Jeana Holt

Dr. Jeana Holt serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing, leveraging her clinical expertise as a family nurse practitioner to advance health equity for neurodiverse and underrepresented populations through technology-driven healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship.

Her educational credentials include:

• PhD, UW-Milwaukee College of Nursing, 2020
• DNP, UW-Milwaukee College of Nursing, 2012
• MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner, UW-Milwaukee College of Nursing, 2005
• BSN, Winona State University, 1997
• Post-Doctoral Fellow, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2017-2019

Dr. Holt's research employs participatory action research, implementation science, and Photovoice methodologies within a strengths-based framework. Her work centers on neurodiverse populations—particularly through the ABLE: Autism Brilliance Lab for Entrepreneurship—using art and technology to prepare autistic individuals for workforce integration. She pioneers innovation education in nursing curricula and addresses social determinants of health through digital interventions and community partnerships.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2022-2025) reveals strong thematic convergence in person-centered care models, telehealth optimization, and neurodiversity-focused interventions. Key trends include STEAM-based autism programs, AI-driven maternal health analytics, and implementation strategies for behavioral health integration in primary care settings.

Her accolades include:

• Kellner Entrepreneurship Fellow Award (2023, 2025)
• DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty (2021)
• VentureWell OPEN 2023 Best Teaching Toolkit Award
• Multiple Sigma Theta Tau International honors (2016-2020)
• Medical College of Wisconsin Community Partnership Award (2018)

Dr. Holt directs the NEA-funded ABLE Lab in partnership with Islands of Brilliance and leads the VentureWell™-supported nurse innovator program. She advises graduate students through her cross-curricular entrepreneurship initiative and collaborates with Inception Health Lab on implementation science projects. Her $1.2M+ grant portfolio includes National Endowment of the Arts and VentureWell™ funding for community-based autism and nursing innovation research.

She directs the ABLE: Autism Brilliance Lab for Entrepreneurship with Islands of Brilliance and partners with Inception Health Lab (Medical College of Wisconsin) to evaluate evidence-based healthcare interventions using implementation science methodologies.