The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee School of Nursing is proud to congratulate Assistant Professor Linda Wesp on being selected as a recipient of the 2026 Office of Research/UWM Foundation Research Award.
Established in 1978, these prestigious awards recognize UWM assistant and associate professors who have demonstrated exceptional potential to achieve distinction in their academic disciplines through scholarship, creative activity, and the dissemination of knowledge. As part of the honor, Wesp will receive a $1,500 award and will be recognized at the UWM Awards Ceremony in fall 2026.
Since joining the UWM School of Nursing in 2022, Wesp has built a nationally recognized program of research focused on advancing health equity for LGBTQIA+ populations. Her work spans theoretical framework development, qualitative research, and the advancement of evidence-based nursing care to improve health outcomes for historically underserved communities.
Wesp is the recipient of a Hillman Foundation Emergent Innovation Grant and previously received a UWM Discovery and Innovation Grant to support community-led interventions addressing urgent health needs in Milwaukee. She has also contributed to national and international clinical guidelines on evidence-based care and served as co-author and editor of the 2022 textbook Clinician’s Guide to LGBTQIA+ Care: Cultural Safety in Sexual, Reproductive, and Primary Healthcare. In addition, she has guest edited special issues for two nursing journals dedicated to LGBTQIA+ health.
Her contributions to nursing scholarship and practice were further recognized through her induction as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
The UWM School of Nursing congratulates Professor Wesp on this well-deserved recognition and looks forward to her continued impact on nursing research, education, and the advancement of equitable healthcare!