Boss, Siders named DNP co-directors

Associate Professor Lisa Boss, PhD, RN, and Assistant Professor Kathleen Siders, DNP, RN, will share leadership duties as co-directors of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at Cizik School of Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) effective September 1, 2021.

“We are seeing steady growth in our DNP program as students and employers recognize the value it brings in preparing nurse leaders to improve systems and patient outcomes,” said Dean Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, RN. “Managing the variety and depth of DNP tracks is a big job for anyone to take on, and I’m pleased that Dr. Boss and Dr. Siders are both stepping up and lending their expertise to co-lead the program.”

Cizik School of Nursing offers educational pathways for nurses to become practice-focused at a DNP level. Masters-prepared nurses may pursue nurse executive, nursing informatics, or targeted advanced practice tracks for current nurse practitioners (NPs), nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), or clinical nurse specialists (CNS). The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to DNP program, launched in Fall 2019, provides family and psychiatric/mental health NP tracks as well as primary and acute care adult/gerontology NP tracks. In addition, Cizik School of Nursing’s highly regarded nurse anesthesia program began offering a DNP in 2014.

Boss, who has served as interim director of the program for the past two years, will serve as one of the co-directors and will have primary responsibility for the post-master’s program options. With a focus on emergency nursing, nursing leadership, research, and nursing education, Boss taught at UTHealth as an adjunct faculty member before becoming an assistant professor in 2013 and associate professor in 2020. She earned her BSN from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston before receiving her MSN and PhD degrees from Cizik School of Nursing, where she also completed a post-master’s program in nursing leadership and administration. She is currently working toward an Executive Doctor of Education from the University of Houston with a focus on professional leadership and health science education.

Siders, who currently serves as the DPN advance practice coordinator for the NP/CNS/CRNA track, will co-direct the DNP program with primary responsibility for the BSN-DNP NP options. She is a certified family nurse practitioner (FNP) who teaches in the MSN and DNP programs and joined the faculty in 2014. She began her career earning her nursing diploma at Parkview Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and worked at hospitals and nursing homes in that state and in Houston before furthering her education. She earned her BSN, MSN, and DNP degrees at UTHealth.