Assistant Professor
Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Option Coordinator
Ernestine.Kotthoff-Burrell@ucdenver.edu
Dr. Kotthoff-Burrell's career as an advanced practice nurse has spanned the past 35 years; the older adult population has been her primary focus for much of that time. She has served as a direct primary care provider, an administrator, and a project director for a number of projects funded both by the government (USDHHS) and by private foundations (e.g., the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the John A. Hartford Foundation, and the Colorado Trust). Prior to returning to the academy to get her doctorate in the late 1990s, she had been recognized as a national nursing leader in interdisciplinary geriatric education. She was initially certified as an adult nurse practitioner by ANCC in 1976; she has maintained her certification since that time. She is currently the Option Coordinator for the Gerontological Nurse Practitioner track at UCD. She practices one day per week (a) in a long-term care facility for patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease and (b) in one of the Colorado State Veterans Homes. Her scholarly interests include educational research (particularly in the area of metacognitive reasoning), critical thinking, innovative teaching/learning strategies, and advanced practice gerontological nursing/geriatrics.