Meet the Team
Dr. Elizabeth Merwin
PhD, RN, FAAN
Executive Director of
Center for Rural Health and Nursing
- Professor emeritus from the University of Virginia. Prior Director/PI of NIH Funded Rural Health Research Center
- Previously, Dean at UTA College of Nursing & Health Innovation, where she is currently a Professor
- Previously, Executive Vice Dean at Duke University School of Nursing, where she is currently a Consulting Professor
- Previous President, Rural Nurse Organization
- Founding Member and a Leader of Global Rural Nursing Network
- Performed specialized research in areas including rural health, mental health, and health disparities in under-served communities
- Held leadership roles and management positions in both academia and health care delivery systems
Aspen Drude
MBA
Manager of Center for Rural Health and Nursing
- Currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, with research focused on regional comprehensive universities and return on investment in rural communities
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Holds an MBA from the College of William & Mary with a concentration in Management Engineering and Technology Development
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Brings over 11 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including 4 years in management roles overseeing multi-million-dollar operations and leading teams of 30+ employees
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Possesses cross-sector experience spanning hospitality, automotive, retail, and healthcare, contributing to a well-rounded and adaptable leadership approach
Dr. SuLynn Mester
DNP, RHCNOC, RN
Clinical Assistant Professor
Liaison Team Member – Southwest Texas
Center for Rural Health and Nursing
- Adjunct faculty at UTA since 2020, teaching in the AO doctorate program and serving as faculty advisor for DNP students.
- Registered Nurse since 1987, specializing in critical care, CVICU and Level 1 trauma prior to working the past 14 years as a CNO at a rural Texas hospital
- Past recipient of Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals (TORCH) Policy Fellowship, National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Leadership Fellowship, and Coldiron Senior Nurse Executive Fellowship
- Advisory Board Member of Clarendon College School of Nursing, Area for Health Education Center (AHEC) of the South Plains and NRHA Rural Hospital Chief Officer Certification Program
- Involved in rural health advocacy issues serving on the Texas Nurses Association as the Governmental Advising Liaison, as well as the Hospital and Health Systems Constituency Group Representative for NRHA Rural Health Congress.
Wei You
MSTAT
Statistician III of Center for Rural Health and Nursing
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Worked as a Web Developer and Data Analyst for three years, developing and maintaining data-driven web applications, designing and managing databases, and generating business reports using C#, VB, SAS, and SQL
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Served as a Research Statistician III at the Duke University School of Nursing, supporting projects focused on reducing health disparities in rural communities
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Provided statistical consulting and data solutions to research teams, with expertise in data preparation, manipulation, and analysis using SAS; additional experience with Stata, R, Python, SPSS, Tableau, and ArcGIS Pro
Dr. Suzanne Daly
PhD, RN
Assistant Professor of Research
Quality Outcomes Researcher for Center for Rural Health and Nursing
- Assistant Professor of Research at UTA since 2019
- Previous work as Consulting Associate at Duke University School of Nursing
- Research areas of interest: rural health, rural health disparities, racial disparities
- Worked as a Public Health Nurse with the Durham County Health Department
- Worked as a Registered Nurse on the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Duke University Hospital
Mayanda Serhan
RN
Grant Writer II
- Holds B.S. in Nursing with minor in Technical Writing from the University of Texas at Arlington
- Worked as a Registered nurse specializing in women’s health
- Instructional facilitator of grant writing course offered by the center
- Experience with grant funding and assistance in crafting proposals
- Enhances healthcare access and services for underserved rural communities by identifying and securing appropriate funding opportunities
Midori Hrinda
Community Outreach Coordinator – Rural Texas
Center for Rural Health and Nursing
- Holds a B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
- Over 3 years of experience in healthcare marketing
- Experience in executing rural outreach initiatives
Jill Whitfill
MSN, RN
Assistant Professor of Practice – Rural Simulation Consultant
Center for Rural Health and Nursing
- Lead in the development and deployment of the first mobile simulation program in a college of nursing within the United States.
- Responsible for the development and delivery of rural educational curriculum in the SMART Hospital IGLOO; first in a college of nursing in the United States.
- Extensive nursing experience serving underserved communities in both rural and urban settings. Areas of expertise include working for a level 1 trauma hospital in medical-surgical, ICU and physical rehabilitation. Also served and led alongside colleagues trained at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago gaining expertise in traumatic brain and spinal cord injury nursing.
- Areas of research include rural health, abelism in nursing and medical education, mental health and health disparities.
Additional Staff
Student Assistants:
- Caroline King – Pursuing Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- Lauri Hix – Pursing her Masters of Science in Nursing and Master’s in Public Health
