Dr. Cuddigan named chair of adult health and illness department









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Janet Cuddigan, Ph.D.

Janet Cuddigan, Ph.D., assistant professor of the College of Nursing, has been appointed chairwoman of the Adult Health and Illness Department effective Nov. 1.

She had served as interim chairwoman since 2006.

“Janet has done an excellent job as interim. She accomplished a steep learning curve with grace and a high level of professionalism,” said Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean of the College of Nursing. “She is committed to the needs of the department and to encouraging and mentoring every member of the Department. She is an effective advocate for the Department and a hard-working member of the Executive Council and the Chairs/Division Deans administrative group.”

Dr. Cuddigan said her goal as department chair is to create an environment in which the talents of individuals can thrive while meeting the missions of the college and university.

“As department chair, I feel honored to work with a very bright, creative, dynamic and hard-working faculty,” she said. “They have individually and collectively excelled as educators, clinicians and researchers. I look forward to working with the department faculty and appreciate Dr. Tilden’s support in providing this opportunity.”

Dr. Cuddigan joined UNMC in 1995 as a nurse specialist and was made assistant professor in 1999. The following year, she became a member of the graduate faculty.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Cuddigan has served as:

  • Treasurer and vice-president of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel;
  • Co-chair of the International Pressure Ulcer Guideline Development Panel sponsored by NPUAP and the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel;
  • Member of an international guideline panel on the treatment of wound infection; and
  • A consultant to the World Union of Wound Healing Societies and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Dr. Cuddigan also is a recipient of the national Sharon Baranoski Excellence in Wound Care Award.







“As department chair, I feel honored to work with a very bright, creative, dynamic and hard-working faculty. They have individually and collectively excelled as educators, clinicians and researchers.”



Janet Cuddigan, Ph.D.



She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Creighton University in 1974, and then earned her master’s degree in 1978 and doctorate degree in 1999 at UNMC. Dr. Cuddigan completed her post doctoral fellowship at the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Iowa City, Iowa, and Omaha.

Her research in pressure ulcers is currently funded by grants and contracts from the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, Washington; Coloplast Corporation, Minneapolis; and The Nebraska Medical Center.

As a certified wound care nurse and researcher, she has worked extensively with The Nebraska Medical Center’s Skin and Wound Advisory Team to develop and implement innovative protocols for pressure ulcer prevention. She has published more than 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals and written 23 monographs and book chapters. She is frequently invited to speak at national and international conferences.

Dr. Cuddigan is a member of the American Nurses Association; Nebraska Nurses Association; American Association of Critical Care Nurses; Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing; Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society; and Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society. She is a member of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Board of Directors and has served on the national WOCN Accreditation Committee.