TruMerit® & NLN Honor Two Distinguished Emerging Nursing Scholars

Award Presentation to Two Post-Doctoral Researchers Set for 2026 NLN Education Summit in Washington, DC

Washington, DC — TruMerit® and the National League for Nursing proudly announce the 2026 TruMerit / NLN Distinguished Emerging Nursing Scholar Award winners: Brenda Dzierzawski, DNP, RN, AFN-C, SANE-A, a post-doctoral scholar at Oakland University, and Apphia Tan Jia Qi, PhD, RN, a post-doctoral scholar at the National University of Singapore. The co-created awards program honors post-doctoral career nursing education researchers.

They will each receive $10,000 to support their original post-doctoral research dedicated to the advancement of teaching and learning in nursing education. Additionally, each Emerging Nursing Scholar will be supported throughout the year by TruMerit and the NLN Foundation for Nursing Education with widespread distribution of their research findings and evolving investigations in both organizations’ publications, websites, and social media channels, and through other opportunities to reach stakeholders.

That visibility begins during the 2026 NLN Education Summit, September 23-25 in Washington, DC. Drs. Dzierzawski and Tan Jia Qi will have their scholarship showcased before the leading conference of academic leaders, faculty and students across the nursing education community. Also in attendance will be key public health policymakers and executives of health and hospital systems.

Dr. Dziersazski’s project addresses what she has identified as a critical gap in Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) education: limited clinical training opportunities that risk re-traumatizing patient-victims and compromising forensic evidence. She describes the methodology she uses, along with the promising findings in her timely investigation:

Using literature showing how simulation-based and augmented reality training significantly improve clinical knowledge, skills, and confidence in nursing education, I developed an AR-based training prototype for sexual assault medical forensic exams. Expert SANEs tested the prototype, providing feedback on usability, realism, and educational value. Results were largely positive, with experts endorsing its potential for teaching genital anatomy and reinforcing skills. This award will be used to continue the work which will expand access to safe, effective SANE training and ultimately improve care for survivors.

With her belief that nursing knowledge achieves its greatest impact when it transforms everyday care, Dr. Tan Jia Qi asserts:

My research bridges nursing education and implementation science, focusing on developing competency frameworks that strengthen clinical practice and creating culturally responsive palliative care interventions for people with cancer and their families. My goal is to advance learning health systems that translate evidence into practice, improving the quality of care and the lives of patients and families.

“Based on our shared vision of scholarship with applications to real world healthcare challenges, the TruMerit® / NLN Distinguished Emerging Nursing Scholar Award is a joint investment in the future of nursing science. With this financial support and the guidance and encouragement of senior colleagues, the valuable contributions of Dr. Dzierzawski and Dr. Tan Jai Qi to nursing education will help develop new approaches to patient care to positively impact health outcomes for generations to come,” said NLN Foundation Chair Patrick Robinson, PhD, RN, ACRN, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, vice president of nursing at Pacific College of Health and Science.

“The future of healthcare depends on our ability to transform learning into better care,” said Peter Preziosi, PhD, RN, CAE, FAAN, President and CEO of TruMerit®. “TruMerit is proud to recognize Dr. Dzierzawski and Dr. Tan Jia Qi, alongside the National League for Nursing, for research that bridges nursing education and practice. From augmented reality training to competency-based approaches that turn evidence into practice, their work shows how innovation can better prepare nurses and improve care for patients and families. By investing in emerging scholars, we are investing in the future of nursing and the health of communities worldwide.”

Emerging Scholar Award applicants must have completed their doctoral dissertations on any topic related to nursing education within two years of the award presentation date. They will have committed to the pursuit of a career in nursing education research intended to have a significant, measurable impact on health care education systems worldwide. Preference will be shown towards candidates from developing and middle-income nations.

For more details, visit NLN.org.

About TruMerit®
TruMerit is a worldwide leader in healthcare workforce development with nearly 50 years of experience supporting the mobility of nurses and other healthcare workers. Formerly CGFNS International, TruMerit validates the education, training, and professional experience of internationally educated health professionals seeking authorization to practice in the United States and other countries. Through its expanded mission and the Global Health Workforce Development Institute, TruMerit advances research, standards, and certifications that strengthen the global health workforce and promote equitable, sustainable career mobility.