Norma G. Cuellar, RN, DSN, CCRN - University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania

Dr. Cuellar received her BSN from the University of Southern Mississippi, her MSN from Louisiana State University Medical Center, and her DSN, in which she concentrated on Adult Health Nursing, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Virginia in Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Dr. Cuellar’ research focus is studying the sleep disorder Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), a lifelong, debilitating condition that worsens with age. She is examining a variety of CAM modalities that may help with the symptoms of RLS. Dr. Cuellar is currently funded with several grants that are examining the relationships among sleep, fatigue, depression, and quality of life in persons with RLS. She also has a grant that is examining the effects of valerian, a natural sleep aid, on outcomes of RLS, including symptom severity, sleep, fatigue, depression, and quality of life. Two other grants in review are related to testing various complementary and alternative therapies in persons with sleep problems. She has over 20 publications related to RLS, CAM, culture, and education. She has presented nationally and internationally at over 50 conferences.