Susan Blaakman is a Professor of Clinical Nursing at the University of Rochester School of Nursing and a clinical researcher in Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Dr. Blaakman’s career focuses on mitigating trauma and promoting wellness. Applying Self-Determination Theory and Motivational Interviewing to evidence-based interventions, she is a senior leader and nurse-investigator on an interprofessional team that evaluates pioneering care-delivery models, replicated nationally, to improve health for youth with asthma. As Principal Investigator on a federal grant for curriculum innovation, she is preparing NP students statewide to deliver trauma-informed care, while constructing a national toolkit, and guiding a regional Accountable Care Organization in transforming primary care. Dr. Blaakman co-founded the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) Tobacco Dependence Council, advised their nursing academy of cessation specialists, and co-developed intervention resources that re-designed tobacco-dependence approaches for persons with mental illness. Recruited to establish the APNA Motivational Interviewing Taskforce, she co-led the creation of training modules accessed by >29,000 nurses, positioning her to advise a CDC-APNA-American Association of Colleges of Nursing project navigating vaccine hesitancy in vulnerable populations.

Dr. Blaakman earned BS, MS, and PhD degrees from the University of Rochester School of Nursing and a BA from SUNY Oswego.