Deborah Raines, associate professor in the School of Nursing, recently received the 2016 Elsevier Leading Stars in Education (ELSIE) Award for Excellence in Clinical Education from Elsevier.

The ELSIE Awards honor outstanding nurse educators who are committed to improving student and program outcomes through inventive teaching strategies.

Raines is among three educators to receive the award this year from Elsevier, an academic publisher of medical and scientific literature, including the prestigious journals The Lancet and Cell.

“It is an honor to be recognized for this work, which is a direct result of the School of Nursing’s partnership with the maternal-newborn units at Sisters of Charity Hospital,” says Raines.

“Our collaborative work on the Safe Sleep for Baby and quality-improvement projects has resulted in joint presentations and publications with UB nursing students and Sisters Hospital nurses, as well as an outstanding educational experience for our nursing students.”

Raines’ research centers on parenting behaviors, pregnancy and newborn health, and nursing workforce development through innovative education. Her current work centers on using hi-fidelity training simulations — or computerized manikins — to improve infant care transitions from intensive care nurseries to the home.

In addition to publishing more than 75 journal articles, Raines has received numerous awards, including the NLN Award for Outstanding Leadership in Workforce Development from the National League for Nursing.

Raines received a doctorate in nursing administration and information systems from Virginia Commonwealth University, a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Syracuse University.