PHILADELPHIA, PA – The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) today announced the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Researcher of the Year Award recipient. This award was one of seven awards presented at the March 7 – 9, 2013 Annual Conference, held at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
Mary Lou Sole, PhD, RN, CCNS, FAAN, FCCM was awarded the CNS Researcher of the Year. This award was designed to nationally recognize an NACNS member for outstanding professional achievement as a clinical nurse specialist who has conducted original nursing research that has significantly enhanced the science of autonomous nursing practice, patient and family outcomes, and/or health care systems. The award acknowledges a nurse for an accomplished program of research that has significantly contributed to advancing the nursing profession.
Dr. Mary Lou Sole is the Orlando Health Distinguished Professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Nursing in Orlando, Florida. She also holds a per diem appointment as a Nurse Scientist at Orlando Health. She began her career as a diploma graduate from the Ohio Valley General Hospital School of Nursing in Wheeling, WV.
Her primary research area is on improving outcomes with critical illness with a focus on airway management and infection. Her secondary research interest is in application of technology in clinical and educational settings. She has published over 65 articles in peer-reviewed journals; the majority of articles related to critical care and nursing education.
Many of her publications are co-authored with students and peers as a mentor for their projects. She has been active locally and nationally in many professional organizations, including the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. She is editor of Introduction to Critical Care Nursing (published by W.B. Saunders), and serves on the editorial boards of several critical care journals. She served as a principal or co- investigator on two NIH-funded research grants.
She received a BSN from Ohio University, a master’s degree in nursing from The Ohio State University, and a PhD in nursing from the University of Texas at Austin. She is certified as a critical care clinical nurse specialist. She coordinates the CNS track at UCF and has collaborated with many CNS graduates on their research and publications. Dr. Sole has received numerous local, state, and national awards for clinical practice, teaching, and research, including the AACN 2010 Distinguished Researcher.
“Dr. Sole has made exceptional contributions to the body of knowledge of nursing science. Her work has improved the outcomes of numerous patients and she continues to mentor future CNS researchers,” said NACNS 2013 President, Carol Manchester, MSN, ACNS, BC-ADM, CDE. “NACNS is proud to grant Dr. Sole this important award.”