By Vicky Brito
Mega Doctor News
Rio Grande Valley, Texas –– UTRGV nursing professor Eloisa G. Taméz, RN, Ph.D., FAAN, recently accepted the 2017 Latino Legacy Award from the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, during the 42nd annual NAHN Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
Taméz, who is also assistant director of Graduate Nursing Education in the UTRGV School of Nursing, College of Health Affairs, said the award was a wonderful way to celebrate her career in both nursing and education.
“It was indeed an honor to receive this award in the presence of so many young, professional nurses to whom we can pass the baton to the future,” she said.
The award recognizes a small group of members as Latino Legacies who have contributed to the nursing profession with commitment to advancing the health in Hispanic communities, and to leading, promoting and advocating the educational, professional and leadership opportunities for Hispanic nurses.
The NAHN was founded in 1976 to provide a voice for nearly 2,000 member nurses across the United States. The organization’s goal is to promote safe, quality healthcare for Hispanic communities and individuals.
Taméz, who was recognized in 2013 as a founder of the NAHN, began her academic career in 2000, after years of nursing practice at various locations throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Central America and South America. She held a variety of positions through her commission in the U.S. Army Reserve, Nurse Corp., the Department of Veterans Affairs and various private-sector healthcare organizations.
In 2014, she began the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program at UT Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, which launched at UTRGV in September 2015; the first cohort completed the program in August 2016.