Esperanza Villanueva Joyce, Ed.D, CNS, RN, a graduate of University of Texas, is the recipient of the Rebecca Sealy Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2006 from the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The award is presented annually to a School of Nursing alumnus who has made outstanding and widely recognized contributions to nursing in a leadership role.

Dr. Joyce received her BSN from University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1975, her MSN from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio in 1976, and her Ed.D. from Nova Southeastern University in 1985. She was appointed Captain in the United States Army in 1990 and served as Faculty Development Chair and Chief of Research at Fort Sam Houston 5501^st Army Unit. During her eight year tenure she earned numerous achievement medals and was promoted to Major.

Joyce has more than 20 years teaching experience in higher education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is currently the Assistant Vice President of Nursing Education and Director of the School of Nursing at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, of which Ohio University-Zanesville Nursing is a part.

Dr. Joyce's extensive research and published articles have made a significant impact on health care.  Notable are her studies on Obesity in Children funded by the Coastal Bend Education Center,  "Emergency Department Visits and Hospital Admissions Linked to Effects of Ozone on Asthma in Children and Adults" and "Optimizing Wellness Through Screening and Education".  Dr. Joyce's textbook, Say It In Spanish:  A Guide for Health Professionals, now in its third edition, is a W. B. Saunders book that many faculty have enthusiastically hailed as a valuable resource for students and a guide for health care professionals.