SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

Laura Penalo is a second year Nursing Ph.D. students at The Graduate Center of The City of New York. She was born in Colombia (South America) but completed all her nursing education in the United States. She earned her BSN, MS and Post Master’s degrees at The Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing in New York City. She is currently a full-time nurse educator at Monroe College School of Nursing. In her educator role, she has been able to combine her passion for clinical leadership, nursing informatics, nursing simulations, minority health, and community nursing. She is a millennial who better understands the needs of current nursing students and is eager to integrate nursing simulations, virtual patients and electronic medical records in undergraduate nursing education. As a Latina, she is role model and advisor for many young minority students who struggle to complete nursing school due to academic and socioeconomic barriers. She is a proud member of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and has served on several community outreach committees and programs locally and internationally. Her goal is to continue her career in nursing academia and conduct research in minority health and innovative teaching strategies in undergraduate nursing education. Also, she will continue to serve minority populations through community service, leadership, and research.