Jennifer I. Bonamer, PhD, RN-BC, AHN-BC

Jen RheingansJen Bonamer is the Nursing Professional Development — Research Specialist at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, a Magnet-accredited hospital, in Sarasota, Florida. She serves as the primary coordinator of nursing research and evidence-based practice initiatives in her organization. Jen has been the lead for the shared governance program since 2010, which has included significant program redesigns. She published a landmark pilot study attempting to document a relationship between shared governance, using the Index of Professional Nursing Governance, and nursing and patient outcomes. She is currently adapting it into a multisite research study. She is passionate about professional nursing practice, working to empower nurses with shared vision and values to transform nursing practice and healthcare.

Jen received her Bachelors of Science from University of Florida, Gainesville, after which she practiced as a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse. She then attended a BS to PhD program at the University of South Florida, Tampa, where she earned her MS with a focus in nursing education and her PhD in nursing. Jen is a national Magnet® appraiser, adjunct faculty with State College of Florida, and courtesy faculty with Florida State University and University of South Florida. She is currently a member of the American Nurses Association; the Florida Nurses Association, including membership in the Research SIG for the Florida Nurses Association; the Association of Nursing Professional Development; and the American Holistic Nurses Association. Jen is certified as an advanced holistic nurse (AHN-BC) and nursing professional development specialist.