New opportunities, continued commitment to excellence
I am excited to share that The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will be integrating with The University of Texas at San Antonio on Sept. 1, 2025. Taylor Eighmy, PhD, the sixth president of UTSA and our current acting president, will be president of the unified institution. This merger will provide our School of Nursing with many new resources including an Honors College, which brings opportunities for seamless collaborations and growth.
I am also proud of the many initiatives of UT Health San Antonio’s School of Nursing that are already bringing about great success for our students and faculty. For instance, this edition of Tribute highlights our Foster Care Center of Excellence, a student mentorship program, the school’s ambulatory nursing practice and our Nursing Advisory Council.
Karen Schwab, PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC, PMHS, who oversees the Foster Care Center of Excellence, appeared in front of the state legislature this year to share information about the program. The school’s ambulatory nursing practice is overseen by Ken Miller, PhD, MJ, RNB, CFNP, FAAN, FAANP, who ensures that the standard of care for advanced practice nurses is maintained at all clinic sites. You will also meet the new chair of our Nursing Advisory Council, Terri Edlund, and several Alumni Council members.
The School of Nursing’s Office of Nursing Research and Scholarship is led by Lixin Song, PhD, RN, FAAN. She has many years of National Institutes of Health-funded research in the field of oncology. As the vice dean of research, she and other faculty mentors advise faculty on grant submissions. The office also supports faculty with a mock review of grants prior to submission. Likewise, research faculty mentor PhD students on their dissertation work, preparing them for a position as a nurse scientist on faculty in schools of nursing and in facilities that have achieved Magnet designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Only with exposure and experience can students begin to understand the concepts and importance of nursing research. One opportunity nursing students have is through our SUNRISE program, which offers an intensive summer immersion experience engaging in faculty-mentored research. This initiative is funded through our Office of Student Success by a U.S. Department of Education grant, overseen by Vanessa Meling, EdD, MBA.
As you learn more about the work of the School of Nursing in the pages that follow, I hope you will consider donating to support our continued success. Contact Anna Chowdhury at ChowdhuryA@uthscsa.edu for information on how you can make an impact.
Sonya Renae Hardin, PhD, MBA/MHA, APRN, FAAN
Dean, School of Nursing
