Nursing Alumna's Contributions Recognized

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 11, 2010) − Elizabeth Elder Weiner, a 1975 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, was recently elected to membership in the American College of Medical Informatics. Membership represents recognition by peers for contributions to the fields of biomedical and health informatics.

In addition to receiving her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree at UK in 1975, she was awarded her master's degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1978. Weiner returned to UK to earn a doctoral degree (PhD) in higher education/social and philosophical studies in 1982. Weiner is currently senior associate dean for informatics and the Centennial Independence Foundation Professor of Nursing at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville. She was in the inaugural class of inductees into the UK College of Nursing Hall of Fame in 2007.

Weiner has built a very successful research program, with more than $7 million in funded research and training grants. Her research focuses on:

·         Curriculum development and evaluation for nurses in emergency management and response;

·         Evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of online learning by volunteer nurses for emergency response;

·         Curriculum and development of informatics competencies for advanced practice nurses; and

·         Faculty development in informatics, simulation, and telehealth.

Weiner is currently serving as PI principal investigator on two Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants totaling $3 million in partnership with the University of Kentucky College of Nursing. Both are for faculty development and one uses the virtual reality world of Second Life. Weiner is considered a pioneer in informatics and technology as it is applied to nursing. She has shared her expertise in bioterrorism, emergency preparedness and disaster response in Kentucky as well as internationally.  She describes her induction into ACMI as one of the “highlights of my career, particularly since there are a limited number of nurses who reach this level of recognition.”