Leah Elizabeth Gillikin

Dr. Leah Gillikin, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, is a fourth-generation registered nurse, board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner, and Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing. She is passionate about nursing education, evidence-based practice, and providing compassionate, patient- and family-centered care across the lifespan. Dr. Gillikin’s diverse clinical background includes women’s health, bariatric surgery, medical-surgical nursing, urgent care, hospice, and palliative care. Her clinical practice has focused on caring for patients and families experiencing complex and serious illness, with an emphasis on symptom management, quality of life, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She currently practices as a Family Nurse Practitioner in urgent care and provides per diem hospice clinical care throughout Southeastern North Carolina.

As an educator, Dr. Gillikin is committed to preparing the next generation of nurses through engaging, evidence-based, and student-centered learning. She teaches across nursing programs and strives to connect classroom concepts with real-world clinical practice. Her educational interests include nursing education, clinical reasoning, quality improvement, and the integration of compassionate care into nursing practice.
Dr. Gillikin’s scholarly interests center on palliative and hospice care, improving timely access to serious-illness care, quality improvement, nursing education, and advancing patient-centered care through interdisciplinary collaboration. She is particularly interested in identifying and addressing barriers to equitable, timely, and evidence-based care for patients and families across healthcare settings.

Education

DNP, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration: University of North Carolina Wilmington

Post-Graduate Nurse Educator Certificate: University of North Carolina Wilmington

BSN. in Nursing: University of North Carolina Wilmington
Minor in Biology

ADN. in Nursing: Cape Fear Community College

Specialization in Teaching

Dr. Gillikin obtained her Post-Graduate Nurse Educator Certificate from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2026 and is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with clinical experience across the lifespan. She is also certified in hospice and palliative nursing for both adult and pediatric populations, further supporting her expertise in comprehensive, lifespan-focused care.

Research Interests

Dr. Gillikin's primary area of interest is the identification of barriers that contribute to delayed hospice and palliative care referrals and the development of evidence-based strategies to improve referral processes, clinical decision-making, and care coordination. Her work explores opportunities to standardize referral practices, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and support healthcare providers in recognizing when patients and families may benefit from hospice or palliative services. Dr. Gillikin is also interested in nursing education, quality improvement, and the development of innovative educational strategies that strengthen nurses’ knowledge, confidence, and clinical reasoning when caring for patients with serious illness. Her scholarly interests include simulation, nurse residency programs, competency development, and the integration of palliative care principles into nursing education and clinical practice.

Additional areas of interest include patient- and family-centered communication, symptom management, advance care planning, transitions of care, and improving outcomes for patients and families navigating serious illness. Through her research and scholarly activities, Dr. Gillikin seeks to bridge clinical practice, nursing education, and quality improvement to promote compassionate, evidence-based care and meaningful outcomes for patients, families, and healthcare professionals.

Professional Service

Dr. Gillikin’s professional service focuses on advancing nursing practice, education, hospice and palliative care, and professional development, she serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Board of the Hospice and Palliative Care Association, the Awards Committee of the Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing Association, and the Pediatric Task Force/Planning Committee for Palliative Care at Lower Cape Fear Lifecare. Previous service with Lower Cape Fear Lifecare includes participation on the Social Media Committee and EMR Search Committee. Within the University of North Carolina Wilmington School of Nursing and College of Health and Human Services, she has served as a DNP Ambassador and Peer Mentor and currently serves as an Academic Partner with the Community Engaged Scholars Academy. She is a member of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) research and mentor committees, as well as the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA), and is a proud supporter of the North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA).

Community Engagement

Academic Partner: Community Engaged Scholars Academy, University of North Carolina at Wilmington (2026-Present)
Elder Abuse Prevention Network Cape Fear (2025-Present)
Doctoral Scholar & Graduate Assistant: Community Engaged Scholars Academy, University of North Carolina at Wilmington (2024-2026)

Honors & Awards

North Carolina Nurse Day Celebration: Honoree
Wilmington Business Journal: Nurse of the Year Finalist
WILMA, Women to Watch: Rising Star
NCNA: Mary Lewis Award Recipient
New Hanover Regional Medical Center: Daisy Award