Debra Penney

Debra Penney

Academic Office Information

debra.penney@nurs.utah.edu

801-581-7924

  • Debra Penney is Associate Clinical Professor and teaches in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program and in the undergraduate program. Since coming to the University in 2001, she has worked as a nurse-midwife in the Birthcare Healthcare faculty practice and taught intrapartum classes and newborn/postpartum until 2017. Since then, she has taught core courses in the DNP and Masters programs including Social Determinants of Health, Health and Systems  I and II and chairs DNP projects. She also teaches Global Health in the undergraduate program. She co-teaches an Inter-professional course Preparing to Engage in Global Health. Her extensive background in Maternal-child health from a global perspective informs her teaching. Debra spent a decade living in the Middle East, learning Arabic, practicing and teaching midwifery and training primary health care workers. She has been involved with many projects upgrading clinical and teaching skills of health workers in Yemen, and has been an external evaluator for a Maternal Child Health project in Afghanistan. She has presented nationally and locally on topics related to cultural responsiveness, refugees and women's health. Her dissertation research (2015) was a qualitative study that explored the patient-provider health encounter and the intersection of race, ethnicity, religion and language. Currently she serves on several University Commmittees to advance global learning and global learning opportunities for students. She loves engaging students to think broadly and consider others' perspectives in their care. 

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