UCF has appointed two nursing faculty experts to serve in new endowed positions effective today.
Aging expert Ladda Thiamwong will serve as the inaugural Florida Blue Endowed Professor for Healthy Communities, and healthcare simulation expert Desiree Díaz will serve as the inaugural ENFERMERÍA Faculty Excellence Scholar.
“Endowed faculty positions enable UCF to recognize dedicated faculty members, and unleash their potential on nursing’s future as researchers and educators,” says UCF College of Nursing Dean Mary Lou Sole. “We are thankful for the funding and philanthropic giving that supports these efforts.”
Thiamwong and Díaz were selected by a review committee, and chosen from a pool of applicants based on their exceptional contributions and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.
“Drs. Thiamwong and Díaz have a longstanding history of impact, and in these new appointments, will be able to scale their efforts to ensure a healthier, brighter future for all,” Sole says.
Florida Blue Endowed Professor for Healthy Communities
The Florida Blue Endowed Professorship for Healthy Communities was established with a gift from the Florida Blue Foundation, the philanthropic affiliate of the state’s leading health insurer.
As a nurse, researcher and educator, Thiamwong has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to ensuring healthy communities for the growing number of older adults in the U.S. and around the world.
Her research builds upon two decades of clinical practice in caring for community-dwelling older adults in the U.S. and her native Thailand.
A global expert on fall prevention, her research has been awarded more than $7 million in funding to-date. Most importantly, her efforts have improved access and enhanced strategies to preventative care for low-income older adults.
Through her scholarly activities, Thiamwong mentors future scientists and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration. She currently leads an interdisciplinary team of researchers on a $2.3M National Institues of Health-funded study to develop and test an innovative fall prevention intervention.
“It is an incredible honor to be selected for the Florida Blue Endowed Professorship,” Thiamwong says. “Building healthy communities requires a commitment to improving conditions for healthy living for all members of the community, and I plan to continue bringing communities and disciplines together to address our challenging health issues.”
Thiamwong has been on faculty at UCF since 2016, and currently serves as a professor in the College of Nursing. She has earned numerous awards for her teaching and research excellence, including the prestigious Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and distinguished Fellow in the Nursing Academy of the National Academies of Practice.
In addition to her faculty appointment, she has served on the Orlando Mayor’s Committee on Livability and Healthy Aging since 2019.
This gift from Florida Blue Foundation, one of two totaling $1 million, builds upon a decades-long partnership with UCF and expands upon an endowment created in 2003.
ENFERMERÍA Faculty Excellence Scholar
The ENFERMERÍA Faculty Excellence Scholar was established from funding UCF received from the U.S. Department of Education for the Educating Nurses for Engagement, Research, Mentoring Excellence & Reinforcing Interpretation Access project (Project ENFERMERÍA).
Díaz was selected for her leadership in teaching, research and scholarly activities promoting student success and fostering improvement in addressing the healthcare needs of Hispanic and underrepresented communities.
For more than a decade, her research has focused on using simulation to improve healthcare disparities for underrepresented populations. As the ENFERMERÍA Faculty Excellence Scholar, Díaz plans to continue to leverage simulation to educate undergraduate and graduate students, and advance equitable outcomes.
In addition to her scholarly activities, Díaz has fostered student growth and success by focusing on accessibility and flexibility and has created student learning opportunities to serve underrepresented communities. She has led nursing study abroad opportunities to Peru and The Bahamas, and established the Hispanic serving healthcare professionals graduate certificate program.
“There is a shared benefit when giving to communities and situations one has emerged from,” Díaz says. “As a first-generation, West Indian immigrant, I understand the need for and power of direct mentorship.”
“The ability to be part of this inaugural program that prioritizes inclusive excellence and community engagement is both inspiring and motivating,” she adds.
Díaz has been on faculty at UCF since 2015, and currently serves as a professor, undergraduate simulation coordinator and director of the Hispanic serving healthcare professionals certificate program. She has the distinction of three national Fellow honors from the Academy of Nursing Education, the American Academy of Nursing and the Society for Simulation in Healthcare Academy.
In addition to her faculty appointments, Díaz currently is the elected president of the International Nursing Association for Clinical and Simulation and Learning and maintains a clinical practice as a family nurse practitioner.
