Ernestine Cuellar, PhD, APRN, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
Get to know Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Dr. Ernestine Cuellar, who serves patients in the State of Texas.
Attributing her success to her love for her profession, Dr. Cuellar is an advanced practice registered nurse who has worked in several nursing specialty areas, including obstetrics and mental health. She advances the professional image of nursing by being a role model for aspiring nurses, nurses, and faculty. Her passion to advance the profession is demonstrated through her extensive participation in committees, presentations, and volunteer activities with students who are interested in health careers.
For the past ten years, Dr. Cuellar has served as a Continuing Nursing Education Consultant, developing questions for continuing education articles that are published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing, in addition to reviewing articles for publication in Public Health Nursing and the Journal of Nursing Education and Practice.
Most recently, she completed her role as President of the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) School of Nursing Alumni Association. She was Director of Live Review at Elsevier/HESI, where she was also employed as Director of Curriculum for case studies. Prior to her affiliation with Elsevier, Dr. Cuellar served as an Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions at UTMB for five years and in the faculty role for seven years.
As a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel, she has had a distinguished military career as a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist and administrator. She voluntarily served three tours of duty in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Germany. She served as a mental health consultant to the U.S. Air Force, where she worked with the Reserve Command Nurse, USAF Major General Melissa Rank, and Chief Nurse of the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps. Collaborating with her active-duty counterparts, she assisted in developing competencies for mental health nurses. In addition, she served as a mental health functional manager where she collaborated in the development of an interprofessional mental health continuing education program and has developed a suicide prevention program, providing educational presentations that promoted mental health resiliency and stability for the 3000-member reserve component of the base. She received several recognitions for this service, including two meritorious service and commendation medals.
In regards to her education, Dr. Cuellar earned her nursing degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 1990. She then went on to obtain her Doctorate degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 2006.
For over 30 years, she has been a member of the American Nurses Association. In that capacity, she served as president of her local district for three terms, and as a member of the ANA House of Delegates for 5 years. What’s more, she is a member of the Texas Nurses Association.
Among her many achievements, she was the recipient of the National Sojourner Truth Award from the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs. It is given to a woman who has exemplified outstanding community service and whose life parallels the life and qualities of Sojourner Truth. She has also authored and co-authored 20 articles, presented podium presentations, and was the primary author of 15 poster sessions.
Learn More about Dr. Ernestine Cuellar:
Through her online profile, https://todaysnurse.org/network/index.php?do=/4144716/info/
