Nursing school honors three alumni

Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston honored three outstanding graduates following the 2026 Jane and Robert Cizik Lecture on March 31. Receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award were Maureen Beck, DNP, APRN,  GNP-BC, and Veronica Brady, PhD, FNP-BC, BC-ADM, CDCES. Latarsha Cheatham, DNP, RN-BC, FNP-BC, received the Early Career Achievement Award.

Maureen Beck, MSN 1992, DNP 2015, Distinguished Alumni Award

Since earning her Master of Science in Nursing, Beck has never stopped serving UTHealth Houston. In addition to teaching as an associate professor at McGovern Medical School in the Joan and Stanford Alexander Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, she is lead nurse practitioner and co-medical director of the UT Physicians Center for Healthy Aging.

“Her sustained dedication to advancing gerontological care and her leadership in quality improvement have made an enduring impact on UTHealth Houston, the nursing profession, and the patients and families she serves,” wrote her nominator Rachel Jantea, MD, MS, who teaches alongside Beck as an associate professor and is the director of education for the UTHealth Houston Center for Interprofessional Collaboration.

Beck was among the first students to complete the geriatric nurse practitioner program when it was offered at the nursing school in the 1990s, and she later returned to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and a post-master’s certificate in nursing education. She has precepted and mentored many nurse practitioner students over the years.

As quality officer for her division at McGovern, Beck led UT Physicians’ participation in the 18-month national Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative, collaborating with colleagues from UTHealth Houston and local clinical partners. The health care practices developed through this effort will be disseminated throughout UT Physicians and shared as a model for other health systems in an upcoming publication, Jantea noted.

Beck has received numerous local and national awards, and she serves as a peer reviewer for the Journal of the American Medical Director’s Association and Geriatric Nursing. She is active in several professional associations including the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association, for which she currently serves as a national board member, and she has been named a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence.

“Dr. Beck’s impact resonates across institutions, professional organizations, and most importantly, the lives of countless patients and families,” Jantea wrote. “On a personal note, she is a kind, compassionate, supportive colleague who brings joy and inspiration to our entire division and elevates the culture of our team.”

Learn more about Beck in this profile.

Veronica Brady, PhD 2015, Distinguished Alumni Award

A passion to support patients living with multiple diseases drives Brady’s many accomplishments as a family nurse practitioner and nurse scientist. She pursued a PhD at Cizik School of Nursing because she recognized the need for targeted research to improve outcomes for patients with both diabetes and cancer.

As the first diabetes nurse practitioner at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Brady recognized the association between diabetes and oncology on health outcomes. Today, her work has expanded beyond clinical practice into a dynamic research program focused on the intersection of type 2 diabetes, HIV, and cancer.

Brady’s research examines how metabolic health, multimorbidity, and health disparities shape outcomes for individuals living with these complex chronic conditions. By exploring the biological, behavioral, and social factors that influence disease progression and survivorship, she is working to improve long-term health and quality of life for vulnerable populations. She received a grant from the Texas Developmental Center for AIDS Research to study barriers to achieving glycemic outcomes in people with HIV and type 2 diabetes, and she is currently leading local efforts in a large-scale study of this population funded by the National Institute on Aging via the HIV and Aging Research Consortium and the University of Washington.

Since joining the Cizik School of Nursing faculty in 2019 as an assistant professor in the Department of Research, Dr. Brady has continued her clinical practice at MD Anderson while advancing research that integrates cardiometabolic science and chronic disease management. In addition to her research, she is a dedicated educator and mentor, inspiring students at all levels – from undergraduates in the Honors Research Program to emerging nurse scientists in the PhD program – to pursue impactful research that improves lives.

Brady’s work is widely published, she frequently presents her research, and she is active in several professional organizations. She is the 2025 president of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists, of which she is a fellow. The most recent of her many honors include the 2025 Texas Nurse Practitioners Visionary of the Year Award, the 2025 Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Zeta Pi Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and the 2024 Cizik School of Nursing Values Award.

Learn more about Brady’s currently funded research projects.

Latarsha Cheatham, DNP 2017, Early Career Achievement Award

This alumna of Cizik School of Nursing’s DNP program is certified as a family nurse practitioner, gerontological nurse, and dementia specialist.

Cheatham joined Cizik School of Nursing’s faculty in 2018 as an assistant professor in the Department of Graduate Studies. She was named co-director of the DNP program in 2022 and assistant dean of graduate studies in 2024. She led an initiative to redesign and streamline the school's DNP curriculum and was a key contributor to a successful proposal for a four-year, $2.6 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration in 2023. The grant provides financial support to primary care nurse practitioners interested in working in underserved rural and urban areas.

Cheatham oversees initiatives to incorporate updated standards, guidelines, and emerging concepts into the graduate curriculum. To ensure high-quality preparation of nursing graduates, she actively monitors accreditation metrics and uses these data to drive innovation and continuous program improvement.

Her nomination for the Early Career Achievement Award came from a colleague who worked with her at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, where she served as an advanced practice nurse 2009-2020. At St. Luke’s, Cheatham led high-impact quality improvement projects, including initiatives to reduce mortality rates and improve cardiopulmonary resuscitation metrics.

“Dr. Cheatham quickly distinguished herself as a collaborative, outcomes-driven leader,” wrote nominator Carolyn Tran, PhD, DNP, GNP-BC, PMHNP-BC. “Her professional integrity, service, and commitment to advancing health outcomes and nursing education make her an excellent candidate for this award.”

Cheatham remains engaged in scholarly service. She is a reviewer for Geriatric Nursing and the Sigma Theta Tau. She is active in several professional organizations and is a board member of Grace After Fire, a nonprofit that focuses on the well-being of women veterans. Her many awards include being named one of the top 15 nurses in the city in the 2025 Houston Chronicle Salute to Nurses.

Do you know an outstanding Cizik School of Nursing graduate? Nominate them for the Distinguished Alumni Award.