Biography
Roberta Daiho R?f? Lavin, Professor and Deputy Director, Center for Health Equity: Planetary Health and Preparedness, and a Soto Zen Priest who spent twenty years as a U.S. Public Health Service officer. She began her career at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, DC, on an acute psychiatric admission unit for those experiencing homelessness. In her work, she has coordinated mass migrations in Guatemala, managed health care in an immigration detention center in Batavia, New York before becoming the Chief of Field Operations of the Division of Immigration Health Services, worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Tucson, Arizona, and spent a few months 'tooling around' the South Pacific on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel. After 9/11 and the Anthrax attacks, she was selected to be the Director of the Secretary's Command Center for the Department of Health and Human Services and later became the Chief of Staff for the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. She ended her USPHS career again, working with the poor and underserved, leading the research and development for a national disaster case management program. Her current research focuses on integrating culturally appropriate care into the practice of nurses in both urban and rural communities, the impact of mindfulness, and the long-term health impacts of disasters. Current projects include the health impacts of climate-associated disasters and BEING Mindful.
Personal Statement
As a professor and Deputy Director of the Center for Health Equity: Planetary Health & Preparedness, my work focuses on advancing health equity through interdisciplinary research on climate-associated disasters and the social determinants of health. As a former U.S. Public Health Service officer, I bring decades of experience in emergency response and policy development to my teaching and research.
As a Soto Zen priest and contemplative medicine practitioner, I integrate mindfulness and compassion-based practices into nursing education and faculty well-being initiatives. I am committed to building inclusive academic communities, mentoring future nurse leaders, and contributing to the transformation of health systems through research, scholarship, and service. My goals:
1. Make every nurse a prepared nurse, and
2. Teach well and make the world a more beautiful, just, and resilient place
Areas of Specialty
Community Health | Disaster Preparedness/Management | Emergency Care | Environmental Health | Family-Centered Care | Health Care Policy | Health Research | Holistic Nursing | Primary Care | Public Health | Rural Health | Underserved Populations
Education
PhD, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Graduate School of Nursing, 2008 (Nursing )
MA, American Military University, 2004 (Emergency/Disaster Management)
MSN, University of Tennessee, 1991 (Nursing)
BA, University of Tennessee, 1986 (Psychology)
Certifications
RN: Registered Nurse
FNP-BC: Family Nurse Practitioner Board Certified
Achievements & Awards
FAAN: Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing
Exceptional Capability Promotion to Lieutenant, Commander & Captain
USPHS Distinguished Service Medal
USPHS Meritorious Service
USPHS Outstanding Service x2
USPHS Commendation Medal x2
USPHS Achievement Medal
USPHS Citation
USPHS Outstanding Unit Citation x4
USPHS Unit Commendation x10
USPHS Bicentennial Unit Commendation
USPHS Commissioned Corps Training Ribbon
USPHS Special Assignment HHS OS Badge
USPHS Regular Corps
USPHS Crisis Response Ribbon
USPHS Hazardous Duty Service Ribbon
USPHS Foreign Service NOAA International Service
USPHS Chief Nurse Officer Award
Exemplary Leadership Award Assistant Secretary's
2008 Organization Team Achievement Award Assistant Secretary's
2008 Partnering for HHS Excellence Award - California Wildfires Response Team
Assistant Secretary’s 2008 Partnering for HHS Excellence Award - Case Management Team USUHS Academic Excellence Award
HHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service
Sylvia E. Hart Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
HHS Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service
HHS Distinguished Service Award
Secret Service Support for the President Inauguration
Division of Immigration Health Services Outstanding Performance Sabbar Temple Certificate of Appreciation, Shriner's Hospital Clinic Bureau of Prisons Employee of the Month Department of Justice Employee Volunteer Service Award Tucson Shalom House Certificate of Appreciation for services to abused women Bureau of Prisons' Best in the West Award
Bureau of Prisons' Certificate of Exceptional Performance
District of Columbia Certificate of Award
CMHS Improvement to Services Acute Psychiatric Hospital
Key Publications
Journal Article
Walls, M, Fish, A, Lavin, Roberta, Proffitt Porterfield, S, 2016 A Nurse Practitioner-Led, Computer Education Intervention Implemented for Quality Improvement in Primary Care Journal for Nurse Practitioners, vol. E363, Issue
Journal Article
Veenema, Tener, Lavin, Roberta, Proffitt 2021 Alignment of nurse practitioner educational preparation and scope of practice in U.S. emergency departments: A systematic review of the literature ? Journal of Emergency Nursing, vol. 47, Issue 4, 563-581
Journal Article
Veenema, Tener, Goodwin Lavin, Roberta, Proffitt Schneider-Firestone, Sarah, Couig, Mary, Pat Langan, Joanne, C. Qureshi, Kristine, Scerpella, Danny, Sasnett, Lesley, 2019 National Assessment of Nursing Schools and Nurse Educators Readiness for Radiation Emergencies and Nuclear Events DISASTER MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS, vol. 13, Issue 5-6, 936-945
Journal Article
Lavin, Roberta, Proffitt Veenema, T, G Langan, J, C Charney, R, L Zimmerman, R, S Bender, A, 2019 Zika and Flint Water Public Health Emergencies: Disaster Training Tool Kits Relevant to Pregnant Women and Children. The Journal of perinatal & neonatal nursing, vol. 33, Issue 3, 229-237
Journal Article
Vandermause, Roxanne, P Lavin, Roberta, P Lavin, Roberta, P Lavin, Roberta, P Lavin, Roberta, P Lavin, Roberta, Proffitt 2021 The seeing place": Teaching nurse practitioners about cultural difference through dramatization. " Nurse Education Today, vol. 97
Gender
Female
Languages
- English
Courses Taught
Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology
Epidemiology
Healthcare Economics
Health Policy Analysis
Ethical and Legal Dimensions of Nursing Practice
Evidence-Based Practice
Disaster Preparedness
Human Growth and Development
Various disaster courses related to nursing and public health
Research and Scholarship
Dr. Lavin's research addresses critical topics in disaster, human services, and public health emergency preparedness, with a focus on implications for policy related to the profession of nursing. A secondary focus is the impact of mindfulness on burnout.