
Olivia Lemberger, Ph.D. ’22, got the education of a lifetime when she joined the Peace Corps in 1997. It was quite an eye-opener for the nurse who traveled around the globe to Guinea, West Africa, to work as a health service volunteer.
“Resources were scarce, so every object had multiple uses and nothing was thrown away,” said Lemberger, who lives in Aurora, Illinois. “Every day, I was able to practice divergent thinking skills and learned the importance of sustainable innovation practices.” Lemberger said that a patient’s life often depended on leveraging innovation methodologies in real-time to improve health care outcomes.
“It provided an opportunity to learn how to think innovatively,” Lemberger said. “My innovation experiences in Africa have nourished me throughout my 25-year nursing career.”
Currently, Lemberger is a clinical nurse educator and simulation coordinator at Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora. In that role, she assists new graduates as they become practicing nurses, and coordinates clinical orientation and the hospital’s mentoring and preceptor programs.
“I love working with new graduate nurses; they are excited, insightful and full of innovative solutions,” Lemberger said. “I enjoy learning from them and supporting them during their transition to nursing practice. They are the future of healthcare.”

Her passion for supporting a future generation of healthcare heroes is coupled with a fervor to share stories of the many innovative contributions nurses have made in the past. It is a journey that began when she was working in the emergency department for nearly two decades.
“I was intrigued to learn that an emergency room nurse, Anita Door, innovated the crash cart,” Lemberger said. “I was even more amazed when I realized that my colleagues had never heard that before.”
The crash cart is the commonly used term to describe a self-contained, mobile unit that contains virtually all of the materials, drugs, and devices necessary to perform a code.
She went on to share the story of the crash cart with fellow educators, and again, no one had heard about it.
“I quickly became frustrated trying to locate information regarding nurse innovators; it was either non-existent or buried so deeply that it was almost impossible to find,” Lemberger said. “I remember thinking that I wish there was one central place to find information like this.”
Inspired by this frustration, Lemberger embarked on building an information depository that did just that!
In 2021, she created the Nurse Innovator Index, a directory that lists nurse innovators, entrepreneurs and scientists who have positively transformed healthcare through innovative thought leadership, research and practice. It was officially launched to the public in 2022.
“I hope the index provides an avenue to learn, collaborate and disseminate the innovative initiatives led by nurses,” Lemberger said.
Lemberger is a newly minted NIU graduate, earning her Ph.D. in health sciences in May 2022.
She said the program accommodates students with a wide range of educational backgrounds, and the hybrid course delivery makes it convenient for working professionals.
“A great way to break down (individual) healthcare practices is to intentionally seek out opportunities to learn with and from inter-professional colleagues,” Lemberger said.
“Effective collaboration is an essential skill for anyone practicing in the health sciences.”
Throughout the program, Lemberger said she had the consistent support she needed to succeed.
“I had an amazingly supportive advisor, Dr. Jeanette Rossetti, who helped me navigate the program every step of the way,” Lemberger said. “The level of dedication and support that I felt from all the professors in the health sciences program was exceptional.” In addition, she formed relationships with a cohort that will extend beyond her time at NIU.
You must be logged in to post a comment.