UIC dean inducted into nursing Hall of Fame

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing Dean Terri Weaver was one of 23 nurse researchers inducted into the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame.

College of Nursing Dean Terri Weaver

Weaver received the award at Sigma Theta Tau’s 28th International Nursing Research Congress in Dublin, Ireland. Researchers from Australia, Canada, Finland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States were honored.

This is the fourth consecutive year a UIC nursing professor was named to the Hall of Fame. Eileen Collins, professor of biobehavioral science, was honored in 2016; Tonda Hughes, former professor of health systems science and associate dean of global health, was honored in 2015; and Carol Ferrans, professor and associate dean for research, in 2014.

Weaver has been recognized nationally and internationally for her research on the effect of daytime sleepiness on daily behaviors and assessment of treatment outcomes. Her work has been supported with funding from the National Institutes of Health; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and the National Institute of Nursing Research.

During her career, Weaver has produced two notable disease-specific functional status measures: one for chronic pulmonary disorders and the other for sleep disorders. The latter, the “Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire,” has become the gold standard for the evaluation of the impact of treatments for sleep disorders to improve quality of life. It has been translated into more than 50 languages and used internationally in clinical trials.

She is also known for her research describing the efficacy of continuous positive airways pressure treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, including optimal dose; the nature of adherence to this intervention; and causes of residual symptoms despite optimal treatment.

Distinguished as a leader in nursing education, Weaver was elected this year to serve a two-year term on the board of directors of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, and previously served on its board of directors. She also served on the board of directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and is the former chair of the national board of directors of the American Lung Association.

Weaver has also held leadership positions in the American Thoracic Society and the Sleep Research Society.

“I am thrilled that my program of research has been viewed internationally as an achievement that has contributed to science and healthcare,” she said. “I am humbled to be inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame with other esteemed nurse researchers from around the world, and to join existing Hall of Fame members, including several of our own College of Nursing faculty.”

Created in 2010, the Hall of Fame recognizes nurse researchers who have achieved significant and sustained national or international recognition and whose research has improved the profession and people it serves.