Purdue nursing faculty member aims to enhance PhD program leadership through Edmondson HHS Faculty Development Award 

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu

Dongjuan Xu, associate professor in the Purdue University School of Nursing, is the 2026 recipient of the Barbara H. and Ben R. Edmondson HHS Faculty Development Award. 

Presented each year to a College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS) faculty member, the award provides $10,000 to be expended over two years for purposes related to the faculty member’s own professional development within any of Purdue’s mission areas: discovery, learning and engagement. Funds for the award come from an endowment established by Purdue alumni Barbara H. (HHS ’64) and Ben R. (AG ’63) Edmondson. 

Xu will apply the funds toward costs associated with advancing her leadership skills in nursing through joining two professional nursing leadership networks and engaging in an American Association of Colleges in Nursing (AACN) immersive leadership experience.

As director of the School of Nursing’s PhD program, Xu plans to become an Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing Fellow. The program aligns directly with her role in providing leadership development to aspiring deans and senior faculty members focused around administration of academic nursing programs. Xu forecasts the skills learned will strengthen her forward-thinking leadership in the nursing PhD program, which will result in higher quality, sustainability and national competitiveness for Purdue’s nursing PhD program.

Xu also will further elevate her nursing leadership by joining the Organizational Leadership Network and the Research Leadership Network, both through the AACN. Both networks enable professional growth opportunities, information sharing and networking, and discussion of key issues in nursing, and Xu expects to end these experiences with a broader nursing network and new ideas to implement as a PhD program director.

For more information, please contact Dongjuan Xu or Susan South. 

• Dongjuan Xu, associate professor, School of Nursing, xu976@purdue.edu
• Susan South, associate dean for faculty affairs, College of Health and Human Sciences, ssouth@purdue.edu

2025 recipients: Jiyun Kang and Jiong Sun

2024 recipient: Arielle Borovsky 

2023 recipient:  Qinglan “Priscilla” Ding