Baylor School of Nursing Celebrates Fulbright Global Scholar Award

Media Contact: Whitney Cortner, Louise Herrington School of Nursing
Phone: (214) 820-4176
Email: Whitney_Cortner@baylor.edu

DALLAS, Texas (March 27, 2017) – Lori A. Spies, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor in the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON), was notified by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board that she was selected for a 2017-18 Fulbright Global Scholar Award.

“I am thrilled to have been selected to receive the Global Fulbright,” said Spies, who serves as LHSON’s missions coordinator. “The award will allow me the amazing opportunity to teach and implement research in three countries. I look forward to collaborating with health care providers in India, Vietnam and Zambia to research best education practices in noncommunicable diseases.”

The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Since 1946, the program has provided more than 370,000 participants from more than 180 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

“We are so proud of Dr. Spies’ prestigious recognition by Fulbright and her commitment to research in the field of global health,” said LHSON Dean Shelley F. Conroy, Ed.D., M.S., R.N., C.N.E.. “The Lord continues to bless the work of our faculty and students as we learn, lead and serve Him.”

Spies specializes in global health and building capacity in health care providers and has taught global health and international clinical courses at the graduate level since 2004. She serves on the practice committee for the International Council of Nurses Advanced Practice Nursing Network. She is the co-founder of the North Texas African Health Initiative, past president of the North Texas Nurse Practitioners and has worked in Uganda to build nurse leadership and research capacity since 2007. She has participated in faculty and nurse development in Ethiopia, India, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia. She is also involved in refugee outreach that includes a community garden project for refugees from Myanmar.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY LOUISE HERRINGTON SCHOOL OF NURSING – Dallas, Texas

The Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) located in Dallas was established in 1909 as a diploma program within Baylor Hospital in Dallas, which is now Baylor University Medical Center, and in 1950 became one of the six degree-granting schools of Baylor University. The first Baccalaureate degrees were granted in 1950 establishing the school among the earliest baccalaureate nursing programs in Texas. In 1999, the School was renamed the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing after Louise Herrington Ornelas, a 1992 Baylor Alumna Honoris Causa, who made an endowment gift to the school. Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, LHSON offers Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees through a Traditional program and FastBacc (one year accelerated) program. LHSON also offers an online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Leadership and Innovation program, as well as Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs to include, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Nurse-Midwife (CNM) and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP). LHSON was featured in U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) for the 2018 Best Graduate Schools ranking the DNP program #47 and MSN program #56.The Nurse Midwifery program’s 2017 #10 ranking remains in place for four years. In 2017, USNWR ranked the Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Innovation online degree program at #39 of the “2017 Best Online Graduate Programs.” For more information visit www.baylor.edu/nursing.