Professor
University of Central Florida
Dr.Diaz is a Professor and Endowed Enfermeria Scholar at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing and has been a nurse educator for the past 21 years. She is an ANCC Board Certified Family Nurse practitioner, Certified Nurse Educator, and a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator - Advanced. She completed her PhD in Nursing with a focus on simulation and Limited English Proficient Patients and subsequently completed a post-doctoral degree under Pamela Jeffries at Johns Hopkins. She is a triple Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, American Nursing Education, and Society for Simulation. Her interest is in investigating simulation best practices as a mode of education to decrease healthcare disparities with vulnerable populations. Current research activities include creating different types of simulation-based education such as a hologram, virtual, and augmented reality utilizing embedded participants and standardized patients to promote diverse simulated environments via simulated modalities. Dr.Diaz remains active in advanced nursing practice in the primary care setting to ensure clinical relevance in her work. Cultural awareness and linguistically competent care are hallmarks of my teaching, scholarship, and practice.