Mary Jo Kreitzer PhD, RN, FAAN

Mary Jo Kreitzer PhD, RN, FAAN is the founder and director of the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing at the University of Minnesota, where she also serves as a tenured professor in the School of Nursing. Within the School of Nursing, Dr. Kreitzer is the co-lead of the doctorate of nursing practice program in integrative health and healing.

She has served as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator of numerous clinical trials focusing on mindfulness meditation with persons with chronic disease including studies focusing on solid organ transplant, cardiovascular disease, chronic insomnia, diabetes, and caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Current studies include the role of mindfulness in improving human brain-computer interface; the use of social technology to enhance healing and wellbeing; nursing leadership in integrative health and healing; and mindful movement for physical activity and wellbeing in older adults.

From 2004-2007, Dr. Kreitzer served as the vice-chair of the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine. In 2009, Dr. Kreitzer testified at a US Senate hearing titled “Integrative Health: Pathway to Health Reform” as well as the Institute of Medicine Summit titled “Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public”. Dr. Kreitzer regularly presents to practitioner and public audiences as well as at academic and healthcare conferences. She has authored more than 150 publications, and is the co-editor of the text Integrative Nursing published in 2014 by Oxford University Press. The second edition of Integrative Nursing will be published in 2018.
Dr. Kreitzer earned her doctoral degree in public health focused on health services research, policy and administration, and her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in nursing.

Academic Interests and Focus
Complementary Therapies and Healing Practices

Masonic Cancer Center

Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing

Kreitzer, M. J., Gross, C. R., Ye, X., Russas, V., Treesak, C., 2005. Longitudinal impact of mindfulness meditation on illness burden in solid-organ transplant recipients. Progress in Transplantation, 15 (2): 166-172.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/152692480501500210

Kreitzer, M. J., 2005. The Practice of Nursing: The Challenge of Making the Invisible, Visible. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 1 (3): 224-225.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2005.02.010

Sierpina, V. S., Kreitzer, M. J., 2005. Innovations in Integrative Health Care Education. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 1 (3): 220-221.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2005.02.004

Chlan, L., Halcon, L., Kreitzer, M. j., Leonard, B., 2005. Influence of an Experiential Education Session on Nursing Students’ Confidence Levels in Performing Selected Complementary Therapy Skills. Complementary Health Practice Review, 10 (3): 189-201.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1533210105284044

Gross, C. R., Kreitzer, M. J., Russas, V., Treesak, C., Frazier, P. A., Hertz, M. I., 2004. Mindfulness meditation to reduce symptoms after organ transplant: A pilot study. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 10 (3): 58-66.

McDonough-Means, S. I., Kreitzer, M. J., Bell, I. R., 2004. Fostering a healing presence and investigating its mediators. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 10 (SUPPL. 1):
doi: https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2004.10.s-25

Disch, J., Kreitzer, M. J., 2003. Shaping the future of complementary and alternative therapies for critical care nursing. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, 15 (3): 387-392.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0899-5885(02)00097-7

Halcón, L. L., Chlan, L. L., Kreitzer, M. J., Leonard, B. J., 2003. Complementary therapies and healing practices: Faculty/student beliefs and attitudes and the implications for nursing education. Journal of Professional Nursing, 19 (6): 387-397.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S8755-7223(03)00133-9

Kreitzer, M. J., Mitten, D., Harris, I., Shandeling, J., 2002. Attitudes toward CAM among medical, nursing, and pharmacy faculty and students: A comparative analysis. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 8 (6): 44-53.

Hageness, S. M., Kreitzer, M. J., Kinney, M. E., 2002. Complementary, Integrative, and Holistic Care in Emergency Nursing. Nursing Clinics of North America, 37 (1): 123-133.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0029-6465(03)00088-4

Kreitzer, M. J., Snyder, M., 2002. Healing the heart: integrating complementary therapies and healing practices into the care of cardiovascular patients.. Progress in cardiovascular nursing, 17 (2): 73-80.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-7117.2002.tb00272.x

Halcon, L., Leonard, B., Snyder, M., Garwick, A., Kreitzer, M. J., 2001. Incorporating Alternative and Complementary Health Practices within University-based Nursing Education. Alternative Health Practitioner: the Journal of Complementary and Integrative Health Care. Springer Publishing Company, 1279-1137.

Halcon, L., Leonard, B., Snyder, M., Garwick, A., Kreitzer, M. J., 2001. Incorporating alternative and complementary health practices within University-based nursing education. Complementary Health Practice Review, 6 (2): 127-135.

Matthees, B. J., Anantachoti, P., Kreitzer, M. J., Savik, K., Hertz, M. I., Gross, C. R., 2001. Use of complementary therapies, adherence, and quality of life in lung transplant recipients. Heart and Lung: Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 30 (4): 258-268.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1067/mhl.2001.116135

Halcón, L., Leonard, B., Snyder, M., Garwick, A., Kreitzer, M. J., 2001. Incorporating Alternative and Complementary Health Practices Within University-Based Nursing Education. Complementary Health Practice Review, 6 (2): 127-135.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/153321010100600203

Kreitzer, M. J., Jensen, D., 2000. Healing Practices: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities for Nurses in Acute and Critical Care. In Kirksey, Lindquist (Eds.), AACN Clinical Issues: Advanced Practice and Acute and Critical Care; Issues on Complementary/Alternative Therapies 11 (1): 7-16.

Award: Mind-body awareness training and brain-computer interfac
Principal Investigator: He, Bin
Sponsoring Organization: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Award Dates: 2016 - 2018

Award: Mind-body awareness training and brain-computer interfac
Principal Investigator: He, Bin
Sponsoring Organization: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Award Dates: 2016 - 2018

Award: Medical Cannabis Symposium and Research Roundtable
Principal Investigator: Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Sponsoring Organization: MN Department of Health
Award Dates: 2016 - 2017

Award: CAM Research Education Partnership Project
Principal Investigator: Evans, Roni Lyn
Sponsoring Organization: NIH National Center for Complementary
Award Dates: 2014 - 2016

Award: Medica Health Coaching
Principal Investigator: Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Sponsoring Organization: Medica Research Institute
Award Dates: 2011 - 2013

Award: CAM Research Education Partnership Project
Principal Investigator: Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Sponsoring Organization: Northwestern Health Sciences University
Award Dates: 2010 - 2011

Award: Nursing Leadership in Integrative Health and Healing and
Principal Investigator: Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Sponsoring Organization: George Family Foundation
Award Dates: 2010 - 2018

Award: Third Ways of Knowing Symposium
Principal Investigator: Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Sponsoring Organization: Life Science Foundation
Award Dates: 2009 - 2010

Award: Whole Systems Healing
Principal Investigator: Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Sponsoring Organization: Life Science Foundation
Award Dates: 2008 - 2015

Award: Second Ways of Knowing Symposium
Principal Investigator: Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Sponsoring Organization: Life Science Foundation
Award Dates: 2008 - 2008

Award: CAM Research Education Partnership Project
Principal Investigator: Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Sponsoring Organization: Northwestern Health Sciences University
Award Dates: 2007 - 2014

Award: Stress Reduction for Caregivers: A Randomized Controlled
Principal Investigator: Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Sponsoring Organization: HealthPartners Institute
Award Dates: 2007 - 2010

Award: Ways of Knowing Symposium
Principal Investigator: Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Sponsoring Organization: Life Science Foundation
Award Dates: 2007 - 2007

Award: Residential Eating Disorders Grant
Principal Investigator: Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Sponsoring Organization: Park Nicollet Institute
Award Dates: 2004 - 2008

Award: Impact of Mind-Body Interventions Post Organ Transplant
Principal Investigator: Gross, Cynthia R
Sponsoring Organization: NIH NINR National Institute of Nursing
Award Dates: 2003 - 2009

• Mindfulness-based stress reduction
• Integrative nursing
• Mind-body interventions within an online social technology community