Tina Cuellar, RN, PhD, PMHCNS-BC

About Me

Dr. Cuellar, recently assumed the role of President of Texas Nurses Association, District 9. Currently she is Director of Live Review at Elsevier/HESI where she also was 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 5 years and in the faculty role for 7 years. Her clinical and course areas were women’s health, community health, and mental health.  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.  At UTMB, she received multiple recognitions including the prestigious Johnella Banks Member Achievement Award by the Association of Black Nursing Faculty.  She was named Distinguished Teaching Professor by University of Texas Board of Regents, inducted into University of Texas Medical Branch Master Teacher’s Academy and served as the inaugural Alice Stubblefield Term Professor of Nursing in the UTMB SON for five years. Prior to UTMB Dr. Cuellar was faculty at Schools of Nursing at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Victoria College. 

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She voluntarily served three tours of duty in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Germany. While in the Air Force Reserves Air Force Lt. Colonel Cuellar had a distinguished military career as a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist and administrator.  She served as mental health consultant to the US Air Force Reserve Command Nurse and USAF Major General Melissa Rank, Chief Nurse of the US Air Force Nurse Corps collaborating with her active duty counterpart in developing competencies for mental health nurses. In addition, she served as Mental Health Functional Manager where she collaborated in the development of an Interprofessional Mental Health continuing education program as well as 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. 

Prior to her faculty appointment and when not activated as a U.S. Air Force Reserve nurse, Dr. Cuellar was a nurse administrator in mental health.  Notable during that time period is that Tina opened and managed two mental health inpatient units, a partial hospitalization unit and a crisis hotline for a mid-size city in south Texas and was recognized by JCAHO and the state of Texas for innovations on those units.  

This nurse’s distinguished career in nursing demonstrates a variety of service as a professional role model.  She is a member of many professional nursing organizations.  Tina recently completed her term as President of School of Nursing Alumni Association at the University of Texas Medical Branch. For over 30 years and counting she has been a member of the American Nurses Association.  In that capacity, Tina served as president of her local district for three terms in 1992 and 1998 (District 20) and 2012 (District 29) and served as a member of ANA House of Delegates for 5 years.  Currently Dr. Cuellar is president of TNA District 9 and was recently elected to the TNA State Board of Directors.  In addition, she is a member of the Association of Black Nursing Faculty (ABNF) and was elected to ABNF Board of Directors, Sigma Theta Tau, and the American Holistic Nurses Association.  

In her nursing career, Dr. Cuellar has contributed to nursing’s body of knowledge.  She is the recipient of over $ 500,000 in funded research.  Her program of research includes the study of resiliency among nurses deployed in military war zones.  Her publication list includes articles on Salutogenesis- the relationship between health, stress, and coping, and military nurses providing caring and healing in war zones.  She has presented at the state, national, and international level.  She has authored/co-authored 20 articles, presented podium presentations, and was the primary author of 15 poster sessions.  Also, For the past ten years Dr. Cuellar has served as Continuing Nursing Education consultant developing questions for continuing education articles published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing in addition to reviewing articles for publication in Public Health Nursing as well as the Journal of Nursing Education and Practice.        

CONTRIBUTES TO THE QUALITY OF HEALTH CARE

Dr. Cuellar has contributed to the quality of health care through the education of military nurses and personnel in the area of suicide prevention management for military personnel through research and education.   In addition, to her service to the quality of military health care, she is active in the underserved community.  She served as a member of Texas Southern University Interprofessional Health Care Program that recruits and strategizes to retain students in the health care professions.  

Doing work to “advance the nursing profession” is arguably one of the noblest endeavors a nurse can pursue and demonstrates commitment to the profession of nursing.  Tina advances the professional image of nursing by being a role model to aspiring nurses, nurses and faculty.  Her passion to advance the profession is demonstrated through her extensive participation on committees, presentations and volunteer activity with students who are interested in health careers.  She is the recent past president of the UTMB Alumni Association, serves on the UTMB President’s Cabinet, the UTMB Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Alumni Association Board of Directors, and serves on the UTMB Development Board as well as the Association of Black Nursing Faculty Board of Directors, and is a member of the University of Houston Clear Lake’s School of Nursing Advisory Board.