Leslie K Robbins

Leslie K Robbins serves as Professor and Dean of the School of Nursing at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), bringing over 40 years of comprehensive nursing experience across administration, education, and clinical practice. She established UTEP's inaugural Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program and developed a nationally impactful grant-supported distance education Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program that significantly expanded mental health practitioner capacity regionally and across the United States.

Her primary research domains include:

• Emotional Intelligence applications in healthcare
• Mental and Behavioral Health service delivery
• Addictive Disorders treatment methodologies
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) rehabilitation
• Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) management
• Student and Faculty Success metrics in academic settings

Dr. Robbins' clinical practice is dedicated to providing accessible mental health services to underserved populations, with her program innovations directly addressing critical workforce shortages through evidence-based educational frameworks.

Her distinguished accolades comprise:

• Lifetime Achievement Award from nursing professional organizations
• Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP)
• Academy of Nursing Education Fellow (ANEF) designation

Substantial research funding underscores her leadership, including a $4.5 million federal grant to expand nursing and health professional pipelines and a $1.9 million National Institutes of Health award for health services research. Her strategic focus on faculty development and student mentorship drives institutional excellence across UTEP's nursing programs.