Denise D. Crosson, Ph.D. has been a nurse for twenty-five years, a nurse practitioner for nine years, and a nurse researcher for five years. Her first job working with children was in high school as a lifeguard and swim instructor at the YMCA. Throughout her nursing career Crosson has worked with children and their families in hospital, home, hospice, and community-based settings. She earned a masters and doctoral degree from Virginia Commonwealth University where she was a fellow in the VA-LEND neurodevelopmental disabilities training program, which focused on children and families. Her dissertation research focused on short- and long-term effects of preterm birth on childhood development.

Crosson lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.