2019 TOFSA Awardee

Nelson Tuazon, DNP, DBA, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, CPHQ, CPPS, FNAP, FACHE

Born in Apalit, Pampanga and raised in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines
Vice President & Associate Chief Nursing Officer, University Health System
Visiting Professor, Chamberlain University and Adjunct Professor, Excelsior College

Dr. Tuazon has been in the nursing profession for over 35 years encompassing clinical practice, academia, research, administration and executive practice. He has successfully and effectively led organizations with outstanding clinical, operational, and financial outcomes. Dr. Tuazon completed his bachelor’s degree in nursing and his master’s degree in education from Angeles University in the Philippines, his masters of science in nursing from Seton Hall University, master’s in business administration from Monmouth University, Doctor of Business Administration from Northcentral University, and Doctor of Nursing Practice from Grand Canyon University. He is a Diplomate and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the National Academies of Practice as a Distinguished Practitioner in Nursing. In 2008, he received the prestigious designation as a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow. Dr. Tuazon is the recipient of the Visionary Award from the College of Nursing at University of Texas Health and Leadership Excellence Awards from the Philippine Nurses Association of San Antonio and the Philippine Nurses Association of America. He was also a recipient of the New Jersey Governor’s Nursing Merit Nursing Leadership Award and was recognized by the Nursing Spectrum for Advancing and Leading the Nursing Profession. Dr. Tuazon received recognition from the Honorable Mayor Ron Nirenberg of San Antonio for his outstanding contribution in his profession. He has been a recipient of the Dangal ng Lahi (loose translation: Honor for the Filipino Race) Award in Healthcare by the National Federation of Filipino American Associations.

Dr. Tuazon has held elective and appointive offices including: President of the Philippine Nurses Association of San Antonio, President of the South Central Texas Organization of Nurse Executives, and Vice-President and Parliamentarian of the Philippine Nurses Association of America. Most recently, he founded the San Antonio Nursing Consortium – a professional association that is composed of 12 professional nursing associations in San Antonio and South Texas whose goal is to unify the nurses across San Antonio and the surrounding region. Dr. Tuazon has served in various professional committees for national associations. He is a member of the education and communication committee of the Texas Organization of Nurse Executives, an Abstract Reviewer for the Nursing Academies of Practice, a member of the Scholarship and Awards Committee of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, and the Legislative Committee of the Philippine American Nurses Association of America.

Dr. Tuazon was the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Philippine Nurses Association of America and currently serves as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Nursing Practice Applications and Reviews of Research.

Recently, he served as the Editor of the historical book, The Philippine Nurses Association of America: A Tapestry. The book chronicles the 40 year-history of the Filipino-American nurses in America. Dr. Tuazon has served as member of the Board of Directors of the Organization of Filipinos in Texas, the American Asian Alliance of San Antonio, the Alamo Asian American Chamber of Commerce and the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce – Central Region.