News from Cizik School of Nursing

Joyce Ju and Sydnee Lucas receive 2025 McGovern Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awards; faculty member Mitzy Kobeissi and DNP graduate Laura Douglas are this year’s DAISY Award winners.

Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston honors the 429 graduates in the Class of 2025.

Margaret Ann “Peggy” Mauk Barnett, community leader and longtime supporter of UTHealth Houston, passed away peacefully on May 2, 2025, at the age of 92. Her decades of leadership, generosity, and advocacy helped shape nursing education and research at the university, leaving an enduring legacy of excellence and innovation.

Four Cizik School of faculty members and one PhD student honored in the Houston Chronicle Salute to Nurses.

For Alondra Melendez, her love of science and anatomy began as a patient in her pediatrician’s office. Growing up the rural community of Brookshire, Texas, she suffered from severe asthma and allergies, which caused her to need monthly doctor’s visits.

Deanna E. Grimes, DrPH, RN, FAAN, and Richard Grimes, PhD, endow scholarship for undergraduate students.