas Nursing and Veterans Health, Jonas Philanthropies Foundation Podcast. Mary Fiore, Columbia University.

Marcus, J. (2014, May 6). Vets Want Class Credit for Military Skills (The Hechinger Report) TIME (online).com. Available at http://time.com/87696/military-veterans-education/?iid=sr-link1 . Article based on D’Aoust program innovation and interview for Veteran to BS in Nursing.

Publications

Publications (2025 only; *data based):

Preti, K., Avery-Desmarais S. Battista, S.& D’Aoust, R. Outcomes Assessment in Advanced Practice Palliative Care in Ruth Kleinpell and April Kapu (Eds.) (2026), “Outcomes Assessment in Advanced Practice Nursing”. (6^th ed.). Springer Publishing.

*Slade, E., Sellers, M., Gentry-Russell, N., Knestrick, J; Bradley, K., & D’Aoust, R. (accepted for publication). Do Time-in-Practice Requirements Increase Nurse Practitioners’ Retention of Practice Agreements with Physicians? Journal Nursing Regulation.

D’Aoust, R. (2025, October 10). Answer the call. Nursing Nexus https://nursingnexus.net/answer-the-call-nursings-need-for-committed-peer-reviewers/

*Hughes, V., D’Aoust, R., Swoboda, S., Hudson, K., Wright, E., Hansen, G., & Rushton, C. (accepted for publication). Evaluation of a Program to Build Resilience, Renewal, and Retention in Nursing Faculty. Teaching and Learning in Nursing.

D’Aoust, R., Swoboda, S., Hanson, G., Liu, Y., Sarver, L., & Rushton, C. (accepted for publication). Burnout in Nursing Faculty: Personal and Organizational Resources. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice.

*Murphy, J., Deighton, S., Plescia, J., Smith, P., & D’Aoust, R. (accepted for publication). The Cohen Scholars Program Revisions: Improving Transition to the Nurse Faculty Role. Journal of Nursing Education.

Adebiyi, A., Hansen, B., Baker, D., D’Aoust, R., Sekhon Atwal, A., & Davis, E. (accepted for publication). Combined Ergonomic and Physical Activity Interventions for Preventing Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: An Integrated Review. Workplace Health and Safety.

*Rushton, C., Swoboda, S., Reller, N., Sarver, L., Wright, E., Hudson, K., Hughes, V., Hanson, G., & D’Aoust, R., (2025). (R³) Resilient Nurses Initiative of Maryland: Conceptual Model and Design. Journal of Professional Nursing. 61, 33-40

*Galao Malo, R., D’Aoust, R., Davidson, A., & Curry, K. (2025). The Historical Foundations of Advanced Practice Nursing: Tracing American Origins for Global Understanding. Journal of Advanced Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.70279

McCamey, D., Novak, K., Pasquale, C., Blount, T., Smetana, A., Kent, E., Reyes, I., & D’Aoust, R. (accepted for publication). The Critical Role of Clinical Placement Professionals in Academic-Practice Partnerships for Nurse Education. Journal of Professional Nursing, 60, 67-70.

Slyer, J. T., Slone, S. E., Christopherson, K. A., Hogan, M. K., Bumbach, M. D., & D’Aoust, R. F. (2025). Application of the PRIME-NP Model in Nurse Practitioner Curriculum Development. Journal of Nursing Education, 64(11), 715-722.

Bragdon, C., Baker, D., & D’Aoust, R. (In Press). Mentorship training: A tool to enhance support for new graduate nurse practitioners. Journal of Doctoral Nursing Practice.

*D’Aoust, R., Budhathoki, C., Silbert-Flagg, J., Galao Malo, R., Ling, C., Russell, N., Fingerhood, M., & Slone, S.E. (accepted). Course evaluation instrumentation: development and validation for alignment with teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 20(4), 326-332.

D’Aoust, R. (2025). CBE Progression Indicator Peer Reviewer: The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. Domain 2 – Person-Centered Care. American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Washington, DC. Available at https://www.aacnnursing.org/essentials.

*Russell, N., D’Aoust, R., Budhathoki, C., Douglass, B., & Ling, C. (2025). Increasing Family Nurse Practitioner Student Confidence in Select Therapeutic Musculoskeletal Injections. Journal of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing, 57, 101182.

*Battista, V., Baker, D., Trimarchi, M., & D’Aoust, R. (2025). Advance Directives for Adolescents and Young Adults Living with Neuromuscular Disease: A Nurse Practitioner Journal of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing Intervention. The Journal of Nursing Hospice and Palliative Care.27(1). DOI: 10.1097/NJH.0000000000001086

*Preti, K., Beeber, A., Baker, D., & D’Aoust, R. (2025). Multimodal Multidisciplinary Adult Cancer Pain Management: An Integrative Review. Oncology Nursing Forum. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology (JADPRO), 52(1).

2025 National League for Nursing, Certification Lifetime Achievement Award, Certification Board of Commissioners, National League for Nursing.

2025 University of Rochester School of Nursing, Distinguished Alumnus Award.

2024 Maryland Higher Education Commission Nurse Support Program II, Peg E. Daw Nurse Faculty Annual Recognition (NFAR) Award, Contributions to Nursing Education.

2023 Nursing Outlook 2023 Excellence in Education Best Paper from the American Academy of Nursing for “A Competency Roadmap for Advanced Practice Nursing Education Using PRIME-NP”.

2023 Nursing Education Perspectives 2022 Innovation Center award for “Increasing the Number of Faculty With CNE® Certification: A Statewide Initiative”.

2021 Jonas Nursing and Veterans Healthcare Distinguished Faculty Award

2021 National League for Nurse, Board of Commissioners Certified Nurse Educator, Star Award Recognition

2021` Maryland Higher Education Commission Nurse Support Program II, Appreciation Award

2021 Our Lady of Fatima University (Singapore), University Appreciation & Recognition Award

2020 Maryland Higher Education Commission Nurse Support Program II, Service Appreciation Award

2018 Sigma Theta Tau, Emerging Educational Administrator Institute, National Mentor.

2018 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Fellows Mentor Program, National Mentor.

2017 American Academy of Nursing, Fellow

2017 Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, Senior Advisor

2016 UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine Geriatrics Mini-fellowship

2015 American Association of Colleges of Nursing – The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania Executive Leadership Program Fellow

2014 Florida Nurse Practitioner Network, Policy Advocacy Appreciation

2013 Florida Nurses Association, Great 100 Nurses Award (State Award, Nurse Educator)

2012 National Academies of Practice, Fellow

2011 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Fellow

2010 Mary Dombeck University of Rochester Diversity Enhancement Faculty Award, Rochester, NY

2009 Nurse Educator Award, Genesee Valley Nurses Association, Rochester, New York

2006 Faculty Hero Award, University of Rochester School of Nursing, Rochester, New York

2005 Woman of the Year Award, Education, Italian American Federation. Rochester, New York.

2005 Woman of the Year Award, Health Care/Science, Italian American Community Federation. Rochester, New York

2005 Outstanding Scholarly Practitioner Award, University of Rochester School of Nursing, NY

2002 Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, University of Rochester

2002 Professional Advancement Award, University of Rochester School of Nursing

2001 Faculty Hero Award, University of Rochester School of Nursing

1998 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, University of Rochester School of Nursing

< Back to Faculty Directory