Dr. Nena F. Sanders, dean of Samford University’s Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing, has been named one of 60 Visionary Leaders in a program that celebrates the 60th anniversary of the University of Alabama (UAB) School of Nursing.
Dean Sanders and the other leaders will be recognized at a luncheon Oct. 22 at The Club. UAB established the awards “to celebrate the school’s renowned graduates and their mark on nursing,” said UAB nursing dean Doreen Harper. Sanders earned her Bachelor, Master and Doctor of Science in Nursing degrees from UAB. Nurse practitioners, health care administrators, university presidents, deans and professors from around the globe are included in the 60.
“Nena Sanders’ selection as a visionary health care leader is a reflection of the visionary leadership she has brought to the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing at Samford,” said Samford provost and executive vice president J. Bradley Creed. “Under her guidance and direction, the nursing program has experienced tremendous growth and quality improvement in its academic offerings. I am privileged to be her colleague at Samford and I congratulate Dean Sanders on this remarkable recognition.”
Sanders has been active in nursing, nursing education, nursing administration and health care consulting for more than 30 years, and is considered an expert in the development, implementation and evaluation of nursing educational programs.
She joined the Samford nursing faculty in 1999 and was named Ralph W. Beeson Dean of the school in 2001. As dean, she has provided leadership in establishing a nurse anesthesia program and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program. This fall, Samford has 638 nursing students enrolled including 263 graduate students—both all-time highs.
Sanders has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Nursing Administration Research and the Journal of Critical Care Nursing. She is an on-site evaluator for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), a national accrediting agency. She is a member of numerous professional organizations and has served in various leadership capacities for these organizations.