Three faculty selected as Nurse Educator Fellows
Sara McPherson, Krista Jones and Stacy Arriola were selected for the program from the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
About the fellowship
UIC College of Nursing faculty members Stacy Arriola, Krista Jones and Sara McPherson were selected for the Nurse Educator Fellowship Program from the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
The program aims to ensure the retention of well-qualified nursing faculty at institutions of higher learning that award degrees in nursing. Awards will be used to supplement the salaries of the nursing faculty selected for the Fellowship.
This competitive program rewards outstanding nursing faculty by providing funds to enhance their practice as a nurse educator through professional development as well as supporting the success of their institution’s pre-licensure nursing program.
About the awardees
Stacy Arriola, DNP ’21, MSN ’16, FNP-BC, CNE, is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Population Health Nursing Science. Arriola received a 2025-2026 UIC Teaching Recognition Award from the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. She was a Daisy Award winner in 2023 and a “40 Under 40” Emerging Nurse Leader awardee in 2018. Arriola was also awarded Nurse Educator of the Year in 2022 by the Philippine Nurses Association of America North Central Region.
Clinical professor Krista Jones, DNP ’11, MSN ’07, PHNA-BC, FNAP, FAAN, is director of the UIC Nursing Urbana campus and the inaugural Jean C. Stout Endowed Faculty Scholar. She boasts an impressive record of research and scholarly contributions to improve population health, including 27 grants and nearly $7 million in funding. Jones is the chair of the Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations, one of several professional leadership positions she holds.
Clinical associate professor Sara McPherson, PhD, CNE, is director of the UIC Nursing Springfield campus and interim director of the Peoria campus. McPherson has been faculty in the Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science since 2016, Springfield campus, teaching a wide variety of courses and labs at the at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her program of research is centered on nursing education, focusing on preparing faculty, recruitment, and retention strategies.