National Nurse Educator to Keynote Annual Doctoral Education Forum

Theresa M. Valiga, EdD, RN, FAAN

INDIANAPOLIS – A nationally recognized expert in nursing education and curriculum development, Theresa M. Valiga, EdD, RN, FAAN, the Chief Program Officer at the National League for Nursing (NLN) in New York City, will be the speaker at the annual IU School of Nursing Doctoral Education Forum and Celebration on Thursday, April 6, 2006.

The event, hosted by the state’s largest nursing school and the only school of nursing in the state of Indiana to offer a PhD program, is scheduled from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Ruth Lilly Learning Center Auditorium, Riley Hospital Outpatient Center, Lower Level, followed by a reception in the School of Nursing building. Dr. Valiga will make a presentation on “Building the Science of Nursing Education and Using It to Transform Our Educational Practices” that will focus on the state of the science of nursing education and how current research can provide ideas for transforming nursing education to prepare nurses for the future.

Valiga received her bachelor's degree from Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) in Trenton, NJ., her Master of Education degree in Nursing Education (with a clinical focus in Adult Health and Illness) from Teachers College, Columbia University (New York, NY) and her Doctor of Education in Nursing Education (with an emphasis on Curriculum and Instruction) also from Teachers College. Valiga completed research related to the cognitive development and perceptions of nursing as a profession of baccalaureate students and received research awards from Sigma Theta Tau (The International Honor Society of Nursing) to support this research.

As a consultant, Valiga also provided guidance on accreditation, critical thinking, promoting students' cognitive development, creative teaching strategies, curriculum development and evaluation, and outcomes assessment to many schools of nursing throughout the United States and in Canada. In addition, Valiga also was a consultant for nurse educators in China through a Project HOPE-sponsored program and to the faculty of a school of nursing in Tokyo.

Recognized for her contributions to nursing scholarship and nursing education, Valiga received the Award for Excellence in Research from the Gamma Nu Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), the Award for Excellence in Education and the Leadership Award and Chapter Service Award from the Alpha Nu Chapter as well as the prestigious STTI Elizabeth Russell Belford Award for Excellence in Nursing Education, and was the recipient of the National League for Nursing’s Isabel Stewart Award for Excellence in Nursing Education. She was designated three times as a Sigma Theta Tau Distinguished Lecturer, and in 2002, she was selected to receive the Sigma Theta Tau International Region 14 Pinnacle Award for Mentorship. Also, in 2002, Dr. Valiga was elected as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

RSVPs (Yes only) should be directed to (317) 274-2806 by March 30, 2006.

The National League for Nursing (NLN) advances excellence in nursing education that prepares the nursing workforce to meet the needs of diverse populations in an ever-changing healthcare environment. http://www.nln.org/aboutnln/ourmission.htm.

To learn more about the IU School of Nursing, visit: http://nursing.iupui.edu/.