Celebrating National Nurses Week
The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing celebrates National Nurses Week by highlighting a few of our alumni, students, and instructors who have heard and responded to the call of our profession amid challenging times. Read more about these leaders below and join us in our celebration of these everyday heroes.
Mobilizing Volunteers to Help Immunize the Austin Community
Meet Li-Chen Lin, PhD, RN, CNRN, and a UT Austin School of Nursing Clinical Assistant Professor of Adult Health Nursing. Dr. Lin (MSN ’03, PHD ’09) has focused her research on nurse’s work environments, resilience, role transitions, as well as quality and safety in healthcare. Her current projects aim to examine resilience among nurses working in long term care or rehabilitation settings and to investigate whether demographics, professional quality of life, and sleep quality are significant predictors of nurses’ resilience.
Filling Knowledge Gaps in Self-Management Research
Meet Heather Cuevas, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, FCNS. Dr. Cuevas (MSN ’03, PHD ’13) is a UT Austin School of Nursing assistant professor with a research focus on how cognitive problems interact with chronic illness, and how this interaction contributes to challenges with self-management and health in patients with type 2 diabetes. Her background as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) encompasses diagnosis, treatment and management of a variety of endocrine disorders in the outpatient setting.
Fostering a Welcoming and Engaging Climate Within the Classroom
Meet Danica Sumpter, PhD, RN, UT Austin School of Nursing Clinical Assistant Professor, and one of this year’s Macy Faculty Scholars. Dr. Sumpter (BSN ’01) has been recognized for her innovations in teaching and was named a University Provost’s Teaching Fellow in 2019. Her work as chair of the Family, Public Health and Nursing Administration Division, co-chair of the Community Climate and Care Committee at the UT Autin School of Nursing and her involvement with the Black Mamas Community Collective, have all fueled her aspirations of becoming an expert in anti-racist teaching praxis.
Providing Comprehensive, Equitable Care to our Community
Meet Stephanie Morgan, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, Director of Practice Innovation, Professor of Clinical Nursing and Director of our Wellness Centers. Amid the pandemic, Dr. Morgan (PHD ’13) has overseen a smooth transition to telemedicine and telehealth for wellness clinics, co-led UT Health Austin’s on campus vaccination clinics and served as a faculty fellow for UT’s Interprofessional Education program. Dr. Morgan coordinated these programs to provide comprehensive care to our community.
Ushering in our First Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Cohort
Meet Brittany Christiansen, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC/AC, FNP-C, AE-C, CNE, Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program at The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. Dr. Christiansen (MSN ’11, DNP ’17) was selected for the 2020 Novice Faculty Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and received the 2020 Dean’s Excellence Award for Service at The UT Austin School of Nursing.
Spotlights
Read about Teresa ‘Tess’ Berndt, Dr. Tracie Roseberry, Brenda Olmos, Olubukayo ‘Bukayo’ Akinyemi, Isadora Fox, Dr. Amanda J. Simonton, Lucy Parker, Kate Hanley, Sabrina Kones, and Rachel Alhanti.