The UCSF Alpha Eta Chapter is the 29th chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Society of Nursing (Sigma), an international community of nurses dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, teaching, learning and service through the cultivation of communities of practice, education and research. As one of the oldest Sigma chapters, Alpha Eta is proud to advance Sigma's mission within the nursing community at UCSF and throughout the Bay Area. We encourage you to join our vibrant community.
Message from the President
Welcome to the Alpha Eta Chapter at UCSF! Established in 1964, our chapter has inducted thousands of members from across the Bay Area. The chapter's board of directors is dedicated to helping you advance your nursing career. Our chapter prides itself on the expansion of our members' involvement in research and leadership development through grants and awards. We are in the process of developing networking opportunities, hosting career development and guest speaker events, and arranging philanthropic opportunities. We recognize that our members have diverse nursing backgrounds, and we want to create a variety of opportunities that interest our members. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or a member of our board of directors if you would like to be more involved, have suggestions or questions. It is a pleasure to serve as your president, and I look forward to the opportunity to create meaningful memories in Alpha Eta Chapter history.
All the best,
Anna Tealdi
Alpha Eta Chapter President, 2021-2023
Join Sigma Theta Tau Alpha Eta Chapter: Apply by May 4
Members of the Sigma Theta Tau Alpha Eta Chapter at UCSF have access to educational opportunities, financial support and grants, professional networking events and more. Apply by May 4. See flyer for more details about member benefits. New and current chapter members are invited to attend the virtual new member induction ceremony on May 18, 1-2:30 p.m. Contact Angel Barrios for Zoom link.
Vote for Your 2024-2025 Alpha Eta Chapter Officers
Voting for the 2024-2025 Alpha Eta Chapter Officers is now open. Current Alpha Eta Chapter members are encouraged to visit the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) (UCSF log-in required) to cast their vote on the proposed slate of officers. Voting closes May 11.
Sigma Theta Alpha Eta Chapter Awards
- Doctor of Nursing Practice Award: Active Sigma Theta Tau/Alpha Eta Chapter holding a DNP degree and UCSF student members who have completed at least one project series course are eligible for this award of up to $1,000. Review the application instructions on the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) (UCSF log-in required). The application for the 2024 award is now closed.
- Research Award: The application for the Sigma Theta Tau/Alpha Eta Chapter Research Award is now open. Usual grants awarded are $2,500-$3,000. The maximum award is $4,000. Review the application instructions on the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) (UCSF log-in required). The application for the 2024 award is now closed.
Sigma Region 1 International Nursing Conference 2024
Join Alpha Eta Chapter members at the 2024 Sigma Region 1 International Nursing Conference, June 25-27, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The theme of the event is Nurses as Adaptive Leaders: For Healthy People and a Healthy Planet. Visit the conference webpage for details. Submit an abstract by April 7, 2024.
Alpha Eta Chapter Resources
Alpha Eta Chapter History
The Alpha Eta Chapter, the 29th Sigma Theta Tau International Chapter, was established on May, 22, 1964. In 1961, led by Lida Chase, president of the School of Nursing student body, UCSF students and faculty began to formally build the foundations for the Alpha Eta Chapter. Faculty members most involved from 1961 to 1964 were Janet Erickson and Jean Burroughs. Installation of the chapter was held on May 22, 1964. Sigma President Catherine McClure, Teresa Campbell, Alpha Eta Chapter's first president, and Vice President Shirley Sears Chater presided over the installation of 57 charter members.
In the ensuing years since chapter establishment, the Alpha Eta Chapter has forged a close relationship to the research-intensive UCSF School of Nursing which fostered it. Our consistent attention to seed grant funding has supported growth of doctoral student research, prompted faculty collaborations with medical center staff for better outcomes in patient care and provided matching funds for expansion of research programs in quality care. The chapter has sponsored research and leadership conferences annually — often in collaboration with other scholarly organizations or Sigma chapters — and we have developed leaders in education, research and service. Current efforts include support of research activity in Africa through an at-large chapter, local community activities in collaboration with other campus and regional efforts to heighten public support for charitable works, and endowed research funding for the future.
Goals of the Alpha Eta Chapter
The Alpha Eta Chapter is committed to:
- Recognizing superior achievement.
- Recognizing the development of leadership qualities.
- Fostering high professional standards.
- Encouraging creative work.
- Strengthening commitment to the ideals and purposes of the profession of nursing.
Benefits of Alpha Eta Chapter Membership
Members have access to educational opportunities, financial support and grants, professional networking events, board leadership positions, subscription to the Journal of Nursing Scholarship and eligibility for the Alpha Eta Chapter Research and Leadership Awards. If members move away from the San Francisco Bay Area, they are able to transfer their membership to another chapter or join an additional chapter and hold dual membership.
Benefits of Sigma Membership
Sigma is designed to meet members' specific needs at every stage of their career. Membership offers exceptional benefits, including members-only free access to online nursing professional development courses to help you thrive as a nurse. Learn more about these and other benefits on the Sigma membership site.
Apply to the Alpha Eta Chapter
Step 1: Ensure that your Sigma membership is current. To join Sigma, or to reactivate your membership, contact Sigma Member Services at [email protected] or (888) 634-7575.
Step 2: Self-enroll in the Sigma Alpha Eta Chapter course of the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) (UCSF log-in required).
- Review the minimum academic requirements for student membership (UCSF log-in required)
- Review the application process and details for new applicants (UCSF log-in required)
Step 3: Students, faculty and community leaders follow these steps to apply:
- Complete application (UCSF log-in required)
- Upload CV/resume (UCSF log-in required)
- Upload supporting documents (UCSF log-in required)
For questions about the member application, contact Angel Barrios, counselor for the Alpha Eta Chapter, at [email protected]. View flyer for details.
About the Alpha Eta Research and Leadership Endowment
On May 28, 2009, the Alpha Eta Chapter celebrated its 45th induction of new members and launched a campaign for the creation of a new fund that will ensure funding for the chapter's annual awards in perpetuity. Some of the chapter's awards are long standing: Since 1980, Alpha Eta has funded six to eight research grants a year ($15,000 per year) to support student and faculty research, and Sigma has gratefully acknowledged our sponsorship of these awards at its biennial Leadership Academy on three occasions.
Some awards are newer: In 2008, the Sigma Theta Tau International/Alpha Eta Collaborative Research Grant was initiated to support Tau Lambda-at-Large (15 chapters) for research and advancement of nursing knowledge in Sub-Saharan Africa. Alpha Eta has pledged $2,000 a year for the next two years. The first award will fund a study titled "The Experiences of Grandmothers Who Are Taking Care of Orphan Grandchildren," by Sheila Shaibu, PhD, RN in Botswana. The success of such awards will determine ongoing funding.
Alpha Eta's Board of Directors has also approved a new award to support leadership development ($2,000 per year). The award will support active Alpha Eta chapter members who are engaged in activities such as the Sigma Leadership Program and the Maternal-Child Health Leadership Academy, campaigning for offices in state, national or international organizations, or attending courses in leadership development or conferences, such as the American Academy of Nursing, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, the Sigma Biennial Conference, or the Sigma Biennial Leadership Academy. The initial grant awards were awarded in 2009.
We hope you agree that these awards — which testify to the Alpha Eta Chapter's commitment to Sigma's strategic plan for knowledge, service and leadership — deserve stable, ongoing funding. Our fundraising goal is $400,000 and a leadership gift of $100,000 has launched this campaign. We have met our goals to endow the fund, and continue to add your contributions to the endowment.
This fundraising campaign cannot succeed without the full support of every Alpha Eta Chapter member, and to help us meet our funding goal, please pledge or make a donation now. You may:
- Make an online donation.
- Send a check payable to UCSF Foundation FBO Alpha Eta Nursing Research and Leadership Fund. The check should be sent to UCSF Foundation, Alpha Eta Nursing Research and Leadership Fund, P.O. Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145-0339.
- Make a pledge for annual contributions, in recognition of the benefit you received as an award recipient.
We hope you will join us in contributing to the fund. Your commitment is vital for our success.
Contact Alpha Eta
Alpha Eta Chapter
Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing
University of California, San Francisco
School of Nursing
2 Koret Way, 319F
San Francisco, 94143 CA
Alpha Eta Chapter Leadership
| Board Members | ||||
| President | Anna Gabriela Tealdi, MS, RN | Registered Nurse, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center | ||
| Immediate Past President | Mary Foley, PhD, RN, FAAN | Professor Emerita | ||
| Vice President | Marianne Hultgren, DNP, RN, CNE | Associate Professor | ||
| Secretary | Monika Dayal, RN | |||
| Treasurer | Elena R. Fisher, MS, RN, FNP-C | DNP Student | ||
| Chapter Counselor | Angelita Barrios, DNP, RN, CNS | Assistant Clinical Professor; Contact with questions about member application | ||
| Chapter Mentor | Patricia Sparacino, PhD, RN, FAAN | Professor Emerita | ||
| Archivist | Ellen Schell, PhD, RN | |||
| Leadership Succession Committee | ||||
| Chair | Linda Franck, PhD, RN, FAAN | Professor | ||
| Governance Committee | ||||
| Chair | Kyung Mi Kim, PhD, RN | Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stanford University | ||
| Representatives | ||||
| Master of Science program | Sarah Nordman | |||
| Master of Science program | Sachi Timmons | |||
| DNP program | Ernie Sutton | |||
| PhD program | Kate Oppegaard | |||
Sigma Theta Tau Alpha Eta Chapter Award Recipients
Congratulations to the 2023 Alpha Eta Chapter Award Recipients.
PhD Awardees:
- Mats Christiansen, MSN, RN, "Sexuality After Prostate Cancer Treatment for Men with Same-Sex Relationships and Sexuality"
- Shaimaa Mosad Elrefaay, MSN, RN, "Psychological Distress and Depressive Symptoms Among Arab Populations Living in the United States"
- Bethany Golden, MS, RN, CNM, "Midwives Experiencing Telehealth in Clinical Practice"
DNP Awardees:
- Karen Jennings, DNP, RN, FNP, "Improving the Percentage of Discharges Before Noon: Door to Discharge"
- Nancy Pope-Angulo, DNP, RN, MHA, "Improving Health Literacy for Adult Parishoners of a Black Catholic Church Using Ask Me 3"
Sigma Alpha Eta Chapter
