Two UA College of Nursing Professors Selected to Fulbright Specialist Roster

Two professors at the University of Arizona College of Nursing have been selected to the prestigious Fulbright Specialist Roster for three-year tenures.

On Dec. 11, Jane Carrington, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Kimberly Shea, PhD, RN, CHPN, learned that were about to become global ambassadors for the College.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and World Learning informed them that the Peer Review Panel recommended them for placement on the Fulbright Specialist Roster.

The Fulbright Specialist Program, administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, awards short-term Fulbright grants to qualified and approved U.S. faculty members and professionals for two to six weeks at host institutions in more than 140 nations. The shorter grant lengths allow grantees listed in the Fulbright Specialist Roster the opportunity to undertake various types of activities, including curriculum, faculty development, institutional planning and related subjects.

“We are thrilled and so proud for Kim and Jane. They bring collective depth and scope of expertise in informatics and use of state-of-the-science technology for health-care delivery" ~ Ki Moore, PhD, RN, FAAN, UA Nursing Interim Dean

“We are thrilled for and so proud of Jane and Kim,” said UA Nursing Interim Dean Ki Moore, PhD, RN, FAAN. “They bring collective depth and scope of expertise in informatics and use of state-of-the-science technology for health-care delivery. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to share their expertise globally. I am confident they will build new collaborations to advance nursing knowledge.” 

Dr. Carrington is a 2008 graduate of the UA College of Nursing PhD program. A nationally recognized expert in nursing informatics and health-care technology, Dr. Carrington is conducting a three-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, to increase patient safety by enhancing nurse-to-nurse communication. She and her team aim to improve nurses’ identification and reporting of clinical events to prevent adverse consequences and save lives.

“A lot of humility goes with the Fulbright nomination,” she said. “You’re being trusted by another country to come in and share your expertise. It’s like when a new student asks me to be their mentor – they are trusting you that you are going to help them meet their professional goals. I don’t take it lightly. To me, this is similar to taking a mentoring role, not with a student anymore, but with a university in another country.”

Dr. Shea has been a nurse for more than 25 years, including more than 15 in hospice care. As a nationally funded nurse-scientist, she investigates technology-based delivery of health care in patients’ homes. She holds four degrees from the UA and is nationally certified as a hospice and palliative care nurse. Dr. Shea conducts research that combines serious illness care (palliative and hospice) and technology, primarily in residential settings. Currently, her studies focus on tele-palliative care that uses video conferencing software, installed on a mobile device, to improve communication, reduce stress and minimize time with agonizing symptoms.

“I’m excited to learn what the needs are for my specialty, which is telehealth, throughout the world and to learn from sponsoring universities what they need,” Dr. Shea said. “It’s really interesting to get a global perspective on telehealth and informatics. My area of interest is the Western Hemisphere, which includes Latin America, because I speak Spanish and have traveled throughout Central America.”

The primary goals of the Fulbright Specialist Program are to increase the number of exemplary U.S. scholars in Fulbright academic exchanges; to encourage new activities that expand the scope of traditional Fulbright teaching and research and to enhance relationships between United Sates and international academic institutions.

The Fulbright Specialist Roster is a list of all approved candidates eligible to be matched with incoming project requests from overseas academic institutions for Fulbright Specialists.