History of WIN

The Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) is the western regional nursing research organization that succeeded the Western Council on Higher Education for Nursing (WCHEN). In 1985, following extensive deliberations by special committees, the decision to create an autonomous, self-supporting organization was implemented. At the first meeting of the new organization, nurses from collegiate schools of nursing and health care agencies adopted the bylaws and the new name of the organization, the Western Institute of Nursing. The organization moved to Portland, Oregon on July 1, 1996 and was incorporated on November 3, 1998 in accordance with the Oregon Nonprofit Corporation Act.

WIN exists to bring together a diverse community of nurses in a shared commitment to transcend the boundaries of knowledge development and application to advance the discipline and to drive improvements in practice, outcomes, and cost. The organizational structure includes the Membership Assembly, the Board of Governors, committees, and societies.

The annual Communicating Nursing Research conference, offered continuously since 1968, is the oldest conference of its kind in the United States. The 50th annual Communicating Nursing Research Conference was held in Denver, Colorado from April 19-22, 2017. The Anniversary Book – 50 Years of Leadership: Continuing the Vision