Heather Naylor, PhD, MSN, FNP-BC

Dr. Heather M. Naylor is Faculty Chair and Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing at Creighton University, Phoenix, Arizona campus, where she teaches in the accelerated baccalaureate curriculum and provides leadership for faculty and students. She holds a PhD in Nursing from the University of Missouri and an MSN as a Family Nurse Practitioner, and maintains active clinical practice as a pain management Nurse Practitioner with Zion Hospitalists Group in Phoenix.

Dr. Naylor’s research and scholarly interests focus on pain management, therapeutic communication, and educational strategies that support clinician resilience and patient-centered care amid the opioid epidemic. Her doctoral work examined pain management practices and communication in acute care settings. She is currently engaged in projects exploring non-pharmacologic pain interventions, interprofessional education, and learning design for adult learners. Her work has been published in Nursing Reports, Nursing Education Perspectives, and interprofessional health education journals. A nationally credentialed Advanced Practice Pain Management Nurse, Dr. Naylor has received multiple awards for excellence in teaching and clinical education.