Acknowledging the impact her research has had on the production and promotion of nursing science, UF College of Nursing Executive Associate Dean and Kirbo Endowed Chair Debra Lyon, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN, has been named a Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame inductee.
Lyon joins a select cohort of 32 world-renowned nurse researchers who will be formally inducted during the organization’s 33rd International Nursing Research Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, in July. These individuals will also be presented with the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame Award and participate in a conversation with Sigma’s president.
Sigma International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame inductees are noted for having “achieved significant and sustained national or international recognition and whose research has improved the profession of nursing and the people it serves.”
Lyon’s impactful contributions to nurse science and scientists over her distinguished career contributed to her selection for this achievement. She is a prolific author, publishing over 150 articles throughout her career, with over 3,500 citations and an extensive history of peer-reviewed research funding to support her work. Her research on biological mechanisms of breast cancer patients’ subjective experience is groundbreaking, and her work has supported the scientific advancements of making “visible” the interconnections between mind/body health. In addition, the molecular focus of her research provides a scientific basis for the development of personalized interventions for persistent and life-altering symptoms that address the underlying pathophysiological processes related to symptom development and persistence.
Additionally, Lyon has a research focus on enhancing the pipeline of minority students, pre- and post-doctoral fellows and early-stage investigators to pursue careers as scientists focused on eradicating cancer health disparities. She has been a co-investigator on three National Institutes of Health-funded grants, directed at preparing underrepresented minority scholars for successful research careers.
“Over the past eight years I have worked directly with Dr. Lyon, I have witnessed the numerous and substantial contributions she has made to nursing science, to the community of nursing and interdisciplinary scholars and to mentoring the next generation of diverse scientists,” said College of Nursing Dean and the Linda Harman Aiken Chair, Anna McDaniel, PhD, RN, FAAN. “Dr. Lyon is an outstanding researcher, author, educator, mentor and faculty member who has made substantial scholarly contributions to nursing scientific knowledge over her career. She truly embodies excellence and what it means to be an innovative nurse leader, and I am so proud that she has been named to the International Research Hall of Fame.”
Only 238 nurses worldwide have received this honor.
“These inspiring, world-renowned nurse researchers represent the staggering, collective impact of nursing and nursing research on global health care,” said Sigma President Kenneth Dion, PhD, MSN, MBA, RN, FAAN. “I congratulate them on their induction into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, and I look forward to discovering more about their research journeys and experiences.”
Learn more about Lyon’s research here.