Raeann LeBlanc has been named the Seedworks Endowed Clinical Assistant Professor for Social Justice in the College of Nursing. LeBlanc has been teaching both graduates and undergraduates at UMass Amherst since 2011. Her research addresses health disparities in advanced care planning and the effect of social networks on self-care among older adults.
Through her career, LeBlanc has been the sole author of one book, has published eight articles as first author and is co-author on another six published articles. In addition, she has published five book chapters and given numerous conference presentations and invited lectures.
LeBlanc earned her doctor of nursing practice degree from UMass Amherst, as well as her Ph.D. in nursing.
The Seedworks Endowed chair is funded by nursing alumna Susan Hagedorn “for the purpose of promoting social justice.” The endowment is named for Seedworks Films, a documentary production company founded by Hagedorn “to bring the viewers inside the experience of nursing and being nursed, the experience of vulnerability, and the lives of those who step beyond what they ever expected they’d do with their lives.”