Joseph Janakes

About Me

Dr. Joseph Janakes is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, educator, clinician, and academic leader who serves as Program Chair and Assistant Professor in the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice Program at Samuel Merritt University. He has served in multiple leadership roles within the program, including Program Director, MSN Program Director, Interim Program Director, Program Clinical Coordinator, Associate Director, faculty member, and clinical preceptor. In addition to his academic role, he continues to practice as a staff anesthetist with The Permanente Medical Group, bringing current clinical experience into his teaching and leadership.
Dr. Janakes’ professional work centers on preparing nurse anesthesia residents for safe, evidence-based, patient-centered anesthesia practice. His clinical background includes adult and high-risk obstetrical anesthesia, and his academic leadership has focused on rigorous education, clinical readiness, workforce development, and strong clinical partnerships. He is committed to developing competent, compassionate, and practice-ready CRNAs who can meet community needs and improve access to high-quality anesthesia care.

Outside of work, Dr. Janakes values maintaining a healthy work-life balance. He enjoys fitness, music, traveling, the outdoors, cooking, exploring culinary experiences, and spending time with family.

Education

University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Nursing Education

Samuel Merritt University
Master of Science in Nursing, Nurse Anesthesia

Samuel Merritt University
Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing

University of California-Davis
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science

Teaching Interests

Dr. Janakes is passionate about helping students grow into confident, reflective, and highly skilled anesthesia professionals. He believes nurse anesthesia education should be challenging, supportive, and grounded in professionalism, accountability, clinical excellence, compassion, advocacy, and service to patients and communities.
His approach to education emphasizes clear expectations, mentorship, evidence-based teaching, leadership development, and the cultivation of critical thinking skills. His professional service through the California Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology has shaped his commitment to preparing students not only as clinicians but also as advocates for patients, safe anesthesia care, and the future of the CRNA profession.

Dr. Janakes has extensive experience teaching and leading graduate-level nurse anesthesia education across didactic, simulation, and clinical learning environments. His teaching experience includes service as an Assistant Professor, Instructor, guest lecturer, clinical preceptor, and lecturer for perinatal pain management education for Kaiser Permanente. His didactic work includes anesthesia curriculum development, course design, assessment practices, board preparation, clinical readiness, and alignment of program outcomes with accreditation expectations.
He works closely with faculty and students to promote mastery of complex anesthesia concepts and to ensure that classroom, simulation, and clinical learning translate into safe and effective practice. His teaching is informed by his continued clinical practice and his experience precepting junior and senior nurse anesthesia residents in adult, pediatric, and high-risk obstetrical anesthesia.

Scholarly Interests

Dr. Janakes’ scholarly interests include nurse anesthesia education, simulation-based learning, clinical readiness, student success, workforce development, and strategies to expand access and opportunity within the CRNA profession. His doctoral work focused on nursing education, with a research interest in simulated experiential ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia learning interventions. His scholarship also includes supporting DNP/DNAP scholarly projects that translate evidence into practice and improve anesthesia education, clinical outcomes, and the student learning experience.
He is interested in scholarship that strengthens the connection between academic preparation and clinical practice, including the use of data, assessment, simulation, and program evaluation to identify learning needs, improve educational outcomes, and support continued excellence in nurse anesthesia preparation.

Publications

Janakes, Joseph, "The Effects of Real-Time Computerized Needle Tip Location Feedback on State Anxiety and Immediate Performance of Simulated Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia" (2021). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 4248.

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

Dr. Janakes mentors nurse anesthesia residents, faculty, and emerging leaders through academic advising, clinical progression support, DNP/DNAP project guidance, professional development, and individualized student success planning. He has a long history of advocacy and service within the profession, including service with the California Association of Nurse Anesthetists as President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Board of Directors Trustee, Political Action Committee Chair, State Government Relations Committee Chair, Leadership Development Committee Chair, and student representative to the Board of Directors. He has also served the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiologists as a State Organizational Development Committee member.

These leadership and advocacy experiences inform his commitment to mentoring future CRNAs who understand the importance of professional engagement, policy awareness, leadership, and service. He values mentorship as a relationship built on honesty, trust, accountability, encouragement, and high standards, and he is especially committed to helping students navigate graduate anesthesia education, strengthen clinical judgment, and develop the professional identity expected of future CRNAs.

Community Service

I enjoy community service opportunities with in the communities that Samuel Merritt serves with emphasis reducing health disparities by diversifying the nurse anesthesia profession through mentorship to help guide prospective applicants of underserved and underprivileged backgrounds to achieve their education and career goals in becoming a CRNA