Jennifer Roye, MSN, RN, CHSE, CNE is the 2021 recipient of the NEF M. Louise Fitzpatrick Scholarship. She holds an MSN from the University of Texas at Arlington and is currently obtaining an EdD in Instructional Leadership from the University of Alabama with a focus on nursing education. Mrs. Roye is the Assistant Dean for Simulation and Technology at the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation. She also is the Lead faculty for the Nursing Care of Children and Adolescents course and Telehealth Basics course. She is an alum of the National League for Nursing LEAD program, a program for emerging leaders in nursing education. 

At UTA, simulation is a major part of the nursing curriculum. Ms. Roye hopes to continue to enhance simulation efforts, increasing student engagement using active learning strategies. Due to the pandemic, technology has become a necessary part of all programs, both instructional and in simulation. Research and scholarly activities in the area of innovation and technology are priority goals. Her additional research interests are varied and include simulation-based education, telehealth, pediatric healthcare disparities, technology driven pedagogy, and moral distress in nursing. Her doctoral work is in the area of moral distress in nursing and nursing education. 

Ms. Roye’s professional goals upon completion of her EdD program are to continue her research in the area of moral distress in diverse populations, including ethnic minority nurses. She also is the nursing planning liaison for the development of a new, state of the art simulation center at the University of Texas at Arlington with plans to open the center in Spring of 2023.  

Ms. Roye is involved in several grant activities including funding from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board through the Nursing Innovation Grant Program - Supporting Clinical Learning Experiences to Mitigate Impediments due to COVID-19. As part of this grant, Mrs. Roye and her team are integrating telepresence robots to augment the learner experience, increasing access to an increased variety of clinical areas that were previously inaccessible.  

Ms. Roye is an active member of several professional organizations including the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning, Sigma Theta Tau, and The National League for Nursing. 

The gift of this scholarship will allow Ms. Roye to complete her current educational journey, however, lifelong learning is her passion. “If you don’t learn something every single day, it’s a wasted day” -Leonard Lauder.