Victoria Vaughan Dickson, PhD, RN, FHFSA was named the 2021 HFSA Nursing Research Leadership Award winner. Learn more >>
Victoria Vaughan Dickson, PhD, RN, FAHA, FHFSA, FAAN is an Associate Professor and Director of the Pless Center for Nursing Research in the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing.
Dr. Dickson has extensive clinical and research experience in cardiovascular nursing. Her research program focuses on investigating the bio-behavioral influences on self-care in patients with heart failure. Her research has led to an improved understanding of the sociocultural influences of self-care among vulnerable populations with heart failure, including ethnic minority groups, women, and older workers; and the development of innovative theory-based interventions. Dr. Dickson is recognized as an international expert in qualitative and mixed methods research. Her research employs a systematic and rigorous approach that has substantially advanced the “Situation-Specific Theory of Heart Failure Self-Care” and the development of self-care instruments that are used worldwide in populations with or at risk for heart failure. Findings from this research have been disseminated in more than 105 peer-reviewed, data-based publications and presented at national and international scientific meetings.
Dr. Dickson has received federal and foundation funding for her research including from the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health. As an expert nurse scientist in heart failure and self-care, Dr. Dickson is an active co-investigator on interdisciplinary teams; for example integrating self-care interventions into clinical care for persons with multiple comorbid conditions, measurement of frailty in patients with LVAD, and patient preferences and outcomes in patients with heart failure. Currently, she is PI of an NHLBI-funded summer research program that supports training for undergraduate and graduate minority students interested in cardiovascular research.
Dr. Dickson is dedicated to advancing cardiovascular nursing science through her service and mentorship. She has been an active member of HFSA and AHA since 2004; and has served on numerous HFSA committees including as Chair, Nursing Committee, Mentoring Program, Nominations Committee, Program Committee and Education Committee. In addition, Dr. Dickson has been a member of several AHA writing groups including Health Literacy, Diabetes and Heart Failure Management; and Self-care in Cardiovascular Disease; and is a member of the AHA Oversight Advisory Board for Heart Failure Strategically Focused Research Networks. Over the past decade, Dr. Dickson has served as a mentor to over 40 predoctoral, postdoctoral and junior faculty across the continuum of professional development and disciplines; including international mentees from Brazil, Italy, United Kingdom, Denmark, Australia, China, and Korea.
Dr. Dickson’s expertise has been recognized with numerous awards over her career including the HFSA Nurse Researcher award. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, American Heart Association, Heart Failure Society of America, and New York Academy of Medicine. She is a 2019 inductee into the STTI International Nursing Research Hall of Fame. Dr. Dickson holds a clinical appointment as an advanced practice nurse in the division of cardiology at the NYU Langone Medical Center and the Bellevue Hospital in New York City. She earned her PhD and MSN from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and BSN from Temple University School of Nursing.