Dr. Nicole Osier has demonstrated a dedicated commitment to the nursing profession through a strong track record of teaching, research, and service, starting as a BSN student at Michigan State and continuing throughout her PhD studies at the University of Pittsburgh, a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and a new-faculty role at the University of Texas at Austin with a joint appointment in the School of Nursing (Holistic Adult Health Division) and Dell Medical School (Department of Neurology).  

“I hope to build on the strong foundation that began with dual degrees from Michigan State University in Nutritional Science (2008) and Nursing (2010),” Nicole says. 

As a PhD student, Nicole sought out numerous teaching opportunities at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Besides several teaching fellow positions, she delivered 39 undergraduate guest lectures spanning 21 topics; 9 graduate lectures on 3 topics; and served as primary instructor for a clinical course. Nicole also mentored 9 undergraduate / post-baccalaureate students and 7 graduate students of diverse backgrounds and earned numerous grants to support her work, including an F31 from the National Institutes of Health, 7 foundation grants, and 2 travel grants. Also during her PhD program, Nicole was named a Rising Star of Research and Scholarship and attended the 2016 Sigma Theta Tau International Conference in Cape Town, South Africa to present her research and represent her school.  

As a postdoc student, Dr. Osier provided training to 4 post-baccalaureate and 2 graduate students and gave a guest lecture at the NINR Summer Genetics Institute. She also trained under an Intramural Research Training Award at the National Institute of Nursing Research, where she conducted cutting-edge research aimed at improving outcomes for military service members with brain injury. Nicole was one of a few international early-stage researchers invited to attend the Emerging Nurse Scholars forum in Toronto, Canada, and was the only nurse invited to participate in the Young Investigator Colloquium hosted by the American Psychosomatic Society in Seville, Spain.  

 

Dr. Osier notes that her passion for research was fostered by many faculty members in the College of Nursing, including Dr. Manfred Stommel, Dr. Debra Schutte, and Dr. Jenifer Fenton. Nicole contributes to the scientific evidence base through a strong track record of publications and presentations and regularly engages in service as a peer-reviewer including for conference abstracts and manuscripts.  

Dr. Osier is excited that, by completing her training at age 30, she will have several decades for her research, service, and teaching efforts, and she aspires to instill the same values in her students as she was taught at MSU’s College of Nursing and make a lasting impression on her students, as her instructors and professors did on her. 

Dr. Osier was recruited to the UT Austin under the prestigious Rising STARS (Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention) program through the UT System, which provides her with a generous start-up package to maximize her success and set up her state-of-the-art laboratory space. In addition to her start-up funds, Dr. Osier was awarded a Heilbrunn Nurse Scholar Award from the Heilbrunn Family Center for Research Nursing at The Rockefeller University.  

As a new faculty member at UT Austin, Dr. Osier is teaching Genetics in Healthcare to undergraduate and graduate nurses to ensure they have a fundamental understanding of genetics, can identify and utilize reputable sources of information relevant to genomics and health, and are able to work with transdisciplinary teams and incorporate genomic knowledge to inform diagnosis, care, and education of patients.  

An active member of her local MSU Alumni group, Nicole has donated her time and money to support the mission of the College of Nursing. In gratitude for the numerous scholarships and grants she earned during her time at Michigan State University, Dr. Osier and her husband plan to “pay it forward” and develop a scholarship fund to support the next generation of aspiring Spartan Nurse researchers.