… NURSING IN THEIR GENES

BY PAULA NOVASH

Is there a nursing gene? We don’t know of a specific one that’s been identified, but a penchant for providing exceptional care for others certainly seems to be a shared trait among family members –or maybe it’s modeled behavior that inspires relatives. Whatever the reason, we’re proud to claim these four families among our alumni, representing six decades of education at UMSON.

“We always encouraged each other – and it felt great knowing that my brother was just a few meters away.”

REMILEKUN ADEMOLA

“It has made us appreciate each other more and better understand each other’s struggles and celebrate each other’s victories.”

PAUL ADEMOLA

Remi (seated) and Paul Ademola come from a family of nurses and UMSON alumni, including their sisters Adedayo Comfort Ademola, MS ’13, BSN ’07, and Ebunoluwa Ademola, BSN ’13. “My sisters are great nurses, and that inspires me,” Remi says.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPER MYERS

Siblings

Remilekun Ademola, BSN ’20, RN, and Paul Ademola, BSN ’20, RN-BC

Paul and Remi were study partners, graduated together, and took their NCLEX exams a month apart. During their first nursing jobs at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, they worked in different units at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore. Paul says it was a daunting initiation: “Everyone was learning, and I had to learn faster. Yet I never felt alone or inadequately prepared.” He started out in a cardiac telemetry unit before transferring to behavioral health and is now board certified in psychiatricmental health nursing and pursuing his Master of Science in Nursing degree. Remi is a member of a medical-surgical team and is also exploring further studies in psychiatricmental health nursing.

Christine retired in 2018 from a nursing career that encompassed instruction and coordinating curriculum and programs in areas such as childbirth education, obstetrics, lactation, perinatal bereavement, and nursing student clinicals. “Watching staff and students grow during their experiences and seeing joy on their faces at their ‘aha’ moments is gratifying,” she says. Now a mixed-media artist, Christine recently completed artwork for a book, Kefi: Cherishing the spirit of a loved one after death, co-created with a fellow nurse.

Annie began her nursing career in neurotrauma before going back to school for a degree in marketing and management, then moving into ambulatory care and administration. As a nursing director of

MOTHER, DAUGHTER, AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW

Christine Kirk Shippen, MS ’98, BSN ’73, RN, IBCLC, RLC; Annie Shippen, MSc, MSN, MS ’10, RN; and Cambra Growden, BSN ’01, RN operations quality for a surgery network, she has gained experience in managing staff, budgeting, and regulatory compliance, among other areas, that “gave me a broader perspective on health care logistics,” she explains.

While not genetically related to the other Shippens, Cambra is married to Christine’s son, Michael. She worked in critical care nursing and hospice case management and as a clinical instructor before moving to an integrative health care practice. Deeply listening and validating the journeys of her patients and fellow nurses is important to her. “As nurses, we often don’t discuss the personal effects of witnessing loss and suffering, nor the joys of being touched by profound recovery,” she says.

Mother And Son

Kimberly Sparklin, BSN ’83, RN, and Timothy Sparklin, BSN ’17, RN

Kimberly (left) and Tim Sparklin both graduated with their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees from UMSON, 34 years apart. They also both served on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is really nice being able to connect with my mom on a professional level on top of the personal,” Tim says.

Kim Sparklin recently retired after a 38-year nursing career that included trauma care and working for Baltimore County Public Schools. Most recently, she managed COVID-19 outbreaks for the Baltimore County Department of Health in settings such as nursing homes, group homes, and hospitals.

“I was able to use my nursing knowledge to provide supportive care to my colleagues on the front line,” she says.

Mother And Daughter

Carmel A. McComiskey, DNP ’10, MS ’96, PPCNP-BC, CPNP-AC, FAANP, FAAN, and Molly McComiskey, DNP ’21, CPNP-AC

As a young neonatal intensive care unit nurse, Carmel was drawn to caring for babies with surgical needs, an interest that eventually led to her becoming a charter member of the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association and an editor for a pediatric surgery textbook and a specialized journal. In her role as director of nurse practitioners at UMMC, she fosters recruitment, onboarding, orientation, and retention of advanced practice nurses. She is also an assistant professor at UMSON.

Tim was one of those front-line workers, spending six months of the pandemic in the adult emergency department at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) before moving to infection prevention. Tim’s nursing career began as a result of a suggestion from Kim, when he was transitioning from another job post-college.

“I will always be grateful that we had a conversation about me looking into nursing because it changed my life for the better,” he says.

Molly worked in the pediatric intensive care unit at UMMC before joining the pediatric brain tumor team at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. Her relationship with her mother is key to her success, she says. “I’ve seen really sad things, so having someone who truly understands and isn’t afraid or uncomfortable with what may have happened is incredibly helpful. I’m so lucky to have my mom,” she adds.

Carmel

, who served as president of UMSON’s Alumni Association 2017 -19, and Molly McComiskey share a passion for pediatric nursing.

Hall of Memories

Named for Louisa Parsons, first superintendent of the University of Maryland School of Nursing upon its founding in 1889, Parsons Hall opened as a nursing students’ residence at 618 W. Lombard St. in November 1922, six years after Parsons’ death and 30 years after her tenure at the thenUniversity Hospital Training School for Nurses. Prior to this, students lived in a section of the old University Hospital and in row houses next to the hospital.

Parsons Hall served as student housing for more than six decades, until the 1980s, and was later used as nursing faculty office space. The seven-story structure was demolished in 1998 for expansion of the University of Maryland Medical Center. To mark the occasion, the Alumni Association held a Wrecking Ball gala and sold bricks from Parsons Hall as memorabilia.

To honor the memory of Parsons Hall – shown here, to the right of the hospital, as it appeared circa 1990 – and the many nursing students and faculty who occupied it, last fall UMSON installed in the Baltimore courtyard a nearly 11-foot-tall, cast stone sculptural replica of the entrance as it appeared in 1922. It includes the stone medallion that later adorned the front exterior, visible in the photo. Newly installed landscaping and a new bench accompany the replica. (See “Change of Address,” Page 44.)

The sculpture was unveiled at the All-Alumni Reunion event in September, and a time capsule, to be opened in 25 years, has been sealed inside it.

— Jillian Dreicer