Heidi J. Worabo, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

Heidi J. Worabo’s career as a nurse practitioner and educator has been focused on improving healthcare access to culturally inclusive care for individuals on the margins of society. Aligning with the core nursing value of prioritizing human dignity for all, she has contributed to several publications and projects aimed at developing and evaluating innovative, culturally targeted, community-based, and patient-centered models of care for refugees who have resettled in the U.S. As the Assistant Director of the San Antonio Refugee Health Clinic, she leads teams of interprofessional faculty and students in providing holistic primary care for refugees. She also leads the family nurse practitioner program while continuing clinical practice at Wellness 360 Employee and Student Health Center. Her impact as an educator was recognized in 2018 as the recipient of the Patty L. Hawken Faculty Excellence Award and in 2021 with the Presidential Excellent in Teaching Award. She was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in 2020 and was nominated to serve on the University-wide task force to develop interprofessional education opportunities that support the University’s quality enhancement plan. 

• Professional Background

  Education

  • 2012 - Doctor in Nursing Practice - Nursing - University of Missouri
  • 2007 - Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner - Southern Illinois University
  • 2002 - Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Nursing - Goshen College

  Highlights

  Licensures and Certifications 

  • ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner 
  • APRN - Texas   
  • Registered Nurse - Texas

  Honors and Award

  • 2022 Outstanding Nurse Practitioner Educator Award, NONPF 
  • 2021, Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence, UT Health SA 
  • 2020, Fellow, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 
  • 2020, Fellow, American Association of Colleges of Nursing

  Appointments

  • 2020 - present - Associate Professor - UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing
  • 2019 - present - Family Nurse Practitioner Track Coordinator and Coordinator - UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing
  • 2014 - present - Assistant Director - San Antonio Refugee Health Clinic / UT Health San Antonio
  • 2014 - present - Family Nurse Practitioner - UT Health San Antonio Wellness 360 Clinic

• Instruction & Training

  • 2022, NURS7306 DNP Project, 3 credits, Course Coordinator , UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2022, NURS7305 DNP Seminar, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2022, NURS6154 FNP Diagnosis & Management Clinical Seminar II, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2022, NURS6458 FNP Diagnosis & Management Clinical Application II, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS7306 DNP Project, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS6110 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning: Clinical Application, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS6210 Advanced Health Assessment & Clinical Reasoning, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS6153 FNP Diagnosis & Management Clinical Seminar I, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS7305 DNP Seminar, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS6457 FNP Diagnosis & Management Clinical Application I, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS6250 Advanced Health Promotion, Health Protection, & Disease Prevention, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS6621 FNP Diagnosis & Management for Young Families: Clinical Application, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS6620 FNP Diagnosis & Management for Aging Families: Clinical Application, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS 6143 FNP Clinical Skills and Laboratory Science, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS 6110 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning: Clinical Application, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2021, NURS 6210 Advanced Hlth Assessment & Clinical Reasoning, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2020, NURS 6250 Advanced Health Promotion, Health Protection, & Disease Prevention, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2020, NURS 6110 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning: Clinical Application, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2020, NURS 6210 Advanced Hlth Assessment & Clinical Reasoning, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2020, NURS 6451 FNP Diagnosis & Management: Young Families, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2020, NURS 6621 FNP Diagnosis & Management for Young Families: Clinical Application, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2019, NURS 6250 Advanced Health Promotion, Health Protection, & Disease Prevention, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2019, NURS 6451 FNP Diagnosis & Management: Young Families, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2019, NURS 6621 FNP Diagnosis & Management for Young Families: Clinical Application, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2019, NURS 6110 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning: Clinical Application, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2018, NURS 6110 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning: Clinical Application, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2018, NURS 6250 Advanced Health Promotion, Health Protection, & Disease Prevention, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2018, NURS 6451 FNP Diagnosis & Management: Young Families, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2018, NURS 7312 DNP Practice Inquiry Seminar, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2018, NURS 7313 DNP Practice Inquiry: Clinical Application, UT Health Science, School of Nursing
  • 2018, NURS 6451 FNP Diagnosis & Management: Young Families, UT Health Science, School of Nursing

• Research & Grants

  Grants

  Currently Funded:  

  • 2021, Funder: Nursing Advisory Council, UT Health SA. Title: Exploring Maternal Health Needs of Refugee Women in San Antonio, Texas. $3693 Role: Principle Investigator 
  • 2021 Funder: Bank of America Grant. Title: Telehealth Simulations for Nurse Practitioner Students at UT Health San Antonio. $20,000   Principle Investigator- Kathryn Parke Role: Co-Investigator  

  Completed Research/Projects: 

  • 2019 Funder: Community Service Learning Grant, UT Health SA Center for Medical Ethics and Humanities. Dollars: $2470. Title: Reproductive Health of Refugees in San Antonio, Texas. Role: Faculty Mentor 
  • 2018 Funder: Community Service Learning Grant, UT Health SA Center for Medical Ethics and Humanities. Dollars: $3895. Title: Evaluating the Impact of the San Antonio Refugee Health Clinic: A Qualitative Health Care Needs Assessment Among San Antonio Refugees. Role: Faculty Mentor 
  • 2015 – 2016 Funder: The Migliorino Piccione Award, UT Health SA School of Nursing. Dollars: $1500. Title:  Exploring Refugee Health Needs in San Antonio, TX: Perceptions of Health and Social Service Personnel Serving the Refugee. Role: Principle Investigator

   

   

• Service

  Institutional

  • 2022-present UT Health SA Comprehensive Health & Wellness Advisory, Member  
  • 2021-present UT Health School of Nursing Committee on Interprofessional Education, Member 
  • 2019-present UT Health SA Interprofessional Education Initiative Co- Curricular Taskforce, Member 
  • 2019-present UT Health SA School of Nursing Committee on International Programs, Member (Chair 2019-2020) 
  • 2019-present UT Health SA Committee for the Advancement of Women and Minorities, Member 
  • 2019-2021 UT Health SA School of Nursing Interprofessional Education Initiative Taskforce, Member 
  • 2020, UT Health SA, UT Health SA Namibia Delegation 
  • 2019 - present, UT Health SA, Interprofessional Education Initiative Co-Curricular Taskforce  
  • 2019 - present, UT Health SA, Interprofessional Education Initiative School  of Nursing Taskforce 
  • 2015 - present, Committee on Graduate Studies, School of Nursing, Member (Chair 2018-2020) 
  • 2019 - present, Committee on International Programs, School of Nursing, Member (Chair 2019-2020) 
  • 2019 - present, Committee for the Advancement of Women and Minorities, Member 
  • 2015 - present, Faculty Practice Plan Executive Committee, Faculty Representative 

   

  Service to the Profession

  • 2019, American Association of Nurse Practitioners International, Specialty Practice Group 
  • 2019, National Organization of Nurse Practitioner, Faculties Global Health Special Interest Group 
  • 2019, Reviewer, Community Service Learning Grants 
  • 2018, Reviewer, PLOS One Reviewer 
  • 2015 – 2017, Leadership Succession Committee, Sigma Theta Tau 

  Professional Affiliations 

  • 2020 — present, Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers 
  • 2019 — present, Texas Public Health Association 
  • 2017 — present, American Nurses Association 
  • 2017 — present, Texas Nurses Association 
  • 2013 — present, National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties 
  • 2013 — present, Texas Nurse Practitioner Association 
  • 2013 — present, American Association of Nurse Practitioners 
  • 2012 — present, Sigma Theta Tau International 

   

  Community Service

  • 2015 - present, Member, Texas Region 3 Quarterly Refugee Consultation Meeting 
  • 2009, Nurse Practitioner, Medical Mission to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo 
  • 2008, Nurse Practitioner, New City Fellowship Health Connections 
  • 2006, Registered Nurse, La Clinica, St. Louis, MO

  Global

  Dr. Worabo is an Associate Professor and the Track Coordinator for the Family Nurse Practitioner Program.  Dr. Worabo is the Assistant Director of the San Antonio Refugee Health Clinic, which provides healthcare for refugee (new and resettled) patients and teaches interprofessional teams of students in the care of vulnerable populations. To expand access and improve care through a patient-centered and community-based approach, she has been involved in projects to explore resettled refugees’ healthcare perceptions in the US.  In St. Louis, Missouri, she was part of an innovative practice called the Institute for Family Medicine, which provided primary care at a domestic women’s shelter, a refugee resettlement agency, school-based health centers, preschools, and churches. She traveled to Ethiopia to complete her Master’s Thesis, “Perceptions of HIV Testing in Pregnant Women of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.” In 2009, she assisted with establishing a nurse-run clinic that served an orphanage and school in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.  She also traveled to El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Namibia. Dr. Worabo advocates for cross-cultural, interprofessional experiences for students both domestically and internationally to promote cultural understanding and compassionate care with a global perspective.

• Publications

  Peer-reviewed Articles (*indicates data-based) 

  • Worabo, H., Salt, R., Grubesic, R. & Farokhi, M. Operationalizing an academic practice partnership model to deliver care to refugees and promote social justice competencies. Nurse Education Today [Under Review].   
  • Recto, P., Lesser, J., Farokhi, M, Lacy, J., Chapa, I., Garcia, S., Johnson, L., Geelhoed, M., Stone, M., Worabo, H., Zorek, J. Addressing health inequities through co-curricular interprofessional education: A secondary analysis scoping review. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice [Under Review]. 
  • Farokhi, M.R., Lacy, C.J., Chapa, I., Garcia, S., Geelhoed, J., Johnson, L., Lesser, J., Stone, M., Worabo, H., Zorek, J.A. Defining and classifying co-curricular interprofessional education for the health professions: A scoping review protocol. JBI Evidence Synthesis [In Press]. 
  • Miller, M., Holmes, C., Moran, M., Dollar, F., Jeffery, A., Safi, F., Safi, S., & Worabo H. (2021). A Qualitative Analysis on the Reproductive Health Needs of Resettled Afghan Refugees in South Texas. Free Clinic Research Collective, 8(1). 
  • Worabo, H., Parke, K., Muck, A., & Farokhi, M. (2019). Refugee Healthcare Needs: Perceptions of Health and Social Service Professionals in South Texas. Texas Public Health Journal, 71(4), 15-18. 
  • Adel JW, Berstein E, Tcheyan M, Ali S, Worabo H, Farokhi M, Muck AE. (2019). San Antonio Refugees: Their Demographics, Healthcare Profiles, and How to Better Serve Them. PLOS One Journal,14(2):1-16. 
  • Farokhi, M.R., Muck, A., Lozano-Pineda, J., Boone, S.L., & Worabo, H. (2018).  Using Interprofessional Education to Promote Oral Health Literacy in a Faculty-Student Collaborative Practice. Journal of Dental Education; Oct;82(10):1091-1097. 
  • Worabo, H.J. (2017). A Life Course Theory Approach to Understanding Eritrean Refugees’ Perceptions of Preventive Health Care in the United States. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 38 (4), 310-316. 
  • Worabo H.J., Hsueh, K., Yakimo, R., Worabo, E., Burgess, P.A., Farberman, S.  (2016). Understanding Refugees’ Perceptions of Health Care in the United States. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 12(7), 487-494. 

   

  Invited Podium Presentations  

  • 2021, “San Antonio Refugee Health Clinic.”  Physicians for Human Rights Mini Conference, UT Health San Antonio 
  • 2020, “Caring for Refugees in San Antonio.”  Women in Medicine, UTSA 
  • 2019, “Care of Immigrant and Refugee Children in the School Setting, School Nurse Roundup Conference, School Nurses Association, San Antonio, TX 
  • 2018, “Primary Care of the Immigrant Child.” Pediatric Emergencies & Updates, National Association of Pediatric Nurses in Advanced Practice, San Antonio, TX. 
  • 2018, “Refugees in America: Local Voices Panel Discussion. University of Texas San Antonio Honors Course, San Antonio, TX 
  • 2016, “Update on Women’s Health Screenings.” The UT Health San Antonio Wellness Event, San Antonio, TX 
  • 2016, “Integrating Immigrants and Refugees into Society.”  City of San Antonio Friendship City Agreement with Darmstadt, Germany, San Antonio, TX 

  Peer Reviewed Podium Presentations  

  • 2020 Farokhi, M.R., Lacy, C.J., Chapa, I., Garcia, S., Geelhoed, M., Johnson, L., Lesser, J., Stone, M., Worabo, H., Zorek, J.A.  Language matters: Defining co-curricular IPE to advance meaningful practices. National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, 2020 Virtual Nexus Summit on Retaining the Vital Focus on the Interprofessional Clinical Learning Environment: Better Care, Better Value, Better Education, Student. 
  • 2019 Worabo, H. & Parke, K. “Refugee Healthcare Needs: Perceptions of Health and Social Service Professionals in South Texas.”  Cultural Inclusion Conference, UT Health San Antonio. 
  • 2016 Worabo, H. “A Life Course Theory Approach to Understanding Eritrean Refugees’ Perceptions of Preventive Healthcare in the United States.”  State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research, Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science, Washington, D.C. 
  • 2016 Worabo, H. “Refugees’ Perceptions of Healthcare in the United States: Implications for Providing Culturally Sensitive Primary Healthcare for Resettled Refugees.”  American Association of Nursing Practitioners National Conference, San Antonio, TX. 

   

  Peer Reviewed Poster Presentations  

  • 2021 Farokhi, M.R., Chapa, I., Garcia, S., Geelhoed, M., Johnson, L., Lacy, J., Lesser, J., Stone, M., Worabo, H., Zorek, J.A.  Novel taxonomy scoping review reveals meaningful interprofessional education for dentistry. American Dental Education Association 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting. 
  • 2021 Farokhi, M.R., Berndt, A., Ford, L.A., Garcia, S.E., Lipscomb, J., Rosenfeld, J., Worabo, H., Zorek, J.A.  An interprofessional case competition targeting vaccine hesitancy: results of a pilot study. National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, 2021 Virtual Nexus Summit. 
  • 2020 Dittmar, K., Miller, M., & Worabo, H. “Family Planning Curriculum Development for Resettled Refugees in San Antonio, Texas.”  Community Service Learning Conference, UT Health San Antonio 
  • 2019 Miller, M., Holmes, C., Dittmar, K., Dollar, F., Moran, M., Makansi, M., Jeffery, A., Egan, D., Worabo, H. “Assessment of the Reproductive Health Needs of Female Afghan and Burmese Refugees in San Antonio, Texas: A Focus Group Approach.” Community Service Learning Conference, San Antonio, TX 
  • 2018 Worabo, H., Jordan, K., Campalans, C., Costantino, M., Farokhi, M., Grubesic, R., Wayman, B. “The San Antonio Refugee Health Clinic and the Center for Refugee Services Collaboration.” Cultural Inclusion Conference, San Antonio, TX 

   

• Clinical

  Board Certifications

  • American Nurses Credentialing Center