Announcing College of Nursing Dean Terri Weaver’s Retirement

Dear members of the UIC community,

Terri E. Weaver, PhD, RN, FAAN, ATSF joined the UIC College of Nursing as Dean in 2010 and, throughout her tenure, has significantly influenced the academic, research and care delivery mission of the college to serve our students, faculty, staff and communities across the state. Recently, Dean Weaver announced her plan to retire in August 2021, to allow for an appropriate national search and transition period for her successor. As an accomplished executive leader and scholar, she has fostered an environment of achievement and international recognition for the UIC College of Nursing, its faculty, researchers and students. For all of these contributions, we would like to express sincere gratitude for her vision and outstanding leadership.

With oversight of the educational, research and clinical priorities of the UIC College of Nursing’s six locations across the state, Dean Weaver has developed a robust portfolio of achievements in this role. This year, College of Nursing programs were highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report – including the Doctor in Nursing Practice (DNP) Program (ranked #6 nationally) and the RN to BSN Program (ranked #3 nationally). Additionally, the National Research Council ranked the College’s PhD program #5 across the nation. Last year the College of Nursing received 10-year reaccreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education for all nursing programs – BSN, MS, DNP, and post-graduate certificate.

In August of 2019, the College of Nursing opened a $6 million simulation lab. The M. Christine Schwartz Experiential Learning and Simulation Laboratory was 100% philanthropically funded and provides dynamic learning scenarios which replicate care environments such as the emergency department, labor and delivery and a home care setting. Dean Weaver has overseen novel initiatives such as a faculty-managed clinic in Humboldt Park (a part of the Mile Square Health Center network) that provides integrated primary and behavioral care, and access to social workers. The college also joined with the state Department of Corrections in an analysis of correctional care delivery at 26 facilities. In 2014, Dean Weaver further expanded the footprint of the College of Nursing through the establishment of a sixth location in Springfield, IL.

As a scholar and researcher, Dean Weaver is recognized nationally and internationally for her research on the effect of daytime sleepiness on daily behaviors and assessment of treatment outcomes. Her research career has been honored with many accolades, including induction into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. Distinguished as a leader in nursing education, Dr. Weaver was also elected in 2017 to the board of directors of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. In 2018, she was named to the first class of fellows of the American Thoracic Society.

In her research, Dr. Weaver 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. She 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 54 languages and used internationally in clinical trials.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, where she previously served as a member of its Board of Directors. Additionally, she served on the Board of Directors of the Sleep Research Society and was the first nurse to serve on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Dr. Weaver is the former chair of the national board of directors of the American Lung Association.

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs will soon launch a national search to fill the role of College of Nursing Dean and further communication will be forthcoming on this effort.

We are immensely grateful for the steadfast and innovative leadership of Dean Weaver for more than a decade. Please join me in congratulating Dean Weaver in her well-earned retirement.

Sincerely,
Robert A. Barish, MD, MBA
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

For more information, please contact:
Margaret Moser
vcha@uic.edu