Over her 14 years as dean of the School of Nursing, Alexa Stuifbergen, PhD, RN, FAAN, has strengthened the School’s reputation and impact as one of the nation’s leading nursing schools.
The first native Texan and UT Austin alumna to serve as the School’s dean, she received her PhD in nursing from UT Austin, MSN from UT El Paso and BSN from Creighton University in Omaha.
Stuifbergen is the James R. Dougherty Jr. Centennial Professor in the School of Nursing, and, during her time as dean, she also held the Laura Lee Blanton Chair in Nursing.
She is recognized internationally for her research in health promotion and self-management for persons with chronic and disabling conditions. She has served as principal investigator on National Institutes of Health (NIH) research and center grants totaling over $11.8 million, as co-investigator on research projects funded for over $14.5 million, and as project director for service and training grants of $3.5 million.
During her time as dean, the faculty of the School of Nursing secured more than $60 million in federal and state research grants. Stuifbergen is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and has served on and led numerous national committees for the Rehabilitation Nursing Foundation, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the NIH. She was chair of the Nursing and Related Clinical Sciences Scientific Review Group from 2011 to 2013, and she served as a member of the NIH National Advisory Council for Nursing Research from 2014 to 2019. In 2017, she was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Researcher Hall of Fame.
Under her leadership, from 2009 through this summer of 2023, a total of 3,212 students graduated from the School of Nursing, for an average of 230 new nurses each year. During her tenure, Stuifbergen recruited outstanding faculty nationally, and she has launched several new academic programs.
With the help of generous donors, she has directed major renovations to the School’s facilities, including the building’s new entrance, the Myrtle E. and Earl E. Walker Lobby and the Walker Terrace, along with extensive improvements to classrooms and public spaces that support more flexible teaching and learning.
Development efforts led by Stuifbergen generated over $57 million through the end of her tenure, including transformational gifts to establish the Ascension Seton Chair in Clinical Nursing Research, the St. David’s Foundation Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Underserved Populations and the Luci Baines Johnson and Ian J. Turpin Center for Gerontological Nursing.
In addition, 66 new endowments and 39 estate gifts have been established to support programs, faculty and students. Stuifbergen is especially proud of the establishment of the Alexa K. Stuifbergen Endowed Professorship in Nursing Research, which was supported by many donors, faculty and friends of the School.