Joan L. Shaver

PhD, RN, FAAN

Joan Shaver is Professor and Dean of the College of Nursing at the U. of Arizona (2009 to present) and Dean Emeritus, U. of Illinois at Chicago (1996-2009). For more than 20 years, Dr. Shaver conducted funded studies in women's health and sleep science, particularly women in menopausal transition and with fatiguing health conditions such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome - publishing her scientific work in nursing, medical, and interdisciplinary journals. Dr. Shaver has a particular interest in educating people, including fellow nurses, about issues in sleep, women's health, and how to cope with poor sleep (insomnia); circadian rhythms as they impact performance and the importance of sleep in health and stress and stress management. Further, she has an abiding interest in infusing sleep science into nurse and health professional curricula. Dr. Shaver is a fellow and past President of the American Academy of Nursing and fellow of the Western Academy of Nursing. In 2014, Dr. Shaver was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Research from the Midwest Nursing Research Society and the Menopause and Sleep Research Award from the North American Menopause Society in partnership with Duramed Pharmaceuticals Inc. She has served on the National Advisory Council for the NIH National Institute of Nursing Research and Scientific Advisory Committee for the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research in Canada. Dr. Shaver holds a PhD degree in Physiology and Biophysics (School of Medicine) and a master's in nursing (School of Nursing) both at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA and a baccalaureate degree (from the University of Alberta in Canada).