Cheryl Cummings Stegbauer, PhD, MS, BSN, RN, APN, FNP-BC, FAANP, is a Golden Graduate, Class of 1969, from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing, and a long-time member of the college faculty, serving for more than 30 years.

Dr. Stegbauer helped develop the master’s degree program for Family Nurse Practitioners at the college in the 1970s and then was part of the team that developed the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at UTHSC. She received the University of Tennessee National Alumni Association Outstanding Teacher Award in 2002 and the Public Service Award in 2004.

Dr. Stegbauer has been active at both state and national levels with professional groups concerned with the legal, regulatory, and collaborative aspects of nursing practice. She was selected by the Nurse Practitioner Journal as one of the Top 25 Nurse Practitioners in the United States in the history and development of the nurse practitioner profession.

Dr. Stegbauer was awarded Professor Emeritus upon her retirement in 2014 from the College of Nursing at UTHSC. She continues to work as a consultant for legal and professional matters.