PhD, RN, FAAN , Doctoral (Alumni)
Dean, School of Nursing
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Newark, NJ
Dr. Torres is nationally known for her research on interpersonal violence; she conducted one of the first comparative studies in the nation of Hispanic women's attitudes toward domestic violence. She has received funds from the National Institute of Health, has published numerous articles, as well as presented at state, national, and international conferences on domestic violence research. She is the editor of a book, "Hispanic Health Care Educators Speak Out, and Hispanic Health Care International", the official journal of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses. She was a Visiting Professor, College of Nursing, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan.
Moreover, she has received numerous awards, including the Surgeon General's Exemplary Service Award and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses' lldaura Murillo Rhode Award for Excellence. Dr. Torres is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society. She is involved in international health activities and is a consultant on mental health nursing to the Pan American Health Organization; she has served as the Director, World Health Organization Collaborating Center on Mental Health Nursing at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore.
Dr. Torres has functioned at the national level on committees of numerous associations including the American Nurses Association, the American Academy of Nursing, the National League of Nursing, the Food and Drug Administration Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Violence Against Women Advisory Council, and the Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Injury Prevention and Control. Furthermore, Dr. Torres is a past president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses. Currently she is on the board of the Kellogg funded Community Scholars Program, and the American Nurses Association's Ethnic Minority Fellowship Program National Advisory Committee. She has reviewed grants for numerous NIH agencies and is currently a reviewer for the National Institute of Nursing Research.
In her role as Dean, College of Nursing, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, she guides its educational process, fosters an environment supportive of research and faculty scholarship, serves as its chief academic nursing leader, and promotes nursing education and service among community groups. She also maintains her own program of research and scholarship, and she continues to publish in reputable research journals.