Faculty News Honors, awards, professional service, leadership and promotions, new and retiring faculty
Honors and Awards
Dean Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, RN, ACRN, PHNA-BC, FSAHM, FAAN, was named one of 58 scholars who formed the Presidential Leadership Scholars’ 11th annual class.
Associate Professor Nitha Mathew Joseph, PhD, RN, CNE, CGNC, FNAP, was inducted as a Distinguished Scholar Fellow of the National Academies of Practice.
Associate Professor Allison Edwards, DrPH, MS, RN, CNE, CDDN, FAAN, has been appointed as the inaugural holder of the Joan and Stanford Alexander Professorship in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities.
Professor Jennifer Kawi, PhD, MSN, FNP-BC, CNE, FAAN, has been appointed as the Mary C. and Christopher J. Pappas Family Distinguished Chair in Nursing.
Assistant Professor Annalynn Galvin, PhD, RN, has been appointed as a fellow of the Dorothy T. Nicholson Distinguished Professorship.
Assistant Professor Susan Alderman, PhD, RN, received the 2026 DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurse Educators.
Assistant Professor Rose Bagh, DNP, RN, CCRN, RNFA, FNP-BC, AGACNP-BC, received the Advanced Neurovascular Practitioner Board certificate from the Association of Neurovascular Clinicians.
Assistant Professor Veronica Brady, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FADCES, BC-ADM, CDCES, received the 2025 Visionary Award from Texas Nurse Practitioners. Brady also received a bronze-level Excellence in Nursing Award from the Good Samaritan Foundation.
Assistant Professor Annalyn DeMello, PhD, MPH, RN, CNE, has been selected as a fellow for the 2026 cohort of the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention Summer Research Fellowship Training Program: Advancing the Science of Firearm Injury Prevention. She has also been selected to participate in the Comprehensive Advancement in Research Education and Training for Social Determinants of Health (CARES) Program at the Yale School of Nursing for the 2025-2026 cohort.
Instructor Jennifer Dugger, MSN, RN, CHSE, CNE, received the John P. McGovern Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award.
Assistant Professor Higinio Fernández-Sánchez, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been selected for the Early Career Investigator Award from the Southern Nursing Research Society. He has also been selected as a fellow of the Institute for Policy Solutions at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing’s Nursing Science Incubator for Social Determinants of Health Solutions and as a fellow of the Advancing Research Education on the Health of New Americans program at New York University’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing.
Professor Sandra K. Hanneman, PhD, RN, FAAN, received the inaugural Cizik School of Nursing Legacy Award.
Assistant Professor Debbie McCrea, EdD, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CNS, CNE, CEN, CFRN, EMT-P, received the Emma and Emily Josphine Spirituality in Nursing Award from the Institute for Spirituality & Health at the Texas Medical Center and was featured in the Advanced Practice Member Spotlight by the Emergency Nurses Association.
Assistant Professor Peter Slivinski, DNP, CNRA, received the John P. McGovern Outstanding Graduate Teacher of the Year Award.
Professional Service
Associate Professor Jennifer Beauchamp, PhD, RN, FAAN, served on the Stroke Transitions of Care and Post-Stroke Care Conference planning committee.
Associate Professor Allison Edwards, DrPH, MS, RN, CNE, CDDN, FAAN, has been elected to serve on the UT System Chancellor's Council Executive Committee.
Assistant Professor Higinio Fernández-Sánchez, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been selected to serve as the Director at Large for the Houston/Gulf Coast Chapter of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 2026-2028.
Professor Daphne C. Hernandez, PhD, MSEd, FAAHB, FSBM, has been selected president elect of the American Academy of Health Behavior. She will serve as president during the 2027-2028 cycle.
Assistant Professor Sandra A. Hyder, DNP, MBA, APRN, ACNPC-AG, CPHQ, NEA-BC, LBBP, CCRN, CVRN, PCCN, has been appointed to the Texas Nurse Practitioners Member Insight Collective beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
Associate Professor Kelly Kearney, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC, has been selected for the 2026-2027 cohort of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing Program. In addition, she has been appointed as the associate chair of the Research & Scholarship Steering Committee of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.
Associate Professor Mitzy Kobeissi, DNP, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CPAHA, has been appointed to chair the Telehealth-Preceptor Subcommittee of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty’s Telehealth Committee. Kobeissi also joined the American Heart Association’s Telehealth Expert Panel.
Assistant Professor Janice Lee has been selected to serve as the conference chair for the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners 2026 EmergNP Conference.
Assistant Professor Sheryl Malone-Thomas, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, has been elected to serve as Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors for the HIV/AIDS Nursing Certification Board for the term of November 2025-2028.
Associate Professor Nitha Mathew Joseph, PhD, RN, CNE, CGNC, FNAP, has been appointed to the American Nurses Association Minority Fellowship Program’s National Advisory Committee for the term from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2028.
Assistant Professor Debbie McCrea, EdD, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CNS, CNE, CEN, CFRN, EMT-P, served on the annual conference planning committee for the Texas Nurse Practitioners’ Association 2025 Annual Conference. McCrea has also been appointed to the Education Committee for Texas Nurse Practitioner organization for 2026-2027. In addition, she has been selected to serve on the 2026 Advanced Practice Advisory Council of Emergency Nurses Association.
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies Susan Ruppert, PhD, RN, FNP-C, ANP-BC, FCCM, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, has been appointed by the Texas Health Professions Workforce Coordinating Council to the Nursing Advisory Committee for 2026-2027.
Dean Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, RN, ACRN, PHNA-BC, FSAHM, FAAN, helped launch the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Inter-CFAR Nurse Scientist Leadership Working Group.
Assistant Professor Rebecca Tsusaki, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, IBCLC, has been selected to serve on the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health Research and Quality Improvement Committee.
Associate Professor Rose Mary Xavier, PhD, MS, APRN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, has been appointed to continue her service on the American Association of Nurse Practitioners’ research committee.
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies Erica Yu, PhD, RN, FNAP, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Houston Nursing Education Foundation for a three-year term.
Leadership and Promotions
Assistant Professor Debbie Cline, DNP, RN, CNL, OCN, NEA-BC, has been named director for the MSN Nursing Leadership and DNP Nursing Leadership and Administration tracks. Previously she was serving as a track coordinator for the MSN Nursing Leadership track.
Assistant Professor Robert C. Coghlan, III, PhD, RN, MSN, FNP, has been named administrative director of the Center for Interprofessional Collaboration at UTHealth Houston.
Professor Daphne C. Hernandez, PhD, MSEd, FAAHB, FSBM, has been appointed assistant dean for research at Cizik School of Nursing.
Assistant Professor Kennessa Landry, PhD, RN, has been appointed assistant dean for the Simulation and Clinical Performance Laboratory.
Assistant Professor Mathew Lewis, PhD, DNP, CRNA, CNE, has been named associate director for the BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia program.
Associate Professor Carole Mackavey, DNP, MSN, RN, FNP-C, has been named director for the Post-Graduate program. She will also continue to serve as director for the MSN program.
Assistant Professor Javier Ruiz, DNP, MSNA, CRNA, has been named assistant director for the BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia program.
Assistant Professor Linda H. Sheen, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, has been named the junior-level cohort coordinator for the Department of Undergraduate Studies.
Welcome, new faculty
Department of Graduate Studies
Francisco J. Ayala, Jr. DNP, APRN, FNP-C, EBP-C
Department of Research
Department of Undergraduate Studies
Kendrick Clack, PhD, MS, APRN, FNP-C, AACRN, AAHIVS
Lebaone Sayi, DNP, MSN, APRN, AGNP-BC
Retiring faculty
Department of Research
Sandra Hanneman, PhD, RN, FAAN
Department of Graduate Studies
Nancy Crider, DrPH, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Angela Nash, PhD, RN, CPNP-PC, PMHS, CARN-AP, FIAAN
Madelene Ottosen, PhD, MSN, RN
Susan Stafford, DNP, MBA, MPA, RN-BC, NEA-BC
Faith Strunk, PhD, RN, FNP-BC
