Dean Elias Provencio-Vasquez, PhD, awards the Dean’s Intramural Awards to faculty at the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing to support nurse-led research aiming to advance the nursing science, healthcare research, and education.
The Dean’s Intramural Award for Research was created by Dean Provencio-Vasquez to jumpstart research at the pilot level and to increase extramural funding at CU Anschutz College of Nursing. After its inception, the dean recognized a need for additional research funding to support faculty conducting evaluations to improve nursing education. Thus, the Dean’s Intramural Award: Innovation for Teaching and Practice was created.
Fara Bowler, DNP, APRN, CHSE-A, Assistant Dean of Clinical Simulation Science was selected as one of the recipients of the Dean’s Intramural Award: Innovation for Teaching and Practice along with her co-investigators Jill Marks, DNP, APRN, CPNP, and Michele Wolf, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC. The award will fund their simulation research, evaluating the feasibility of standardized simulation in graduate nursing programs.
Christina Baker, PhD, was also selected as a recipient of the Dean’s Intramural Award: Innovation for Teaching and Practice. Among her co-investigators are Dawon Baik, PhD, RN, Sharon Giarrizzo-Wilson, PhD, RN, Fara Bowler, DNP, APRN, CHSE-A, Theresa Noonan, DNP, Jing Yu, and Ryan Cloyd. The award will fund a project looking at innovation in informatics teaching and simulation using artificial intelligence.
Mia Roberts, PhD, CPNP, was selected as the recipient of the Dean’s Intramural Award for Research with her co-investigators, Shannon Pirrie, DNP, MS, CNM, Brie Thumm, PhD, CNM, RN, MBA, FACNM, and Pamela Swendseid, FNP, MN, MAMCH. Their research will evaluate postpartum utilization and health outcomes at Sheridan Health Services, one of the college’s nurse-led clinics.
The goal of the award is to fund research led by junior faculty and to support research at the College. Since 2019, over $230,000 has been awarded to 13 faculty members to support nurse-led research.
The award is competitive, and finalists are selected through a rigorous review process. To be considered, nursing faculty submit research proposals to be peer-reviewed by a committee. Finalists are then sent to the dean for consideration. The review model purposely imitates the review process for external research grants to help junior faculty become more familiar with the grant submission process.
Recipients of the Dean’s Intramural Awards work closely with the Office of Research and Scholarship (ORS) at CU Anschutz Nursing. The ORS team helps researchers at the college navigate the grant life cycle and apply for external grants.
The application process for the 2026 Dean Intramural Awards will open in spring 2026.
