Dr. Maria Shirey

Dean, UAB School of Nursing — PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FACHE, FNAP, FAAN

Friday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Maria Shirey became the fifth dean of the UAB School of Nursing in June 2022 and is the first Hispanic dean of nursing in Alabama and the first minority to lead the School in its 75-year history. She began her career as a bedside cardiovascular critical care nurse and advanced through leadership roles as administrator, service line director, hospital vice president, and entrepreneur; as founding director of the Magnet Program for Excellence in Nursing Services at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Indiana, she led the organization to Magnet designation. She has held adjunct and full-time faculty roles teaching nursing leadership and management across BSN, MSN, DNP, and PhD programs and is a sought-after mentor to doctoral students. She joined UAB in 2013 as a tenured Professor and Assistant Dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships, served as Chair of the Department of Acute, Chronic and Continuing Care (2015–2019), then as Associate Dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships and inaugural holder of the Jane H. Brock – Florence Nightingale Endowed Professorship in Nursing; as Dean she holds the Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing. Her research focuses on leadership science and health services outcomes and on interprofessional collaborative practice models to advance care access and health equity for vulnerable populations; she has brought more than $20 million in extramural funding to UAB since 2013. She is a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice, Academy of Nursing Education, American Academy of Nursing, and American College of Healthcare Executives, and has received the American Organization for Nursing Leadership Nurse Researcher Award and the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing Suzanne Smith Memorial Award for Scholarly Writing Excellence.

Christopher Collado

Associate Professor, UMMC School of Nursing — DHA, NP-C, CPNP-AC/PC

Friday 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM

Throughout his almost 30-year career, Chris Collado has served as a provider, academician, and healthcare leader with a focus on increasing healthcare access for underserved populations. In 2020, he led the operational transition and facility activation of the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower at Children's of Mississippi. Chris joined the Children's administrative team in 2021 as the Clinical and Administrative Services Director. In this role, he provided leadership for the Center for Maternal and Fetal Care, developed strategic partnerships with community health systems, and led the Center for Children with Medical Complexity. During his tenure, Children's expanded vital maternal and pediatric healthcare services across our state. As Director of the Center for Children with Medical Complexity, Chris helped improve care access for medically complex children resulting in reduced healthcare costs, ER utilization, and inpatient admissions. In 2024, he led the development of Children's five-year strategic plan and has presented regionally on healthcare topics and organizational change management.

D'Ann Somerall

Sigma Session Speaker — DNP, MAEd, CRNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN

Chapter Key Award Hints for a Successful Submission

Friday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Dr. Somerall is an Associate Professor at the UAB School of Nursing and an active member of the Nu at-Large Chapter #12. She has served in various chapter leadership roles and was the Region 8 Regional Chapter Coordinator from 2020 to 2024. She is currently co-director of the Health Policy Fellowship, which develops innovative ways to create change in the health care sector by training policy leaders.

Dr. Suzanne Prevost

Sigma Session Speaker — PhD, RN, FAAN

Beyond the Induction: Leveraging Sigma Membership for Career Success

Saturday 9:50 AM – 10:50 AM

Dr. Suzanne Prevost has been a Sigma member for over 40 years. She has served in Sigma leadership roles at the chapter, regional, national, and international levels. From 2011-2013, Dr. Prevost served as the International President of Sigma Theta Tau. Currently, she chairs the Sigma International Building Corporation Board. Dr. Prevost also served as dean of the Capstone College of Nursing from 2013-2023. In 2023, she voluntarily transitioned to a tenured professor role at CCN. Previously, she was associate dean at the University of Kentucky, and the Endowed Chair in Gerontological Nursing at Middle Tennessee State University. From 1993-1998, she was the Director of Nursing Education and Research at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Earlier in her career, she worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist and critical care staff nurse. Dr. Prevost received her BSN at Villa Maria College in Pennsylvania, her MSN at the Medical University of South Carolina, and her PhD at Texas Woman's University. She has completed a Hartford Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Executive Fellowship. She served as the editor of the journal Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America from 2002-2007, and editor of Nursing Clinics of North America from 2007 to 2012. She currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Nursing Scholarship.