UA Nursing Professor to Serve on National Association of Hispanic Nurses’ Board

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Norma Cuellar, professor in The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing, was appointed to serve on the board of directors for the National Association of Hispanic Nurses for the 2012-2014 term.

In this role, she will also serve as the nominations committee chairperson of NAHN.

Cuellar is one of fewer than 250 doctorally-prepared Hispanic nurses in the country. She is an advocate for growing minority nurse populations and for reducing health disparities of the underserved populace. She is dedicated to mentoring minority students to become nurse leaders and researchers, impacting the diversity of the health-care workforce.

Cuellar has demonstrated considerable investment and leadership in diversity issues while serving on a variety of committees for the NAHN and the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurses Association. At The University of Alabama, she is involved in the Crossroads Community Center, which provides campus leadership in the areas of cultural programming and intercultural education, and participates in the planning of Hispanic Latino Heritage Month observances.

She is a member of the Hispanic Providers Network through Tuscaloosa’s One Place and actively participates in the annual community service fair Brazos Abrietos. She serves on the Alabama State Department of Health-Health Disparities Committee. In the past year, she served on the West Alabama Health Literacy Taskforce and the Alabama chapter of the NAACP Health Advisory Committee.

“Personally, my goal is to mentor young Hispanic nurses to continue their education (bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in nursing) and become leaders in health care at local, state, regional and national levels,” she said.

Cuellar and NAHN colleagues are trying to start a chapter of NAHN for the state of Alabama but are having difficulty finding Hispanic nurses. Those interested in joining should contact Cuellar at ncuellar@ua.edu or 205/348-8368.