Online Nursing Programs and Certificates

Dr. Elizabeth Buck has been the director of the nursing program at Maryville University for five years, with 14 years of academic administrative experience. She has a PhD in Nursing Service Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a clinical background in cardiovascular intensive care nursing and flight nursing. Dr. Buck is a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves Nursing Corps, serving for 23 years. She is a member of the Executive Committee for the Missouri Action Coalition, serves on the Institutional Review Board at Washington University Medical Center, and is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and Missouri Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Loretta Colvin is an Assistant Professor and coordinator of the Online Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program at Maryville University. Her clinical background focuses on the care of patients with pulmonary and sleep disorders. Professor Colvin worked as a Nurse Practitioner for 8 years at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland before relocating to St. Louis where she has worked for over 5 years. Professor Colvin service in leadership and educational roles, include positions within the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, and the Missouri Sleep Society board of directors. Additionally, she has presented educational programs for the American College of Chest Physicians, American Thoracic Society, American Association of Sleep Technologists, Sleep Professionals of Arkansas, Saint Louis University, Goldfarb School of Nursing, Missouri Nurses Association, St. Louis Nurses in Advanced Practice, Clayton Sleep Institute’s Sleep Updates and Central States Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association. Professor Colvin’s publications include “Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening and Treatment in the United States: An Update and Recommendation Overview” and “Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Positive Airway Pressure Therapy Adherence in a Sleep Center” in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Additionally, she has published “Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and Physician Assistants in Sleep Centers and Clinics: A Survey of Current Roles and Educational Background” and “Changing Role of the APNs and PAs in Sleep Centers” and “Enhancing your Practice Team: Preparing for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants in sleep centers.” Professor Colvin has served as a clinical advisor for doctor of nursing practice student dissertation projects and as a clinical preceptor for nurse practitioner students. She received her graduate training at the University of Maryland-Baltimore and her undergraduate training at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Jodi Green, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, has been on the faculty at Maryville University since 2002. She has taught in all levels of the nursing program, moving to the graduate program in 2008. Green serves as the Master of Science in Nursing program coordinator and teaches various courses throughout the curriculum. She is a family nurse practitioner and maintains a clinical practice while teaching. Green graduated from the Doctorate of Nursing Practice program at the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Dr. Jennifer Gwin is an assistant professor of nursing at Maryville University, where she has taught since 2008. She has been a nurse practitioner for 14 years, and has practiced in several different areas including pulmonology/critical care and family practice. She has practiced in the urgent care setting since 2012. Dr. Gwin received her BSN and MSN at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Dr. Joanne Kern has been a nurse for 36 years and an adult NP for 14. She earned her terminal nursing degrees of dual doctorates (DNP/Ph.D.) from an online program. She continues to practice as an NP while also being part of the faculty of Maryville University. Dr. Kern’s NP work includes clinical area, making rounds in the hospital, and assisting in the operating room with neurosurgeons who encourage autonomy. In addition to neurosurgery, her passion is health literacy as well as engaging patients in their healthcare.

Dr. Diana Naser began her career in cancer research in 1982 in Cleveland, where she spent 25 years at the Case Western Reserve University Comprehensive Cancer Center in management and leadership roles for various clinical trials. She served two years at the University of Kansas as the executive director of clinical research administration and was the executive director of Clinical Trials Shared Resource at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Naser has a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s degree in management, a master’s degree in nursing, and a PhD in education.

Dr. Mariea Snell has been a nurse for many years and has a clinical specialty as a family medicine nurse practitioner. In addition to her work in family medicine, she has a strong research background and currently serves on the Missouri State Board of Nursing. Dr. Snell’s research interests include HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases, community health and healthcare informatics. She has completed numerous research studies and has several publications in these areas. Dr. Snell studied at Barnes Jewish College of Nursing in St. Louis Missouri on Washington University’s’ med campus where she earned her BSN; after starting a family, she completed her MSN with Indiana State University in their online program and completed her DNP. Professionally, Dr. Snell divides her time working in a community health center and teaching graduate and undergraduate nursing students at Maryville.

Coming soon

Dr. Rita Wunderlich, RN, PhD, CNE, worked in many settings in her role as a professional nurse – from administration in both service and education as well as educator at all levels of nursing education. Dr. Wunderlich’s clinical background has focused on critical care nursing.

Nina Zimmermann, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC, is a clinical assistant professor of nursing at Maryvillle University, where she has taught nursing since 2007. She is an advanced practice nurse and board-certified adult nurse practitioner at SSM, Sunnen Products in St. Louis and certified asthma educator. She has 20 years of nursing experience, including pulmonary medicine, long-term acute care, research coordination, asthma education, and undergraduate and graduate nursing education. She obtained her MSN in Nursing Education at Barnes-Jewish College in 2005 and a Post-Master’s Adult Nurse Practitioner Certificate at Maryville University in 2009.