Nurse of the Week: UAB Nursing Professor Maria Shirey, PhD, Named AONE Nurse Researcher of the Year

Our Nurse of the Week is Maria Shirey, PhD, a professor and associate dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing who was recently named the American Organization of Nurse Executives Foundation (AONE) Nurse Researcher of the Year. The award recognizes her outstanding contributions to nursing and health systems research.

Shirey has been recognized internationally for her research in nursing leadership and management. Her research has addressed multiple AONE priorities, including developing core competencies of nurse leaders across the care continuum to support current and emerging roles; supporting the design and implementation of care delivery and health management models; and supporting the provision of safe, quality care and delivery systems grounded in healthful practice.

Shirey tells uab.edu, “My research has identified the systems and support structures nurse managers need in order to be successful in their roles. Nurse managers are crucial because they lead from the middle. They’re the voice that really articulates the mission and vision of an organization in ways that benefit the patients and families we serve.”

Shirey’s role as a professor and associate dean in the UAB School of Nursing has had tremendous impacts on the program. Her work as a principal investigator on a four-year, $2.8 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant project to develop a resilient primary care registered nurse workforce has helped develop a new generation of RNs who will work in medically underserved areas and work toward chronic disease prevention and control. She has also been instrumental in opening a nurse-managed, interprofessional transitional care clinic for heart failure patients.

According to uab.edu, Shirey’s response to receiving the AONE Nurse Researcher of the Year award was, “For me, receiving the AONE nurse researcher award is an incredible honor. It’s recognition of the value and impact of my work over a long and productive career. This is an award for which I was nominated by colleagues in my field, and that makes it even more special.”

To learn more about Maria Shirey, PhD, a professor and associate dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships at the UAB School of Nursing who was recently named the AONE Nurse Researcher of the Year, visit here.