Dr. Elaine Hardy PhD, RN

Dr. Hardy began her nursing career as a staff nurse on a telemetry unit at St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights, Illinois. After 2 years she took a position in primary care at a clinic in Chesterton, Indiana as the case manager. She was responsible for educating patients newly diagnosed with chronic diseases, such as hypertension, and diabetes. She began teaching clinical courses in the Associates Degree program at Indiana University Northwest, while a student in the Master’s program. Elaine has worked as adjunct faculty for Chamberlain College of Nursing, Indiana University Northwest, and Community College of Allegheny County. She has taught as faculty at Duquesne University and Illinois State University. Dr. Hardy was regional director and faculty member at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Peoria campus teaching in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. She was appointed the Director of Policy at UIC, a newly created position. Her latest role was as faculty teaching at Illinois Wesleyan University. Dr. Hardy has taken a position with HSHS St. John’s College of Nursing, Springfield, IL as Dean of Academic Affairs, which she will start in January 2023.

Hardy earned an ASN from Purdue University Northwest (formerly known as Purdue University North Central) and a BSN from Indiana University Northwest. She earned an MS (with a clinical nurse specialist concentration in adult health with a special focus on diabetes) and a post-master’s certificate in nursing education from Purdue University Northwest (formerly known as Purdue University Calumet). In 2011, she earned her PhD in Nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She completed her dissertation on racial identity as predictors of physical activity in midlife African American women.

Dr. Hardy was appointed as a fellow in the Sigma Theta Tau Nurse Faculty Leadership Academy and serves as a reviewer for Journal of Cancer Education. She serves on the planning committee for the Annual Cultural Inclusion Institute held in San Antonio. She was awarded the Zerwic Diversity Award from UIC and has been an invited speaker on discrimination and racism in nursing. She is a member of Sigma, the American Nurses Association, the National Black Nurses Association, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, American Public Health Association. Dr. Hardy is President of the Black Nurses Association of Central Illinois and on the Board of Directors of ANA-IL. She was a member of UICOMP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force, and UICOMP IRB. She was an advisory board member for the Mennonite College of Nursing, HRSA Nursing Workforce Diversity grant (PROUD program). She is a board member for Central Illinois Friends, and commissioner of John M. Scott Foundation, Bloomington, IL. She has worked with the Community Health Needs Assessment and is a member of the Healthy Eating/Active Living (HEAL) Priority Action Team.