Interim Associate Dean, College of Professional and Continuing Education
Associate Professor
Contact
Debra J. Ford, PhD
Interim Associate Dean, College of Professional and Continuing Education
Associate Professor
Dr. Debra Ford is associate professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Creighton University. The classes she teaches include Leadership Theory, Proposal Construction, Organizational Strategy, Introduction to University Teaching, and Grant Writing. She also serves as Associate Vice Provost of Creighton’s Teaching & Learning Center and is on the administrative council for Creighton’s Center for Interprofessional Education & Research (CIPER).
Cura personalis, Magis, and Reflection and Discernment are the Creighton Jesuit charisms that particularly guide her work. She said, “I see my role as a teacher and mentor as someone who helps students navigate through their learning and through university systems.”
Before joining Creighton University in the EdD program, Dr. Ford served as Associate Dean-Student Affairs at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, as well as in other roles over her career in the School of Nursing. Her other administrative and teaching experiences include serving as an assistant professor of Communication Studies at Creighton in the early 2000s, and as Basic Course Director at the University of Kansas-Department of Communication Studies. Dr. Ford is serving as First Vice President for the Central States Communication Association as part of their officer rotation.
Her central research interest focuses on understanding how leading, team(ing), and teaching/learning are created through and influenced by communication. Specific topics include: interprofessional/interdisciplinary teams; organizational rhetoric, particularly that of healthcare-related special interest groups; and learning science. Her co-authored book (with M. F. Hoffman), Organizational Rhetoric: Situations & Strategies, is one of only two textbooks on the topic.
Dr. Ford earned her BA and MA in organizational communication from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She earned her PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas with emphases in organizational and health communication. When she is away from academia, she enjoys spending time with her husband and dogs, remodeling, reading historical novels, aerobic dance, and crafts. She is also a huge fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Department
Interdisciplinary Studies
Position
Associate Professor
Books
- Pearson Education
Ford, D. J. (2018). Communication. In E. Sullivan, Ed., Effective leadership and management for nurses. New York, NY:
9th ed., p. 145-162 2018 - Pearson Education
Ford, D. J. (2018). Conflict management. In E. Sullivan, Ed., Effective leadership and management for nurses (9th ed.). New York, NY:, p. 199-210 2018 - Routledge
Keyton, J., Ford, D. J., & Smith, F. E. (2012). Communication, collaboration and identification as facilitators of multiteam systems. In S. J. Zaccaro, M. A. Marks, & L.A. DeChurch (Eds.), Multiteam systems: An organization form for complex environments. NY:, p. 173-190 2012 - Sage
Hoffman, M. F., & Ford, D. J. (2010). Organizational rhetoric: Situations and strategies. Thousand Oaks, CA: 2010
Articles
- Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care
Nelson-Brantley, H. V., Ford, D. J., Miller, K. L., & Bott, M. J. (2018). Nurse executives leading change to improve critical access hospital outcomes: A literature review with research-informed recommendations.
18 (1), p. 148-179 2018 - Journal of Nursing Administration
Nelson-Brantley, H. V., Ford, D. J., Miller, K. L., Stegenga, K. A., Lee, R. H., & Bott, M. J. (2018). Leading change: A case study of the first independent critical access hospital to achieve Magnet® designation.
48 (3), p. 141-148 2018 - Journal of Advanced Nursing
Nelson-Brantley, H. V., & Ford, D. J. (2017). Leading change: A concept analysis.
73 (4), p. 834-846 2017 - Kansas Nurse
Peltzer, J., Teel, C., Pierce, J.. D., Carlton, E., & Ford, D. J. (2017). Successful communication in leadership: Experiences of the Northeast Kansas nurse leader residents.
92 (3), p. 6 2017 - Nursing Outlook
Peltzer, J., Ford, D. J., Shen, Q., Fischgrund, A., Teel, C., Jamison, M., & Pierce, J. (2015). Exploring roles, goals, and barriers among Kansas registered nurses: A descriptive, cross-sectional study.
63, p. 117-123 2015 - Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing
Tarnow, K., Gambino, M., & Ford, D. (2013). Effects of continuing education: Do attendees implement tools taught?
44 (9), p. 391-396 2013 - Journal of the American Society for Quality
Ford, D. J., & Hoffman, M. F. (2008). Dancing with those who brought you: Managing internal communication strategies in change initiatives and process improvement efforts.
34 (4), p. 17-20 2008 - Communication Theory
Keyton, J., Ford, D. J., & smith, f. e. (2008). A meso-level communicative model of collaboration.
18, p. 376-406 2008 - Communication Studies
Bisel, R. S., & Ford, D. J. (2008). Diagnosing pathogenic eschatology.
59 (4), p. 340-354 2008 - Health Communication
Koesten, J., Schrodt, P., & Ford, D. J. (2008). Cognitive flexibility as a mediator of family communication environments and young adult children's well-being.
24 (1), p. 82-94 2008 - Western Communication Journal
Koesten, J., Schrodt, P., & Ford, D. J. (2008). Cognitive flexibility as a mediator of family communication environments and young adult children's well-being.
24 (1), p. 82-94 2007 - Journal of Leadership Studies
Bloomquist, C., Georges, L., Ford, D. J., & Moss Breen, J. (In press.) Interdisciplinary leadership practices in graduate leadership education programs.
Presentations
- Ford, D. J. (2017). Butterflies flying in formation: Enhancing presentations in the workplace. University of Kansas School of Nursing Continuing Nursing Education presentation, Kansas City, Kansas. 2017
- Ford, D. J., & Olds, D. (2016). Building our capacity for advocacy. Kansas Action Coalition Annual Summer Summit, Topeka, Kansas. 2016
- Carlton, L., & Ford, D. J. (2016). Communicating for success in leadership: Report on the Kansas Nurse Leader Residency Program, Northeast Region. Kansas Action Coalition Annual Summer Summit, Topeka, Kansas. 2016
- Ford, D. J. (2016). Butterflies flying in formation: Presentations in the workplace. Kansas Action Coalition Nurse Leader Residency Program, Northeast Region. 2016
- Ford, D. J. (2015). Introduction to Panel 4: Negotiations and collaborations during and after a crisis. Uniting to Save World Cultures: Investigating the Attributes of Successful Emergency Cultural Heritage Protection Interventions. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. 2015
- Busenhart, C., & Ford, D. J. (2015). Leading change, advancing health in Kansas through nursing. Kansas Action Coalition Annual Summer Summit, Overland Park, Kansas. 2015
- Ford, D. J. (2014). Next generation advising: Introducing the Graduate Advising Resource Center. Scholarship Forum, University of Kansas School of Nursing, Kansas City. 2014
- Ford, D. J. (2014). Interorganizational collaboration: Shouldn't this be easier than it looks? KU Edwards Campus Lecture Series, Overland Park, KS. 2014
- Ford, D. J. (2014). Organizational rhetoric and crisis. Guest lecturer, COMS 930: Stakeholders. 2014
- Ford, D. J. (2014). Rhetorical critique methodology. Scholarship Forum, University of Kansas School of Nursing, Kansas City. 2014
Awards
- Best Research Poster Presentation
Leading Change: A Concept Analysis. (Nelson-Brantley & Ford)
International Nursing Administration Research Conference - Best Research Poster Presentation
The Kansas Action Coalition: Creating a Culture of Health for Kansas. (Peltzer, Shen, Ford & Teel)
2015 Nursing Research Council Symposium, University of Kansas Hospital - Outstanding Service Award
2013 Annual Conference, Kansas City, Missouri, for Local Arrangements Chair
Central States Communication Association - Top Paper
2007 Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN (Bisel, Ford & Keyton)
Organizational & Professional Communication Division, Central States Communication Association - Top Paper
2007 Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN (Koesten, Schrodt & Ford)
Interpersonal Communication Division, Central States Communication Association - Donn W. Parson Graduate Faculty Mentorship Award
Selected by the Dept. of Communication Studies Graduate Student Council
Communication Studies, University of Kansas