Necole Leland, DNP,  is an associate professor-in-residence within the School of Nursing at UNLV and the director of the MSN Nurse Educator program. She joined the faculty in 2011 and teaches in both the graduate and undergraduate nursing programs.

In addition to her teaching role, Leland contributes through services and scholarship. She currently serves at the university level as one of the elected at-large UNLV faculty senators. She also serves as vice-chair of the  Faculty Senate Academic Standards Committee and is a member of the Graduate Course Review Committee. She provides innovation through course and curriculum development and design, and has delivered many presentations, contributed to books, and published collaborative book chapters.

Expertise

Leland specializes in pediatric nursing, nursing education, educational leadership, and various teaching innovations, including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education. Her clinical practice has focused on various pediatric populations in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. She is nationally certified as a Pediatric Nurse and a Certified Nurse Educator.

Classes Taught

Dr. Leland is an innovative nurse educator who has experience teaching in classroom, clinical, simulation and online settings. She teaches in both the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. She has extensive teaching experience in the undergraduate nursing program. The courses taught include pediatric nursing, health assessment, fundamentals, community nursing, communications, and end of program preceptorship. As the Pediatric Clinical Faculty Coordinator, she is always seeking unique ways to teach and learn within this population focus and a variety of clinical placement opportunities to provide hands-on experience.

Dr. Leland also teaches at the graduate level, particularly in the Nurse Educator program. The courses taught include Teaching and Learning in Nursing Education, Course Level Evaluation Strategies, and Nursing Education Practicum.

Education Background

Leland completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), focusing on educational leadership, in 2019. She received both her baccalaureate in nursing and a master’s in nursing degree focusing in pediatric nurse practitioner from UNLV. Leland also completed a post-master’s certificate in nursing education at UNLV in 2013. She is certified in pediatric nursing by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board and is a Certified Nurse Educator. 

Research or Scholarship

Her research interests include patient safety, communication, leadership, pediatric nursing practice, nursing education, simulation, and artificial intelligence (AI) use in education. Her doctoral project focused on the implementation of patient safety education in undergraduate nursing.

An active researcher/presenter, Leland recently secured a Top 5 Distinguished Poster award at the 2026 Teaching & Learning Commons Poster Fair and 3rd Place in the Faculty Category at the 2026 Yucha Lecture Poster Fair. She was also selected as an invited round table presenter at the National League for Nursing (NLN) Faculty Leadership Network (FLN) Conference in 2025.

Awards, recognitions, or group affiliations

Leland is an award-winning educator and leader at the UNLV School of Nursing, widely recognized for excellence in didactic teaching, clinical instruction, and academic innovation. A passionate advocate for advancing nursing education, Leland was named one of the Nevada Nurses Foundation’s 50 Under 50 for multiple years and was selected as a UNLV Generative AI Fellow (2024), reflecting a deep commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology into the classroom.
Leland also continues to be nominated and earn many awards. She received the UNLV School of Nursing Didactic Teaching Award (2021) and the Outstanding Clinical Teaching Award (2018), alongside numerous nominations for the prestigious Alex G. and Faye Spanos Distinguished Teaching Award, the March of Dimes Nurse of the Year, and the ARC Excellence in Nursing Award.

Committed to lifelong learning and professional service, Leland holds long-standing credentials with the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board and the National League for Nursing. She is a member of Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) and serves on the nominating committee for this organization. She is also an inducted member of the prestigious Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Theta Tau International honor societies.