- Associate Professor, Weyker Chair in Palliative and End-of-Life Care
- College of Nursing
- Phone: 401.874.2038
- Email: sean.reed@uri.edu
Biography
Dr. Sean M. Reed, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, ACHPN, FAAN, is Associate Professor and Weyker Chair in Palliative and End-of-Life Care at the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing. He brings more than two decades of experience as a clinician in adult health, hospice and palliative care, healthcare leadership, and academic nursing. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, a Scholar of the Global Academy of Holistic Nursing, and past President of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists.
Dr. Reed’s scholarship focuses on advancing equitable access to high-quality palliative and end-of-life care through implementation science, health services research, holistic nursing, and unitary caring science. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and TriService Nursing Research Program. As a 2025 U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Romania, he advanced the cross-cultural adaptation and implementation of palliative care acuity approaches in resource-constrained settings. His work also examines nurse-led models of care, serious-illness care delivery, clinical acuity and resource allocation, and the translation of evidence into practice.
Prior to joining URI, Dr. Reed held academic appointments at the University of Colorado and served in progressive clinical practice and executive leadership roles within Colorado’s largest healthcare system, culminating as System Director of Palliative Care and Senior Care. He is an experienced educator and mentor across undergraduate, master’s, DNP, and PhD programs. Dr. Reed serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, where his work also includes advancing dialogue on ethical issues in palliative and end-of-life care. At URI, he is building a program of research, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration focused on strengthening palliative and end-of-life care, expanding access to serious-illness care, and advancing nursing praxis grounded in unitary caring science and human well-being.
Research
Palliative and end-of-life care; aging and serious illness; implementation science; health services research; clinical acuity and resource allocation; nurse-led models of care; nursing praxis and unitary caring science.
Education
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Multidisciplinary Research Training in Palliative Care, University of Colorado School of Medicine
PhD, Nursing Science, University of Colorado College of Nursing
MS, Nursing, University of Colorado School of Nursing
BS, Nursing, University of Colorado School of Nursing
Selected Publications
Barr, E. A., Courtwright, S. E., Malone-Thomas, S., Silveira, L., Kacanek, D., Cook, P., Reed, S. M., & Dunlevy, H. (2026). HIV care for adolescents and young adults: A cross-sectional comparison of nurse practitioner and physician roles in engagement in care, trust, and clinical outcomes. Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, 25, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/23259582261485418
Salimbeni, A. J., Makic, M. B. F., & Reed, S. M. (2026). Harnessing artificial intelligence to support evidence-based practice: A clinical nurse specialist case application. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 40(5), 193–199. https://doi.org/10.1097/NUR.0000000000000978
Grant, J. B., Jones, J., Oman, K. S., & Reed, S. M. (2026). Drawing insight: Sequential art narrative as reflexive analysis in hermeneutic phenomenology. Qualitative Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941261466613
Ogilvie, A. C., Forbes, E., Lin, A., Burke, J., Lum, H., & Reed, S. M. (2026). Factors influencing receipt of specialty neurologic care for patients with Huntington’s disease in Colorado. Clinical Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, 15, Article 100473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prdoa.2026.100473
Reinken, D., & Reed, S. M. (2026). Protective factors supporting caregiver well-being in glioblastoma [Abstract 12095]. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 44(16_suppl). https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2026.44.16_suppl.12095
Reed, S. M., & Ferrell, B. R. (2026). Introducing ethics rounds: A new space for the conversations we’re already having. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 28(2), E97–E99. https://doi.org/10.1097/NJH.0000000000001198
Reed, S. M., & Smith, M. C. (2026). Re/Affirming the power of simple touch as an expression of caring in palliative and end-of-life care. Holistic Nursing Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/HNP.0000000000000783