Cheryl Thaxton
DNP, APRN, CPNP, FNP-BC, CHPPN, ACUE, FPCN, FAANP, FAAN
Cheryl Thaxton, DNP, APRN, CPNP, FNP-BC, CHPPN, ACUE, FPCN, FAANP, FAAN
Associate Dean/Chair for Graduate Studies and Professor
Contact
cheryl.thaxton@unthealth.edu
Associate Dean/Chair for Graduate Studies & Professor
Dr. Thaxton brings more than 30 years of experience in nursing, including critical and primary care and nursing leadership. As a graduate of George Washington University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program, she spent several years researching the specific needs of children and adults with life-limiting illnesses. She carries expertise in hospice and palliative care nursing and is a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Dr. Thaxton has extensive experience in nursing education. She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA), and served six years on the national exam development committee for the Certified Hospice and Palliative Pediatric Nurse (CHPPN). Her leadership and impact have been recognized through numerous honors, including the D Magazine Excellence in Nursing Award and designation as a Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing (2019), the DFW Great 100 Nurses Award (2021), the Estelle Osborne Legacy Award from NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing (2022), and the Texas Nurse Practitioners Visionary Award (2023). She also completed the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing fellowship in May 2025. In October 2025, Dr. Thaxton received a prestigious George Washington University Recent Alumni Achievement Award.