Nursing Science Day
4th Annual Patton Nursing Science Day
Nursing Discovery: Translating Evidence into Wellness
9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Thursday, April 30, 2026
Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences
Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, College of Education and Health Professions, University of Arkansas
Faculty and students from health-related disciplines in area colleges as well as health
care professionals are invited to attend the symposium.
The program is free.
Keynote Speaker — Tim Cunningham, Dr.P.H., RN, FAAN
Topic: 'Translating Evidence into Wellness'
Nurse, executive leader, scholar, and clown, Tim’s professional experiences have informed
his unique and entertaining voice. He began his career as an actor. Then inspired
by the art of Clown and the healing power of laughter, he became an emergency nurse.
His work in level 1 trauma centers in the U.S. and humanitarian crises globally inspired
him to study the power of compassion and resilience. Following the completion of his
doctorate in public health, he became and author, scholar, professor, and then executive
leader, prioritizing structural changes in large health systems to heal their teams
that their interprofessional teams may better heal their patients.
Session Description
Tim Cunningham brings together nursing, leadership, scholarship, and clowning to shape his engaging approach to care. Starting as an actor, he was drawn to emergency nursing through the power of laughter. With a doctorate in public health, he has worked as an author, professor and executive leader dedicated to creating healthier workplaces that support stronger patient care.
For information, comments or questions, write nursing@uark.edu.
Tentative Schedule
| Time | Program |
| Noon - 1 p.m. | Poster presentations |
| 1 - 1:10 | Welcome |
| 1:10 - 2:10 | Keynote |
| 2:10 - 2:20 | Moderated question-and-answer period |
| 2:20 - 2:50 | Break and poster viewing |
| 2:50 - 3:10 | Session |
| 3:10 - 3:30 | Session |
| 3:30 - 4 | Awards presentation and closing remarks |
Contact Hours for Nursing Continuing Professional Development
The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
To receive contact hours for the NCPD sessions offered during the program, participants are required to attend the entire session, complete the NCPD event evaluation and complete the evaluation for each session attended. Certificates for attendees can be retrieved after the online evaluation is complete. The number of contact hours awarded to each participant will be based on the number of evaluations completed for each session attended.
Call for Abstracts
Faculty and students from various health-related disciplines and health care professionals are invited to participate with poster or podium presentations. Submissions may include all research modalities that advance nursing and health care research, practice, education or policy. Register to see details.
- Submission Deadline: Friday, Jan. 30, 2026
- Notification of Acceptance of Abstracts: Friday, Feb. 13, 2026
Notice of Disclosures
Relevant Financial Relationships
The planning committee members, content reviewers and faculty/speakers/authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships unless otherwise noted prior to the beginning of the educational session.
Commercial Support and Sponsorships
EMSON will inform attendees if a commercial interest has provided financial or in-kind support for the educational activity, including how content integrity is maintained and bias is prevented. This will be done prior to the educational session.
Available contact hours will be posted once the Nursing Science Symposium schedule is finalized. Please check back.
Acknowledgements
