Dr. Justin DiLibero

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Justin DiLibero
Department, Office, or School
Zvart Onanian School of Nursing
  • Dean
  • School of Nursing

Dr. Justin DiLibero serves as the Dean of the Zvart Onanian School of Nursing at Rhode Island College. A distinguished educator and academic leader, Dr. DiLibero brings extensive clinical and leadership experience to his role. His clinical background includes service as a Critical Care Nurse and Clinical Nurse Specialist in medical, surgical, and neuroscience intensive care settings.

Dr. DiLibero has held numerous academic appointments at both undergraduate and graduate levels. His leadership roles have included Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, Chair of the Graduate Nursing Department, and Interim Dean of the Onanian School of Nursing.

At the national level, Dr. DiLibero is Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Clinical Nurse Specialist Institute and serves as a representative to the Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education (LACE) Network. He served as past president of the New England Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, past member of both the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the AACN Certification Corporation Board of Directors and has served as an item writer for the Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist – Adult/Gerontology board examination.

An accomplished researcher and speaker, Dr. DiLibero has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and is a frequent presenter at national conferences. His contributions to nursing have been recognized with multiple honors, including the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Excellence in Medical Critical Care Award, the Excellence in Advanced Practice Nursing Award, and the Rhode Island College Exceptional Faculty Award. In 2022, he was named Nurse of the Year in an Academic Setting by the Rhode Island State Nurses Association. That same year, he was inducted as a Fellow of the Clinical Nurse Specialist Institute. He is a Fellow in both the Clinical Nurse Specialist Institute (FCNS) and of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN).

Dr. DiLibero holds a dual Master of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati, with specializations in Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist and Nurse Educator, and an earned Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree from Northeastern University, with a focus in systems leadership.

Education

  • A.D.N. Quinsigamond Community College, 2003
  • B.S.N. University of Phoenix, 2009
  • M.S.N. Adult-Gerontology CNS/Nurse Educator, University of Cincinnati, 2013
  • DNP Northeastern University, 2017

Fellowships and Additional Training

  • Clinical Nurse Research Fellow, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 2010
  • CSI Leadership Academy, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, 2014
  • Executive Leadership Institute, Bridgewater State University, 2024

Professional Associations

Service Outside Rhode Island College

  • Chair, Board of Trustees, Clinical Nurse Specialist Institute
  • Member, Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education (LACE) Network
  • Member, APRN Advisory Board to the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Certification Corporation.
  • Past President, New England Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists

Selected Publications

  • Dame, L., DiLibero, J. (2026 – In Press). Assessing the Health of the Work Environment in Nursing Academia. Nursing Education Perspectives.
  • DiLibero, J (2025) (Ed). Creating Healthy Work Environments in Critical Care Nursing. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, 37(4). Philadelphia, PA: ISBN: 978-0-443-34665-1
  • DiLibero, J (2025). More than a buzzword: Healthy work environments are essential to success. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, 37(4). Philadelphia, PA
  • Swider, K., Cook, C., DiLibero, J., Hall, K., Naclerio, M., Gheihman, G., Morse, L., Busler, A., Woods, E., Walsh, M., Doughty, C., Harrison, D. (2025). Neurologic Education in Nurse Practitioner Programs: Results of a National Needs Assessment Survey. Neurology Education, 4, 1-7.
  • DiLibero, J., Mohr, L., Burton-Williams, K., Calvert, P., Dresser, S., Mason, T., Schaefer, K., Tidwell, J. (2024). The Clinical Nurse Specialist: Maximizing Return on Investment. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 48(4), 286-296
  • DiLibero, J., Pullium, C. (2024). Redefining the Clinical Nurse Specialist: Outcomes of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists/Clinical Nurse Specialist Institute Joint Task Force.
  • Connelly, L., Williams, C, Wholey, K., DiLibero, J. (2024). The Impact of COVID-19 on Nursing Education: Evidence, Experience, and Lessons Learned. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, 1st Edition. Philadelphia; Elsevier.
  • O’Donoghue, S., DiLibero, J. (2024). Resilience and Innovation: Reflection on Critical Care Nursing through the COVID-19 Era. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, 1st Edition. Philadelphia: Elsevier.
  • O’Donoghue, S., DiLibero, J. (Eds.). (2024). COVID-19. An issue of Critical Care Clinics of North America, 36(3). Philadelphia: Elsevier. ISBN: 978323836029 (Edited Edition).
  • Villarante, D., O’Donoghue, Leisner, M., S., Milton, E., Walsh, K., O’Donoghue, A., Hayes, M., Celi, L. DiLibero, J. (2023). A National Survey of Stress and Burnout in Critical Care Nurses: A Pre-Pandemic Survey. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 42(5), 248-524.
  • Gellner, P., DiLibero, J., Griffin, A. (2023). Evaluating the health of the work environment and the perception of new nurses during the transition to practice in critical care. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 42(6), 349-357.
  • Cain, C., Miller, J. (Eds.) (2022). AACN Scope and Standards for Acute and Critical Care Nursing Practice, 3rd ed. Aliso, Viejo, CA: AACN. (Contributor).
  • DiLibero, J.H. (2021). Resuscitation in critical care. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America.
  • DiLibero, J.H., Misto, K. (2021). Outcomes of Cardiac Arrest. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, 33(3), 343-356.
  • DiLibero, J (Ed.). (2021). Resuscitation, An Issue of Critical Care Clinics of North America, 33(3). Philadelphia: Elsevier. ISBN: 978323836029.
  • O’Donoghue, S., DiLibero, J., Altman, M. (2021). Leading sustainable quality improvement. Nursing Management, 52(2), 42-50.  
  • DiLibero, J.H., DeSanto-Madeya, S., Dottery, R., Sullivan, L., O’Donoghue, S. (2018).“Improving the Accuracy of Delirium Assessments in Neuroscience Patients: Scaling a Quality Improvement Program to Improve Nurses' Skill, Compliance, and Accuracy in the Use of the CAM-ICU Tool.” Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 37(1), 26-34.
  • DiLibero, J.H., O’Donoghue, S., DeSanto-Madeya, S., Felix, J., Ninobla, A., Woods, A. (2016). “An innovative approach to improving the accuracy of delirium assessments using the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU).” Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 35(2), 74-80.
  • O’Reilly, K., Roukis, S., Russell, K., Teves, T., DiLibero, J., Yassa, D., Berry, H., Howell, M. (2016). “Standard work for room entry: linking lean, hand-hygiene, and patient-centeredness. Healthcare: The Journal of Delivery Science and Innovation.
  • DiLibero, J.H., O’Donoghue, S., DeSanto-Madeya, S. (2016). “Improving the accuracy of cardiac electrode placement: Outcomes of clinical nurse specialist practice.” Clinical Nurse Specialist: The International Journal for Advanced Nursing Practice, 30(1),45-50.
  • DiLibero, J.H., Edwards, E., Hanson, D. (2015). “Introducing Massachusetts CSI Nursing Delirium Collaborative.” Nursing Management, 46(11), 10-14.
  • DiLibero, J.H., Lavieri, M., O’Donoghue, S., DeSanto-Madeya, S. (2015). Withholding or continuing enteral feedings during repositioning and the incidence of aspiration. American Journal of Critical Care, 24(3), 258-261.

Courses

  • NURS 100: Healthcare Careers: Foundations for Success
  • NURS 750: DNP Project Evaluation and Dissemination
  • NURS 740: DNP Project Implementation
  • NURS 730: DNP Proposal Development
  • NURS 720: DNP Project Planning Seminar
  • NURS 792: Directed Readings II
  • NURS 791: Directed Readings I
  • NURS 610 – Adult Health/Illness II: CNS Clinical
  • NURS 620 – Adult Health/Illness III: CNS Clinical
  • NURS 702 – Leadership and Quality Improvement
  • NURS 708 – Interprofessional Collaborative Practice
  • NURS 375 – Integration to Practice: Clinical
  • NURS 510 – Health Promotion: Lecture
  • NURS 530 – Adult Health/Illness I: CNS Clinical
  • NURS 372 – Adult Health II Lecture
  • NURS 372 – Adult Health II Clinical