Illinois State University’s Stephen Stapleton has been awarded an Illinois Board of Education Nurse Educator Fellowship. Stapleton is an assistant professor at the University’s Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN).

The purpose of the Nurse Educator Fellowship Program is to retain well-qualified nursing faculty at institutions of higher learning that award degrees in nursing and is awarded to those who have made significant contributions to their nursing education programs. The Fellowship includes a nearly $10,000 grant toward continuing research.

Stapleton joined MCN in 2010. His research interests include emergency nursing, pain and symptom management and palliative care.

With his work published in such scholarly journals as the Journal of Clinical Nursing, the Journal of Emergency Nursing and the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, Stapleton received grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Emergency Nurses Association – Foundation.

Stapleton earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing. He is finishing a two-year term as president of the Illinois State Council of the Emergency Nurses Association and is a committee member of the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing.

In addition to Stapleton, three MCN doctoral students were also awarded Nurse Fellowship grants, including Theresa Adelman-Mullally of Pekin, Mary S. Haras of Chicago and Theresa Schwindenhammer of West Peoria.

For additional information, contact Amy Irving of MCN at (309) 438-7418.