Sonja Meiers

Areas of Expertise

Family health issues, family nursing strategies to support families in health situations, caring, the family experience of substance use disorder, family experience of chronic illness, family management of chronic illness, supporting patient and family communication, compassionate care, nursing education trends, international research collaboration, leadership strategies, leadership in international organizations. Dr. Meiers received her Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Minnesota where she focused on the meaning of the family member-nurse interaction, and her master’s degree from Winona State University, where she focused on evidence-based nursing education. Her research spans nursing education, clinical practice, theory, and measure development using qualitative and quantitative methods. She is committed to using community-based participatory research approaches to enhance the relevance of outcomes. Dr. Meiers is Past-President of the International Family Nursing Association where she continues to guide international family-focused research collaborations. Clinical interests surround interpreting the family health experience, improving the family-nurse interaction in situations of chronic and critical illness, and understanding family nursing practice. Dr. Meiers presses the bounds for ways to strengthen clinical scholarship as she guides students, faculty, and clinical nurses, many of whom are making meaningful differences for families within their practice.