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Faculty Development

The 2009 NLN Immersion in Evidence-Based Nursing Education

University of Nevada Las Vegas
June 7-12, 2009

Immersion Faculty

Lori Candela, RN, EdD, MS
Dr. Lori Candela is an associate professor and Chair of the Psychosocial Nursing Department in the School of Nursing. She is also the Education Coordinator for the Graduate Nursing Program at UNLV. She has 15 years of teaching experience at the associate degree, baccalaureate, RN-to-BSN, MSN, and PhD levels. At the master’s level, she has taught courses in nursing education focusing on teaching/ learning, curriculum development, and curriculum evaluation. In the PhD program, she has taught leadership and facilitated independent teaching practicums and seminars. Dr. Candela has chaired thesis, professional paper and dissertation committees. Dr. Candela is currently the Project Manager and Director of a $710,000 HRSA Grant that was fully funded in July of 2007: Enhancing Access and Quality in a Online PhD Nursing Program. She has received funding for faculty development projects, computerized testing for nursing students, a nursing shortage study, and pilot testing of critical thinking instruments. Currently, Dr. Candela is a co-investigator on an internally funded study to develop learning modules on interpersonal conflict among nurses.

In addition to her current leadership positions, Dr. Candela has served as head nurse, nursing supervisor, and 2nd year lead instructor over two campuses in an ADN program. She has a strong interest in educational program development. She has led the UNLV nursing faculty through a major undergraduate curriculum revision. In 2002, she led a committee in developing an undergraduate at-risk program for learning enhancement. Dr. Candela led a committee to develop a nurse educator track in the MSN program. She was also on the steering committee to develop the UNLV School of Nursing PhD program.

She received her baccalaureate degree from Metropolitan State College and her master’s degree from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, both located in Denver Colorado. Dr. Candela received her doctoral degree in higher adult and professional education from the University of Southern California, where she specialized in teaching/ learning methodologies and evaluation. Dr. Candela was in the first group in the United States to become certified through the National League for Nursing as a Certified Nurse Educator. Additionally, Dr. Candela has developed suture certification courses for medics, student nursing orientation programs, and NCLEX-RN review programs.

Her areas of research interest include nursing education research in academic and practice settings. She has over 15 peer reviewed publications as well as two book chapters. She is a reviewer for two nursing journals and is an editorial board member for the Journal of Nursing Education. Also, she is a sentinel reader for the McMaster Online Rating of Evidence (MORE) Evidence-Based Nursing (EBN) system. Over the years, she has presented at local, state, regional, national, and international nursing conferences. In 2008, Dr. Candela was honored as a Nevada Health Care Hero in the category of educator. Also that year, she received a Medical and Health Care Award from the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce for her volunteer work as a nurse practitioner with uninsured and underinsured children in Southern Nevada. In 1999, she was honored to receive an award as Master Teacher from the National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development Austin Texas.

Jean Giddens, PhD, APRN-BC
Jean Giddens is a seasoned nurse educator from the University of New Mexico, College of Nursing. Her clinical expertise lies in adult health. For the last several years she has been the coordinator for the MSN nursing education program at UNM and has been heavily involved with curriculum reform. Dr. Giddens has created a virtual web-based community known as The Neighborhood which fosters conceptual learning among students. She has authored many nursing textbooks, electronic media and journal articles, and has been a consultant to several nursing programs in the area of conceptual teaching and curriculum development .
Judith A. Halstead, DNS, RN, ANEF
Judith Halstead is professor and executive associate dean for academic affairs for Indiana University School of Nursing in Indianapolis. With more than 28 years of experience in undergraduate and graduate nursing education, Dr. Halstead has focused her expertise in online education, curriculum development, and evidence-based teaching in nursing education. She is coeditor of the widely referenced book, Teaching in Nursing: A Guide for Faculty. Dr. Halstead served as the chair for the NLN’s Task Group on Nurse Educator Competencies, which developed evidence-based educator competencies and is editor of the NLN publication, Nurse Educator Competencies: Creating an Eidence-based Practive for Nurse Educators. Dr. Halstead was the 2005 recipient of the MNRS Curriculum and Education Research Section Advancement of Science Award for her leadership in advancing the science of nursing education and served as the chairperson for the NLN Nursing Education Research Advisory Council from 2005-2007.
Karen T. Pardue MS, RN, CNE
Ms. Pardue is associate professor and assistant director of the Department of Nursing and Health Services Management at the University of New England. Throughout her career, she has taught nursing at a variety of levels, including associate, baccalaureate, RN-to-BSN, and master's degree programs. She co-established the curriculum for the RN-to-BSN option at the University of New England and is the coordinator of the international education program at the branch campus in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ms. Pardue’s scholarship is focused on creative and innovative teaching methods in nursing education. She has published and presented extensively on exploring the arts in nursing education. Ms. Pardue previously served as the chairperson for the NLN’s Task Group on Innovation in Nursing Education is currently a Faculty Mentor for the Johnson and Johnson/NLN Foundation Faculty Leadership Project; and is a member of the Nursing Education Advisory Council (NEAC)/td>
Terry Valiga, EdD, RN, FAAN
Dr. Terry Valiga received both a masters and a doctoral degree in Nursing Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York. She was promoted through the ranks from Instructor to Professor through faculty positions in five different universities -- Trenton State College (NJ), Seton Hall University (NJ), Georgetown University (DC), Villanova University (PA), and Fairfield University (CT). As a faculty member, Dr. Valiga had the good fortune to teach hundreds of exceptional students at the undergraduate and master’s level, specializing in courses that focused on teaching/learning, curriculum development, evaluation of learning, the faculty role, and leadership. She also mentored many outstanding faculty colleagues. While at Seton Hall, Dr. Valiga held the position of Undergraduate Program Director. She served as Graduate Program Director at Villanova, and was the Dean of the School of Nursing at Fairfield.

After 26 years in these academic positions, Dr. Valiga assumed the position of Chief Program Officer at the National League for Nursing (NLN), where she collaborated with many talented NLN members to develop a number of NLN initiatives including the Centers of Excellence program, the Academy of Nursing Education, position statements, the Hallmarks of Excellence in Nursing Education, the Excellence in Nursing Education Model, and several publications. After nine years with the NLN, Dr. Valiga joined Duke University’s School of Nursing in July 2008 to direct their new Institute for Educational Excellence.

Dr. Terry Valiga has received several prestigious awards for excellence in nursing education, including Sigma Theta Tau’s Elizabeth Russell Belford Award, the NLN’s Isabel Stewart Award, and induction into the American Academy of Nursing. She has presented on education topics at national and international conferences and consulted with nursing faculty groups in the US, Canada, Japan, and China on curriculum development, program evaluation, innovations in teaching, and the faculty role. Dr. Valiga has published widely on issues related to nursing education, including a book on using the arts and humanities to teach nursing, and conducted education-focused research, specifically focusing on students’ cognitive/intellectual development, curriculum concepts, and leadership development in students. In addition to being acknowledged as a leader in nursing education, Dr. Valiga is a recognized expert in the area of leadership and has co-authored a book (now in its third edition) on this complex phenomenon.