Vanderbilt Evaluator’s Workshop
What is the Vanderbilt Evaluator's Workshop?
The Vanderbilt Evaluators' Workshop is a space for scholars who have ideas or are interested in evaluation to share and discuss their knowledge. This gathering is intended to be an informal exchange, and you are invited to contribute, no matter where you are on your own evaluation journey. This is a series held three times per semester in the fall and spring, during which guest speakers are invited to discuss their ideas and experiences related to evaluations or share current projects they are working on. We welcome participants from both inside and outside of VUSN!
Special Evaluators Collaboration Series
Join us for exciting sessions across Fall 2025 and Spring 2026—a total of six workshops featuring dynamic topics in evaluation. Each session features a guest presentation on an evaluation topic followed by an informal discussion, offering a chance to learn, share insights, and connect with fellow evaluators. This time, VEW will be a joint effort among professional evaluators from the School of Nursing, School of Medicine, and Peabody College, and we welcome participation from all VU and VUMC evaluators, as well as our broader community partners.
Incoming Guest Speakers
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Regina Russell, PhD, MA, MEd
Executive Director for AI, Assessment, and Evaluation | Associate Professor
Regina G. Russell is executive director for AI, assessment and evaluation at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and associate professor in the Health Promotion, Populations and Health Systems faculty community. Dr. Russell is a social scientist broadly and deeply trained in methods and theory, with an applied orientation to knowledge-building practice. She has taught, researched, and written across multiple disciplines in her academic career including sociology, social work, public policy and administration, health professions education, and artificial intelligence. She is currently focusing on the intersection of generative AI tools and evaluation practice in nursing education. In her role leading schoolwide evaluation activities at VUSN, she is fortunate to collaborate with many extraordinary nurse educators and professional evaluators. Dr. Russell launched and co-facilitates the Vanderbilt Evaluator’s Workshop and is an active ex officio member of the VUSN Evaluation Committee. She is part of the VUSN Center for Research Development and Scholarship, where she provides internal consultations regarding evaluation research, and the VU Data Science Institute.
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Sarah Suiter, PhD, MS
Professor of the Practice, Department of Human and Organizational Development
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Xingchen Wei, MEd
Evaluation Coordinator
Xingchen is the Evaluation Coordinator at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. She plays a vital role in the school’s educational evaluation program, handling tasks such as data collection, summarization, process innovation, and meeting preparations. Additionally, she contributes to the ongoing work of VUSN’s Evaluation Committee and the Vanderbilt Evaluators' Workshop. Xingchen holds a master’s degree in International Education Policy and Management from Peabody College.
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Alison Youngblood, PhD, MBA
Senior Program Manager of Evaluation and Assessment at VUSM
Explore Previous Sessions
Want to hear some awesome ideas, talk with scholars who share similar interests, or find a place to share your own work? Contact us at vusn.evaluation@vanderbilt.edu