Sarah Abboud named Grace Faculty Scholar
Why Sarah Abboud was named the Grace Scholar
Associate professor Sarah Abboud, PhD, RN, FAAN was named the UIC College of Nursing Helen K. Grace Endowed Faculty Scholar.
The appointment is effective as of Jan. 16.
Helen Grace, PhD, MSN ’65, FAAN, was the fourth dean of the UIC College of Nursing, leading the college from 1977 to 1982. She died in August at the age of 90. In 2012, Grace established an endowed fund to support the work of an exceptional faculty member.
In addition to her tenured faculty position, Abboud serves as the associate head of the Department of Human Development Nursing Science.
“Since joining UIC in 2016, Dr. Abboud has demonstrated exceptional leadership and scholarship, advancing health equity and social justice through her research on sexual health at the intersection of immigration, gender, sexual orientation and ethnic identity,” says UIC Nursing Dean Eileen Collins.
Abboud’s scholarship explores sexual and mental health, as well as gender-based violence prevention, for Arab immigrants, including sexual minorities.
Her research has attracted funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Cancer Institute and the Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation. She has published 67 peer-reviewed articles, four book chapters and delivered 43 presentations nationally and internationally.
Her advocacy for accurate classification of Arabs has influenced policy changes, including the American Medical Association’s 2022 adoption of a separate racial category for Arabs.
In addition to her research, Abboud is a gifted educator, redesigning key PhD courses and developing innovative curricula, such as the Honors College course Human Sexuality and Health: From Local to Global. She has received UIC’s Teaching Recognition Program Award, Faculty Fellow of the Year, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Emerging Scholar Award.
In October, Abboud was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, one of the highest honors in nursing.
Abboud will join other faculty members with endowed positions at UIC Nursing, including Ardith Doorenbos, Harriet H. Werley Chair for Nursing Research; Karen Flynn, Terrance and Karyn Holm Professor; Geraldine Gorman, Kathleen M. Irwin Clinical Chair in Outstanding Nursing Practice; Lauretta Quinn, Katherine M. Minnich Endowed Professor; Shannon Halloway, Heung Soo & Mi Ja Kim Faculty Scholar; Krista Jones, Jean C. Stout Faculty Scholar; and Janna Stephens, Nursing Collegiate Professor.