Dr. Norma Cuellar
PhD, RN, FAAN
Season 04 - Episode 04
Norma Cuellar PhD, RN, FAAN
Dr. Norma Cuellar received her baccalaureate degree in nursing from University of Southern Mississippi, her masters degree in nursing from Louisiana Health Sciences Center, and her doctorate of science in nursing from University of Alabama at Birmingham. She completed a post doctoral fellowship from the University of Virginia in Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Her clinical background began in coronary care ICU in 1984. Since then, she has practiced in home health, incarceration, school health, and long term care facilities.
Dr. Cuellar has taught since 1989 in a variety of nursing programs. Her focus in teaching has been leadership, research, gerontology, and sleep.
Dr. Cuellar is currently the editor in chief of the Journal of Transcultural Nursing. Dr. Cuellar has published in peer review journals as well as several book chapters related to her research area: Restless Legs Syndrome, Sleep, Complementary and Alternative Health Care, and Diversity. She was recently awarded the recognitions as a Transcultural Nurse Scholar – a recognition of her contribution to the science of culturally congruent health care and diversity.
Dr. Cuellar’s primary focus has been on Cultural Diversity. She is the immediate past- president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (2018-2020). She is currently funded with the All of Us Research program with NIH in collaboration with the National Association of Hispanic Nurses. She has received over $350,000 in funding to promote awareness of the initiative in health care providers of Latinos and the Latino community.
Dr. Cuellar is the program director for the HRSA BAMA-L grant. In collaboration with the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, 80 Latino nurses with associate degree programs will be admitted to the CCNs RN to BSN program. Not only is this an academic program but a program that focuses on leadership development. Students are expected to develop as future leaders in collaboration with mentorship from NAHN. Fall 2020 will be Year 4 of the program, the last year to admit Latinos to the program.
In the past, Dr. Cuellar has received NIH funding for a randomized, clinical trial to study the use of valerian, an herb used to promote sleep, in persons with Restless Legs Syndrome. She has also examined the impact of RLS in persons with type 2 diabetes and has been funded to study the implication of genetics in persons with RLS and type 2 diabetes.
