The School of Nursing established four new centers to help enhance the School’s landscape of nursing education and research. Each center embodies the School of Nursing’s dedication to empowering faculty and students to contribute to the health and well-being of communities worldwide.
Center for Global Nursing and Health
Fostering Global Collaborations in Nursing Education and Research
The new Center for Global Nursing and Health is led by Interim Director Julie Zuñiga, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate professor. The Center aims to connect nursing education and research stakeholders from local communities and around the world.
“Our goal is to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem of collaboration, where faculty and students can engage in meaningful dialogue, exchange ideas and contribute to the collective body of nursing knowledge,” Zuñiga said. “By fostering partnerships with institutions around the world, we aim to create opportunities for cross-cultural learning and interdisciplinary research.”
Sharing their motivations for being a part of the Center, Zuñiga said it’s part of her professional and personal goals to work globally. “I’ve always believed in the power of international collaboration to enhance nursing education and improve health care outcomes worldwide,” she added.
Hyekyun Rhee, PhD, RN, FAAN, La Quinta Motor Inns, Inc. Centennial Professor, who was the founding director, shares a similar sentiment. “It’s not just about academic collaboration; it’s about creating a more interconnected and empathetic world,” Rhee said.
One way the Center is extending the School’s presence internationally is through formalized Memoranda of Understanding with international universities. Having MOUs established at the university level allows for other academic units on campus to add programming with these partner universities.
These efforts were commemorated in May 2024 when leaders from UT Austin School of Nursing visited the leaders of colleges of nursing at three universities in South Korea—Yonsei University, Seoul National University and The Catholic University of Korea to build upon established university-level agreements to explore specific areas of collaboration.
With these signed agreements, the School will work to add nursing-specific addenda with details about various programs the School hopes to run moving forward. Texas Global assisted in the efforts to broaden the scope of activities and the School of Nursing’s global position.
When the Center launched, Rhee highlighted the importance of leadership development and global awareness in preparing students for roles on the international stage. Through initiatives such as education abroad programs and exchange opportunities, the Center seeks to empower students to become effective leaders in the global health care arena.
“We believe the exposure to diverse cultures and health care systems is essential for cultivating the next generation of nursing leaders,” Rhee said. “By providing students with opportunities to engage in global initiatives and immerse themselves in different contexts, we aim to broaden their perspectives and equip them with the skills needed to address complex health challenges on a global scale.”
Learn more at the Center for Global Nursing and Health.
Center for Health Care Innovation and Technology Advancements
Unveiling the Future: Innovations in Health Care Technology
The Center for Health Care Innovation and Technology Advancements (CHITA) represents a new era of cutting-edge solutions and transformative advancements in health care. CHITA is directed by Bo Xie, PhD, FGSA, professor, and co-directed by Wonshik Chee, PhD, research professor.
The Center promotes innovative, interdisciplinary research to advance health care processes and outcomes through person-centered technological design, development, implementation and use that address real-world challenges faced by patients, families and clinicians.
Xie said the new center is strengthening collaboration between tenure-track and clinical-track faculty at the School of Nursing, combining clinicians’ expertise in identifying real-world problems and researchers’ expertise in developing effective interventions for problem-solving.
“Within UT Austin, now is an ideal time to also strengthen collaboration across campus—specifically between health science disciplines and technology-oriented disciplines like engineering, computer science and information science—to address health care challenges through interdisciplinary solutions,” she said.
In addition, Xie said health care innovation within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) community typically features technology advancements that present unprecedented approaches to improving health care processes and outcomes. The pursuit of innovation also extends beyond the classroom and laboratory at the School of Nursing.
The Dean’s Office is providing support for groundbreaking research at the intersection of nursing and technology through CHITA’s inaugural Health IT Speedy Proposal Assistance and Research Knowledge Grants (Health IT SPARK Grants). The Health IT SPARK Grants provide up to $20,000 per awardee to aid in the advancement of cutting-edge research and position individuals for potential NIH funding in the near future.
The first round of awards went to recipients who are poised to make significant contributions to the field of health care technology:
- Shaoqing Ge, PhD, MPH, RN, assistant professor at the School of Nursing, and Min Kyung Lee, PhD, assistant professor at the UT Austin School of Information, received a grant for their research project “Understanding the Challenges of and Prototyping an AI Chatbot Intervention for Dementia Caregivers with Hearing or Vision Impairment.”
- Megan Hebdon, PhD, DNP, RN, NP-c, assistant professor, and Heather Cuevas, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, FCNS, assistant professor, both in the School of Nursing, received a grant for their project “Technology for Wellness and Weight Loss: An Integrative Approach.”
- Li-Chen Lin, PhD, RN, CNRN, clinical assistant professor in the School of Nursing, received a grant for her research titled “Developing a Person-Centered, Game-based Learning to Improve Medication Management among People with Limited-English-Proficiency: A Pilot Feasibility Study.”
One of the hallmarks of CHITA is its emphasis on collaboration. By bringing together experts from diverse fields such as nursing, engineering, computer science and information science, the Center cultivates a rich environment of fresh ideas and innovative solutions.
At the heart of CHITA’s mission is a commitment to driving innovation in patient care. From developing novel technologies that enhance diagnosis and treatment to leveraging data analytics for predictive modeling and personalized medicine, the Center is helping find solutions that have the potential to revolutionize health care delivery and improve patient outcomes.
In addition to its research endeavors, CHITA plays a role in educating the next generation of health care leaders and innovators. Through its educational programs and experiential learning opportunities, the Center equips students with the knowledge, skills and mindset needed to navigate the complexities of modern health care and drive meaningful change.
Xie said CHITA is initially focusing on securing NIH R01 grants where the School of Nursing is the lead institution. From there, additional researchers across the School, as well as other colleges, schools and units at UT Austin, will be invited to join as members of the executive board or affiliates.
The Center will host seminars and workshops to help faculty develop interdisciplinary collaboration skills. These opportunities will also serve as a collaboration incubator where CHITA will further cultivate interdisciplinary collaborations that lead to large NIH grants to support impactful research.
Eventually, Xie would like to gain more involvement from researchers within and outside of UT Austin. This would include hosting conferences with national and international participation to strengthen the Center’s leadership on the national and international levels.
Learn more about the Center for Health Care Innovation and Technology Advancements (CHITA).
Center for Applied Data Science
Elevating Data Science Support for Faculty and Students
The Center for Applied Data Science (formerly the Center for Advanced Research Methods) provides data science support to School of Nursing faculty and students, guiding them toward achieving exceptional research outcomes. Center Director Shelli Kesler, PhD, who holds the Dr. Mary Louise Adams Endowed Professorship in Oncology Nursing, aims to help increase the data science resources available to faculty and students within the School of Nursing. Kesler also serves as director of statistical services for the Cain Center for Nursing Research, assisting faculty with data analysis plans for grant applications, conducting data analysis for manuscripts and providing feedback on student dissertation data analyses.
“My research focuses on computational modeling and artificial intelligence,” Kesler said. “Data science knowledge has been critical in my academic success, so I am honored and excited to share it with others.”
CADS provides statistical consultation, pre-submission grant application critiques and data science-focused workshops. The Center has a dedicated data scientist for quantitative analyses, and supervises graduate research assistants who provide basic statistical assistance to students and faculty.
School of Nursing students can obtain statistical analysis assistance with their research projects and dissertations. Students will receive expert advice on optimizing research design for methodological rigor and feasibility. They will also receive a customized consultation to guide them through the analytical aspects of their dissertation work.
Dean Eun-Ok Im, PhD, MPH, RN, CNS, FAAN, is committed to increasing the School of Nursing’s portfolio of externally funded research. CADS’s mission to empower faculty and students through the provision of advanced data analysis tools and robust data science education aligns with Dean Im’s goal by providing essential data science support that is critical for conducting rigorous, impactful research.
Central to CADS’s mission is the advancement of data science education. By integrating cutting-edge data analysis techniques, predictive modeling and machine learning into the curriculum, the Center provides a strong foundation for students and faculty to excel in data-driven research.
The approach is rooted in the principles of precision medicine, ensuring that the School of Nursing is well-equipped to generate actionable insights and foster data-driven decision-making.
Li-Chen Lin, PhD, RN, CNRN, clinical assistant professor, said CADS has provided valuable assistance with her research. “I think it is great to have this type of support for faculty, and I hope we can keep this service available,” Lin said. “I plan to work with the Center to design my data collection to maximize efficiency in data collection and analysis.”
While CADS currently offers quantitative analysis support, Kesler said she would like to expand to include qualitative data analysis support.
The Center is initially focusing on inferential analysis services, as these are the most commonly requested, but, in the future, Kesler plans to include more machine learning and big data resources.
Center for Applied Data Science (CADS) in Action
A few resources the Center has offered to School of Nursing faculty: since launching in Spring 2024:
- A workshop “Grant Applications from a Data Science Perspective,” focused on constructing testable specific aims and ensuring that research questions can be answered using rigorous and effective methods.
- A workshop about using reference managers, where individuals learned how to use Endnotes or Mendeley to organize citations for manuscripts and grants.
- An NIH Cycle Bootcamp that provided expert guidance for constructing successful grant applications.
What can CADS do for you?
CADS is committed to augmenting the success rates in securing research grants and ensuring efficient and impactful use by:
- Offering specialized support in the data analysis aspects of grant proposal development, data collection and management.
- Vetting research methods, statistical analysis plans and power calculation to strengthen the competitiveness of the proposal.
- Providing formal reviews and critiques of grant proposals from an interdisciplinary group of experienced senior faculty.
- Offering regular workshops on the components of successful grant applications focusing on effect size and power considerations, statistically testable aims, as well as rigorous, reproducible design.
Learn more about the Center for Applied Data Science (CADS).
Center for Professional Development and Scholarship
Supporting Faculty in Professional Growth
The Center for Professional Development and Scholarship is led by Director Nicole Murry, PhD, RN, clinical assistant professor, and Co-Director Lorraine Walker, EdD, MPH, RN, Luci B. Johnson Centennial Professor.
The mission of the CPDS is to establish comprehensive support mechanisms tailored to nursing faculty, addressing the need for innovative teaching strategies in all classrooms and enhanced guidance for professional track and newly hired tenure-track faculty in scholarly activities, such as manuscript authorship and professional presentations.
“It is common for faculty—particularly professional track faculty—to put most of their attention and energy into their students and the management of their courses,” Murry said. “While this is incredibly important to the successful development of our nursing students, it often leaves little time to focus on professional development or scholarly endeavors. We hope to provide support and assistance for faculty that may save them time in the long run.”
The Center was developed with input directly from those the Center serves. They hosted five focus groups of faculty members to learn more about their needs, goals and barriers related to professional development and scholarship.
“Our faculty are so talented and have so many wonderful ideas for research and teaching innovations. The Center can help plan for and disseminate these types of projects,” Murry said.
The CPDS assists faculty by providing resources and addressing barriers, including the need for greater awareness of upcoming conferences, workshops or deadlines for abstracts; additional mentorship and/or support groups when working on scholarly endeavors needed; the lack of clarity and guidance regarding faculty mentorship of students; and the lack of confidence for converting teaching innovations into scholarly work.
The Center’s website serves as the main repository of resources for faculty, including a list of upcoming workshops, trainings, research interests among faculty, networking opportunities and support for manuscript authorship and professional presentations.
Murry and Walker hope the Center becomes a place where faculty can find resources for their projects related to scholarship and professional development and a place where faculty come together to share ideas and cultivate partnerships.
“It is no secret that some of the most innovative and productive researchers are often part of a group of talented people,” Murry said. The CPDS provides resources and support to faculty in applying forward-thinking teaching methods.
Katie Sanders, DNP, RN, CNE, clinical assistant professor, serves as an instructional specialist, working one-on-one with faculty to provide support as a mentor and facilitator for executing new teaching ideas.
“I feel so fortunate to work alongside so many talented faculty. This is such a tremendous way to ensure all have the chance to shine,” Murry said.
Learn more at the Center for Professional Development and Scholarship (CPDS).