Rebecca Jo Helmreich, PhD, PNNP, RN, WHNP-BC, dedicated her life and career to motherhood. The former Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston faculty member’s legacy lives on in the Simulation and Clinical Performance Laboratory, where an obstetrics education suite has been named in her honor.

Helmreich retired in 2021 after teaching at Cizik School of Nursing for almost 20 years. She passed away on Oct. 10, 2022, leaving a generous estate gift to the school.

“It is only fitting that we dedicate the simulation room to Dr. Helmreich, who taught hundreds of students how to care for mothers and babies,” said Cizik School of Nursing Dean Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, PHNA-BC, ACRN, FAAN. “Her gift will help us prepare many more to work in obstetrics and pediatric/neonatal units for decades to come.”

Helmrich was not only a beloved faculty member, but also an alumna of the school, where she earned her Master of Science in Nursing and PhD degrees and completed pediatric/neonatal and women’s health nurse practitioner programs. Her devotion to motherhood and children was both a personal and professional calling – she listed full-time mother among her position titles on her curriculum vitae, and as a nurse scientist, she strove to improve outcomes for moms and babies.

Her estate gift will support the cost and maintenance of one of the simulation lab’s high-fidelity manikins, which are designed to simulate childbirth, and other equipment needed to provide cutting-edge obstetrics simulation.

Learn more about estate and planned gifts to support nursing education, practice, and research at UTHealth Houston.