Deborah Becker

Deborah Becker, PhD, ACNP, BC, FAAN, is a Practice Professor of Nursing in the Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She directs the Streamlined Post Graduate APRN Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP Certificate Program and plays a pivotal role in shaping advanced practice nursing education.

Her educational background includes a PhD from Drexel University (2007), an MSN from the University of Pennsylvania (1991), a BSN from Thomas Jefferson University (1984), and a BSG from Villanova University (1982).

Dr. Becker's research and teaching focus on acute and critical care nursing, with strong emphasis on adult gerontology, patient advocacy, and interprofessional simulation training. She is a certified healthcare simulation educator and actively promotes the use of high-fidelity simulation to enhance clinical readiness across healthcare disciplines. Her work bridges clinical excellence with educational innovation, preparing nurse practitioners to manage complex, high-stakes patient scenarios.

Her recent publications highlight her leadership in disaster preparedness simulation (e.g., the PennDemic framework) and in shaping certification standards for acute care nurse practitioners. These works reflect trends in experiential learning, interprofessional collaboration, and evidence-based practice development in nursing.

• Fellow, National League for Nursing (NLN) Academy of Nursing Education
• University of Pennsylvania Provost Award for Distinguished Teaching

Dr. Becker is actively involved in mentoring and program leadership. She is currently accepting mentees and continues to guide the development of advanced practice nursing curricula. While no specific grants are mentioned, her leadership in interprofessional simulation initiatives like PennDemic suggests active engagement in funded educational research. She has also contributed to global nursing education through international consulting in Singapore, Ireland, Palestine, and other countries.

As a certified healthcare simulation educator and active member of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, she promotes interprofessional simulation training at Penn, leveraging the university’s strong clinical affiliations to provide students with cutting-edge, real-world experiences.