As part of a university-wide effort to hire 200 new faculty members in high-demand workforce areas, the UCF College of Nursing has hired seven new ranked faculty members who are each experts in their respective fields. In addition, the college has transitioned three existing faculty members to ranked positions and filled seven instructor/lecturer positions.
Growing the university’s faculty is one of the key priorities for UCF over the next several years. Of the new and transitioning personnel, a majority are serving in new roles within the college while others are filling open positions to replace retired or departing professors.
“Nurses, in particular those with baccalaureate degrees or higher, are in high demand throughout the country,” said Dr. Mary Lou Sole, dean at the UCF College of Nursing. “Our new faculty members will not only help us meet growing demand for our programs, but help make critical advancements in health care by expanding our research areas including the fields of simulation, gerontology and acute care. We’re excited to bring these new experts to UCF and pleased to continue to leverage the expertise of our existing faculty.”
New ranked faculty members include:
Mindi Anderson, PhD, ARNP, CPNP-PC, CNE, CHSE-A, ANEF, is a certified advanced health care simulation educator and new associate professor in the college’s graduate department. Anderson previously was associate professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. A simulation expert, she has been involved in multiple funded research projects, including those related to interprofessional education and innovative use and evaluation of simulation technology in preparing undergraduate and graduate students for nursing practice. Her work has been widely published and presented. Anderson is a fellow in the National League for Nursing’s Academy of Nursing Education. She earned her BSN from Texas Christian University, MSN from the University of Texas at Arlington and her PhD in Health Studies from Texas Woman’s University.
Annette Bourgault, PhD, RN, CNL, is an assistant professor in the graduate department. Her research areas of interest are critical care, evidence-based practice and verification of feeding tube placement. Previously, Bourgault was interim assistant dean for assessment and development at Georgia Regents University (formerly the Medical College of Georgia) where she had been on faculty in various roles since 2007. Her research in the field of critical care nursing has been widely published and presented. Bourgault received her BSN from the University of Ottawa, her MSN from Queen’s University in Ontario and her PhD with distinction from Georgia Health Sciences University.
Desiree Díaz, PhD, RN-BC, CNE, CHSE-A, joins UCF as an assistant professor in the undergraduate department. She previously was associate clinical professor and director of clinical simulation and resource laboratories at the University of Connecticut. Her research focuses on simulation education and populations with health care disparities such as inmates and limited-English proficient patients, topics which she has widely presented and been published. Díaz is the recipient of the American Association of University Professors’ Innovation in Education Excellence award and has served as a simulation mentor for the International Nursing Association Simulation Clinical Learning. She earned her BSN, MSN and PhD from the University of Connecticut, and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University.
Joellen Edwards, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a professor in the graduate department and new Hugh F. and Jeannette G. McKean Endowed Chair in Nursing. Previously, Edwards was a professor of graduate programs and associate dean for research at East Tennessee State University College of Nursing. Her research on health policy has been widely published over the past 20 years, and she is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Recently, she was principal investigator on a funded project with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Rural Health and is currently a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Rural Health. She has also served on several state and national committees addressing rural health issues. She earned her BSN and PhD from Ohio University, and MSN from West Virginia University.
Frank Guido-Sanz, PhD, ARNP, ANP-BC, comes to UCF as an assistant professor in the undergraduate department from Florida International University where he served as an adjunct faculty member. His research focus is on critical care, which he has presented on regionally and internationally. Actively involved in the community, Guido-Sanz currently is a nurse practitioner volunteer for the Mobile Acute Care Strike Team, Florida Advanced Surgical and Transport Team, and the National Disaster Medical System International Medical Surgical Rescue Team where he deployed to Haiti in 2010 for earthquake relief. He earned his BSN from Barry University, and his MSN, post-master’s certificate in nursing education and PhD from Florida International University.
Elizabeth Kinchen, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, is an assistant professor in the undergraduate department. She had been a teaching assistant in nursing at Florida Atlantic University for the past four years while completing her advanced degrees. She earned her BSN from the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, Ind., and her MSN and PhD from Florida Atlantic University. A board certified advanced holistic nurse, Kinchen has presented and been published in several journals for her research on holistic nursing care, and is a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association. She began her nursing career as staff nurse at a regional burn center in Indiana and has worked in intensive and progressive care units.
Michele Upvall, PhD, RN, CNE, is a new professor in the graduate department and new coordinator of the nurse educator MSN and certificate programs. Previously, Upvall was a professor in the School of Nursing at Carlow University in Pittsburgh. Her research is in global health, and she recently co-edited the book “Global Health Nursing: Building and Sustaining Partnerships.” Upvall has also created nursing education programs to make an impact nationally and internationally, including the first BSN program on American Indian lands and first MSN program in Pakistan. Currently, she is facilitating the development a RN to BSN program in Lebanon and has started discussions with universities in Vietnam and Uganda. She earned her BSN from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, MSN from Pennsylvania State University, PhD from the University of Utah and post-master’s family nurse practitioner certificate from Arizona State University.
Faculty members transitioning to a new ranked position include:
Laura Gonzalez, PhD, ARNP, CNE, is now a clinical assistant professor and the simulation coordinator across all nursing programs. Her research in the field of simulation and innovative technologies is focused on preparing future nurses and improving patient outcomes. Current funded research includes using high-fidelity simulation to bridge the knowledge and skills gap from graduate nurse to professional nurse. A published researcher, Gonzalez currently serves as interim director for the Florida Healthcare Simulation Alliance and a board member and vice president of programs for the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. She earned her BSN from the Hunter College School of Nursing in New York, her MSN from the University of South Florida and her PhD from UCF.
Julie Hinkle, PhD, RN, CNE, is an expert in pathophysiology and focuses her research on innovative technologies and interventions such as simulation, online interventions and applications. Current research includes an innovative software solution to change how courses are taught by incorporating adaptive learning. Hinkle is now an assistant professor in the graduate department. She previously was a lecturer and site coordinator for the UCF/Valencia College Dual Enrollment Concurrent ASN to BSN program. Hinkle earned her BSN from the University of Pittsburgh, and her MSN and PhD from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
Jacqueline LaManna, PhD, ANP-BC, BC-ADM, CDE, is now an assistant professor in the graduate department. She previously was a lecturer and site coordinator for the UCF Cocoa campus, where the college offers a traditional BSN program. Her research area of focus is in gerontology and chronic disease management, and her work has been published in several journals and textbooks. LaManna earned her BSN from Purdue University, her MSN from the University of Florida, and her PhD from UCF. She is chair of the American Association of Diabetes Educators Research Committee and a member of the American Diabetes Association.
In addition to these 10 new and transitioning ranked faculty, the college has added six new instructors/lecturers to the undergraduate department, including Carol Burgunder, Chris Deatrick, Nancy Duckworth, Dr. Enitan Ekwotafia, Dr. Frances Iacobellis and Dr. Cherrill Stockmann.
This story has been updated to reflect Dr. Cherrill Stockmann as one of the new lecturers in the undergraduate department.
