Sean Clarke

Faculty

Sean Clarke Headshot

Sean Clarke

FAAN PhD RN

Ursula Springer Professor in Nursing Leadership
Executive Vice Dean

1 212 998 5264

433 First Ave
New York, NY 10010
United States

Sean Clarke, RN, PhD, FAAN, is the executive vice dean and a professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. His research focuses on quality and safety issues in acute care hospitals, workforce issues, occupational safety of nurses, and the influences of economic and political factors on healthcare delivery and the nursing profession. He is perhaps best known for research on nurse staffing in hospitals and surveys of nurse working conditions. He has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and 30 book chapters. Clarke has been a principal investigator on projects supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and has served as a co-investigator on grants totaling over $10 million over the course of his career. In addition to teaching nursing, health policy, and research at the baccalaureate through doctoral levels, he also supervises PhD and postdoctoral research trainees and maintains a program of research with colleagues from a number of countries. 

Clarke has been a member of a variety of panels and boards related to health research and healthcare quality. He has had extensive involvement in peer review of research articles and grants and served on editorial boards of a number of scientific and professional journals in nursing and health services research. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and currently holds affiliate faculty appointments at the Université de Montréal and the University of Hong Kong.

Prior to joining the faculty at NYU Meyers, he was a professor and associate dean in the Undergraduate Program at the Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, from 2014–2018. He was also on faculty at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing for seven years, held an endowed chair in cardiovascular nursing at the University of Toronto, and was an endowed chair directing a special donor-funded set of projects intended to advance collaboration between the School of Nursing and its affiliated teaching hospitals at McGill University. He also co-directed nursing health services and workforce research groups in Philadelphia and Toronto and has been a consultant to clinicians, leaders, and professional associations on issues related to nursing and patient safety for almost two decades in Canada, the United States, and internationally. 

Clarke completed his basic clinical and research training in nursing at McGill University, in Montreal, Canada, and pursued a nurse practitioner education and a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds BA and BS degrees from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, in his hometown of Ottawa, Canada.

PhD - McGill University School of Nursing
MS - McGill University School of Nursing
BA - Carleton University
BS - University of Ottawa

Nursing workforce
Adult health
Nursing administration
Health Policy

Creative Teaching Award, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto (2011)
Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Teaching, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (2007)
Junior Faculty Research Award, Biobehavioral and Health Sciences Division School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania (2006)
Fellow, American Academy of Nursing (2006)
Class of 1965 25th Reunion Term Chair, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing [for enduring contributions to undergraduate education] (2006)
American Academy of Nursing Media Award for coverage of Aiken, Clarke et al., JAMA, October 23/30, 2002 (2003)
Article of the Year, Academy Health [Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy] for Aiken, Clarke et al., JAMA, October 23/30, 2002 (2003)
American Academy of Nursing Media Award for coverage of Aiken, Clarke, et al. Health Affairs, 2001 (2002)
Induction into Sigma Theta Tau, Xi Chapter (1999)

Entry into Practice in Ontario

Clarke, S. P., & Patrician, P. A. (2001). American Journal of Nursing, 101(2), 73-76. 10.1097/00000446-200102000-00055
Abstract
Abstract
A new initiative may have implications for American nursing.

Hospital restructuring: Does it adversely affect care and outcomes?

Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., & Sloane, D. M. (2001). Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, 23(4), 416-442.
Abstract
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed pronounced changes in the organization of U.S. hospitals, many the direct result of restructuring and reengineering initiative intended to decrease costs and increase productivity. Little is known about how these initiatives have affected clinical care and patient outcomes. Using data from a variety of sources, the authors describe initiatives that hospitals undertook over this period, indicate how staffing changed relative to the case-mix of patients receiving care, and examine changes in nursing practice environments over the period from 1996 to 1998. The authors found that apparent increases in nurse-to-patient ratios may be deceiving and that increases in patient acuity and nurses' responsibilities may have increased the workload of nurses in hospitals in ways, when coupled with a deteriorating practice environment, may adversely affect patient outcomes.

An International Perspective on Hospital Nurses’ Work Environments: The Case for Reform

Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., & Sochalski, J. A. (2001). Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 2(4), 255-263. 10.1177/152715440100200402
Abstract
Abstract
The current nursing shortage, high hospital-nurse job dissatisfaction, and reports of uneven quality of hospital care are not uniquely American phenomena. This article presents reports from 43,000 nurses at more than 700 hospitals in the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, and Germany during 1998 and 1999. Nurses in countries with distinctly different health care systems report similar shortcomings in their work environments and the quality of hospital care. Although nurse and physician competence and nurse-physician relationships appear satisfactory, core problems in work design and workforce management threaten care provision. Resolving these issues, which are amenable to managerial intervention, is essential to preserve patient safety and provide care of consistently high quality.

Nurses' reports on hospital care in five countries

Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., Sochalski, J. A., Busse, R., Clarke, H., Giovannetti, P., Hunt, J., Rafferty, A. M., & Shamian, J. (2001). Health Affairs, 20(3), 43-53. 10.1377/hlthaff.20.3.43
Abstract
Abstract
The current nursing shortage, high hospital nurse job dissatisfaction, and reports of uneven quality of hospital care are not uniquely American phenomena. This paper presents reports from 43,000 nurses from more than 700 hospitals in the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, and Germany in 1998-1999. Nurses in countries with distinctly different health care systems report similar shortcomings in their work environments and the quality of hospital care. While the competence of and relation between nurses and physicians appear satisfactory, core problems in work design and workforce management threaten the provision of care. Resolving these issues, which are amenable to managerial intervention, is essential to preserving patient safety and care of consistently high quality.

Nutritional and medical therapy for dyslipidemia in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Logan, P., & Clarke, S. (2001). AACN Clinical Issues, 12(1), 40-52. 10.1097/00044067-200102000-00006
Abstract
Abstract
Dyslipidemia is a significant risk factor for the progression of cardiovascular disease, particularly when associated with other risk factors. An understanding of the pathophysiology and risks for patients with atherosclerotic diseases of undertreated dyslipidemia is essential for the healthcare provider. In this article, a review of epidemiologic data regarding the role of lipid levels in cardiovascular disease prognosis is presented. A familiarity with current dietary and drug treatment of lipid disorders is at the core of an evidence-based approach to dyslipidemia management in the patient with established cardiovascular diseases.

Hospital Restructuring:Does It Adversely Affect Care and Outcomes?

Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., & Sloane, D. M. (2000). Journal of Nursing Administration, 30(10), 457-465. 10.1097/00005110-200010000-00003
Abstract
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed pronounced changes in the organization of United States hospitals, many the direct result of restructuring and re-engineering initiatives intended to decrease costs and increase productivity. Little is known about how these initiatives have affected clinical care and patient outcomes. Using data from a variety of sources, the authors describe initiatives that hospitals undertook during this period, discuss how nurse staffing changed relative to the case mix of patients receiving care, and examine changes in nursing practice environments from 1986 to 1998.

Psychosocial factors as predictors of functional status at 1 year in patients with left ventricular dysfunction

Clarke, S. P., Frasure-Smith, N., Lespérance, F., & Bourassa, M. G. (2000). Research in Nursing and Health, 23(4), 290-300. 10.1002/1098-240X(200008)23:4<290::AID-NUR5>3.0.CO;2-0
Abstract
Abstract
Chronic heart failure patients often experience significant functional impairments. A better understanding of the biopsychosocial correlates of functional status may lead to interventions that improve quality of life in this population. Social isolation, mood disturbance, low socioeconomic status, and non-White ethnicity were evaluated as possible correlates of impaired functional status in 2,992 U.S. patients with left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEFs) ≤ 35%. Even after controlling for age and clinical characteristics, all of the psychosocial variables examined were significant predictors of risk for experiencing severe limitations in intermediate and social activities of daily living at 1 year, with adjusted odds ratios in the 1.5-2.0 range. The ability of psychosocial characteristics to predict future functional status was also independent of baseline functional status, comorbid medical conditions, and deterioration in heart failure signs and symptoms over the intervening year. These results suggest that psychosocial factors influence patient functional status even in the later phases of cardiac disease.

Sean Patrick Clarke "Un pied dans la théorie, l'autre dans la pratique".

Clarke, S. P. (2000). L’Infirmière Du Québec : Revue Officielle De l’Ordre Des infirmières Et Infirmiers Du Québec, 8(1), 15-18.

Secondary Analysis: Theoretical, Methodological, and Practical Considerations

Clarke, S. P., & Cossette, S. (2000). Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 32(3), 109-129.
Abstract
Abstract
Secondary analysis, which involves the use of existing data sets to answer new research questions, is an increasingly popular methodological choice among researchers who wish to investigate particular research questions but lack the resources to undertake primary data collections. Much time loss and considerable frustration may result, however, if researchers begin secondary analyses without an awareness of the distinctive methodological and practical challenges involved. This article highlights difficulties that may arise when researchers use data from previous clinical research projects, including theoretical issues and problems involving sampling, measurement, and external and ecological validity. It also offers practical suggestions for undertaking a secondary analysis and criteria for evaluating secondary analyses.

Characteristics of families--implications for statistical analysis in family nursing research.

Clarke, S. P. (1995). The Canadian Journal of Nursing Research = Revue Canadienne De Recherche En Sciences Infirmieres, 27(1), 47-55.