Rosalinda Morales PHD, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP
Dr. Rosalinda Morales is a current Member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), former AANP Region 6 Director, former Vice President of AANP Foundation Board of Directors and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Morales is a certified family nurse practitioner and works as Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Houston School of Nursing. She is also an adjunct assistant professor at UTMB-School of Nursing Doctoral Nursing Program in Galveston, Texas. She received her nurse practitioner training and doctorate from the University of Texas Medical Branch Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 1996 and 2007 respectively. She previously worked at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) as a primary care provider in the Galveston and Katy VA clinics where she managed the primary care of veteran men and women in all stages of life, in collaboration with VA Family Practice and Internal Medicine physicians. Dr. Morales was very active in her home community of Santa Fe, Texas. Between 1991 and 2001, she served three terms as a city council woman and one term as Mayor pro-tem. Dr. Morales also ran for public office in 2002 as a candidate for Galveston County Commissioner, Pct. 2. Although unsuccessful, she garnered over 44% of the general votes against a sixteen-year incumbent. While on City Council in Santa Fe, she founded the Santa Fe Child Safety Fair, which has become an annual event that provides children's safety education to area residents. Dr. Morales continues to be recognized as an outstanding community advocate and public figure. She is a past president of the Texas Nurse Practitioners organization and the Galveston Coalition of Advance Practice Nurses (GCAPN) and has served as Secretary of the Galveston College Foundation Board, her alma mater where she started her nursing career. She is also a past board member of the UTMB School of Nursing Alumni Board of Directors. In 2006, she was appointed for a 3-year term by the University of Texas Regents to serve as a member of the UTMB Community Liaison Committee where she served as recording Secretary. Honors awarded to Dr. Morales include: The UTMB SON Eleanor Brasher Farley and Stephanie Farley Pardue Memorial Leadership Award for Community Service, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners State Award of Excellence, the Independence Award: Promoting Tolerance in the Community, the Henry B. Gonzalez Hispanic Leadership Award and was recently honored as a 2011 Democratic Women's Trailblazer Nominee for the Galveston County Democratic Party. In 2006, she was inducted into the UTMB SON Alumni Association Hall of Fame. She was inducted into the UTMB SON Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 2006. Dr. Morales is an active member of the following professional organizations and honor societies: the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Texas Nurse Practitioners, National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing-Alpha Delta Chapter and Phi Chi Chapter, the Southern Nursing Research Society. In 2004, prior to joining the AANP Foundation board, Dr. Morales was awarded a doctoral scholarship through the AANP Foundation Scholarship & Grant Program. In 2010 she was elected AANP Region 6 Director, representing nurse practitioners from TX, NM, OK, LA & AR on current state and national issues. Dr.Morales has been selected as Texas Nurse Practitioner of the Year (2011) by the Texas Nurse Practitioner organization.