Dr. LisaMarie Wands is an Associate Clinical Professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing (NHWSN); she has been on faculty at NHWSN since 2014, teaching prelicensure nursing students. Dr. Wands’ educational background includes a BSN (2001) from the University of Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, a Master of Science (2008) focused on nursing education from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, Florida, and a Doctor of Philosophy (2011) focused on nursing and caring science from FAU. From 2012 to 2014, she completed a two-year interprofessional postdoctoral fellowship through the Veterans Affairs Quality Scholars program at the Nashville, Tennessee site in partnership with Vanderbilt University. She also completed a research fellowship through the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation & Learning (INACSL) in 2020, the Woodruff Health Educators Academy Fellowship in 2021, and the National League for Nursing’s Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators in 2023. 

Dr. Wands is a passionate and dedicated nurse educator, whose program of scholarship focuses on teaching and learning through simulation. She has presented at regional, national, and international conferences and published several articles on various simulation projects. She has received multiple intramural grants to support her work and was awarded a Nursing Education Research Grant from the National League for Nursing in 2019. She is actively involved in professional organizations that focus on simulation education, including the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. She collaborates with interdisciplinary, interprofessional, and international colleagues to advance simulation education across healthcare professions. Dr. Wands was inducted as a Distinguished Scholar Fellow in Nursing in the National Academies of Practice in 2024.

Davis, E. N., & Wands, L.M. (2025). The power of choice: Fostering engagement and competence in nursing students. Journal of Nursing Education, 64. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20241029-01

Branch, R., Cole, K., Gibbons, W., Clement, D., & Wands, L.M. (2025). Piloting an interdisciplinary simulation-based education experience with nurse anesthesia, nurse midwifery, and pre-licensure nursing students. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 100, 101690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2025.101690

Wands, L.M., McDermott, C., Bernard, N., Wolf, R., & Kimble, L. (2024). Implementing cognitive rehearsal training with nursing students to counter incivility in the clinical setting as students and new nurses: A sequential mixed methods study. Nursing Education Perspectives, published ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001325

Coombe, A., Wands, L.M., Stevenson, S., & Elliott, R. (2024). Evolving licensure examination: Assessing student confidence and accuracy with Next Generation NCLEX. Journal of Nursing Education, 63(4), 252-255. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20240207-10

Kardong-Edgren, S., Wells-Beede, E., & Wands, L.M. (2024). Student abuse in simulation: Causes and solutions. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 19(2), 145-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2024.02.007

INACSL Standards Committee, DiGregorio, H., Todd, A., Brennan, B. A., Repsha, C., Shelton, C. M., Vaughn, J., Wands, L.M., Wruble, E., & Yeager, C. (2024). The impact of simulation facilitation on learning outcomes – A systematic review protocol. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 101506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2023.101506

Wands, L.M., Modly, L., & Coombe, A. (2023). Popcorn, peanuts, and Next Gen NCLEX: Having fun with faculty development. Nurse Educator, 48(2), E71-E72. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001286

Wands, L.M. (2023). Focusing on prelicensure nursing students’ ability to prioritize clinical problems. Intersections: The Educational Journal of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center. https://doi.org/10.59450/WWBL7388

Wands, L.M., Pfeiffer, K., & Pelkmans, J. (2022). Demonstration of caring and motivational interviewing in online simulation: A cross-sectional observational study. Nurse Education in Practice, 63(3), 103370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2022.103370

Pfeiffer, K. M., & Wands, L.M. (2021). Setting the stage for psychiatric mental health nursing education: Outcomes of a simulated patient pilot program. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 59, 75-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.06.001

Coburn, C., Spence, S., La Cagnina, L., Becklenberg, A., Wands, L.M., & Haynes, A. (2021). Ambulatory care simulation: A collaboration between MSN and BSN students. Journal of Nursing Education, 60(5), 293-297. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20210420-11

Wands, L.M., Geller, D. E., & Hallman, M. (2020). Positive outcomes of rapid freeware implementation to replace baccalaureate student clinical. Journal of Nursing Education, 59(12), 701-704. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20201118-08

Awards and Recognitions

2024 Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

2024 Nursing Section Service Award, Society for Simulation in Healthcare, Minneapolis, MN

2024 Distinguished Scholar Fellow in Nursing National Academies of Practice, Lexington, KY

2020 Above and Beyond Award, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

2019 Team Excellence Award (Simulation Team), Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory

University, Atlanta, GA

2018 Excellence in Leadership Award, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

2016 Jean Thomas Award for Creativity in Teaching, Alpha Epsilon Chapter, Sigma, Atlanta, GA

2012 DAISY Faculty Award, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Boca Raton, FL

2012 Undergraduate Teaching Award, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Boca Raton, FL

Fellowships and Training

2023 NLN 2023 Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators, National League for Nursing, Washington, DC

2021 Woodruff Health Educators Academy Fellowship, Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

2020 INACSL Research Fellowship, International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation & Learning, Raleigh, NC