Informatics Pioneer Eun-Shim Nahm Named Distinguished University Professor

Baltimore, Md. - Eun-Shim Nahm, PhD '03, RN, FAAN, FGSA, professor, associate dean for the PhD Program, and co-director of the Real-World Data and Pragmatic Research Certificate at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON), has been named a Distinguished University Professor by the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), the University’s highest academic honor bestowed upon faculty members.

Nahm is one of six faculty members named to the 2026 cohort of Distinguished University Professors, a designation recognizing faculty members whose accomplishments have significantly advanced their disciplines and brought distinction to the University through excellence in teaching, research, clinical care, and service.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be named a Distinguished University Professor,” Nahm said. “I am profoundly grateful to the mentors, colleagues, and collaborators who have guided and supported me throughout my career. I also feel incredibly fortunate to work with exceptional students whose curiosity, dedication to research, and commitment to the nursing profession inspire me every day.”

A nationally and internationally recognized leader in nursing informatics, Nahm joined UMSON in 2003 as an assistant professor and was subsequently promoted to associate professor and then professor. Beginning in 2010, she served as the director of the Nursing Informatics master’s specialty, and from 2012 - 22, she served as co-director of what is now the Building Healthy Behaviors Across the Life Span Organized Research Center.

Nahm has spent more than two decades advancing the use of technology to improve health outcomes, particularly for older adults and individuals living with chronic conditions. Her pioneering work in gerontology informatics has helped shape how nurses, patients, and health care organizations use digital tools to support care, communication, and self-management.

Her research has focused on harnessing technology to improve patient care and engagement. Long before digital health tools became commonplace, she recognized their potential to help older adults better manage their health and connect with health care providers. Her studies have explored the use of patient portals, electronic health records, online communities, digital learning programs, and other technology-supported interventions designed to improve communication, medication management, care coordination, and quality of life.

Her work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the Maryland Higher Education Commission, among other funding agencies.

“Dr. Nahm is nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in nursing informatics education, research, and practice,” Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD ’11, MS ’05, BSN ’04, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing and professor, wrote in her nomination letter. “She has made significant and sustained contributions as a teacher and mentor, overseeing the development of more than 1,000 nurse informaticians and ensuring the preparation of informatics nurses for leadership in academic and clinical settings.

“As an educational leader and innovator, she has developed new courses and programs to prepare nurses for utilizing health information technology effectively in a rapidly evolving health care environment,” the letter continues. “And, as a leading researcher in gerontology informatics, she is harnessing the collection, analysis, and utilization of data to improve patient care, whether delivered in the community or in major clinical facility.”

Nahm’s contributions have helped strengthen UMSON’s longstanding reputation as a leader in nursing informatics education. UMSON launched the first master's program in nursing informatics in the nation in 1988 and the first doctoral program in the world in 1991. While Nahm served as specialty director for the nursing informatics graduate program at UMSON, it was consistently ranked No. 1 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.

Nahm is widely regarded as a dedicated educator and mentor. She has chaired or co-chaired numerous doctoral dissertation committees, advised more than 75 nursing informatics master’s students, mentored junior faculty members, and guided visiting scholars and researchers from around the world. Many of her former students and mentees now hold leadership positions in nursing education, research, and practice across the United States and internationally.

Nahm earned her PhD from UMSON, focusing on nursing informatics; a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Hawaii; and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea. She is a member of the Southern Nursing Research Society, the American Academy of Nursing, the American Medical Informatics Association, and the American Nursing Informatics Association. She is also a member of the Alliance for Nursing Informatics Policy Committee.

Her contributions to nursing and health care have earned widespread recognition, including election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America.

“Through her teaching and mentoring, her research and scholarship, and her service, she has brought national and international recognition and distinction to the University,” Ogbolu wrote. “I believe that she is highly deserving of the honor of being named Distinguished University Professor.”

Nahm will be formally recognized during UMB’s Faculty Convocation in September.

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,100 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.