Elizabeth Vande Waa, PhD, is a Professor of Nursing at the University of South Alabama. She teaches pharmacology and pathophysiology to nursing students in the baccalaureate program, and advanced pharmacology and advanced pathophysiology to master’s, post-master’s, and DNP students. Her engaging teaching style resulted in winning the first Teacher-of-the-Year Award granted by her College of Nursing.
Dr. Vande Waa received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Michigan State University. She spent years as a bench researcher studying chemotherapeutic interventions in parasitic diseases, and has published extensively in this field. She has also authored several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on a variety of topics relating to pharmacology and toxicology.
Dr. Vande Waa is currently involved in a variety of research initiatives including polypharmacy in the elderly, education of adolescents regarding drugs of abuse, and use of high-fidelity simulation to mimic pharmacologic clinical scenarios. She is a much sought-after speaker on all topics of pharmacology at both regional and national levels, providing workshops and talks about drugs to nurses and healthcare professionals, as well as to community groups and educators.