Katherine Connolly

Katherine Connolly, D.N.P., RN, APN-C, serves as an Instructor in the Undergraduate Department at Seton Hall University's College of Nursing while also holding the position of Associate Director of the Buccino Leadership Institute representing Nursing. Her clinical practice as a Nurse Practitioner at Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas system on the Somerset campus complements her academic work, where she treated numerous COVID-19 patients and experienced frontline healthcare challenges firsthand.

Education and Certification:

• Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.)
• Nationally certified Advanced Practice Nurse (American Nurses Credentialing Center)

Her professional expertise centers on developing critical thinking and leadership capabilities in undergraduate nursing students through innovative teaching methodologies. She specializes in Adult Health nursing education and advancing quality improvement initiatives in in-patient hospital settings, with particular focus on servant leadership principles and transition-to-practice challenges for new graduates. Her clinical background spans cardiology, internal medicine, and clinical research across both in-patient and out-patient environments.

Dr. Connolly actively sponsors alumni events to support graduate transition into professional practice and has pioneered study abroad opportunities for nursing students despite rigorous clinical scheduling constraints. Her scholarly contributions include publications on quality of care and servant leadership in nursing, with stated goals to expand her research output in these critical areas.