2012 Honorary Degree Recipient

Donna K. Diers, Ph.D.

Doctor of Science (Sc.D.)

 

A "living legend" in the health care profession, Donna K. Diers is recognized for a career committed to the education, research, and practice of nursing for the 21st century.

Born and raised in Sheridan, Wyoming, Diers epitomizes what can be, and is, accomplished by citizens of this great state.  A graduate of the University of Denver, Yale University, and Australia's University of Technology, Diers spent her more than 40-year career at the Yale School of Nursing, earning respect as both an educator and administrator.  It is her work as a scholar and author, however, which earned her the international reputation as the "voice of nursing" for generations of students and health care professionals.  Diers' research and writing forever changed the direction of nursing science when she championed the emergence of clinical nursing research, grounding the future of nursing research in clinical practice.  A prolific author, Diers is widely acclaimed for her work on the policy and politics of advanced practice nursing and health care management and policies.  For her sustained impact on the field of nursing, she has been honored with some of the discipline's most prestigious awards.  Though officially retired from academia, Diers continues to lecture, consult, and write as she works tirelessly to improve nursing in the U.S. and beyond.

For all of your contributions, Donna K. Diers, the University of Wyoming is honored to bestow upon you the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa.