Research College of Nursing Names Maithe Enriquez, PhD, APRN, FAAN, as Graduate Program Director
Kansas City, MO—Research College of Nursing (RCoN) President Thad R. Wilson, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAANP, announced today that Maithe Enriquez, PhD, APRN, FAAN, has been appointed as Graduate Program Director. Enriquez’s primary scope of responsibility will be managing the operations and providing leadership in execution of the graduate nursing program, which is known for its educational excellence, cutting-edge curricula and distinguished faculty.
Enriquez, who joined RCoN earlier this fall, will also collaborate with other RCoN program directors and the Dean to promote academic excellence and assure nursing students achieve success in pursuing professional goals.
Regarded as a highly accomplished and compassionate executive nursing leader, Dr. Enriquez began her acclaimed career in 1985, performing clinical roles in several areas, including infectious diseases. Most recently Enriquez served as associate professor and professor at the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing in Columbia, Missouri, from 2012 to 2019. From 2004 – 2011 she served as assistant professor, associate professor and director of the PhD program at UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies. Her varied experience includes nursing leadership, clinical excellence, patient experience, quality/risk management, infection prevention and nursing education.
“Dr. Enriquez will help develop graduate programs to meet the changing needs in today’s healthcare environment,” Dr. Wilson says. “She will strengthen RCoN’s current programs and expand our reach beyond Kansas City even more. We look forward to leveraging her exemplary and robust teaching experience in undergraduate and graduate academic nursing programs as we transform health care through heroic leadership.”
“It is my honor and privilege to join Research College of Nursing as it endeavors to provide students with the means to expand their knowledge base and advance their career,” Enriquez says. “It is indeed an exciting time to contribute to the College’s work, to the advancement of nursing and to help elevate the patient experience.”
Enriquez began her nursing career after completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. She earned a Master of Nursing, Clinical Specialist, and Adult Nurse Practitioner from University of Missouri-Kansas City. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 2002 at UMKC. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship focused on the prevention and management of chronic health conditions at the University of North-Carolina at Chapel Hill. Enriquez also earned a Graduate Certificate of Public Health from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 2014.
A fully accredited institution of higher learning, RCoN has its distinctive roots in the history of Research Medical Center, which is part of the HCA Midwest Health network. The College offers flexible graduate programs in a dynamic hospital setting. Trusted for more than 110 years, RCoN is committed to empowering nurses, building leaders and caring for community.