Jennifer Clifton, DNP, FNP-BC, CCHP-CP, CCHP-A, FAANP, will serve as associate dean for practice and community collaboration at the University of Utah College of Nursing (CON), effective June 1, 2023.
CON Practice and Community Collaboration, formerly CON Faculty Practice, represents eight clinical practice areas at more than twenty sites across Utah wherein CON faculty and staff provide patient care, educate nursing students, and facilitate college-community relationships.
“As the college focuses on improving individual and community health, I am confident that Dr. Clifton will identify new partnerships with health care organizations, non-profit organizations, government, and other communities of interest to establish new collaborations, and expand access to evidence-based and patient-centered care, ultimately improving the well-being of Utahns,” said Marla J De Jong, PhD, RN, CCNS, FAAN, dean of the CON.
Clifton is an associate professor (clinical). Since joining CON faculty in 2005, her role has encompassed patient care, clinical and practice management, and online graduate instruction. She is family nurse practitioner, and serves as a primary care provider within Utah Juvenile Justice and Youth Services (JJYS) clinics, and the Summit County Health Department.
Clifton has served as interim associate dean for faculty practice since October 2021. She established new contracts with Primary Children's Hospital, the University of Utah Behavioral Health Innovation and Dissemination Center, and Uinta Basin Medical Center. She revived the psychiatric-mental health practice at the University of Utah Health South Jordan Health Center, mentored faculty and staff, and rewrote twelve memorandums of understanding along with other faculty practice policies.
She has thirty-four years of nursing experience. Clifton earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Indiana University in 1989, Master of Science in Nursing degree from Brigham Young University in 1998, and Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Utah in 2010.
“I am looking forward to this opportunity to become a more integral part of the U of U Health system and to external entities,” said Clifton. “I am proud to lead the College of Nursing’s Practice team, and look forward to collaborating with clinical practice peers from institutions across the country.”
In 2016, she became a Certified Correctional Health Care Professional (CCHP), a certification sponsored by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). Clifton earned CCHP-A (Advanced) certification in 2021, and is one of approximately forty people nationwide to hold this advanced certification. In 2023, Clifton earned the CCHP-CP (Clinical Provider) certification. In 2020, Clifton was inducted as a fellow into the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
She currently serves as vice chair on the NCCHC Juvenile Health Committee, and as a member of the NCCHC Accreditation and Standards Committee. She also serves on the NCCHC Board of Representatives as liaison with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
As part of a NCCHC task force, Clifton worked to update national standards for juvenile correctional care. As a member of the Utah Nurse Practitioners Legislative Committee, she advocated for nurse practitioners to gain full practice authority in Utah. A testament to her unique expertise and sustained contributions to practice, Clifton has received multiple national awards and is regarded as a leader by her colleagues.