Elda Ramirez, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, ENP-C, FAAEN, FAANP, FAAN, is the Dorothy T. Nicholson Distinguished Professor in the Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston.  She also serves as the co-director of UTHealth Houston's Center for Interprofessional Collaboration. She is currently managing a grant awarded through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to educate family nurse practitioners in the specialty of emergency care. The focus of this grant is to prepare nurse practitioners in the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to practice in rural and underserved areas of Texas. Dr. Ramirez has been a pioneer for nurse practitioners across the country. She has devoted her time to establishing competency and quality for the profession as an author and is recognized nationally as a speaker on the areas of emotional intelligence and a multitude of clinical topics.  Dr. Ramirez has received over $5,000,000 in similar grants over a decade and graduates from this program are practicing across the nation offering high quality care to underserved communities.