Reo Jones, M.S.N

Instructor, School of Nursing and Health Innovations

Reo Jones joins UP fulltime after serving as adjunct faculty in the 2021-2022 academic year. Reo grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, which sealed her love of being outdoors on her family’s restored prairieland. Reo is a nurse researcher, and Ph.D. candidate at Oregon Health and Science University, where she’s investigating the clinical application of simulated nature-contact for inflammatory pain mitigation in chronic illness. She holds a B.A. from the University of San Francisco, where she also obtained her R.N. and M.S.N. in clinical nurse leadership. She has experience as a clinical R.N., school nurse for deafblind children, volunteer medical research assistant, and worked as a nurse educator at Iowa Western Community College and College of St. Mary in Omaha, Neb. As a second career nurse with a background in the arts, she values the role of teaching as an interdisciplinary exchange, wherein the learning is a shared responsibility informed by creatively adapting to different learning styles and environments. Reo’s teaching philosophy is inspired by theories on liberation, inclusivity, and ongoing reflexivity in nursing education to support the growing need for compassionate healthcare. Her research background is largely in the field of nature and health, exploring practices such as Shinrin Yoku, forest therapies, greenspace interventions, and nurse roles in facilitating equitable access to natural landscapes for health and wellbeing. Reo loves the theater, enjoys her drum lessons, and is often out on a hike in some far-off woods.