Honoring Dr. Beth Mancini

In August, the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at UTA hosted a retirement celebration for Dr. Beth Mancini as she transitions from her role as professor and senior associate dean for education innovation. Prior to her role in academia, Beth was a nurse administrator at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where she worked as director of emergency services and then senior VP of nursing. In 2004, she moved her administrative skills to academia, joining UTA’s College of Nursing as a professor and associate dean.

In her 16 years at UTA, she has given to the profession of nursing in leadership as well as scholarship.  Beth has done 27 panel presentations, written 32 articles, received 55 honors and awards, contirbuted to 139 publications, conducted 310 presentations and received $8,280,929 in funds for research and development.

Individual awards, honors and numerous fellowships (including with the American Academy of Nursing and the National League of Nursing) are too numerous for discussion; however, I will share two areas of leadership with impact on clinical nursing and nursing education nationwide that I find impressive.

Beth’s passion in health and wellness began when both of her parents died of heart disease within the same year when Beth was 16. Much of her nursing research has focused on the heart, inclusive of guidelines for CPR. She is an inaugural fellow of quality care and outcomes research for the American Heart Association.

Recently, she received acclaim in education through the world of simulation, co-authoring an award-winning book, “Mastering Simulation: A Handbook for Success,” and has won top awards for developing simulation games in health care communication. In 2019, she was inducted as a fellow of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

Beth’s achievements as a nurse extend beyond scholastic achievement. A line she often uses is that she is “a nurse first." An example of her commitment to patients as a nurse first was seen in the aftermath of the disastrous crash of Flight 191 at DFW in 1985. A microburst with wind shear downed the plane, and 123 people died. Beth, as ER director at Parkland, was deployed to the crash site. The role she played in the disaster at the crash site was re-created in a 1989 TV movie starring Angie Dickinson (a popular TV actress at that time), who played Beth. The movie was billed with the byline “they were everyday citizens who suddenly became unforgettable heroes." The movie is entitled “Fire and Rain."

I have had privilege of knowing Beth since the early ‘80s. I met her in at Parkland Memorial Hospital as a graduate student interviewing nurse executives for a class assignment. The day we met, she was knee-deep in preparation for the DFW Great 100, a fairly new endeavor. You see, in 1991, Beth and three other nurse executives brought the idea of establishing a recognition for excellence in nursing to Central Texas. For many years, Beth and her assistant organized and coordinated the event out of her office at Parkland. In the beginning, it was on a shoestring budget. Today, it is a vibrant celebration of nursing excellence.  Beth’s legacy to nursing - and in particular Texas nursing - will live on and live strong through many venues.

Beth Mancini Excellence Fund

The College of Nursing and Health Innovation and the University of Texas at Arlington has established Dr. Beth Mancini Excellence Fund. The goal is to raise at least $25,000 to endow the fund, and in keeping with Dr. Mancini’s professional interest, the fund will provide support to nursing education. Click here for more information.

 - Submitted by Cynthia Plonien, DNP, RN, CENP, associate professor at the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, University of Texas at Arlington, and TONE member