Rebecca Hill

Rebecca Hill, PhD, DNP, FNP-C, CNE, FAAN, is the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, where she holds a professorial position within the Health Science faculty. In this role, effective January 6, 2025, she oversees the planning, administration, evaluation, and continuous improvement of all academic nursing programs, ensuring alignment with university standards and accreditation requirements. Prior to UNC-Chapel Hill, Dr. Hill spent over a decade at the MGH Institute of Health Professions School of Nursing in Boston, Massachusetts. There, she served most recently as associate dean of academic affairs, leading the baccalaureate, master’s, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. She developed and launched a Master of Science in Nursing Education program, taught in prelicensure and master’s programs, and represented the school at academic medical centers and with the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing. As a board-certified family nurse practitioner, she maintains a clinical practice in college health and previously worked in emergency medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Hill’s academic background includes a BSN from the University of Rhode Island; an MSN, post-master’s certificate in nursing education, and DNP from Duke University; and a PhD in Nursing from Boston College. Her program of research centers on the evaluation of problematic feeding in breastfeeding dyads affected by ankyloglossia (tongue-tie), earning her distinction as only the second nurse to receive grant funding from the Gerber Foundation for investigations into the physiological mechanics of breastfeeding in infants with tongue-tie. Among her honors, she received the Nancy T. Watts Award in 2019—the highest faculty recognition at MGH IHP for exceptional teaching—and was inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in 2023, where she serves on the Breastfeeding Expert Panel and was elected to the Fellow Selection Committee. Dr. Hill is deeply engaged in professional leadership, serving on the National League for Nursing Board of Governors as Governor-at-Large, co-chairing the international Committee on Interprofessional Research, Education, and Ankyloglossia Science, and holding roles in the American Nurses Association, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Sigma Theta Tau International, and the Massachusetts/Rhode Island League for Nursing executive board.

Professional Email: rebecca.hill@unc.edu