She is certified as both a family and an adult nurse practitioner. She is also a certified nurse educator and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is nationally known for work with on issues affecting nurse practitioner education and practice. Dr. Barksdale is currently President-Elect of the prestigious National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF). In the past as a member of the Board of Directors NONPF, she chaired both the Research and the Capital Development and Marketing Committees. Dr. Barksdale is also currently a member of the National Educational Research Think Tank for the National League for Nursing (NLN). She is also a Department of Health and Human Services Primary Health Care Policy Fellow and a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows 2011 cohort.