Even nursing students could use a recess break sometimes, especially one that teaches a lesson.
That’s why Lynn Rew sent her class out to the School of Nursing courtyard a few years ago.
“I remember one fall when I was teaching the honors research course, and I had a hard time getting the students interested in research,” Rew shared.
So, she made a game out of it.
Rew pinned the name of a research concept they were supposed to have read about that day on the back of their shirt. The students had to ask each other questions to figure out what was on the back of their shirt.
“They were running all over the courtyard chasing each other and laughing, and when they all came back, they had to tell me what theirs was. I had prizes for them, and that was one of the most fun classes, and they loved it.”
This was the kind of educator Lynn Rew, EdD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, was for more than four decades at the School of Nursing.
She has been a guiding force in nursing education, shaping the next generation of nurses with her passion, scholarship and unwavering commitment to students. She held the title of Denton & Louise Cooley and Family Centennial Professor and was awarded Emerita status upon her retirement in December 2024.
Rew shared that her greatest accomplishments at the School of Nursing were the students she taught who excelled in research and writing.
“It gives you the most incredible opportunity to work closely with students who work on your project,” she said. “I have met some of the most amazing people that way, and it’s a joy watching them get into it and get excited about research—that’s a real memorable time.”
During her tenure, Rew also served as the PhD program director, the director of the Southwest Partnership Center for Nursing Research on Health Disparities, as well as the assistant dean for student affairs and the graduate advisor.
Her career, however, began long before her time at UT Austin, with an academic journey dedicated to understanding and improving the health and well-being of vulnerable youth.
Her research has focused on adolescent health behaviors, mental health and resilience.
Rew’s passion for nursing education was sparked during her early years as a bedside nurse.
“I was always interested in the teaching aspect of bedside nursing as a new graduate nurse,” she explained. “After about five years of practice, I decided to tiptoe into graduate school and see what else I could do. There, I really fell in love with what I saw professors’ lives and practices were like. I also had a favorite aunt who was a teacher, and I internalized a lot of her enthusiasm as I grew up.”
Her career has been distinguished by numerous prestigious awards and honors, reflecting her significant contributions to nursing education, research and mentorship. Some of her notable accolades include being inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in 2019 and being named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 1991. She also received multiple Dean’s Excellence Awards in research, writing and teaching. Rew’s impact extends beyond her own work; she has mentored multiple nursing scholars, including a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar mentee, and has earned recognition as a top educator, including receiving the 2020 Outstanding Graduate Teacher Award at UT Austin.
In addition to her honors, Rew’s research has made a significant impact, particularly in areas related to adolescent health, homelessness and sexual health.
She has been the principal investigator on multiple National Institutes of Health-funded studies, including a $2.7 million project on promoting responsible health behaviors in homeless youth.
Her research also includes exploring the health-risk behaviors of youth, genetic testing in adolescents and examining the role of companion animals in Mexican-American populations.
Her work has been supported by numerous grants, such as those from the National Institute of Health, including the National Institute of Nursing Research, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, as well as the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
“I used to tell my doctoral students at the beginning of the semester that when I finished my dissertation, I was never going to do research again,” Rew shared. “But then I started working at a doctoral level and would find myself looking for journals and books and realized that I didn’t know enough, and my love of learning came out of that. I wanted to keep seeking answers.”
Her leadership within the nursing community has left an indelible mark, reinforcing the importance of evidence-based practice and compassionate care.
Before joining the faculty at the School of Nursing, Rew was one of the founding members of the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA), established in response to the challenges nurses faced in the 1970s. On January 17, 1981, 33 nurses from eight states gathered in Houston to establish AHNA, united by a shared vision of a health care system that values and nurtures its caregivers.
Since co-founding AHNA, Rew has served on the Association’s research committee, received a research grant, earned multiple certifications and was recognized as a Holistic Nurse Champion through the Integrative Healing Arts Program in Holistic Nursing in 2019. She also served as editor of the Journal of Holistic Nursing and was the inaugural chair for the American Holistic Nurses’ Certification Corporation.
During her tenure, Rew witnessed the evolution of both the nursing field and the School of Nursing, including the growth of advanced practice programs that elevated nursing and the School.
“I’ve seen all of the aspects of nursing taught in the School are very strongly rooted in research,” she said. “That has become more apparent and stronger over the years. When I first came here, there wasn’t an associate dean of research or the Cain Center for Nursing Research.”
The School of Nursing now has an associate dean of research and the Cain Center for Nursing Research, which was established in 1995 to support and advance nursing science.
“Nursing should be based on research,” Rew continued. “Dean Im is a very strong researcher herself, and that is part of her vision for the School and to be well-known for that.”
Rew’s influence will continue through the students she has taught, the research she has conducted and the legacy she leaves behind at the School of Nursing, including through the Rew Family Graduate Research Endowment in Nursing and the Rew Family Professorship in Nursing.
The graduate research endowment supports doctoral students conducting dissertation research focused on adolescent or child health, with priority given to those studying adolescent health. Recipients of this prestigious support are recognized as Rew Family Graduate Fellows. Meanwhile, the Rew Family Professorship will fund the University’s standard criteria for endowed professorships, providing funding for the holder’s academic and research activities. This includes support for University centers, programs and research initiatives overseen or actively participated in by the professorship holder. Both endowments demonstrate Rew’s dedication to advancing nursing education and research for future generations.
“Stay tuned, I haven’t gone away yet,” she concluded.