Cynthia Weston

Weston's research interests include cardiovascular disease, health promotion and wellness, innovative pedagogy in family nurse practitioner curriculum, improving access to health care in vulnerable populations, patient safety and interprofessional education. Weston has extensive career experience in the care of infants, children and adults with heart disease and focuses her research on improvement science and building effective interprofessional teams. She has developed innovative clinical simulation and teaching methods to prepare the next generation of family nurse practitioners to meet the gaps in access to health care. She began her nursing career at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital/Texas Heart Institute caring for infants, children and adults after cardiac surgery and transplantation. She was appointed the Betty Baker Distinguished Professor in Cardiovascular Nursing at Stephen F. Austin State University in 1996. In 2007, she established nurse practitioner services for the cardiovascular service line at Kingwood Medical Center achieving 100 percent compliance in CMS Core Measures throughout her tenure. In 2011, she received an academic appointment in the department of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio School of Medicine as the nurse practitioner for the congenital heart program and Single Ventricle Clinic. Weston received her Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch and Master of Science in nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Texas Health Science Center in 2014.