NLN Declares Nurse Scientist Day on June 14, the Anniversary of the Establishment of the National Institute of Nursing Research

NLN Declares Nurse Scientist Day on June 14, the Anniversary of the Establishment of the National Institute of Nursing Research

This Year’s Celebration Will Mark the First Annual Recognition of This Distinctive Professional Role

Washington, DC — The National League for Nursing, the nation’s first nursing association, announces the establishment of Nurse Scientist Day on June 14, an annual observance to recognize the nurse scientists whose research guides clinical practice, shapes health policy, and educates the next generation of nursing scholars. June 14, 2026, will be the first annual Nurse Scientist Day in recognition of the discipline of nursing science, first formally enshrined among U.S. federal agencies on June 14, 1993.

On that day, the Department of Health and Human Services secretary signed the Federal Register notice formally establishing the National Institute of Nursing Research as a full institute of the National Institutes of Health, placing nurse-generated evidence on equal footing with every other science at the NIH. In the years since, nurse scientists have greatly expanded and tested theories, thereby creating a significant base of knowledge for translation into clinical practice, and helped facilitate the evidence-driven transformation of health care delivery.

To honor the first Nurse Scientist Day, the National League for Nursing has selected Dr. Mildred Montag as the inaugural recipient of the NLN Nurse Scientist for Nursing Education Award. Dr. Montag was the director and founder of the Adelphi College School of Nursing from 1942 to 1948. In 1948, she enrolled to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Teachers College at Columbia University, where she earned her PhD after completing her dissertation, The Education of Nursing Technicians, where she proposed the creation of associate degree in nursing programs. Dr. Montag was a pioneer in advancing nursing from hospital-based programs into the academic environments where most nursing programs live today.

Additionally, the National League for Nursing will host a webinar on “Pioneers in Practice: Nurse Scientists Shaping Tomorrow” on June 9 at 3 p.m. Eastern featuring Dr. Paule Valery Joseph from the National Institutes of Health and Dr. Bernice Coleman from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. This dynamic panel will explore the purpose of Nurse Scientist Day, highlight the impact and vital contributions of nursing science, and share practical, inspiring ideas for how you can celebrate and elevate Nurse Scientist Day within your clinical, industry, community or academic setting.

What uniquely distinguishes nurse scientists is not simply the academic credential, but the integration of scientific rigor with lived clinical experience. Nurse scientists contribute across every sector of health: generating knowledge in academia, translating evidence at the bedside in hospital-based programs of research, advancing innovation in industry, and shaping the policies that govern how care is delivered and funded.

“These highly skilled professionals are responsible for generating the evidence that informs and elevates nursing education and practice across the United States and around the world. Nurse Scientist Day pays tribute to the unique and vital role of these nurse scientists,” said NLN Chair Yolanda VanRiel, PhD, RN, MEDSURG-BC, OCN, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, chair of the Department of Nursing, North Carolina Central University and patient placement coordinator at First Health of the Carolinas-Moore Regional Hospital.

To celebrate the role of nurse scientists in observance of Nurse Scientist Day, the National League for Nursing encourages local health and hospital systems, academic institutions, and state, regional and national professional organizations to establish annual awards programs recognizing notable nurse scientists. 

“Nursing scholarship has long been a priority for the National League for Nursing. As the first professional association in nursing, we have again taken the lead in promoting the science of nursing by spotlighting those at the heart of the field: dedicated nurse scientists,” said NLN President and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN

For more information about the science of nursing and nursing education, visit NLN.org.

 

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