Introduction of Guest Editor Donna Felber Neff, PhD, RN, FNAP

It is my pleasure to introduce Donna Neff, guest editor of this special issue on patient-centered care. Dr. Neff is the Associate Dean for Research and Coordinator, PhD Program at University of Central Florida College of Nursing in Orlando, Florida. She held faculty appointments at University of Florida, The University of Akron, and Kent State University prior to her current positions.

Dr. Neff was prepared as a clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric and community nursing at University of Akron, Ohio, and worked as a CNS in a visiting nurse service in Ohio for several years, generating her long-time interest in home healthcare. She earned her PhD at Case Western Research University with a major in gerontology. She was a Hartford Scholar in 2003 at the Hartford Institute of Geriatric Nursing Research and served as President of the Hartford Scholars and Fellows Group from 2005–2006. Among her studies that combine a focus on psychiatry and gerontology is a study of quality of life and health care problems in elderly persons with schizophrenia (Neff, 1996a). She authored a chapter on gerontological counseling for Suzanne Lego's well-known psychiatric nursing textbook (Neff, 1996b). Dr. Neff has published several papers on nurse managed centers that serve vulnerable populations such as Native Americans, African Americans, and impoverished elderly women. She served as principal investigator on two large studies focused on outcomes of nurse practice environments funded by NIH K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Foreign Educated Nurses) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Primary Care Nurse Practitioners).

Papers have been presented by Dr. Neff at Academy Health, American Public Health Association, State of the Science Nursing Congress, Gerontological Society of America, and many regional research conferences.

Dr. Neff has been an active member of the National Academy of Practice (named a Fellow in 2010, Chair of the Nursing Academy in 2013 and currently VP of Communications). She was chair of several committees within the Midwest Nursing Research Society and the Southern Nursing Research Society. She is currently a member of AcademyHealth, American Public Health Association, Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science, and Southern Nursing Research Society.

I appreciate all of Dr. Neff's contributions through the years to this journal. She has been a reviewer for Issues in Mental Health Nursing since 1997. She volunteered to serve as guest editor for the special issue that you are about to read, a responsibility that requires many months of (unpaid) work. I know you will enjoy reading the interesting set of papers she has gathered for the issue. This journal grows and thrives because of the contributions of colleagues like Donna Neff.

Declaration of Interest: The author reports no conflict of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of this paper.