National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS)

Audrey Nelson

Dr. Audrey L. Nelson, Center Director for the VHA Patient Safety Center of Inquiry (focus: Safe Patient mobility and safe patient handling and movement). Dr. Nelson has joint faculty appointments at the University of South Florida in the Colleges of Engineering, Aging Studies, and Public Health, and is the Associate Director for Clinical Research in the College of Nursing. She has over 29 years of nursing experience, as a staff nurse, nurse administrator and nurse researcher. Dr. Nelson is nationally known for her research in patient and caregiver safety. She chaired a national VHA task force on Patient Care Ergonomics and her program is being implemented nationally. Dr. Nelson was appointed by the United States Secretary of Labor to National Advisory Committee on Ergonomics 2002-2004. She is past President of the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses and Past Chair of the Rehabilitation Research Foundation for the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses. Dr. Nelson is well respected for her expertise in nursing research. Her program of research focuses on safe working environments for nurses, particularly related to patient care ergonomics. She established four research laboratories: Patient Safety Simulation Lab, Gait and Balance Lab, Biomechanics Research Lab, and Patient Safety Engineering Lab.  Dr. Nelson has authored over 75 referred publications and numerous books and book chapters.