What is a fun fact about you?
A fun fact about me is that I hiked the Grand Canyon for many years in a row, from the top to the bottom and back again, and it’s just one of my favorite places in the world. It’s an incredible journey. If you haven’t done it, I would really recommend it.
Can you tell us what is a professor of practice?
It’s sort of a hybrid between a tenure-track research-type professor and a clinical track professor.
In my role, which is a developing, evolving role, I do a lot of teaching and mentoring and support other people in their research and scholarship. My area of scholarship is leadership development. A lot of the courses that I teach here in the School are leadership and theory courses.
What do you enjoy most about your work here?
I enjoy working with students. It’s so heartening to see the next generation of leaders and nurses coming forward.
I get inspired every day when I talk to the students, and they’ve been through a lot. Not every student is traditional college age—what we think of as 18 to 22. Many students are more advanced in their maturity.
However, those that are of the younger generation, they’ve seen so much in their lives. They’ve been through COVID and they’re going through some interesting times now. I get inspired by working with those students.
Do you have an insider tip that you would share for new faculty, staff, or even students who are coming to the school?
An insider tip is I would take a little bit of time to get to know people. Wander the halls. Look at the name plaques on the doors and really get to know people.
If you don’t see them face to face, look on our website and see who makes up the community in the school.
Can you tell us more about what you do as a Professor of Practice?
In particular, the things that I do are teaching courses on leadership, not only for nursing students but for others across the university, and then mentoring new faculty and mentoring students.
I’ve served in different leadership capacities. It’s taking what I’ve learned in my career, maybe the hard way, and helping digest those lessons learned for other people.
Teaching is the crux of what I do, whether it’s with students or with other faculty members.
Did anyone or anything inspire you to do this kind of work?
Many people along my career have inspired me. One of the guiding questions that has inspired my work is: “Why do some people thrive if given really hard circumstances and other people don’t?” And how can we learn from the behaviors and thought patterns of the people who really thrive and help others to thrive as well, in a way that reduces suffering?
The research that I’ve done has been on mindfulness, which is a particular way of paying attention, and applying those research findings to leadership.
Can you give some advice or talk about how people can maintain well-being during turbulent or stressful times? What is your advice for someone who might be in that situation?
If you’re feeling anxious or unsettled, just know that you’re not alone. There are many people feeling that way. Not only right now, but you know that it’s not an uncommon feeling.
Also, we’re confronting loneliness. A lot of people feel lonely again. That’s a human experience. You’re not alone.
“That’s really the only way that [the world] gets changed: bit by bit and moment by moment, person by person.” —Teri Pipe, PhD, RN
Even though it might feel like you’re the only person feeling this, you’re not. Please reach out to others and share your experience, and ask for help if you need it. Even if it’s less suffering than that, less acute than that.
There are so many strategies that you can use to uplift your well-being. And they won’t sound radical to you. It’s things like:
- Eat nutritious food and the right amounts.
Pipe teaching a DNP leadership class. - Sleep when your body needs to sleep.
- Rest when your body needs rest.
- Be social. Get with other people and connect.
- Move your body in a way that makes you feel alive and happy.
In my work, stress reduction and mindfulness are also really important. So those are the basic things.
These are the same things that Florence Nightingale told us a long time ago, but they’re also very powerful and evidence based.
Tell us about your career path and what ultimately led you here to UW–Madison?
My career path has been long and winding. I’ll just hit the highlights.
I started my nursing career in long-term care, working with older adults, which really inspired me to go back to school because older adults are complex. They’re not easy, and they have not just one medication but many.
I went back to school, I got my master’s degree, and in that program, I learned how to do research, which was amazing and inspiring and part of my career moving forward.
“If you’re wavering, just say yes and try it out. Try to spend your gift of your life in whatever way presents itself. And don’t worry about being good enough or excellent yet. You’re learning. We’re all learning. We’re on the road together in that.” —Teri Pipe, PhD, RN
I have worked in so many different environments, from hospice and end of life. I mentioned long-term care. I was a program coordinator and a manager of a sleep laboratory where we did EEG overnight sleep studies. I’ve been a prenatal nurse, home care nurse, and case manager.
I went back and got my PhD in health policy and administration at Penn State University (I went to the University of Iowa for my bachelor’s and the University of Arizona for my master’s). I moved to Phoenix, where I worked at Mayo Clinic in Arizona as the director of research and innovation. That was where I got started doing research on mindfulness and leadership.
Then, I became the dean of Arizona State University and the chief well-being officer. After I stepped away from those, I was happily recruited here as part of a joint hire with my husband.
I’m able to work at the School of Nursing and at the Center for Healthy Minds, where we study and apply research based on human flourishing.
It’s been a long and winding road, and I would just say to others that are on that path that the way that I progressed was raising my hand when someone said, “Would you do this or would you do that?”
And even when I didn’t feel fully comfortable, especially when I didn’t feel fully comfortable, I would go for those opportunities. I don’t have any regrets about that. Not everything turned out great, but I have grown so much, and I feel like I’ve made a really good contribution to the world.
If you’re wavering, just say yes and try it out. Try to spend your gift of your life in whatever way presents itself. And don’t worry about being good enough or excellent yet. You’re learning. We’re all learning. We’re on the road together in that.
What impact has your work had on the communities that you’ve lived in?
In terms of the Wisconsin Idea, we have such a great opportunity here. Education is one of the most powerful ways that we can impact the world. The data show us that when someone receives and earns an education, it impacts the number of years that they live a healthy life.
Not only are our students more apt to live healthier lives or health spans, but they’re also taking those skills back to their communities or into whatever communities they serve. The ripple effect is so meaningful and powerful.
“The way that we’re preparing nurses here at UW–Madison is really exciting because we see every student as a leader and as a potential force for positive and enduring change out there in the world.” —Teri Pipe, PhD, RN
Higher education is just such a strong lever for well-being. Not only personally and individually but as a society. When we think about the cost of things like chronic illnesses that are preventable, and we think about the impact that education can have at preventing some of those chronic illnesses or managing them, it’s not only effective at the individual level. We can look at financial impact of organizations, states, and the country in terms of the numbers of dollars and impact on lives that [higher education] can really prevent.
Also, the people that we bring our presence to. It might not be in a formal way. It might and it might not be with students. It might be colleague to colleague and peer to peer. It might be somebody that you don’t know, but bringing a presence of kindness and compassion can also change the world bit by bit.
That’s really the only way that it gets changed is bit by bit and sort of moment by moment, person by person.
What does the future of nursing look like? How is the School of Nursing helping to transform the profession?
The future of nursing looks bright and complicated and mysterious and unknown. I don’t have a crystal ball that works all the time, so I can’t give you exact predictions. However, I will say that nurses have always confronted change and opportunity in ways that are really brave and courageous and innovative.
I think the future looks extraordinarily bright. Some of the issues that we have to face as a society are serious.
The way that we’re preparing nurses here at UW–Madison is really exciting because we see every student as a leader and as a potential force for positive and enduring change out there in the world, whether they stay locally or whether they go out into the state, nationally, or globally.
Giving students the skills to learn, to continue to learn in a lifelong manner, and to lead are incredibly powerful forces. We do a wonderful job of that here.