Summary
Lisa Thomas, Ph.D., RN, CNE, FAAN’s nursing career has spanned many settings and multiple roles. She worked clinically as a registered nurse in float pool, neonatal intensive care and home health before finding her true clinical passion in oncology and hospice nursing.
After spending several years at the bedside, Dr. Thomas became acutely aware that major healthcare worker safety gaps were unaddressed in direct patient care settings. She began working as a volunteer member/chair of the Nevada Nurses Association Legislative Committee in 1998 and was appointed Executive Director of the association in 2000. In this role, she had the opportunity to engage with policymakers in Nevada and Washington, D.C., and was integral to developing several successful legislative initiatives that continue to provide protections for bedside healthcare workers.
Through her legislative work, Dr. Thomas also found a love for teaching nurses. After completing her doctoral studies at the University of California, San Francisco, she was honored to join her alma mater as a member of the faculty.
Dr. Thomas is a native of the Carson Valley and is proud to call Reno home. She has two adult daughters. One is a registered nurse, and the other is a family nurse practitioner. Both work in Northern Nevada healthcare settings.
Research and scholarly interests
- College student mental health
- College experience of marginalized students
- Healthcare worker safety
Courses taught
- NURS 466S: Nursing Research and Statistics
- NURS 488: Nursing Leadership Application
- NURS 736: Health Policy and Social Justice
- NURS 788: Doctor of Nursing Practice Project
Professional affiliations
- American Academy of Nursing
- American Nurses Association
- Nevada Nurses Association
- Western Institute of Nursing
- National RN/BSN Faculty Forum
- Sigma
Honors and awards
- Outstanding Teaching Award, Orvis School of Nursing (2019)
- Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (2017)
- International Sharps Injury Prevention Award (2012)
- Northern Nevada Nurse of Achievement, Leadership (2008)
- President’s Awared (2003)
- T32 Pre-Doctoral Training Fellowship (2003)
Selected publications
- Thomas, L. (2026). Clinical Severity and the Mental Health Treatment Gap Among Nursing Students: Findings From the Healthy Minds Study. Nurse Educator. Advance online publication.
- Burleson, S., Boren, C., Tobey, A., & Thomas, L. (2025). Barriers and facilitators for Native Americans’ access to and completion of nursing education: A PRISMA-guided scoping review. Nurse Education in Practice, 90, 104667.
- Thomas, L. (2025). The impact of political climate on the mental health of LGBTQIA+ college students. Journal of American College Health, 74(2), 515–524.
- Lemus, T., & Thomas, L. (2025). An integrative review examining barriers to universal screening for substance use in pregnant women. Nursing for Women’s Health, 29(4), 242–259.
- Burleson, S., & Thomas, L. (2024). Resilience Equine Assisted Learning with Undergraduate Nursing Students: Program Evaluation. Nurse Educator, 49(6), E379–E380.
- Burleson, S., Thomas, L., & DeBoor, S. (2022). Effective interventions for nursing student burnout: A scoping review. Nurse Educator. Advance online publication.
- Cogan, E. & Thomas, L. (2022). Improving CPR quality through high-performance resuscitation team training. Nursing, 52(9), 57–59.
- Black Thomas, L.M. (2021).Stress and depression in undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Nursing students compared to undergraduate students in non-nursing majors. Journal of Professional Nursing, 39, 89–96.
- Black Thomas, L.M. (2020). Nursing faculty experiences with student needlestick injuries. Nurse Educator, 45(6), 307–311.
- Black Thomas, L.M. (2020). Underreporting of bloodborne pathogen exposures in nursing students. Nurse Educator, 45(2), 78–82.
- Simpson, H., Nutter, M.A., Slotnick, R.N., & Black Thomas, L.M. (2019). Development and implementation of the labor pain scale for assessment and documentation of labor pain. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 48, 185–188.
- Black, L.M. (2013). Ditch the pinch: Bilateral exposure injuries during subcutaneous injection. American Journal of Infection Control, 41(9), 815–819.
- McClure, E. & Black, L.M. (2013). The role of the clinical preceptor: An integrative literature review. Journal of Nursing Education, 52(6), 335–341.
- Hicks, V. & Black, L.M. (2013). Evaluation, identification, and management of pediatric strokes in the emergency room using a pathway algorithm. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 39(2), 132–137.
- Black, L.M. (2012). Chinks in the armor. Percutaneous injuries from hollow-bore safety-engineered sharps devices. American Journal of Infection Control, 41(5), 427–432.
- Black, L.M., Parker, G., & Jagger, J. (2012). Chinks in the armor. Activation patterns of hollow bore safety-engineered devices. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 38(3), 842–844.
- Tellez, M.S., Black, L.M., & Tinoco, A. (2011).California Hispanic nurses: analysis of 1997, 2004, 2006, 2008 survey data. Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice, 12(3), 150–158.
- Black, L.M. (2011). Tragedy into policy: A quantitative study of nurses’ attitudes toward patient advocacy activities. American Journal of Nursing, 111(6), 26–35.
- Black, L.M., Spetz, J. & Harrington, C. (2010). Nurses who do not nurse: factors that predict non-nursing work in the U.S. registered nursing labor market. Nursing Economics, 28(4), 245–254.
- Black, L.M., Spetz, J. & Harrington, C. (2008). Nurses working outside of nursing: Societal trend or workplace crisis? Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice, 9(3), 143–157.
Education
- PhD, Nursing with Health Policy Emphasis, University of California, San Francisco (2007)
- MSN, Nursing Education, University of Nevada, Reno (2003)
- BSN, University of Nevada, Reno (1993)
Professional certifications
- Registered Nurse
- Certified Nurse Educator (National League for Nursing)
- Basic Life Support Instructor (American Heart Association)