RESEARCH INTERESTS
Men's mental health, health promotion/wellness, healing processes,  marginalizing and/or traumatic human experiences, qualitative methods, nursing theory/philosophy, spirituality, ancient healing systems and methods, sense of personal and social well being

BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Danny G. Willis, D.N.S., PMHCNS-BC is an associate professor at Boston College. He completed his bachelor’s of science in nursing degree at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and his master's degree in psychiatric mental health nursing and doctor of nursing science degree at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. Dr. Willis is an ANCC board certified clinical specialist in adult psychiatric mental health. Dr. Willis has used qualitative research methods to study men’s mental health issues related to trauma and abuse experiences, such as adult hate crimes and boys' experiences of being bullied. Dr. Willis continues to evolve his program of scholarship towards philosophical, theoretical, and nursing intervention developments related to mental health, health promotion, and healing processes in the aftermath of traumatic and marginalizing experiences. Dr. Willis served from 2007-2009 as the secretary of the national organization American Assembly for Men in Nursing. He holds a faculty nurse scientist appointment in the Yvonne L. Munn Center for Nursing Research at the Massachusetts General Hospital and a research associate appointment at McLean Psychiatric Hospital. He is co-chair of the Theory Development RIG for Eastern Nursing Research Society, a co-chair of the research council of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA), and serves on the editorial review panel for Advances in Nursing Science, American Journal of Men’s Health, Journal of Holistic Nursing, Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, and Issues in Mental Health Nursing. Dr. Willis co-chaired the combined 12th International Philosophy of Nursing Conference & 15th New England Nursing Knowledge Conference held in Boston in September 2008. Dr. Willis is serving as the co-editor of a special 2010 issue of Nursing Philosophy, focused on: Nursing science: Knowledge development for the good of persons and society. Dr. Willis is funded from 2010-2012 by the NIH/NINR via the R15 mechanism for his research entitled, Adult Male Survivors Healing from Childhood Maltreatment.

SELECTED APPOINTMENTS & AWARDS

• 2011 Rising Star Award: Eastern Nursing Research Society
• 2010 - Research Poster Award, American Psychiatric Nurses Association
• 2010-2012 – NIH/NINR 1RI5NR011353-01A1: Adult Male Survivors Healing from Childhood Maltreatment
• 2010 – Guest Editor, Nursing Philosophy
• Funded research project:
  Boys experiences of being bullied: Meaning and its influence on coping and help-seeking. Boston College Research Expense Grant.

additional appointments & awards »

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Willis, D. G. (2011). Research council co-chairs publish on psychiatric nursing research priorities. Journal of American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 17(4), 273.
• Willis, D. G. (2011). A clinical translation of the research article titled "Adolescents' experiance with uxoricide.' Journal of American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 17(2), 124-126.
• Willis, D. G., Grace, P. J. (2011). The applied philosopher-scientist: Intersections among phenomenological research, nursing science, and theory as a basis for practice aimed at facilitating boys' healing from being bullied. Advances in Nursing Science, 34(1), 19-28.
• Willis, D.G., Hawkins, J.W., Pearce, C.W., Phalen, J., Keet, M., & Singer, C. (2010). Children who witness violence: What services do they need? Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 31(9), 552-560.
• Grace, P. J., Willis, D. G. (2010). A response to 'Ontologies of nursing in an age of spiritual pluralism: closed or open worldview?' by Barbara Pesut: our review of the Central Unifying Focus perspective as implying an open worldview: a clarification. Nursing Philosophy, 1(11), 24.

additional publications »