Penn professor named Dean of Nursing at UIC

[cougarnurse]

Congratulations! From Newswise: Penn Professor Named Nursing Dean at UIC

Terri Weaver, the Ellen and Robert Kapito Professor in Nursing Science and chair of biobehavioral and health sciences at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, has been named dean of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing.

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved Weaver's appointment today at its regularly scheduled meeting. The appointment is effective Aug. 16.

The UIC College of Nursing is one of the premiere programs in the nation, with outstanding educators and researchers that prepare future health care professionals to become leaders in the field, said UIC Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares. Weaver's background, she said, fits perfectly with UIC's mission.

"As the Chicago area's largest university, we have a responsibility and opportunity to contribute to improving the quality of life in metropolitan Chicago through research and the creation of innovative programs," Allen-Meares said. "Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Weaver has shown herself to be a great leader. I am confident she will continue UIC's tradition of producing nurses who will be an integral part of the health care workforce."

R. Michael Tanner, UIC provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said Weaver has not only established herself as an outstanding educator, but a renowned researcher.

"Continuing UIC's momentum in the field of nursing research requires a dean of the highest quality, and Dr. Weaver will be a welcome new contributor to the college and the campus," he said. "We are excited that she has accepted the position."

During her career, Weaver has visited UIC many times and said she was "quite honored" to be named dean.

"The UIC College of Nursing has stellar faculty with a preeminent reputation," she said. "I am excited to have the opportunity to continue the legacy of (former deans) Joan Shaver and Mi Ja Kim."

A native of Philadelphia, Weaver is internationally recognized for her research in sleep disorders. Her research focuses on the effect of daytime sleepiness on daily behaviors, and on assessment of treatment outcomes.

She developed the gold-standard instrument to assess daily functioning in sleep disorders and just completed an international clinical trial of continuous positive airway pressure for milder obstructive sleep apnea.

Weaver's research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, which has provided her with more than 15 years of funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Nursing Research. Her work is also funded by Cephalon Corporation.

Weaver is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She formerly served as chair of the national board of directors of the American Lung Association and is a member of the board of directors of the Sleep Research Society. She is also a member of the American Thoracic Society, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Nurses Association and the Sleep Research Society.

She is the recipient of many national awards, including the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research Ada Sue Hinshaw Award for "significant work through improving health care." At Penn, she received the Outstanding Faculty Award from the sorority and fraternity system.

Weaver made significant contributions at Penn, said Afaf I. Meleis, dean of the School of Nursing. Meleis said Weaver, who also holds an administrative appointment as chair of the biobehavioral and health sciences division at Penn, has "been instrumental in moving forward the agenda of the division."

"Dr. Weaver is an energetic and imaginative leader who will bring the UIC College of Nursing to new levels of scholarship and research intensity," Meleis said. "We will miss her insightful and keen scientific mind and wish her the best in her new role. I personally will miss her partnership in our leadership team."

Weaver received her bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She received a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in advanced clinical practice in adult health and illness, with a clinical sub-specialty in pulmonary nursing.

She received her doctorate in nursing in 1990 from Penn, where her dissertation proposal received the Marion R. Gregory Award for significant promise as a contribution to nursing knowledge. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship there and was appointed to the Penn faculty in 1991. She was named the Ellen and Robert Kapito Professor in Nursing Science last year.

[SoldierNurse]

Nice read. Thx for posting.