Melissa D Harlan | School of Nursing | University of Pittsburgh

DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CHSE

Associate Professor

Acute & Tertiary Care

Profile

Dr. Melissa Harlan is an adult health clinical nurse specialist with 16 years of experience in nursing and 9 years of experience in nursing education. She has held diverse nursing roles, including professional staff nurse, charge nurse, nursing student and graduate nurse preceptor, and most recently clinical instructor and faculty member in the Acute and Tertiary Care Department at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing.

Clinical Emphasis

Dr. Harlan’s clinical emphasis is in orthopedic, trauma and surgical nursing. She is an advanced practice nurse with a specialization in adult health and has experience developing, supporting and implementing quality improvement initiatives to positively impact patient outcomes.

Scholarly Emphasis

Dr. Harlan is passionate about her clinical practice, mentorship and professional development. Her scholarly work focuses on a variety of clinical topics, quality improvement initiatives and development and implementation of mentorship programs. Through this work, Dr. Harlan aims to improve the quality and safety of patient care and understand the benefits of mentorship to both mentors and mentees.

Teaching

Since joining the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, Dr. Harlan has instructed clinical for traditional and accelerated students at the sophomore through senior levels. She is a co-primary teacher for the first term sophomore clinical course, assists in simulation activities for sophomore students and guest lectures in the senior seminar and medical surgical courses.

Service

Dr. Harlan serves on the Professional Development Committee for the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. She is also a member of the Board of Directors and the Mentorship Program Coordinator for the Sigma Eta Chapter. Additionally, she assists with preceptor workshops for the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.