Ambassador Spotlight: Windy Alonso

Jul

Windy Williams Alonso, PhD, RN, FAHA, FHFSA
University of Virginia School of Nursing

How long have you been an FNINR Ambassador?
3 years

Why did you want to become an FNINR Ambassador?
I became interested in the FNINR Ambassador program as a PhD student over a decade ago. My predoctoral training was supported by a Ruth L. Kirschstein F31 from NINR. These funds provided key experiences that were paramount to my development. The FNINR Ambassador program is the workhorse for building and sustaining a robust funding stream for the NINR to support the innovative, groundbreaking research conducted by nurse scientists. I became an ambassador for the opportunity to advocate for nursing science, to ensure future generations of emerging scholars can secure support for their early research training, and to raise public awareness of the past and ongoing impact of nursing science as a key piece of the backbone of health care and scientific discovery.

What advice would you give your younger self?
Time is your most valuable commodity. Spend it with intention.

Why did you pursue a career in nursing?
This may sound cliché, but I became a nurse because I wanted to help people. At the time, I did not realize the paths I could take on my nursing journey. I encountered a nursing faculty member with a PhD several years into my education, and this faculty member recognized that I was as passionate about science as I was about helping people - she helped me recognize how these passions could harmonize in nursing science.

What is a fun fact many people may not know about you?
While we lived in Nebraska, my family and I traveled 1200 miles to Pennsylvania for a bagel sandwich at our favorite deli at least once a year.

About Windy

Dr. Windy Alonso is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Nursing Research at the University of Virginia School of Nursing. Dr. Alonso’s program of research focuses on testing interventions to promote exercise in individuals with chronic illness across the lifespan, with a focus on adults with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and children and adolescents with congenital heart disease. She leads an interdisciplinary team funded by the NIH/NHLBI testing the effect of an intervention to promote exercise in adults with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. She is involved in numerous professional organizations and service activities, including as an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Cardiac Failure, Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, and Western Journal of Nursing Research. In addition to being an active nursing science advocate as a member of the Friends of National Institute for Nursing Research Ambassadors, she was recently appointed to the Standing Committee on Scientific Leadership of the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Alonso is a fellow of the Heart Failure Society of America, the American Heart Association, and most recently, the American Academy of Nursing. Through her research, teaching, service, and advocacy, Dr. Alonso is committed to improving the lives of individuals with chronic illness across the lifespan and supporting the training and mentorship needs of future generations of nurse scientists.