SXU nursing professor receives Fulbright Scholar Grant to teach, perform research in Palestine

Prof. Zepure Boyadjian-Samawi to travel to Bethlehem University for 2012-13 academic year

Chicago (May 21, 2012) ) Saint Xavier University (SXU) School of Nursing Associate Professor Zepure Boyadjian-Samawi, Ph.D., RN, recently received a Fulbright Scholar Grant to teach and perform research during the 2012-13 academic year at Bethlehem University, a Catholic institution in Palestine. The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Samawi, a noted expert in nursing pedagogy, will partner with Bethlehem University faculty members to introduce methodology and evaluate its usefulness within the context of Palestinian culture. She also will teach courses in pediatric nursing and in nursing research, present faculty workshops on research and use of simulation equipment in teaching, and support development of study-abroad programming at SXU and Bethlehem University.

In his letter inviting her to Bethlehem University, Vice President for Academic Affairs Brother Robert Smith, FSC, Ph.D., recognized Samawi's achievements in teaching pediatric nursing and in nursing research, saying her skills would "benefit (Bethlehem University's) efforts directly, as well as providing a more global vision of the nursing profession."

Samawi completed her undergraduate nursing education at the Arab College of Medical Professions. She briefly taught at Bethlehem University before traveling to Arizona State University through the student Fulbright program to complete her Master’s degree. She subsequently became a U.S. citizen, earning her doctoral degree at Widener University. She has been an SXU nursing faculty member since 1999, where she teaches pediatric nursing and nursing research, chairs the Institutional Review Board, and helped found the Middle Eastern Studies program. She served for several years as an active member of the Educational Committee of the Society of Pediatric Nursing, and has been recognized by the Illinois Board of Higher Education with a Nurse Educator Fellowship.

SXU's School of Nursing is nationally recognized by the National League for Nursing as one of seventeen Centers of Excellence in Nursing Education. Its online Master of Science in Nursing degree program was recently ranked sixth in the top ten online MSN programs by TheBestColleges.com. In 1939, SXU was one of the first colleges in the nation to offer a baccalaureate degree in nursing. Recent grants from the State of Illinois and the U.S. Department of Human Services, as well as private gifts have allowed SXU to purchase state-of-the-art simulation equipment and teaching laboratories. The School is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

-SXU-

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Karla Thomas, Executive Director of Media Relations
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