Advancing nursing research worldwide: Sigma Nursing's 2026 Hall of Fame honorees

During Sigma's 37th International Nursing Research Congress in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 26 distinguished nurse researchers were inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. The honor recognizes members who have achieved significant and sustained national and/or international recognition for their work and whose research has made a lasting impact on the profession and the people it serves. Meet this year's newest Hall of Fame honorees below.

Anne W. Alexandrov, PhD, AGACNP-BC, CNS, NVRN-BC, ANVP-BC, ASC-BC, CCRN, FAAN
Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Dr. Anne Alexandrov is a Professor of Nursing in the College of Nursing and a Professor of Neurology in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center at Memphis. She is also the Professor and Program Director of the NET SMART advanced practice provider (APP) post-graduate acute stroke fellowship, which has graduated more than 150 expert APPs worldwide. Dr. Alexandrov completed a PhD in physiology with a focus on intracranial and systemic hemodynamic augmentation at Texas Woman's University. She completed a postgraduate neurosonology fellowship and was the first nurse to complete a vascular neurology fellowship at the University of Texas at Houston School of Medicine.

Dr. Alexandrov’s primary research program focuses on augmenting intracranial and systemic hemodynamics to improve brain perfusion in patients with acute stroke. Her team is also exploring novel external counterpulsation technology to improve brain perfusion in stroke patients. Most recently, she led the completion of a multisite randomized clinical trial demonstrating the safety and superiority of a 0-degree head position to ensure optimal brain perfusion in patients with large-vessel occlusion stroke prior to definitive thrombectomy treatment. She also co-holds a United States patent for sonothrombolysis and is exploring this treatment in patients who lack immediate access to clot extraction by endovascular thrombectomy.

Her secondary program of research focuses on stroke systems of care in the United States and includes novel interventions such as mobile stroke units, the development of two psychometrically sound instruments to support stroke systems improvement, and the development and testing of expanded APP roles to extend expertise in vascular neurology in underserved areas. Dr. Alexandrov is a former national president of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and a former international president of the Association of Neurovascular Clinicians. She is a member of the Beta Theta at-Large Chapter.

Edwin N. Aroke, PhD, CRNA, FADLN, FAANA, FAAN
Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Dr. Edwin N. Aroke is an internationally recognized nurse scientist whose NIH-funded research is transforming the understanding of racial and socioeconomic disparities in chronic pain. A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) trained at Duke University, he earned his PhD in Nursing with a focus on Pharmacogenetics from the University of Massachusetts and is a Tenured Professor and Interim Assistant Dean for Research and Scholarship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing.

Dr. Aroke was the first scientist to describe the role of epigenetic modifications in racial disparities in chronic pain—a landmark discovery that opened a new frontier in pain science. His interdisciplinary program integrates epigenomics, transcriptomics, and biological aging science to uncover how social stressors leave molecular imprints that drive pain outcomes. Supported by NIH R01 funding and over $5 million in competitive grants, his precision health research targets modifiable epigenetic pathways to reduce disparities in marginalized populations globally. He has authored over 75 publications, delivered 80+ international presentations (h-index = 21), and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology’s AANA Journal and is a standing member of an NIH Study Section.

Dr. Aroke is also a committed global leader. He is co-founder, past president, and board member of the Association of Cameroonian Nurse Anesthetists in America (ACNAA) and U.S. Representative on the Education Committee of the International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists. His work has earned him the NIH Pain Consortium Mitchell Max Award for Research Excellence, AANA Foundation Researcher of the Year, ISONG Founders Award for Research Excellence, and the FNINR Protégé Award. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (FAANA), and Inaugural Fellow of the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing (FADLN). Dr. Aroke is a member of the Nu at-Large Chapter.

Annamaria Bagnasco, PhD, MEDSc, MSN, RN
Genova, Italy

Dr. Annamaria Bagnasco is an internationally respected nurse scientist whose scholarship has made a sustained and measurable contribution to patient safety, nursing ethics, fundamental care, palliative care, and nursing education. Based at the University of Genoa, she has led a coherent and influential research programme that has advanced clinical practice, informed policy, and strengthened nursing science in Italy and beyond.

Her work is distinguished by interdisciplinary collaboration, international partnerships, and a strong commitment to mentorship and research capacity building. She has contributed to major European and national initiatives, including ENhANCE, SLIPPS, and RN4CAST@IT, and has helped implement the Fundamentals of Care framework in Italy. She has also supported the development and validation of important clinical instruments, including PACIC and EdFED, with direct relevance for research and practice.

Dr. Bagnasco has secured competitive funding from the European Union, national, university, and industry sources, and she continues to support emerging nurse researchers through doctoral leadership and collaborative supervision. Her career exemplifies academic excellence, innovation, and service to the profession. She is a member of the Alpha Alpha Beta Chapter.

Ashley Leak Bryant, PhD, RN, OCN, FAAN
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Dr. Bryant is a first-generation college graduate and North Carolina native deeply committed to strengthening and sustaining a diverse nursing and biomedical workforce in cancer research. As an internationally recognized nurse scientist, educator, and mentor, her work focuses on enhancing care through patient- and care partner-informed research, global partnerships, and workforce development. Dr. Bryant serves as Senior Associate Dean for Strategy & Global Affairs and holds the Frances Hill Fox Distinguished Professorship at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Nursing. She is also the co-director of the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center on Quality and Safety in Nursing and Midwifery.

As an oncology and gerontology certified nurse and certified global nurse consultant, Dr. Bryant holds an Interdisciplinary Certificate in Aging and a Primary Care Certificate. She has over 20 years of clinical experience in acute care, long-term care, and community settings serving individuals with cancer. Perhaps most telling of Dr. Bryant's character is the selflessness with which she has approached every stage of her career. During her own doctoral training, she noticed that her peers, particularly international students, lacked access to research funding that many took for granted. Rather than simply observing the gap, she acted. In 2011, she established the UNC School of Nursing James and Patricia Leak Fund for Nursing Research, named in honor of her parents, to ensure that financial barriers would not prevent promising students from completing their dissertation research. More than 15 students have since received funding. This was not an act of institutional obligation; it was a personal investment rooted in gratitude and a deep belief that every student deserves the opportunity to do meaningful work. Dr. Bryant is a member of the Alpha Alpha Chapter.

Li-Yin Chien, ScD, MPH, RN, FAAN
Taipei, Taiwan

Li-Yin Chien is the Dean of the College of Nursing and a Distinguished Professor at the Institute of Community Health Care at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in Taipei, Taiwan. A globally recognized leader in nursing and public health, she was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) in 2023 and is consistently ranked among the world’s top 2% of scientists. Dr. Chien earned her Doctor of Science (ScD) and Master of Public Health (MPH) from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health after completing her nursing degree at National Taiwan University.

As a prolific researcher, Dr. Chien has led numerous projects funded by the National Science and Technology Council and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Her research interests are focusing on maternal and child health, vulnerable populations, and health promotion. Dr. Chien was appointed as a committee member of the Children’s Health Promotion Committee at the Ministry of Health and Welfare for five years. She has been a strong advocate for women’s and children’s health, influencing policy and recommending effective strategies. An influential academic, she has supervised about 100 graduate students and serves as an editor for prestigious SCI journals, including the Journal of Nursing Research, Asian Nursing Research, and BMC Health Services Research. Through her leadership and evidence-based research, Dr. Chien continues to advance the nursing profession and improve public health outcomes globally.

Her distinguished career includes international experience as a Research Associate and post-doctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Currently, she holds several high-level leadership roles, including Convenor for the Subject of Nursing at the National Science and Technology Council, policy consultant to the Health Promotion Administration, nursing consultant for hospitals, and director and committee chair for Sigma Nursing’s Lambda Beta-at-Large Chapter in Taiwan.

Hsiao-Yean Chiu, PhD, RN
Taipei, Taiwan

Professor Hsiao-Yean Chiu, PhD, RN, is Vice Dean of the College of Nursing and Director of the School of Nursing at Taipei Medical University, Taiwan, and Deputy Director of Nursing at Taipei Medical University Hospital. She is an internationally recognized nurse scientist whose work focuses on improving sleep health, preventing delirium, and promoting mobility among critically ill and aging populations.

Professor Chiu’s research advances innovative, evidence-based nursing care by integrating emerging digital health technologies. Her work incorporates artificial intelligence, wearable physiological monitoring, and virtual reality–based interventions to support early risk identification and enhance patient-centered care. Through interdisciplinary collaborations with clinicians, engineers, and industry partners, she has led multiple translational research initiatives that bridge technological innovation and nursing practice.

Her scholarship has contributed to the development of nonpharmacological strategies for managing sleep disturbances and delirium in acute and critical care settings, improving recovery and quality of care for vulnerable populations. In addition to her research contributions, Dr. Chiu is deeply committed to advancing nursing education and global collaboration. Through her leadership in research, education, and clinical practice, Professor Chiu continues to promote innovation in nursing science and strengthen nursing's global impact on patient outcomes. She is a member of the Lambda Beta at-Large Chapter.

Yvonne Commodore-Mensah, PhD, MHS, RN, FAAN, FPCNA, FAHA
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Dr. Yvonne Commodore-Mensah is a Professor, Cardiovascular Nurse Epidemiologist, and Associate Dean for Research at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, with a joint appointment at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She directs the Glocal Cardiovascular Health Equity Lab at Johns Hopkins and serves as Associate Director for Local/Global Reciprocal Innovation at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity.

Driven by a singular mission to dismantle the cardiovascular disease burden among people of African descent, Dr. Commodore-Mensah leads community-engaged research and implementation science at the intersection of immigrant health, global health, and social determinants of health. Her "glocal" approach transforms community-level insights into policy-relevant science—both in the United States and across the African continent.

She is Principal Investigator for several landmark studies, including the ADHINCRA Program, a randomized controlled trial addressing hypertension control in Africa, and the LINKED-BP and LINKED-HEARTS Programs, cluster-randomized trials improving hypertension control and chronic disease management in underserved U.S. primary care settings.

As President and Co-founder of the Ghanaian-Diaspora Nursing Alliance, she leads one of the most dynamic global nursing networks bridging Africa and the diaspora. Her scholarship has been recognized with fellowships and awards from the American Academy of Nursing, American Heart Association, and Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. She serves as President of the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association and holds leadership roles at the Greater Baltimore and American Heart Association. Through her research, mentorship, and advocacy, Dr. Commodore-Mensah is advancing cardiovascular health equity and improving outcomes for people of African descent worldwide. She is a member of the Epsilon Rhoe and Nu Beta at-Large Chapters.

Verna L. Hendricks-Ferguson, PhD, RN, FPCN, FAAN
Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

Dr. Verna L. Hendricks-Ferguson is the Irene Riddle Endowed Chair and Professor at the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing at Saint Louis University (SLU). She also holds three respected fellowships: Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing (FPCN), and Health Research Fellow at SLU.

Dr. Hendricks-Ferguson is nationally and internationally recognized for her research on quality-of-life factors affecting the care of pediatric patients. For approximately 25 years, her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and professional organizations (e.g., Alex Lemondate Foundation, Oncology Nursing Society, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing). Her program of funded research has focused on testing interventions to enhance provider discussions with parents about the benefits of early palliative-care support for pediatric patients with a poor-prognosis cancer diagnosis and mind-body interventions such as art, music, and yoga.

She has served as a mentor for junior-career nursing faculty and doctoral-nursing students in the USA and other countries and regions, including Thailand, Africa, and the Middle East. She has received respected nursing awards, including the Distinguished Nurse Researcher Award by three national nursing organizations: Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Nursing (APHON); Hospice and Palliative Nursing Association (HPNA); and Oncology Nursing Society (ONS). She is a member of the Delta Lambda and Tau Iota Chapters.

Judith Finn, PhD, MEdSt, GradDipPH, BSc, DipAppSc, RN, RM, ICCert, FACN, FAHA, ERC(Hon.)
Bentley, Western Australia, Australia

Professor Judith Finn is Director of the Prehospital, Resuscitation and Emergency Care Research Unit (PRECRU) in the School of Nursing at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. With a clinical background in critical care nursing and midwifery, she is an internationally recognised leader in resuscitation science and emergency care research.

Professor Finn leads an interdisciplinary research program focused on improving outcomes from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Her work integrates linguistic analysis of emergency calls, spatial analysis of OHCA occurrence and automated external defibrillator placement, and epidemiological research. This work aims to strengthen the chain of survival and inform strategies that improve survival and recovery after cardiac arrest. She has contributed to several pivotal clinical trials in OHCA, including the only two randomised controlled trials evaluating the use of adrenaline in cardiac arrest. Her research has also addressed the recognition and management of deteriorating hospital patients, and she was a co-author of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) and American Heart Association publication Ten Steps Toward Improving In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Quality of Care and Outcomes.

Professor Finn served as the inaugural Director of the Australasian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (Aus-ROC) from 2012 to 2017 and remains on its Executive Committee. She is also active in international resuscitation science through the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) and currently chairs the Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation (ANZCOR) Scientific Advisory Committee and the Australian Resuscitation Council Western Australian Branch. She is a member of the Psi Alpha at-Large Chapter.

Karen J. Foli, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
Dallas, Texas, USA

Karen J. Foli, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, is Professor and the Louise Herrington School of Nursing Endowed Chair for Mental Health Nursing, Baylor University. She is a nurse theorist and scientist, having formulated two nursing theories that have been internationally recognized.

The first theory, the middle-range theory of parental postadoption depression, predicts depressive symptoms based on parental expectations. These expectations surround the domains of themselves as parents, of their child, of their family and friends, and of society. Her second theory, the middle-range theory of nurses’ psychological trauma, is distinct from previous theoretical models because she positions the nurse as the focus of recovery efforts and trauma-informed care, of which psychological safety is a pillar. The overall aim of her current research is to examine mental health in nurses, as well as organizational culpability to mitigate avoidable burnout and trauma.

Her co-authored book, The Influence of Psychological Trauma in Nursing, won two first-place awards in the American Journal of Nursing/Wolters Kluwer 2019 Book of the Year Awards, which recognizes the best in nursing and healthcare books. In addition, Dr. Foli has served as principal investigator on four highly competitive, continuous National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Center for Regulatory Excellence grants that focused on nurses’ substance use risk and substance use disorders. Dr. Foli is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and a fellow in the National League for Nursing: Academy of Nursing Education (ANEF). She is a member of the Eta Gamma Chapter.

JinShil Kim, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAHA
Incheon, South Korea

Dr. JinShil Kim, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAHA, is a Professor at the Gachon University College of Nursing in Incheon, South Korea. She is an internationally recognized nurse scientist whose research focuses on cardiovascular nursing, chronic illness self-care, dyadic caregiving, and advance care planning (ACP). Her program of research examines the psychosocial, cognitive, and relational factors that influence self-care and decision-making among patients with heart failure and their caregivers.

Through sustained scholarship, Dr. Kim has advanced understanding of patient–caregiver dynamics in chronic illness and developed evidence-based approaches to support patient and family engagement in care planning and end-of-life decision-making. Her work has helped expand nursing knowledge on how relational and psychosocial factors shape health behaviors and healthcare decisions in serious illness.

Dr. Kim has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in international journals and has secured multiple competitive research grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea and other funding agencies. Her research program continues to evolve toward innovative interventions that strengthen nurses’ roles in advance care planning communication, including simulation-based education and technology-enhanced training strategies.

In recognition of her contributions to nursing science, Dr. Kim was elected a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA) in 2015 and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) in 2020. She is a member of the Alpha, Alpha Psi, and Lambda Alpha at-Large Chapters.

Geraldine Lee, PhD, FESC, BSc
Cork, Ireland

Professor Geraldine (Gerry) Lee is Chair of Nursing and Health Services Research at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, Ireland. She is an internationally recognised nurse scientist whose work focuses on cardiovascular care, cardio-oncology, advanced nursing practice, and health services innovation.

Dr. Lee’s research bridges clinical science, healthcare delivery, and workforce development, with a strong emphasis on translating evidence into practice to improve patient outcomes. Her work has contributed to international research programmes and major collaborative studies addressing complex conditions such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and multimorbidity. She has played key roles in large European initiatives, including Horizon 2020 projects focused on integrated, patient-centred care pathways for older adults with cardiovascular disease.

Before joining University College Cork in 2023, Professor Lee held senior academic positions at King’s College London, where she served as Reader in Advanced Clinical Practice and previously led the MSc Advanced Practice programme. Earlier in her career, she held research and academic posts in Australia and the United Kingdom, working closely with leading cardiovascular research centres and clinical teams.

Professor Lee has secured significant competitive research funding from national and international sources and has an extensive publication record in leading nursing and medical journals. She contributes to international guideline development and professional leadership through her roles with the European Society of Cardiology, the International Cardio-Oncology Society, and editorial boards of peer-reviewed journals.

A dedicated educator and mentor, she has supervised numerous doctoral students and is committed to building global research collaborations and developing the next generation of nurse leaders and researchers. Dr. Lee is a member of the Omega Epsilon at-Large Chapter.

Jiying Ling, PhD, MS, RN, FAAN
East Lansing, Michigan, USA

Dr. Jiying Lee is the MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. She is a nurse scientist and prevention researcher dedicated to advancing whole-child health through innovative, evidence-based interventions in early childhood. Her research integrates food–body–mind connections into lifestyle programs that promote healthy growth, school readiness, and emotional well-being, particularly among young children from low-income and underserved communities.

She is recognized for addressing the dual public health challenges of early childhood obesity and mental health risk among children under age five and their families. She developed and evaluated developmentally tailored, school-based programs—including Eat My ABCs and Walk My ABCs—that are embedded into daily childcare routines. Her work bridges health promotion with early education systems, aligning child well-being with school readiness goals.

Her research spans behavioral science, family systems, and biological mechanisms. She has examined the economic burden of childhood obesity and identified stress biomarkers among low-income parents. More recently, she has expanded her work to integrate neuroscience and metabolomics, exploring gut–brain mechanisms underlying mindfulness-based interventions in young children.

She has maintained continuous external funding from federal and foundation sources and has published extensively in nursing and interdisciplinary journals. Dr. Ling is deeply committed to mentorship, having trained undergraduate, graduate, and junior faculty researchers in the U.S. and internationally. Through interdisciplinary innovation and rigorous prevention science, she aims to develop scalable strategies that reduce health disparities and optimize child health across the lifespan. Dr. Ling is a member of the Alpha Psi Chapter.

Ashley Darcy-Mahoney, PhD, NNP, FAAN
Washington, DC, USA

Dr. Ashley Darcy-Mahoney is a neonatal nurse practitioner and Professor of Nursing at The George Washington University School of Nursing. She is internationally recognized for her research advancing early childhood development and neonatal outcomes. Her interdisciplinary research program bridges nursing science, neuroscience, and developmental psychology to understand how early experiences shape brain development and long-term outcomes in infants and young children. Dr. Darcy-Mahoney’s work focuses particularly on preterm infants and their developmental trajectories. Over more than 15 years, she has developed innovative approaches that translate developmental science into practical interventions to support families, clinicians, and communities.

A central contribution of Dr. Darcy-Mahoney’s research is her work demonstrating the importance of enriched early language environments for neurodevelopment. She has led pioneering studies applying functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine the neural foundations of bilingual language exposure in preterm-born children, helping establish a new area of inquiry within nursing science linking language environments, executive function, and brain development.

She is also the scientific leader behind Talk With Me Baby and Háblame Bebé, innovative programs that promote early caregiver–child communication and bilingual language development. These initiatives translate neuroscience into scalable interventions that empower families and have been implemented across healthcare and community systems.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and former National Academy of Medicine Distinguished Nurse Scholar, she is widely recognized for advancing interdisciplinary research that strengthens early childhood systems and improves outcomes for vulnerable infants and families. She is a member of the Phi Epsilon Chapter.

Eugenia Flores Millender, PhD, RN, PMHNP, FAAN, FAANP
Tallahassee, Florida, USA

Dr. Eugenia Isabel Flores Millender is a nationally recognized psychiatric–mental health nurse practitioner–scientist advancing nursing science at the intersection of mental health, trauma, and chronic disease. She is the Marie Cowart Endowed Professor at Florida State University College of Nursing, where she serves as Assistant Dean for Research and Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Center for Population Sciences for Health Empowerment. Her research examines how chronic stress, trauma, discrimination, and structural inequities shape behavioral and cardiovascular health outcomes among historically underserved populations. Using population science, community-engaged research, and implementation approaches, she develops innovative, culturally responsive strategies to improve prevention, screening, and access to care.

Dr. Flores Millender has built a distinguished record of nurse-led research that bridges behavioral health, primary care, and public health. Her work has been supported by major federal agencies, including NIH, FDA, SAMHSA, and HRSA, and has helped advance community-driven models of integrated care and expand knowledge on mental health disparities.

She is also widely recognized for her national leadership and mentorship. Dr. Flores Millender is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She serves as President-Elect of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and Chair of the Psychiatric, Mental Health, and Substance Use Expert Panel of the American Academy of Nursing. Through her scholarship, leadership, and mentorship, Dr. Flores Millender is transforming nurse-led science and advancing health equity for vulnerable communities in the United States and globally. She is a member of the Beta Pi Chapter.

Wendy R. Trueblood Miller, PhD, RN, CNS, FAAN, FAES
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Dr. Wendy R. Trueblood Miller is an internationally recognized nurse scientist known for advancing patient-centered research in epilepsy and other chronic conditions. She is a Professor, Sally Reahard Endowed Chair, and Executive Associate Dean for Research at the Indiana University School of Nursing, where she also directs the Center for Enhancing Quality of Life in Chronic Illness. Her work focuses on capturing the patient voice and ensuring that individuals’ concerns, priorities, and experiences inform practice, self-management interventions, and policy.

Dr. Miller’s early research identified needs among older adults with epilepsy, informing national educational and clinical resources. She developed a validated measure of epilepsy-related quality-of-life change, now used in practice. Her work on communication about Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) established clearer guidance for clinicians and has been utilized across the United States.

A leader in Big Data and the use of organic, patient-generated data in research, Dr. Miller has advanced approaches to analyzing large scale social media data to uncover patient concerns often overlooked in traditional research. She has applied these methods not only in epilepsy but also across chronic conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, HIV, and adolescent mental health. Her collaborative work identifying potential behavioral warning signals in social media activity preceding SUDEP received international attention.

Dr. Miller's research has been supported by major federal funding. She was MPI on the $1.49M NIH-funded myAURA personal health library for epilepsy self management grant and served as PI of an NIH-funded T32 training program. She is currently MPI of an NIH-funded R25 focused training in the SDoH for nurses and other scientists.

A dedicated mentor, Dr. Miller has guided numerous PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty to successful research careers. She is a member of the Alpha Chapter.

Sandra A. Mitchell, PhD, ACNP-BC, AOCN, FAAN
Rockville, Maryland, USA

Dr. Sandra A. Mitchell is Senior Scientist and Program Director in the Outcomes Research Branch in the Healthcare Delivery Research Program at the National Cancer Institute, the U.S. federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training. She is an internationally recognized expert in the evaluation, management and rehabilitation of symptoms and impaired functional status in adults, children and adolescents, across the cancer control continuum. Dr. Mitchell has extensive experience in the collection, analysis and interpretation of patient-generated health outcomes data in clinical trials. Her program of research emphasizes implementation science and the use of health information technologies and clinical decision support to support knowledge translation, improve care quality, and strengthen patient self-management. She serves as the NCI Scientific Director for the National Cancer Institute’s Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE®) Measurement System, a measurement system used worldwide to capture symptomatic adverse events in patients participating in cancer clinical trials. This measurement system, which, under Dr. Mitchell’s scientific direction, has been validated in more than 60 languages, has transformed how cancer treatment tolerability is measured globally in cancer research.

The author of more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of symptom management, cancer survivorship, and the application of patient-reported outcomes to evaluate treatment effects, including toxicity and therapeutic response, her work has been recognized nationally with numerous awards. A board-certified Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Dr. Mitchell maintains an active clinical practice at the NCI Center for Cancer Research, providing care to long-term survivors of stem cell transplantation experiencing late treatment effects, including chronic graft-versus-host disease. She is a member of the Phi Epsilon Chapter.

Vinciya Pandian, PhD, MBA, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC, FCCM, FAANP, FAAN, FFNRMRCSI
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Dr. Vinciya Pandian is an internationally recognized nurse scientist whose research focuses on airway management, tracheostomy care, patient safety, and digital innovation in healthcare education. She is the Dean at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Nursing.

Her research has advanced interdisciplinary care for patients with complex airway needs and contributed to improvements in patient safety, communication, and outcomes across intensive care and post-acute settings. Through collaborations with the Global Tracheostomy Collaborative and international partners, her work has helped translate research into clinical practice and strengthen airway management programs worldwide.

Dr. Pandian’s scholarship has been supported by competitive funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, foundations, and industry partners. She also leads innovative work integrating simulation, immersive learning, and digital technologies into healthcare education to improve workforce preparation and patient safety.

She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the American College of Critical Care Medicine, and the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Dr. Pandian is a member of the Beta Sigma, Nu Beta at-Large, and Phi Xi Chapters.

Yeon-Hwan Park, PhD, RN
Seoul, South Korea

Dr. Yeon-Hwan Park is a Professor at the Seoul National University College of Nursing and an internationally recognized scholar in gerontological nursing and aging research. Over the past 25 years, her work has advanced the scientific foundations of human-centered nursing care through innovative, interdisciplinary research that addresses the health challenges of rapidly aging societies. Dr. Park’s scholarship focuses on developing evidence-based interventions that promote healthy aging, strengthen chronic disease self-management, and support integrated community care for older adults.

Her research brings together perspectives from nursing, medicine, public health, and engineering to design innovative care models that improve health outcomes while reducing health inequities among aging populations. She has made significant contributions to the development of evidence-based geriatric nursing guidelines, including nationally disseminated protocols for dysphagia assessment and infection control in long-term care facilities.

In addition to her research contributions, Dr. Park has held major academic leadership roles at Seoul National University, including serving as Dean and Vice Dean of the College of Nursing. She currently holds joint appointments with the Faculty of Liberal Studies and the SNU AI Health & Care Center, where she promotes interdisciplinary research integrating nursing science, digital health, and artificial intelligence. Dr. Park is also deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of nursing scholars and health care leaders. Many of her former trainees now serve as faculty members or leaders in major health care institutions. Through her scholarship, leadership, and mentorship, Dr. Park continues to advance gerontological nursing and contribute to the development of sustainable, human-centered health systems for aging societies. She is a member of the Lambda Alpha at-Large Chapter.

Martine Puts, PhD, RN, FCAN, FAAN
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dr. Martine Puts is a Professor at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. She holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in the Care for Frail Older Adults. Her research is focused on improving the health and well-being of older adults, particularly older adults with cancer. With her team, she developed an online, brief geriatric assessment called the Comprehensive Health Assessment for My Plan (CHAMP) tool, which is being tested with older adults and clinicians. She has also led a pilot trial combining geriatric assessment with virtual chair-based exercise for older adults and their support persons starting cancer treatment (the SOAR study). She is also co-leading the iNeqUity in AgiNg and CancEr (NUANCE) study.

Dr. Puts is a member of the Lambda Pi at-Large Chapter.

Sarah Collins Rossetti, PhD, BSN, RN, FAMIA, FACMI, FAAN, FIAHSI
New York, New York, USA

Dr. Sarah Rossetti is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Nursing at Columbia University. Her research has been funded by NIH, AHRQ, ASTP, and ANF and focuses on clinician-driven AI solutions to reduce patient risk of harm and the excessive documentation burden.

She co-leads the CONCERN Early Warning System study, which uses AI methods to predict patient deterioration from nursing surveillance patterns and has been shown to significantly reduce patient mortality risk by over 35%, sepsis risk by 7.5%, and length of stay by over half a day. She is chair of AMIA’s 25x5 Task Force to Reduce Documentation Burden. Dr. Rossetti is an experienced critical care nurse, received her PhD from Columbia University School of Nursing, and completed a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at Columbia University’s Department of Biomedical Informatics. She was selected as a 2019 recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and 2024 co-recipient of the Donald A.B. Lindberg Award for Innovation in Informatics by AMIA. Dr. Rossetti is a member of the Alpha Zeta at-Large Chapter.

Leorey Saligan, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FAAN
Newark, New Jersey, USA

Dr. Leorey N. Saligan is a Professor and Vice Dean of Research at Rutgers University School of Nursing. An internationally recognized nurse scientist, Dr. Saligan has more than three decades of experience in nursing, clinical care, and translational research focused on improving the quality of life of individuals with cancer and chronic illness. His research program integrates biobehavioral science and clinical investigation to better understand the biological mechanisms underlying fatigue and related symptom clusters.

Prior to joining Rutgers, Dr. Saligan served as a tenured senior scientist at the National Institutes of Health within the National Institute of Nursing Research Division of Intramural Research. Through innovative clinical and translational studies, his work has helped advance the emerging field of symptom science and contributed to the development of more precise approaches to symptom assessment and management. Dr. Saligan has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and has led multidisciplinary collaborations that exemplify a bench-to-bedside-to-community approach, advancing the translation of discoveries from basic science to clinical practice and community health impact.

In addition to his scientific contributions, he is widely recognized for his commitment to mentorship. Through his mentorship, he has helped cultivate the next generation of nurse scientists and interdisciplinary researchers dedicated to advancing symptom science and improving patient outcomes. His contributions to nursing science and health research have been recognized nationally and internationally. Through his leadership, scholarship, and mentorship, Dr. Saligan continues to advance symptom science while fostering a collaborative and inclusive research community committed to improving health outcomes for diverse patient populations. He is a member of the Alpha Tau Chapter.

Lixin Song, PhD, RN, FAAN
San Antonio, Texas, USA

Dr. Lixin Song is the Hugh Roy Cullen Endowed Professor, Nancy Smith Hurd President’s Chair in Geriatric Nursing & Aging Studies, and Vice Dean for Research & Scholarship at the University of Texas at San Antonio School of Nursing. She is an internationally recognized leader in family-focused supportive care research, advancing theory-driven, translational interventions for individuals living with chronic illness and their caregivers, particularly those who are under-resourced or geographically underserved. Her work focuses on cancer and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and addresses care transitions, symptom management, patient- and caregiver-reported outcomes, decision-making, and patient-provider communication.

Dr. Song’s research integrates behavioral science, clinical care, and digital health technologies to develop and evaluate family-centered interventions that improve outcomes for patients and families. She has pioneered digital health approaches that leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence to address real-world challenges faced by patients and caregivers, expand access to supportive care, and help clinicians deliver efficient care while reducing unnecessary burden. Her work also includes rigorous psychometric evaluation of patient- and caregiver-reported outcomes, contributing to advances in family-focused research methods and intervention evaluation.

As principal investigator, Dr. Song has led multidisciplinary teams conducting translational research supported by more than $15 million in competitively funded awards, primarily from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense. Her interdisciplinary work advances innovative, technology-enabled solutions that improve care for patients and caregivers across the illness trajectory. Dr. Song is a member of the Alpha Alpha, Delta Alpha at-Large, and Rho Chapters.

Maxim Topaz, PhD, RN, MA, FACMI, FIAHSI, FAAN
New York, New York, USA

Dr. Maxim (Max) Topaz is the Elizabeth Standish Gill Associate Professor of Nursing at Columbia University School of Nursing and Senior Research Scientist at VNS Health's Center for Home Care Policy and Research. He is a pioneer in applying artificial intelligence to nursing science, focusing on tools that improve care delivery, reduce documentation burden, and promote equitable outcomes.

Dr. Topaz was among the first nurse scientists to demonstrate that free-text clinical notes could be analyzed by computers to predict patient deterioration and surface inequities embedded in language. His work has produced tools used by researchers and health systems internationally, including open-source software enabling clinical teams to conduct AI research without deep technical expertise. His equity-focused studies have documented how stigmatizing language in clinical records contributes to unequal care, shaping professional training and policy.

He trained at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Medical School and holds clinical experience as a registered nurse and former military medic. He co-directs an international nursing AI research collaborative, has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, and secured over 25 million US dollars in research funding. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics, and the American College of Medical Informatics. Dr. Topaz is a member of the Xi Chapter.

Linda H. Yoder, PhD, MBA, RN, AOCN-emerita, FAMSN, FAAN
Austin, Texas, USA

Dr. Linda H. Yoder is a nurse with 47 years of experience in medical-surgical and oncology nursing as well as nursing leadership. She is a Professor Emerita at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. She served as an Army nurse for 28 years, retiring at the rank of Colonel.

Throughout her career, Dr. Yoder served in roles ranging from staff nurse to chief nurse executive and nurse scientist. She obtained funding for her research from the TriService Nursing Research Program and various nursing organizations, examining issues related to chronic illnesses and the nursing work environment. Dr. Yoder taught graduate courses that focused on health services issues such as quality and safety, management of complex healthcare systems, project planning, and healthcare finance. She continues to provide guest lectures regarding these topics as well as advanced practice nursing issues.

She has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. Dr. Yoder is well known for her expertise in career development for healthcare professionals, and she is sought out for her coaching and mentoring skills, having received several mentoring awards. She is active in various professional nursing organizations such as the American Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, the Oncology Nursing Society, and the Army Nurse Corps Association. She is a Past-President of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nursing. Dr. Yoder received her BSN in nursing (with honors) from the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Nursing, her MSN from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas, her MBA from Incarnate Word College in San Antonio, Texas, her Master of Strategic Studies (MSS) from the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Delta Alpha at-Large and Epsilon Theta Chapters.

Anna Zisberg, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA
Haifa, Israel

Dr. Anna Zisberg is an internationally recognized nurse scientist whose research has transformed the understanding of hospitalization-related risks for older adults and advanced gerontological nursing. She is a full professor in the Cheryl Spencer Department of Nursing at the University of Haifa, Israel, and Director of the Research Unit at the Azrieli ADVANCE Center. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the only nurse in Israel honored as a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. She is ranked among the world’s most-cited nursing researchers in the Stanford–Elsevier global database.

For more than two decades, Professor Zisberg has investigated mechanisms of cognitive and functional decline during acute illness, helping establish that hospitalization itself, independent of underlying disease, can contribute to deterioration in older adults. Through large-scale, multi-site studies, her research has identified modifiable hospital-based factors—including mobility, sedative burden, sleep disruption, continence care, and emotional distress—that influence recovery and independence among older adults. Her work has translated research findings into practice and health policy. Her studies led to an Israeli Ministry of Health policy that implements age-friendly healthcare principles across 27 hospitals nationwide. Professor Zisberg also collaborates internationally to advance gerontological training and knowledge exchange, including work with European networks assessing educational needs in geriatrics. She has published more than 90 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals and has mentored numerous master’s, doctoral, and early-career researchers. Her work has been supported by major national and international funding agencies. Through her scholarship, mentorship, and leadership, Professor Zisberg continues to advance nursing science and promote health systems that better preserve the function, dignity, and well-being of older adults worldwide. She is a member of the Omega Lambda Chapter.