Leading by example in education, research and clinical care
UMKC School of Nursing Dean Lora Lacey-Haun and Associate Dean Thad Wilson both recently received honors for their commitment and achievements in the field of nursing.
Lacey-Haun was recently honored by her alma mater, the University of Alabama-Birmingham, School of Nursing, with the school’s Visionary Leaders award for her “distinctive leadership, innovation and service in the fields of nursing and health care.” Recipients from around the world joined Lacey-Haun to participate in the celebration and included an American Academy of Nursing President, a Sigma Theta Tau (nursing honor society) President, a senior advisor from the American Heart Association, a former chief at the National Center for Nursing Research, and a former Director from the National Cancer Institute.
Over the course of her career, Lacey-Haun has conducted research addressing issues in family functioning in families with chronically ill children and has worked exclusively in settings providing care to underserved populations. She has worked extensively with the faculty at the University of Western Cape in South Africa on leadership development. Committed to increasing diversity in the nursing workforce, Lacey-Haun has increased minority enrollment in the UMKC School of Nursing’s B.S.N. and Ph.D. programs and has enhanced scholarship awards for minority students. She has been project director for funded workforce diversity grants and has worked to increase both retention and graduation of underserved students.
Wilson was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing at the Academy’s 37th Annual Meeting and Conference on November 13, 2010 in Washington, DC. Selection is based, in part, on the extent to which nominees’ nursing careers influence health policies and health care delivery for the benefit of all Americans.
“Selection for membership in the Academy is one of the most prestigious honors in the field of nursing. The Academy Fellowship represents the nation’s top nurse researchers, policymakers, scholars, executives, and practitioners,” said Academy President Catherine L. Gilliss, D.N.Sc., R.N., in a news release issued by the Academy.
Wilson has been a certified family nurse practitioner since 1985 and has served on faculty at UMKC since 1995. He has been funded by the CDC, American Nurses Foundation and other organizations to conduct research on immunizations and school-based immunization programs. Findings from his research have been published in several peer-reviewed journals and presented both regionally and nationally. He is co-founder of the multidisciplinary Mid-America Immunization Coalition and received the Coalition’s first-ever Immunization Hero Award. Early in his career, Wilson was Clinic Director at the La Buena Fe Clinic in Honduras and has repeatedly returned to serve the people of Honduras. He has led international health care courses and student teams to Honduras for more than 20 years. He has worked with faculty from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, to create a culturally relevant graduate curriculum for family nurse practitioners.
About the UMKC School of Nursing
The UMKC School of Nursing offers a full range of education programs including a four-year bachelor’s degree (BSN), an RN-BSN, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) and the Ph.D. in Nursing. Research at the UMKC School of Nursing is focused on Women’s and Children’s health and the school is a center of excellence in the provision of health care and education in these areas, emphasizing urban health care and wellness. For more information about the UMKC School of Nursing, visit nursing.umkc.edu/. You can also find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
About the University of Missouri-Kansas City
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.