Nursing For/um: Fall 2023

FALL 2023

UMSON Alumni Grow Their Own Businesses THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF NURSING

VIRTUALLY IMMERSED

A 27-year-old pregnant woman presents with fever, elevated heartrate, diaphoresis, and uterine discomfort. Via a virtual reality (VR) headset, a student meets the patient and interviews her, assesses her, and provides nursing interventions in conjunction with an interdisciplinary team.

This has been happening in a simulation lab at the Universities at Shady Grove with entry Bachelor of Science in Nursing students since last fall and began this summer in Baltimore in an entry Master of Science in Nursing obstetrics course. Students may experience different scenarios once they don a VR MetaQuest 2 headset that allows them to use Oxford Medical Simulation software, but they are all interacting with artificial intelligence-driven patients who adapt their responses as students make clinical decisions. After students are individually immersed in the scenario, they debrief as a small group.

Since last fall, more than 400 students have participated in the VR simulation.

Nurses are uniquely positioned to develop innovative approaches to big issues affecting patients, and some turn their passion for doing so into entrepreneurial efforts focused on improving health outcomes in their communities.

Thanks to a unique class assignment, Bachelor of Science in Nursing students are linking up with UMSON alumni to learn about the wide range of opportunities in nursing careers and life beyond graduation.

cover: In addition to being a partner in an outpatient mental health services provider, Ashley Rock Wiley, MSN ’10, BSN ’05, RN, owns a floral boutique. photography: Christopher Myers

photo at left: Matthew D’Agostino/UMB

THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF NURSING

From the Dean

As the new Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing, I am honored to follow in the footsteps of great nursing deans and leaders who charted the path, making our School of Nursing one of the country’s most prestigious. Indeed, a school is only as great as its people. We have remarkable students, staff, faculty, alumni, partners, and donors committed to continuously steering us higher. The School is a national leader because of its boldness in embracing change, sparking innovation, and developing leaders well equipped to address the ever-changing landscape of nursing education, research, practice, and policy.

I started my role in mid-July, but walking into the School in late August, when the fall semester begins, is always a breath of fresh air for me. The School awakens to the bustling sounds of faculty, staff, students, and alums. The flow of energy, hope, optimism, and perhaps the mild anxiety that comes with the end of summer is undeniable. The beauty of the orange and red colors emerging on the tips of leaves is a reminder that the only constant thing is change.

With change comes both promise and optimism for the future. We welcomed our largest class of 272 new entry-into-nursing students in Baltimore and at the Universities at Shady Grove. The School is responding to the need for health care at a time of substantial nursing shortages in hospitals and academia. Our new students are embarking on a transformational journey that will impact the health of those in Maryland and across the country. I hope that each of them knows that we at the School of Nursing believe that they are fully capable of success and that we are ready to provide them with the necessary resources to enter the profession. To our alumni who were present, either in person or in spirit, at the Welcome Ceremonies for these students in August, thank you for your generous donations that provided white scrub jackets for them and for your kind notes of encouragement. Meeting with our alumni who serve as museum docents later that week was inspiring for me. We had many connections in common, and they generously shared their wisdom on addressing the challenges facing nursing. We have much to learn from our alumni, and their contributions of time, talent, and treasure allow our School and students to excel.

At our All-School Assembly that launches the academic year, our faculty and staff’s clear commitment to the School and University’s core values of respect and integrity, equity and justice, well-being and sustainability, and innovation and discovery was powerful and visible. I value their welcoming spirit and dedication to each other and to ensuring that everyone who enters the School feels included and has a sense of belonging.

I am looking forward to our time together and to embracing the possibilities that lie ahead. Collectively, we will inspire, influence, and motivate others toward a great future for nursing education, research, practice, and policy.

FALL 2023

NURSING FOR/UM is published by the University of Maryland School of Nursing.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Giordana Segneri

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Jillian Dreicer

Erin Merino

Mary Therese Phelan

EDITORIAL BOARD

Stacey Conrad

Amy Daniels

Erika Friedmann

Elizabeth Galik

Jana Goodwin

Jane M. Kirschling

Yolanda Ogbolu

Deborah Prout

Cynthia Renn

Jennifer Schum

Cynthia Sikorski

Susan Wozenski

CONTRIBUTORS

Stacey Conrad

Nicole Nash

Deborah Prout

Cynthia Sikorski

Lorrie Voytek

DESIGN

Skelton Sprouls

We welcome comments, suggestions, and story ideas from alumni, partners, and friends. Send correspondence to Giordana Segneri, Editor-in-Chief, at nrscommunications@umaryland.edu or 410-706-4115.

© University of Maryland School of Nursing, 2023

Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD ’11, MS ’05, BSN ’04, NNP, FNAP, FAAN

The Bill and Joanne Conway Dean

The Pulse

Branching Out in Community Partnership

BY EMILY CHAPPELL

On an afternoon in March, UMSON Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) student Oyindamola Adewara sat with a handful of other students at the Waverly branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, offering blood pressure checks, health screenings, and more to library patrons.

They were participating in a community partnership that began in the spring between UMSON and the Pratt Library, the first of its kind in the state, which embeds nursing students within library branches to provide free health services. Fifty-six students in the second-semester Clinical Care Across the Continuum course of UMSON’s entry BSN program in Baltimore kicked off Healthcare in the Library on site in small groups at four Baltimore library branches — Central Library, Brooklyn, Waverly, and Southeast Anchor Library — three days a week.

It was so successful that it has expanded this fall to include the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, involving BSN students at the Universities at Shady Grove.

“Giving back to the community is one important thing that we need to know as nurses,” Adewara said. “It’s not just about working in the hospitals. There are people out there that are looking for help. Some people don’t even have a primary care provider, some don’t even have health insurance.”

While the participating students cannot assist with first aid, wound care, emergency services, diagnosis of illness, or vaccinations, Healthcare in the Library helps to fill gaps in community health care that were made even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic and provides a community/public health clinical experience for nursing students.

Teaming Up with a ‘Trusted Institution’

The partnership was initiated by Theresa Di Seta, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, assistant director of student placements for partnership development and community health and a current Doctor of Nursing Practice student, who knew the library already had a partnership with the University of Maryland School of Social Work; it had placed students in branches to provide services to the community. She thought: Why not nursing students?

She reached out to Pratt’s Meghan McCorkell, chief of marketing, communications, and strategy, and the two spearheaded what they hope will be a model that catches on.

“We’re so excited to be partnering with the University of Maryland School of Nursing to bring students here into the library to provide some medical screenings for

Student Annika Marquez provides a blood pressure check to a library patron at the Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Library branch in Baltimore.

“You really have to meet the community where the community is.”

PATRICIA ZIMBERG

MATTHEW D’AGOSTINO/UMB

our customers,” McCorkell said. The Pratt Library is a “trusted institution,” she added.

“We find that people come through our doors, and they’re really looking for resources. And there are so many wonderful places in this city, we’re able to partner and bring those resources into a place that the customers already trust. So, this was a natural partnership to bring the University of Maryland in to provide these health care screenings for our customers that are already here,” McCorkell said.

There’s no better way to break down barriers to access for critical services than to bring them into the library for free, she added.

The work the students are doing, Di Seta said, may include helping someone to understand a new medication or diagnosis or assisting someone recently released from a hospital to better understand their discharge instructions.

These basic services often are not available to people due to a lack of health insurance or simply a lack of resources, but they can make a big difference in someone’s quality of life, said Patricia Zimberg, JD, MS ’00, RN, an adjunct faculty member teaching one of the cohorts of the Clinical Care Across the Continuum class at the Waverly branch. Zimberg was an assistant professor and director of UMSON’s Care Coordination Certificate before she retired in 2022.

A Clinical Community Buy-In

During a time when the nationwide nursing shortage is having farreaching impacts on community health, this partnership provides a necessary opportunity for hands-on

experience. Zimberg said this clinical setting is particularly important because it’s different from what students see during hospital clinicals. In that setting, a nurse typically sees a patient for a brief period.

“It’s a different skill set in the community. We talk about community buy-in, whereas when you have a patient in the hospital, a lot of things are prescribed for them — they don’t have as much choice. But in communities, you really have to meet the community where the community is,” she said.

When a patron comes in, Zimberg said, students ask what health concerns they may have — like a minifocus group — and that information helps guide lessons for future weeks. Each week, two students are required to do a health presentation to the rest of the group. For example, Zimberg said, a patron came in asking about managing stress. Zimberg asked the patron to come back again the following week, and students were

able to provide tailored information when the patron returned.

“Each week, we try to learn more about and discuss a different topic that really meets those needs,” Zimberg added.

For student Annika Marquez, the hands-on experience she gained with members of the community during the clinical experience has helped her to understand different populations and their health care needs. Marquez said she chose nursing because she has always loved to take care of people. Her grandfathers went through palliative care and hospice, she said, and she understands well the importance of making care comfortable for patients.

“It does feel nice, being able to step into this position and help people. In a community like Baltimore, where lack of health care access is huge, being able to provide resources like blood pressure clinics is such a big deal,” she said.

right: Zimberg and Adewara at the Waverly branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore

“In a community like Baltimore, where lack of health care access is huge, being able to provide resources like blood pressure clinics is such a big deal.”

ANNIKA MARQUEZ

Bindon Recognized for Excellence in Teaching by University System

Susan L. Bindon, DNP ’11, MS ’96, RN, NPD-BC, CNE, CNE-cl, FAAN, associate professor, associate dean for faculty development, and director of both the Institute for Educators and the Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions Certificate, has been recognized with a 2023 University System of Maryland (USM) Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest honor that the USM Board of Regents bestows. Her selection is recognition of her outstanding accomplishments related to teaching excellence.

Bindon has served as the School’s inaugural associate dean for faculty development since 2021; her appointment is testament to her standing as an exemplary nurse educator, role model, and coach for faculty not only at UMSON, but throughout the state of Maryland.

Bindon’s work addresses ongoing nursing workforce challenges locally, statewide, and nationally. The necessity of increasing enrollments in schools of nursing requires expanding the number of nurse educators well prepared to teach and mentor the next generation of nurses in the classroom and in clinical settings. Bindon has worked to elevate nursing education as a practice specialty in both academic and professional practice settings and has focused on mentoring faculty to improve teaching, with a focus on effective teaching to meet the needs of today’s learners.

“My deep and abiding commitment is to students and faculty and to excellent, innovative teaching,” Bindon said. “My mission is to teach at the highest possible level and to help others do the same. Great teachers attract great students, who then make great contributions to patient care and other vital areas of nursing. I teach about teaching. Developing the competency of nurse educators and influencing generations of learning is my professional goal and love.”

Bindon has received multiple grant awards through the Nurse Support Program II, funded by the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, focused on preparing and developing clinical nursing faculty across the state. Products of these grants have become components of essential faculty development statewide, including workshops that utilize standardized students (professional actors who portray students) to provide simulated experiences for faculty to practice their skills in guiding student learning in a safe environment. These workshops have prepared more than 450 faculty to teach nursing students in clinical settings

— Giordana Segneri

The New Entry Master’s Program: Igniting Careers in Health Care

UMSON will launch its new Master of Science in Nursing Entry-into-Nursing (MSN-E) program next spring, responding to alumni and student feedback to provide a more flexible curriculum while aligning it with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) Essentials

This fall is the final semester in which UMSON admitted students to its nearly 20-year-old MSN Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) option; as of next spring, UMSON will no longer offer it to incoming students and will offer the MSN-E program instead. The two-year, in-person, full-time MSN-E program is designed for those with bachelor’s degrees in fields other than nursing who are interested in changing patient care, improving patient outcomes, and leading health care teams, and it will position nurses to grow in their careers. It will also teach students how to engage in self-care practices, incorporating self-reflection and feedback from others, to promote personal and professional resilience and well-being.

Entry-intonursing students collaborate during a simulation in the Debra L. Spunt Clinical Simulation Labs in Baltimore.

As part of UMSON’s ongoing effort to overhaul curricula at both the baccalaureate and advanced levels to align with AACN’s The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education, the new MSN-E program will focus on competency-based education, a student-centered approach that focuses on demonstrating knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

“The new MSN-E maintains the strengths of the CNL option while anticipating and responding to changing forces in nursing education and practice,” said Janet Wulf, DNP ’19, MS ’06, RN, CNL, CHPN, CNE, assistant professor and director of the entry master’s program. “Through elective choices, students will tailor their education to their interests and experience. We see this as a springboard into the nursing profession and we can’t wait to see where our graduates land.” Learn more at nursing.umaryland.edu/entrymsn.

— Mary Therese Phelan

Bindon (left) was presented with the USM Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching during a Board of Regents breakfast meeting on April 14. She was joined by University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS (right)

“Through elective choices, students will tailor their education to their interests and experience. We see this as a springboard into the nursing profession.”

JANET WULF

MATTHEW D’AGOSTINO/UMB

O-bo-loo

(emphasis on the O, silent G)

Meet Dean Ogbolu

BY GIORDANA SEGNERI

The School of Nursing is thrilled to introduce you to Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD ’11, MS ’05, BSN ’04, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, professor, an experienced researcher at international and national levels, educator, and public servant. She is the first alumna (and a three-time graduate at that) and first person of color to serve as the School of Nursing’s dean in its 134-year history.

Ogbolu served as chair of UMSON’s Department of Partnerships, Professional Education, and Practice beginning in 2019 and co-director of its Center for Health Equity and Outcomes Research as of 2021. After 22 years in clinical practice as a board-certified neonatal nurse practitioner, she was appointed to the UMSON faculty in 2010 as deputy director of the School’s Office of Global Health and became its director in 2015.

Ogbolu has dedicated her career to addressing health disparities in marginalized and global communities. Her passion for addressing global and local inequities resulted in her receiving a nearly $1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as the principal investigator to develop the Global Learning for Health Equity Network. She also serves as the principal investigator on a $2.4 million Pathways for Health Equity grant, awarded by the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission, that has funded the development of the West Baltimore RICH (Reducing Isolation and Inequities in Cardiovascular Health) Collaborative, which aims to address hypertension and social isolation in four ZIP codes.

Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD ’11, MS ’05, BSN ’04, NNP, FNAP, FAAN is the new Bill and Joanne Conway Dean as of July 17.

How do you pronounce the dean’s last name correctly?

You can read more about her background at nursing.umaryland. edu/deanogbolu, but here you can get to know her a bit more through her own words:

What is your most treasured possession?

My family is the most treasured part of my life. As a wife to Dr. Michael Ogbolu and mother of three daughters (Tiffany, Jasmine, and Jordan) and one son (Michael), I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share this journey with them. I am a native of Baltimore with family roots over eight generations and 250 living extended family members in the city, as well as a host of relatives in Nigeria. I feel deeply blessed to receive my family’s full acceptance, love, and support.

What does an ideal day look like?

Wake up with peace, optimism, and hope to make a difference in the lives of others, carry forth those ideals during the day, reflect at the end of the day, and hope to see that someone else’s day or life was improved in part because I inspired them, shared my support, and offered words of encouragement.

Do you have a motto or mantra?

“Hope is an action word.” Hope comes with the birth of a new baby and does not leave you until the last breath. Hope is not just a feeling or a desire that things can be great in the future. Hope requires action: pressing forward with tenacity and not giving up.

What do you consider your superpower?

Calmness.

Who are your heroes in real life?

This is a difficult one, as so many people have contributed to my journey. UMSON alumnae Shirley Nathan-Pulliam and Esther McCready certainly rise to the top, as well as my mother, Linda Russell; grandmother, Eliza Stewart; and father-in-law, Patrick Ifeanyi Ogbolu. Additional nursing mentors: Angela McBride, Pamela Cipriano, Phyllis Sharps, Meg Johantgen, and Stephanie Ferguson. All these individuals worked hard and had/have honorable lives and careers yet consistently make time to promote the next generations of leaders through prayer, mentorship, and sponsorship and their desire to promote a stronger and more vibrant future.

Who, living or deceased, would you want to invite for dinner and why?

I have some dinner questions for Michelle Obama! I love her authenticity and ability to share her joys and pains in a way that strengthens herself and others. I can relate well to many of her experiences and her commitment to working alongside and uplifting others.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Harriet Tubman – a few years ago, the National Black Nurses Association and Chi Eta Phi Sorority awarded me the Harriet Tubman Legacy Award in Maternal Child Health Nursing, which recognizes personal characteristics of perseverance, humility, and tenacity.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I am a strength-based leader, and by assessment, my top strength is achiever. Every day, I am aiming higher and working toward my greatest accomplishment. To date, my greatest achievements are first, becoming a nurse and second, my ability to collaborate with diverse groups for collective impact. I love nursing, and one of the best things about being a nurse is the ability to grow and diversify your career. As a young neonatal nurse practitioner, I loved the excitement and acuity of clinical practice and the differences I could make in improving the quality of patient care through my interactions with the babies and their families. Transitioning to a nurse educator and academic administrator allowed me to achieve my dreams of having a global impact: supporting, mentoring, and training nursing students and faculty at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and across the globe as well as implementing community-engaged research that improves health outcomes for families in my native Baltimore. None of this could have been achieved without collaborating with a diverse team of individuals who were also deeply committed to change. Now, as dean, I am excited and looking forward to greater collective achievements for our School, students, faculty, staff, and community and health care partners. I think the greatest achievements for the School and for me, personally, are yet to come.

“I hope to see that someone else’s day or life was improved in part because I inspired them, shared my support, and offered words of encouragement.”

YOLANDA OGBOLU

Hickman (left) with Karen Doyle, DNP ’20, MS ’91, MBA, BSN ’85, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at UMMC

Hickman Honored with UMMC Colleague Award

Linda J. Hickman, PhD ’98, MBA, RN, FACHE, assistant professor, was honored as the University of Maryland School of Nursing Colleague Award recipient at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s (UMMC) Nursing Excellence Awards Ceremony during National Nurses Week in May. Hickman is a member of UMMC’s Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Staff Nurse Advisory Council and serves as a mentor for the Clinical Practice Summit.

The event program read, “A former VP/CNO, she has an avid interest in academic-practice partnerships. This interest has cultivated great relationships with the CNO and key directors and vice presidents to identify stellar graduate students and an interest in administration and leadership. She has placed countless graduate preceptorships in administrative practicums.”

Westward Ho!

On June 20, faculty, staff, and other guests filled the UMSON auditorium in Baltimore to offer farewell wishes to Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the former Bill and Joanne Conway Dean, before her retirement in July,

Leadership Updates

UMSON is pleased to announce that several faculty and staff have been named to a variety of leadership roles across the School, lending their significant expertise to enhancing teaching and learning, research and scholarship, and the student experience as the School strives to develop leaders in nursing education, research, and practice.

Hickman directs UMSON’s AcademicHospital Partnership program, funded by a Nurse Support Program II grant from the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The program prepares nurses at hospitals statewide for roles as clinical instructors, faculty, preceptors, and mentors, addressing the nursing faculty shortage and filling vacancies in the workforce.

“Since the grant’s inception in 2006, Dr. Hickman has guided over 150 nurses at UMMC enrolled in the Health Services Leadership and Management master’s program, helping create the mentors and leaders needed to meet today’s health care challenges,” the program stated. — G.S.

Yvette Conyers, DNP, MS, RN, FNP-C, CTN-B, CFCN, CFCS Assistant Professor; Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Crystal DeVance-Wilson, PhD ’19, MS ’06, MBA, BSN ’00, PHCNS-BC Assistant Professor; Director of the Maryland Nursing Workforce Center

Kelly Doran, PhD ’11, MS ’08, RN, FAAN Associate Professor; Co-Director, Biology and Behavior Across the Lifespan Organized Research Center

Jennifer Fitzgerald DNP ’15, MS ’00, NNP-BC Assistant Professor; Director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Specialty

when she moved to Colorado with her beloved rescue dog, Frankie. At the event, several employees made lighthearted remarks prior to a Western-themed reception. Western attire was encouraged.

Bill Gardiner, MBA Senior Associate Dean for Administration and Finance and Chief Operating Officer

Steve Pease, MS Associate Dean for Administration and Finance

Barbara Resnick, PhD ’96, RN, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP Distinguished University Professor and the Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz Chair in Gerontology; Associate Dean for Research

MATTHEW D’AGOSTINO/UMB

GIORDANA SEGNERI

Graduating Conway Scholars enjoyed a luncheon with family members prior to UMSON’s Convocation ceremony in May; they were joined by School and University leaders and representatives of the Bedford Falls Foundation.

School Receives $7M Gift

A gift of $7 million to UMSON from the Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF, a donor-advised fund established by Bill and Joanne Conway, will create 218 additional Conway Scholarships through fall 2027. In addition, UMSON has received a Conway Innovation Challenge grant of $145,000, which will fund a pilot of UMSON’s Nursing Professional Residency for Outstanding Faculty (N-PROF), from the Conways’ Bedford Falls Foundation Charitable Trust.

This gift, the fifth from the Conways since 2015, brings the total amount the Conways have contributed to UMSON to $36.24 million. It will fund 116 Bachelor of Science in Nursing scholarships, 42 Master of Science in Nursing Entry-into-Nursing program scholarships, and 60 scholarships for the Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions Certificate. These scholarships, which will be

A Piece of the Pi

awarded beginning next spring, will cover 50% - 100% of students’ tuition, fees, and books. To date, UMSON has awarded Conway Scholarships to 468 students, 354 of whom have graduated. By 2027, more than 1,000 students are expected to have been designated Conway Scholars.

The gift also provides for the creation of a full-time faculty position dedicated to preparing entry-into-nursing students for the Next Gen NCLEX, the newest version of the National Council Licensure Examination.

In addition, the gift will support expanded promotion of UMSON’s Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions Certificate, a program critical to preparing and increasing the number of nurse faculty statewide. The nation is experiencing a staggering shortage of nurse educators, with an estimated 9% vacancy rate and a wave of faculty retirements projected

News from Sigma’s Pi-at Large Chapter at UMSON

Last spring, the Pi at-Large Chapter of Sigma inducted 123 new members who met the academic and service criteria for the prestigious organization. The newest officers for the chapter were elected in June and have begun their terms. We held a transition meeting in late June at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe, Maryland. We conducted business and shared some food and laughs. Our new secretary is Jessica Pitzer, MSN ’23, RN, who was just inducted as a Pi at-Large Chapter member in fall 2022. To view the full list of officers, and for more information about how to get involved, visit nursing.umaryland.edu/pichapter. Our board meetings are virtual, and all are welcome to attend!

— Paul A. Thurman, PhD ’18, MSN ’07, RN, ACNPC, CCNS, CCRN Pi at-Large Chapter President

by 2025, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Survey on Vacant Faculty Positions for Academic Year 2022 - 2023

With the Conway Innovation Challenge award, UMSON will create N-PROF, a yearlong pilot residency program aimed at facilitating the transition for nurses from careers in practice to careers as nurse faculty. The Bedford Falls Foundation created this challenge grant to elicit innovative, scalable ideas that will allow for expanded enrollment or prepare nurses for faculty positions. N-PROF, scheduled to launch in the spring, will be shared as a model for other schools of nursing nationwide.

“Now, through the Conway Innovation Challenge, we are pleased to support those nurses who want to enter into teaching careers to carry on a legacy of learning as they prepare future nurses to enter the workforce,” Bill Conway said.

The residency program is an initiative of UMSON’s Institute for Educators, which supports nurse faculty statewide through academic programs, mentorship, and professional development opportunities. It is funded through a $100,000 donation from the Conways, who also matched $22,500 from other UMSON donors. In a deeply felt commitment to future generations of nursing faculty, these generous gifts came from Dean Emerita Janet Allen, PhD, RN, FAAN, APN; Jane Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the then-Bill and Joanne Conway Dean; and an anonymous donor.

— M.T.P.

“She’s going to be rolling through the halls. Units can put in a request that says, ‘I’m the nurse on Five West; I need to get medications for a patient in 5074. I need them from pharmacy.’

Moxi will get that message and go to the pharmacy. She’ll tell the

pharmacy, ‘I’m here to pick up.’ The pharmacy will be able to give her the medications, then Moxi will take them back to the nurse who made the request.”

Eileen Dohmann, MBA, BSN, senior vice president and chief nursing officer, Mary Washington Healthcare, describing Moxi, a robotic hospital assistant, during a video presentation at SINI

Leading Through Thought

BY MARY THERESE PHELAN AND GIORDANA SEGNERI

When you’re one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation, as UMSON is, you have the benefit of being able to gather thought leaders to share their insights to enhance education, advance initiatives, and even influence policy. For the Maryland Action Coalition (MDAC) Leadership Summit, “Collaborating to Meet Challenges and Opportunities: The State of Maryland’s Health,” on May 22 and the Summer Institute in Nursing Informatics (SINI), “Capturing the Value of Informatics Across the Health Care Continuum,” July 20 - 21, both of which UMSON hosted virtually, the School brought influential leaders throughout nursing and health care together to communicate with nearly 400 total participants.

Here are some of those shared perspectives:

“This generation focuses its time on how much time do I get off vs. how much time do I work. Maybe they have it right and we had it wrong. How do you change your perspective as a leader to support a generational shift?”

Kevin Sowers, MSN, RN, FAAN, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, during the MDAC Fireside Chat: Health of Marylanders: Sustainable Change

“Nurses are key partners in advancing health equity. At a population level, public health nurses work to address chronic diseases and prevention. At a policy level, nurses can advocate for community interventions and government programs.”

Laura Herrera Scott, MD, MPH, Maryland secretary of health, during her MDAC keynote presentation

“ The idea is to build technical tools that leverage the clinical experience in a way that marries the tech and the clinical acumen.”

Neri M. Cohen, MD, PhD, FACS, FCCP, president, Center for Healthcare Innovation, Bayesian Health, during the SINI Innovations Across the Continuum of Care Track

“Hospitals are seeing unprecedented workforce challenges. And so, automating routine tasks for people who are working in health care is no longer a ‘nice to have,’ it’s really becoming a necessity.”

Gregg Springan, MSN, RN, head of clinical informatics, nurse executive, Diligent Robots, during the SINI Value of Informatics and the Informatician Track

Celebrating the Legacy of Peg E. Daw

During the MDAC summit, Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the former Bill and Joanne Conway Dean and MDAC co-chair, presented the coalition’s annual Exemplary Service Leadership Award. The coalition has renamed the award in honor of the “incredible legacy and many contributions,” Kirschling said, of Peg E. Daw, DNP, RN-BC, CNE, FAAN, former Nurse Support Program II grant administrator at the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and bestowed the 2023 award upon her posthumously. Kirschling and Patricia Travis, PhD ’88, MS ’76, BSN ’69, RN, CCRP, MDAC co-chair, presented the award to Daw’s family members during a remembrance celebration at UMSON in May, following Daw’s death in December. “Our efforts here in Maryland have been enormously successful, in no small measure because of Peg’s deep commitment and her involvement in helping to make available the resources and support that could move a national agenda forward here in the state of Maryland,” Kirschling said.

l. to r.: Kirschling; Travis; and Ruby Daw, Peg Daw’s mother

MATTHEW D’AGOSTINO/UMB

Convocation

Friends and family of the Class of 2023 gathered on a beautiful day to celebrate the accomplishments of 464 graduates at UMSON’s Convocation ceremony, held May 18 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore.

In a special tribute and surprise to Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the former Bill and Joanne Conway Dean, in honor of her final Convocation, a four-member pipe and drum band led the ceremony. Kirschling received a standing ovation after University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, thanked her for her dedicated commitment to the School.

“This is an exciting day for all of you,” he told the graduates. “I hope that you appreciate you live, work, and study in a terrific school with terrific faculty, terrific staff, terrific fellow students. You also work in a school that has a terrific dean. We have been comrades in arms in many ways. I hope you will all show her your appreciation with more than a round of applause.”

The 2023 Dean’s Medal for Distinguished Service, which recognizes someone external to the School who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to advancing UMSON and its mission, was presented to Mary Etta Mills, ScD, MS ’73, BSN ’71, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, now professor emerita, who retired in June 2022 after a nearly 50-year career at UMSON and UMB. During her time at UMSON, she developed what became the first master’s program in nursing informatics in the nation in 1988 and the first doctoral program in nursing informatics in the world in 1991.

Earlier in the day, the Honorable Shirley Ann Nathan-Pulliam, DPS (Hon.) ’23, DHL (Hon.), MAS, BSN ’80, RN, FAAN, received an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from UMB during its Commencement ceremony. Nathan-Pulliam, an UMSON Visionary Pioneer, served in the Maryland General Assembly for 24 years before retiring as a Maryland state senator in late 2019, having focused her career on expanding access to health care for the state’s citizens.

— M.T.P.

PHOTOGRAPHY: TRACEY BROWN

“I know that when many of us started, we could not envision the road ahead. The speed bumps and potholes, the tiny curves, and unexpected crashes. Despite all of this, I can say it’s been one hell of a ride.”

SARAH KHAN, BSN ’23 STUDENT SPEAKER

clockwise from top left:

1. l. to r.: Jarrell, Mills, and Kirschling upon presenting Mills with the 2023 Dean’s Medal for Distinguished Service

2. Student speaker Khan

3. Kirschling delivering the last Convocation remarks of her deanship

4. Members of the University of Maryland Association of Nursing Students at the Universities at Shady Grove, ready to graduate

5. Convocation kicks off with bagpipes!

Acing the Nursing Shortage

BY LISA ROWEN, DNSc, MS ’86, RN, CENP, BCC, FAONL, FAAN CHIEF NURSE EXECUTIVE, UNIVERSITY

We’ve heard it frequently: It takes a village. Those words are relevant for nursing academicpractice partnerships today. The close collaboration between a hospital or health system and schools of nursing has never been more important in the history of nursing. Consider the numbers:

• The national nurse turnover rate is 22.5%1

• Registered nurse jobs in the United States are expected to grow 6% a year over the next decade2.

• Almost 2 million new nurse jobs will be available by 20313.

• In Maryland, the supply of registered nurses is expected to meet only 79% of the demand by 20354

• The average cost of replacing one nurse who leaves a hospital setting is $52,3505 .

For the health of our communities, our families, and ourselves, we can no longer stay siloed in our academic and practice worlds. Instead, we must join forces to address the looming nursing shortage crisis, driven in part by a nursing faculty shortage. Within this context and the call for more experiential and competency-based entry-into-practice nursing student clinical preparation outlined in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s new The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education, the University of Maryland

Medical System’s (UMMS) Academy of Clinical Essentials (ACE) was born.

UMMS finds and funds ACE clinical instructors for schools of nursing — including UMSON, which served as the pilot — from within our own nursing workforce. A small cohort of nursing students is paired with an UMMS nurse who is counted in the staffing numbers and functions as their clinical instructor for the duration of the semester. Together, the students and instructor assume complete care of four to five patients for a 12-hour shift.

The benefits of ACE are many, including:

• adding many clinical instructors statewide who take students in med/surg, emergency, labor and delivery, mother/baby, and behavioral health settings

• offering a rich clinical experience to students where they understand the work of a nurse for a full shift; can witness patients over a 12-hour continuum; provide total care for a patient instead of a task; and where their instructor knows the patient populations, team members, policies, procedures, and location of supplies and medications

• creating a robust hiring pipeline

• and bolstering staffing for our clinical units.

I started with numbers and I’ll finish with what I consider to be impressive numbers. To date, we have offered ACE to nine schools/campuses of nursing, provided ACE clinical instruction to 380 nursing students across Maryland, and provided 103 additional clinical instructors statewide. For the current academic year, UMSON is on track to accept 40 additional BSN students and 20 additional MSN entry-into-nursing students across the Baltimore and Universities at Shady Grove locations because of the additional clinical instructor support provided by ACE — a total of 60 additional entry-level nursing students who otherwise could not have been admitted. UMMS has partnered with schools of nursing to co-own the challenges of the nursing shortage while innovating with our academic partners to create a novel approach to clinically educating nursing students. It takes a village!

1 2023 Nursing Solutions Inc. National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report

2 Bureau of Labor Statistics

3 Bureau of Labor Statistics

4 Maryland Hospital Association 2022 State of Maryland’s Health Care Workforce Report

5 Becker’s Hospital Review, “The cost of nurse turnover in 24 numbers”

OF MARYLAND MEDICAL SYSTEM ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, UMSON

For the health of our communities, our families, and ourselves, we can no longer stay siloed in our academic and practice worlds.

above, right: Katie Strine, a Clinical Nurse Leader master’s student, participated in ACE last spring on the Surgical Acute Care Unit at the University of Maryland Medical Center Downtown Campus.

Vitals

The University of Maryland Medical System’s Practicum to Practice Program

(P3) streamlines senior practicum selection and job placement for new graduate nurses, with 48 UMSON students hired onto their P3 units since its inception in spring 2022.

Last spring’s blood drive at the Universities at Shady Grove, organized by four nursing student organizations and the Red Cross, collected 44 pints, potentially saving 104 lives

Eun-Shim Nahm, PhD ’03, RN, FAAN, FGSA, professor and associate dean for the PhD program, was awarded the 2022 Southern Nursing Research Society D. Jean Wood Nursing Scholarship Award, which recognizes the contributions of a researcher who has enhanced the science and practice of nursing; Nahm has published more than 75 peer-reviewed journal articles and five book chapters.

The Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs are both tied at No. 7 among public schools of nursing in the 2024 edition of U.S. News & World Report ’s “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” Additionally, four specialties are ranked No. 1 nationwide among public schools of nursing.

Triple station waste bins installed in the School’s hallways, replacing individual office bins, have reduced the number of trash cans at UMSON in Baltimore by 65% This initiative has prevented 445,000 liners from being incinerated, saving the School $1,700 annually

Through the Nurse Support Program (NSP)

II, a statewide initiative funded by the Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission: Five faculty members have received Academic Nurse Educator Certification Awards, eight have been named New Nurse Faculty Fellows, three were awarded Nurse Educator Doctoral Grants for Practice and Dissertation Research, and one received a Nurse Faculty Annual Recognition Award in 2023.

Three faculty were awarded nearly $1 million in competitive NSP II grant funding for Fiscal Year 2024.

Erika Friedmann, PhD; Louise Jenkins, PhD, RN, FAHA, ANEF; and Mary Etta Mills, ScD, MS ’73, BSN ’71, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, were appointed professors emeritae this summer following their retirements. They served a cumulative nearly 100 years as faculty at UMSON.

“You’re trying to meet people where they are. In underserved communities, it’s not just a labor shortage. Transportation is a big barrier to medical appointments, but they can walk to the library.”

Michelle Spencer, DNP ’19, MS ’06, BSN ’94, RN, assistant professor on the importance of UMSON’s Healthcare in the Library partnership with the Enoch Pratt Free Library The Baltimore Banner, March 2023

Friedmann Jenkins Mills

Impact

Moving Meaningful Activity Forward for Long-Term Care Residents with Dementia

BY MARY THERESE PHELAN OUR RESEARCHER

Sarah

Holmes,

PhD, MSW

Visit the activity room of a memory care unit in an assisted living facility, and chances are you’ll see structured activity taking place — perhaps dance, music, or recreational games. Trouble is, such group activities rarely consider the needs and preferences of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and may not be effective.

That’s the premise of research being conducted by Sarah Holmes, PhD, MSW, assistant professor, whose passion is improving the quality of life for people living with ADRD in long-term care facilities. She is the principal investigator on a four-year, $150,000 Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant.

with previous personal interests or contributing to the resident’s community, including helping to deliver the mail, setting the table, and watering plants. Evidence suggests that meaningful activity has positive implications for wellbeing, mental health, and cognitive and physical function.

Yet meaningful activity is not universally nor consistently provided in long-term care settings, especially for those with ADRD, according to Holmes. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop and evaluate new interventions aimed at improving meaningful activity for residents with ADRD living in long-term care.

“Including the residents’ voice into the care processes and decision-making is critical,” Holmes says. “In addition, direct-care staff in long-term care settings play an essential role in encouraging residents to engage in meaningful activity. They are often the individuals who interact with residents the most and understand their preferences for engagement. My work focuses on including residents and empowering staff to facilitate and engage residents with ADRD in meaningful activity.”

INSIDE THE RESEARCH

As an undergrad at Miami University in Ohio, Holmes was an assistant in ADRD research with Opening Minds through Art, whose mission is to build bridges across age and cognitive barriers by providing opportunities for people with ADRD to express themselves through art. Witnessing the impact this organization had on participants’ well-being, Holmes realized her career could contribute to improving evidence-based practices and programs for people with ADRD and led to her research journey.

Approximately half of residents in residential long-term care settings have ADRD, and many exhibit behavioral symptoms of distress such as resistance to care or agitation, Holmes explains. These symptoms may be exacerbated by the physical and social environment and can negatively affect residents’ quality of life, increase staff burden, and lead to inappropriate use of psychotropic medications.

One promising nonpharmacologic strategy for managing these behavioral symptoms is through “meaningful activity,” activities tailored to residents’ interests and preferences. Meaningful activity promotes a sense of purpose through activities such as re-engaging

There have been numerous nonpharmacologic interventions implemented in long-term care settings over the years that focus on participation in structured group activities such as dance, music therapy, and recreation; however, there is conflicting evidence for the efficacy of these interventions in managing behavioral symptoms in persons with ADRD, as they do not consider the individual resident’s needs and preferences.

Holmes is testing the preliminary efficacy of a “Meaningful Activities for Managing Behavioral Symptoms of Distress” intervention, also known as the MAC-4-BSD, that she and her research team developed. The four-step approach involves assessing the physical environment, educating the care staff, assessing resident preferences and goals, and mentoring and motivating the staff.

One hundred residents with mild to moderate dementia will be recruited from four assisted living communities in Maryland. Findings from the study will lay the groundwork for a larger randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of MAC-4-BSD for reducing behavioral symptoms and improving quality of life for the growing number of residents with ADRD in assisted living communities.

“Including the residents’ voice into the care processes and decision-making is critical.”

SARAH HOLMES

Empowering Patients for Lasting Change

OUR EXPERT

Motivational interviewing is an intervention to empower patients who have a desire to make a behavioral change. It is a collaborative process between the patient and provider, employing guided communication to explore the patient’s motivations and reasons for seeking change. Although initially developed for substance use treatment, it has expanded to encompass other areas, such as lifestyle adjustments and medication adherence.

“Motivational interviewing is beneficial for patients because it creates a safe space to be heard and seen, while granting autonomy in decision-making and treatment plans,” explains Ciara

Smith, DNP ’20, BSN ’12, PMHNP-BC, assistant professor.

Smith, who became a nurse with the intention of helping people and making a positive impact on their lives, says, “Motivational interviewing allowed me to reduce the amount of stress I was putting on myself because some patients are not ready to make a healthier choice, and that is OK.”

The goal of this technique, according to Smith, is for providers to guide patients in discovering their strengths and motivation to establish achievable goals. By using this approach, providers can help patients remain accountable to what is important to them.

Having implemented motivational interviewing in her practice for three years, Smith has witnessed significant success. She offers recommendations for providers seeking to incorporate motivational interviews into their practice to facilitate positive behavioral changes:

1 Utilize the OARS Method

OARS stands for open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries.

• “Open-ended questions help keep the conversation going and allow the patient to describe their experience in their own words,” Smith explains.

• Affirm the patient by using “statements that help build the patient’s confidence, so they see themselves in a more positive manner,” she suggests.

• Practice reflective listening by using “statements that mirror what the patient said regarding their behavior,

feelings, and understanding of a situation,” Smith says. “It helps the patient to feel heard and understood.”

• Finally, wrap up with “a statement that summarizes the patient’s prior statements or common themes,” she recommends.

2 Meet the Patient Where They Are

“If they do not want to make a change, that is OK,” Smith says. “Motivational interviewing is used when the patient voices that they want to change, with or without ambivalence. If the patient has ambivalence, motivational interviewing is good for helping the patient identify their reasons why they want to change, why they do not want to change, and help them move forward toward making the change.”

3 Let the Patient Lead

“Motivational interviewing is like a dance, and you are following the patient’s lead,” Smith suggests. “An assumption in motivational interviewing is that the patient is an expert of their own experience, and they have the skills to make the change. We are just here to bring it out of them by guiding them and supporting their decision-making process.”

4 Don’t Take Things Personally

It’s important not to feel disheartened if the patient isn’t successful in making a change. “If a patient does not want to change and their patient outcomes are not improving, it is not a reflection of your nursing skills,” Smith says.

BY ERIN MERINO

“The patient is an expert of their own experience, and they have the skills to make the change. We are just here to bring it out of them by guiding them and supporting their decision-making process.”

CIARA SMITH

Ciara Smith, DNP ’20, BSN ’12, PMHNP-BC

Always on the Go-Team

Bonjo Batoon

BY FAYE RIVKIN

Bonjo Batoon, MS, BSN ’98, CRNA, a PhD student, is impacting nursing as much from outside the University of Maryland Medical Center’s (UMMC)

R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center as in it.

Batoon joined the Shock Trauma Center as a nurse anesthetist in 2006 after graduating from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., with his Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia. Nearly 20 years later, he still calls Shock Trauma home. He’d been interested in nursing and pre-hospital medicine since high school, after witnessing a devastating car crash. Watching emergency medical services secure the scene and extricate, treat, and transport patients, “I wanted to help people and never wanted the helpless feeling of not knowing what to do,” Batoon says.

He’s treated patients across Maryland and beyond; provided medical support in a New York shelter during Hurricane Sandy in 2012; and was part of a standby medical team for three State of the Union addresses by two presidents in Washington, D.C.

Shortly after joining Shock Trauma, he became a Go-Team member. Go-Teams, composed of a physician and a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), provide advanced resuscitative care across Maryland, and the UMMC Shock Trauma Center, Batoon says, is the only one in the nation with CRNAs on deployable advanced pre-hospital teams.

Batoon was also an original member of the Maryland-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team and is currently on the Maryland Tactical Critical Care Team, both part of the National Medical Disaster System. These pre-hospital teams bring together areas he enjoys: “caring for patients, critical care, critical care transport, resuscitation, anesthesia, and surgery,” he says. He’s treated patients across Maryland and beyond; provided medical support in a New York shelter during Hurricane Sandy in 2012; and was part of a standby medical team for three State of the Union addresses by two presidents in Washington, D.C.

Batoon and his wife, Vanessa, spend a lot of time traveling to and from their three daughters’ sporting events. When it’s game time, he’s in the stands cheering. But when it’s his turn to drive to practice, he drops them off and stays in the car, doing work for his PhD and writing articles and presentations.

He’s in his fourth year of the PhD program, anticipating graduation in 2026. Working with Cynthia L. Renn, PhD, MS ’97, RN, FAAN, professor and chair of UMSON’s Department of Pain

and Translational Symptom Science, he’s researching dexmedetomidine, a sedative with analgesic properties. “We use dexmedetomidine frequently in the operating room,” he explains. “I’m interested in using it to help control pain and reduce the opioids we give to patients.”

Batoon has delivered more than 70 lectures and workshops related to his work in trauma and anesthesiology and has co-authored articles in the AANA Journal, the official scholarly publication of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. And he’s turned a creative interest into a side hustle, finding a way to keep stethoscopes easily accessible and off the neck with a nylon paracord stethoscope holder. He sells them and other paracord accessories for health care professionals in his Etsy shop, Paracord Bo.

“I have a huge interest in trying to help other CRNAs,” Batoon says. “I’ve had some amazing mentors who encouraged me and made me think about nurse anesthesiology in different, positive ways.”

Batoon’s nylon paracord stethoscope holder

Entrepre•NURSE UMSON Alumni Grow Their Own Businesses

Big problems require big, innovative solutions. Nurses are uniquely positioned to develop innovative approaches to big issues affecting patients. In fact, many UMSON graduates have followed their passion to become entrepreneurs and business owners who offer health care services focused on improving health outcomes within their communities.

“Entrepreneurship is described as an innovation mindset and skill set,” says Lori Edwards, DrPH, BSN ’80, RN, CNS-PCH, BC, assistant professor and associate dean for the Master of Science in Nursing program, who is researching nurse entrepreneurship.

Nurses become entrepreneurs and business owners, but they often learn that skillset independently; it’s not a competency formally taught in nursing programs, according to Edwards. “My colleagues and I believe it would be very helpful if nurses are introduced to this concept in beginning and graduate education,” Edwards says.

It’s a concept that’s already trending among nursing organizations. The National Academy of Medicine’s The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report states that innovating and improving is an essential competency for nurse leadership. To advance health equity, the report calls for nurses to take on leadership roles that “improve health care by providing quality care to people, encouraging workplace innovation and improvements, implementing programs, and using evidence-based approaches that improve quality of care and address structural barriers.”

We’re sharing four stories of successful entrepreNURSES who have become innovative business owners serving patients within and beyond their communities.

BY MEREDITH LIDARD KLEEMAN

Wylie at Above It All, an outpatient mental health services provider in West Baltimore

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER MYERS

NURSE•ship

ASHLEY ROCK WYLIE

MS ’10, BSN ’05, RN

Wylie’s path to entrepreneurship began early in her nursing career when she launched a consulting firm for nonprofits serving underresourced communities.

The consulting firm, Dreams 2 Reality, was Wylie’s passion project while she worked as the program director of clinical services at the JACQUES Initiative, focused on supporting patients and communities affected by HIV and Hepatitis C virus, in the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology. However, her entrepreneurial spirit led her to team up with her husband, Brandon Wylie, and other partners in 2014 to create Above it All, which offers outpatient mental health services to kids, adults, and families in West Baltimore. Inspired by conversations between Brandon and his father, who together operate Wylie Funeral Homes, the family wanted to be involved in the community before a tragedy strikes. The profits from Above It All fund free outreach programs for West Baltimore residents, including nonviolent crisis prevention trainings, meditation yoga, and mindfulness classes.

Wylie managed most of the administrative duties of the business while still working for the JACQUES Initiative and as the nurse manager of infectious diseases at the University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus. She eventually became the director of regional care coordination for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, and it was there that Wylie realized she

was no longer satisfied with working to achieve the goals of others. “I remember sitting in a CareFirst meeting hearing about what they wanted for the company and how we were going to work for what they wanted and what their future was going to be,” Wylie says. “I realized I don’t want to do this for them, I’d rather do this for myself.”

After getting laid off from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in early 2019 due to restructuring, Wylie dedicated herself full time to Above It All, Dreams 2 Reality, and a new venture that her family had established, Fleurs d’Ave Floral Boutique, also located in West Baltimore. When the previous florist in that location went up for an estate auction in 2018, Wylie’s husband and father-in-law placed the winning bid, ensuring that a successful, Black-owned business remained in the community.

In her role as owner and chief operating officer of Fleurs d’Ave, Wiley has overseen renovations at the original boutique and the opening of a second location and flower stall at Lexington Market in Baltimore. She manages daily business operations and oversees a staff of 10 full-time employees while also working directly with customers to plan floral arrangements for special occasions such as weddings, parties, and homegoing celebrations.

Wylie utilizes skills from her nursing background in all three of her businesses, such as multitasking, assessing a situation, and approaching things from the patient (or customer) perspective. “Nurses can do so many different things,” she says. “Every day is different in health care, and that’s how my world is here, so it doesn’t stress me out as much.”

CAMERON CAMPBELL MS ’14, NP

After working as a nurse practitioner in a physicianowned practice for seven years, Campbell was ready for a change. “I knew how I wanted to practice, by spending more time with fewer patients, and the only real way to do that was to own my own practice,” Campbell says.

He and his wife, Krista Zerby, LGMT, a behavioral health therapist, were disenchanted with traditional health care models. Zerby wasn’t happy with how clinical practices treated her as an employee, while Campbell was struggling to find therapists and psychiatric providers to whom he could refer his primary care patients.

“We came up with the idea to do mental health and primary care together, which has a very synergistic effect,” Campbell says. “When you’re not feeling good mentally, you’re not going to feel good physically, and vice versa. Launching our own practice came out of necessity and out of wanting to provide quality, holistic care to patients.”

Campbell and Zerby launched Precision Mental Health in May 2020, focusing on providing telehealth therapy at a time when patients and providers couldn’t safely meet in person due to COVID-19. Campbell purchased his employer’s clinic and launched Precision Health Care in Baltimore in 2021. “I loved my old boss, but it’s more fun going to work knowing I’m in control of the environment,” he says.

While providing quality patient care was the driving force behind launching both health care businesses, offering a fulfilling work environment was also crucial. “We came up with the concept of a therapist-centric practice,” Campbell says. “The first goal is to help patients, but goal 1A is to make sure therapists are taken care of.”

“I realized I don’t want to do this for them, I’d rather do this for myself.”

ASHLEY ROCK WYLIE

“I knew how I wanted to practice, by spending more time with fewer patients, and the only real way to do that was to own my own practice.”

CAMERON CAMPBELL

All Precision employees receive health insurance and paid time off in addition to education reimbursement, employee bonuses, and more. “Two of my medical assistants had never had a paid vacation!” Campbell says. Providing these employee benefits affects profit margins and adds to the difficulty of operating a business, but Campbell believes the benefits outweigh the costs. “People are happy, and I would rather make less money and have happy employees than try to pinch pennies,” he says.

MARLA OROS

MS, BSN ’84, RN, FAAN

Oros opened her health care management consulting firm, the Mosaic Group in Towson, Maryland, in 2004 after a 20-year career working in public health through roles in hospital administration and program development, including nine years as the associate dean for clinical affairs at UMSON.

Oros is still focused on health equity and community and public health issues, the areas in which she specialized in previous positions, but now she gets to operate independently. As owner and chief executive officer of the Mosaic Group, Oros has managed rapid growth while doggedly seeking out new clients, an ongoing concern for entrepreneurs. “That’s one of the challenges of owning a company — you’re always cultivating to assure you have business lined up,” she says.

The firm’s largest portfolio is behavioral health integration, which helps a variety of organizations including hospital emergency departments, schools, detention centers, and women’s health practices, to implement prevention and intervention strategies for patients who screen positive for mental health and substance use issues. The Mosaic

WHY FULL PRACTICE AUTHORITY MATTERS

Twenty-seven states and Washington, D.C., have passed full practice authority legislation, allowing nurse practitioners (NPs) to establish independent practices. Maryland passed its version of the legislation in 2015. Shannon Idzik, DNP ’10, MS ’03, CRNP, FAANP, FAAN, professor, associate dean for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and past president of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Maryland (NPAM), spent years advocating with others for the change.

After a legislative victory in 2010 that removed the need for NPs to collaborate with a physician (and subsequently pay that physician to serve as their mentor), Idzik and NPAM got to work speaking with legislators and educating the public about the role of nurses in improving health care.

“We were going to fundraising and legislative events, making sure people knew nurse practitioners cared about the health of the state,” Idzik says. “It was about access to care and improving health, and it was about increasing job opportunities for nurse practitioners and reducing costs.”

Once the practice barriers were removed, NPs could start removing other barriers to health care by offering more flexibility, choice, and access for patients.

Primary care practices owned by nurses are now a desirable employment option for new graduates. “A lot of primary care students would love to go work for a nurse-owned practice,” Idzik says. “As nurses, we have a different philosophy of patient care. Graduates see other nurses having a better understanding of nurse-led care and what that means, and they feel like they would be treated equitably in the workplace.”

Campbell at Precision Health Care, an internal medicine practice in Baltimore

Group creates programs for clients that include validated screening tools, protocols, and electronic health record modifications, while also directly educating and hiring new staff such as peer recovery coaches and mental health professionals. One of the firm’s growing initiatives is its Reverse the Cycle substance use response program, which introduces medication-assisted treatment and interventions led by peer recovery coaches to emergency departments. The program has been implemented in 76 hospitals nationwide in cities and states with the highest rate of overdose deaths.

Nurses have so much to offer the health care industry but may lack the skillsets associated with running a business, Oros says. The profession affords new nurses many avenues and opportunities to gain the skills needed to open a business and be successful. “I couldn’t do this work without being a nurse — the insight I bring, especially as a community health nurse, is unparalleled,” Oros says. “The ability to really understand the clinical aspects of the work, to truly meet and respond to community needs, and to engage with health care providers and work as part of multidisciplinary team is what nursing is all about.”

“I couldn’t do this work without being a nurse –the insight I bring, especially as a community health nurse, is unparalleled.”

MARLA OROS

Oros at the Mosaic Group, a health care management consulting firm in Towson

AIRELLE RUCKER-SMITH

DNP ’19, CRNP

“It’s actually been a goal since I was a little girl to own a health care clinic,” Rucker-Smith says. “My parents have pictures of me in nurse and doctor costumes.” She comes from a family of nurses, and the art of caring was a cornerstone of her upbringing.

“I’ve always had a desire to help others. Owning my own practice allowed me to do things on a greater scale — I felt like I would be able to help more people,” she says.

Rucker-Smith opened FirstChoice Primary Care in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in summer 2022 after dedicating years to acquiring business skills through workshops and

courses for aspiring entrepreneurs. She brought on board Monica Patel-Gandhi, DNP ’19, PNP, a former classmate and skilled professional specializing in pediatrics, to extend care and support for families.

“My goal is to have an all-inclusive practice so people don’t have to go to multiple providers,” Rucker-Smith says.

Like many entrepreneurs, Rucker-Smith wears multiple hats, including managing administrative duties, scheduling patients, and billing insurance. She’s eagerly anticipating the recruitment of an additional provider in the near future. “Running a practice is one of the hardest things I’ve done,” Rucker-Smith says. “It gives me a lot of freedom, but it takes a lot of time.”

“Owning my own practice allowed me to do things on a greater scale — I felt like I would be able to help more people.”

AIRELLE RUCKER-SMITH

Rucker-Smith at FirstChoice Primary Care in Gaithersburg

AND THE MODERN PEN PAL

BY MARY THERESE PHELAN ILLUSTRATIONS BY EMANUELA CARNEVALE

Business owner. Military commander. Hospital CEO.

Thanks to an innovative class assignment, UMSON Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students have been learning about the wide variety of career paths in the nursing profession, through the experiences of more than 200 UMSON alumni.

Since last fall, BSN students enrolled in the first-semester NURS 342: Professionalism in Practice 1 course in Baltimore and at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland, have participated in an assignment for which they interview an alumnus about different aspects of their nursing career and professional trajectory, then write a paper reflecting on their interaction. The course focuses on nursing education, nursing history, communication skills, career options, and building resilience.

“While you may no longer be in practice or at the bedside, your perspective on nursing will provide a valuable insight for the first-semester students,” Cynthia Sikorski, BA, executive director of alumni relations, wrote in an email to alumni to solicit volunteer interview subjects for what is considered the course’s signature assignment.

UMSON alumni answered the call, including Susan Labhard, MSN, BSN ’82, RN, who retired in 2021 after working 34 years in various nursing roles for Shriners Children’s Portland in Oregon. She also has served as a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve Nurse Corp in New York, Montana, Oregon, California, and Washington.

Labhard was paired with Amanda Catipon, one of 210 BSN students who completed the interview assignment last fall. Another 185 students participated in the spring 2023 semester.

Catipon’s interview with Labhard took place via Zoom web conferencing over four and a half hours. They talked about their different experiences as nursing students of two generations, changes in technology, Labhard’s career path, and Catipon’s goal of specializing in pediatric oncology.

Catipon learned that Labhard and her classmates wrote their papers on typewriters and photocopied articles and books in the library and that setting artificial deadlines is the key to getting things done.

While Catipon’s mother is a nurse, she went to nursing school in her native Philippines.

“She did not study in the United States, so she didn’t really have a perspective on that, on what my schooling is like,” Catipon says. “So, it was nice to hear another adult’s perspective and to hear about their nursing career.”

Catipon says she now considers Labhard to be a lifelong mentor. The two have continued to stay in touch.

“I’ll never forget anything that she told me because she was the main person that I had in nursing school who pushed me to try to get every opportunity that I could,” Catipon says. “I look at her now as a role model.”

Labhard advised Catipon about the importance of networking and making connections throughout her education, Catipon says. Based on the alumna’s advice, Catipon requested and received extra shadow hours in pediatric oncology at John’s Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and was accepted into the hospital’s clinical externship program.

“If it wasn’t for her telling me about the externship, honestly I would not have known about it,” Catipon explains. Now in her third semester, Catipon works as a patient care technician at the University of Maryland Medical Center in addition to serving as a clinical nurse extern in the oncology center at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Labhard found the interview assignment equally rewarding. “If I can do anything to encourage the next generation of nurses, I’m happy to do it,” she says. “I wanted Amanda to know it’s OK if you are not happy where you wind up as a nurse initially. There are so many options one can take.” Labhard explains that she first thought she would work in acute care but then fell in love with the field of rehabilitation for children with disabilities. During her career in the Navy Reserves Nurse Corp, she traveled the world, serving on aircraft carriers and submarines. “I felt like we connected,” Labhard says. “I think students can learn from our successes and what didn’t go well.”

BSN student Haley Smith was paired with Barbara Schuman, MSN, BSN ’78, RN, CCM. During their phone interview, Smith learned about Schuman’s career, which has included roles in medical surgical and intensive care, education, geriatrics, management, independent consulting, adult day care, research, and case management. She now works as a utilization review nurse in the care management department at Ascension St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore.

“I got to have a personal conversation with someone who can really relate to me,” Smith says. “She explained she was in my shoes once and gave me advice and encouragement to keep going.”

Smith says that when hearing about Schuman’s 44-year nursing career, she was surprised to learn just how flexible the profession can be.

“I also found it interesting that although she did well in school, she didn’t necessarily enjoy it,” Smith says. “However, she really enjoys being a nurse. This is really encouraging for those having a rough time in school, as they can still be hopeful and excited for the future.”

“I’LL NEVER FORGET ANYTHING THAT SHE TOLD ME BECAUSE SHE WAS THE MAIN PERSON THAT I HAD IN NURSING SCHOOL WHO PUSHED ME TO TRY TO GET EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT I COULD. I LOOK AT HER NOW AS A ROLE MODEL.”

AMANDA CATIPON

The assignment is an important one, Schuman says, noting she will participate again in the future.

“It allows students to see a different perspective about nursing, both where it’s been and where it’s going,” Schuman says. “And it allows for students and alumni to learn from each other.”

Dawn Mueller-Burke, PhD ’01, MS ’98, CRNP, NNP-BC, assistant professor, serves as UMSON’s lead on curriculum revisions for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Essentials, an updated framework for nursing education using a competency-based approach. She says the assignment fits in well with the goals of the Essentials.

“The AACN Essentials challenge schools of nursing to shift to a new model of nursing education, that of a competency-based approach,” she says. “Linking arms with our esteemed alumni offers invaluable insight into the breadth of nursing opportunities and challenges and can inform curricular revisions for a more practice-ready graduate.”

Linda Cook, PhD ’05, MS ’97, RN, CNS, ACNP, assistant professor, who teaches the Professionalism in Practice course in Baltimore, says the response from students has been positive.

“We have found through this assignment that students gain an appreciation of nursing,” she says. “I’ve had several students say to me they were surprised at all the different career paths of our alumni community. And it provides students with an opportunity to learn about the history of nursing from people who have lived it.”

Alumni, are you interested in being paired with a student in this course? Send an email to nrsalumni@umaryland.edu or call 410-706-7640.

“I FELT LIKE WE CONNECTED. I THINK STUDENTS CAN LEARN FROM OUR SUCCESSES AND WHAT DIDN’T GO WELL.”

SUSAN LABHARD

right: As part of the 2022 UMSON building renovation and expansion in Baltimore, University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, and his daughter, Gwynneth Jarrell, BSN ’06, RN, CPAN, a DNP student, created an artistic

rendering in metal of the Flossie, including the fluted lace, that is incorporated into the living green wall. A display commemorating the Flossie, seen at left, has been installed in the second-floor conference room overlooking the green wall.

The Flossie

Louisa Parsons, the first superintendent of the Maryland University Hospital Training School for Nurses, precursor to the University of Maryland School of Nursing, was a graduate of Florence Nightingale’s Fund Training School for Nurses at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. Before Parsons emigrated to the United States, Nightingale presented her with a cap pattern modeled after the cap worn at the Nightingale School. Known as the “Flossie” in honor of Nightingale, Parsons’ cap eventually became the official graduate cap for female students and a symbol of professionalism and pride among UMSON students for nearly a century. The Class of 1979 was the last to wear the point d’esprit lace cap; that year, a starched organdy cap was introduced, which continued to be worn until at least 1987.

Nursing students in their senior year held “stringing” ceremonies, at which they learned to thread and fit the ruffles of the Flossie to their heads. By 1983, the stringing ceremony was held at the senior banquet. Seniors wore the official UMSON graduate nurse uniform and cap to graduation ceremonies until 1984, when they donned academic robes and mortarboards instead.

Even after the transition to the organdy caps, the UMSON Alumni Association maintained a supply of original Flossies, which were given to students as part of the Honors Awards until 1987. As uniforms changed from dresses to pantsuits to scrubs after 1970, caps were discontinued, coinciding with an increase in male nursing students. The stringing ceremony, sponsored by alumni for seniors, persisted until at least 1990, even as caps were no longer a standard part of the nurse’s uniform.

— Jillian Dreicer

opposite page, main image: a Flossie, 1959 top: the graduate Flossie (top) and student caps (middle, bottom), 1952 bottom: students “fluting,” a practice of pleating the bands of their caps, 1965

Class Notes

Let your fellow alumni know what’s happening in your professional life. Submitting an update to Class Notes is easy; just visit nursing.umaryland.edu/ classnotes or contact us at alumni.nursing@umaryland.edu or 410-706-7640. You can also send us mail courtesy of Cynthia Sikorski, executive director of alumni relations, 655 W. Lombard St., Suite 516A, Baltimore, MD 21201.

As we are unable to confirm all alumni credentials, only UMSON degrees and graduation years are included.

1960s

Carola Bruflat, BSN ’68, serves as an organizational representative for the Virginia Breastfeeding Advisory Committee and is an independent women’s health consultant.

1970s

Sherry Darnall Ferki, BSN ’71, serves as the membership chair of the Portsmouth (Virginia) Area Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America.

Harriet Straus, BSN ’71, manager of nursing clinical education at the University of Maryland (UM) Rehabilitation & Orthopaedic Institute in Baltimore, was interviewed for an episode of Baltimore National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate WYPR-FM’s On the Record in May about how her experience working with the military informs her work educating nurses about how to address the needs of veterans.

Mary Catherine Bunting, MS ’72, an UMSON Visionary Pioneer, was one of the Baltimore Sun’s 2023 Business and Civic Hall of Fame honorees, recognized for their achievements and their work to transform and improve Maryland.

Margaret “Peggy” Chamberlain Wilmoth, MS ’79, BSN ’75, an UMSON Visionary Pioneer, was selected as the 2023 - 24 National Academy of Medicine Distinguished Nurse Scholarin-Residence, for which she will leverage her military expertise and passion for supporting military families into evidence-based policy proposals.

Sherry T. Myers Ford, MS ’92, BSN ’76, published a book, A Dirty Little Secret, about the story of her journey raising two young boys, one with fetal alcohol syndrome.

Patricia Isennock, BSN ’77, regional director of population and community health at MedStar Health in Maryland, was selected for a Daily Record Healthcare Hero Community Outreach award.

Carol Romano, PhD ’93, MS ’85, BSN ’77, an UMSON Visionary Pioneer, was selected as this year’s recipient of the prestigious Association of Military Surgeons of the United States Lifetime Achievement Award for her extraordinary contributions to medicine.

1980s

Darlene J. Curley, MS ’82, BSN ’80, an UMSON Visionary Pioneer, and a colleague participated in February in the “Nurse State Legislatures” webinar hosted by the Center for Health Policy at the Columbia School of Nursing in New York in collaboration with the University of Delaware Biden Institute and the University of Delaware School of Nursing.

Karen Hardingham, BSN ’82, Safe Kids coordinator at the UM Children’s Hospital in Baltimore, was interviewed for a Baltimore Fox45 News story in March discussing how to reduce infant deaths by practicing safe sleep methods.

Michelle Spencer, DNP ’19, MS ’06, BSN ’84, assistant professor at UMSON, was quoted in a Baltimore Banner article in March, “Struggling to Make Health Care Appointments in Maryland? You’re Not Alone.”

Lisa Rowen, MS ’86, an UMSON Visionary Pioneer and chief nurse executive for the UM Medical System (UMMS), was quoted in online articles by CBS Baltimore and Becker’s Hospital Review in March about a new model of education to ease the nursing shortage.

Rowen and Nicole Beeson, MSN ’21, BSN ’11, senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at the UM St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Maryland, were quoted in a Becker’s Hospital Review article in April about the value of advanced nursing degrees.

Janet Selway, MS ’88, associate professor at UMSON, was quoted in a Maryland Reporter article in May about Maryland House Bill 475 regarding multistate licensure for nurse practitioners.

Carol Ann Sperry, MS ’88, director of the UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center Emergency Services and Emergency Management, was interviewed in May along with colleagues for an NPR story on Consider This about the emergency department.

Susan Renda, MS ’89, was recently promoted to associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in Baltimore.

1990s

Richard Ricciardi, MS ’91, was featured in an article in the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service in May about the 20th anniversary of the Uniformed Services University’s (Bethesda, Maryland) PhD in Nursing Science program.

Oluremi A. Adejumo, DNP ’19, BSN ’94, assistant professor at UMSON, was inducted into the International Academy of Addiction Nursing.

Tiffany Lewis, BSN ’99, a registered nurse in the general surgical suites at Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) in Towson, Maryland, was recognized as a Peer-to-Peer

INSPIRING IN INFORMATICS

Anna Fernando, MS ’01, and Danielle Wolter, MS ’19, presented “Telesitter Implementation” on the transition to the Epic platform for the Telesitter monitoring program, which monitors patients from all UMMS hospitals.

HAPPENINGS AT UMMC

2023 Nursing Excellence Awards

Congratulations to the alumni whose excellence in their work at UMMC was recognized at the hospital’s annual nursing awards ceremony, May 9.

Anna Schoenbaum, DNP ’16, MS ’01, (right) vice president of applications and digital health at Penn Medicine in Pennsylvania, and Kathleen McGrow, DNP ’14, MS ’02, BSN ’86, (left) chief nursing informatics officer at Microsoft, were recognized for their contributions to health care informatics at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) global conference in Chicago in April. HIMSS is a prominent organization that focuses on reforming the global health ecosystem through the power of information and technology. Schoenbaum was awarded the HIMSS-Alliance for Nursing Informatics’ Nursing Informatics Changemaker Award for her work in health care informatics, and McGrow was awarded the HIMSS Changemaker Senior Executive Award for her leadership in health care.

Schoenbaum and McGrow met more than seven years ago while serving on the HIMSS Nursing Informatics Committee. In addition to their shared educational background, they both have a passion for using technology to revolutionize health care. Today, they are co-chairs of the HIMSS Nursing Innovation Committee, a role that speaks to their expertise and leadership in the field.

award winner by her colleagues for her exemplary efforts to help the organization achieve better health, better care, less waste, and more joy.

2000s

Melissa Cross, BSN ’01, a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) nurse with the GBMC program on anti-human trafficking initiatives, was quoted in a Baltimore Sun article in May about the work of nurses on GBMC’s sexual assault unit.

Gloria Oniha, BSN ’01, senior director of nursing and operations, was quoted with fellow UM Capital Regional Health colleagues in a Laurel (Maryland) Independent article in February about the planned opening of UM Laurel Medical Center.

Kristen Brown, MS ’06, was recently promoted to associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.

Brenda Nettles, MS ’06, discussed some of the biggest breakthroughs in cancer treatment research on Sirius XM’s Julie Mason Mornings in February.

Hershaw Davis Jr., BSN ’09, clinical instructor at UMSON, was featured in a STAT article, “‘A Target on My Back’: New Survey Shows Racism Is a Huge Problem in Nursing,” in May.

2010s

Rue Mugabe Khosa, BSN ’10, was a panelist at a Women in Bio-Chicago event, “What the Health! Addressing Disparities in Black Women’s Health,” in February.

DoRhonja Nichols, DNP ’22, MS ’18, BSN ’13, director of clinical care and behavioral health services at the UM St. Joseph Medical Center, discussed how UMMS identified a Baltimore cosmetics maker to meet the need for hair care products for patients of color in a Baltimore Sun article in April.

Justin Graves, MS ’14, director of trauma programs at the UM Medical Center (UMMC) R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, was interviewed for a Baltimore Fox45 News story in May previewing a Stop the Bleed event.

Jacqueline Hamil, MS ’14, received the 2023 Emergency Nurse of the Year award from the Maryland Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

CNO Award for Team Excellence

Jennifer Chambers, MS ’13

Jacqueline Hamil, MS ’14

Christine Raymer, MS ’21, BSN ’14

Theresa Fulginiti, DNP ’20

DAISY Award

Alex Hernandez, BSN ’14

Corey Duggan, BSN ’20

Lauren Wallace, BSN ’20

Karyn Comfort, BSN ’21

Excellence in Publication or Presentation

Carmel McComiskey, DNP ’10, MS ’96

Shari Simone, DNP ’11, MS ’96

Excellence in Leadership-Clinical

Ashley Hernandez, MS ’16, BSN ’12

Chicka Okusogu, BSN ’20

Excellence in Nursing Practice

Michele Bennett, MS ’20, BSN ’94

Julie Sandkuhler, BSN ’06

Dana Chandler, MSN ’22

Moving On Up

Excellence in Advanced Practice Nursing

Timothy Meyenburg, DNP ’15, MS ’06

Excellence in Quality and Safety

Jacqueline Hamil, MS ’14

The Art of Nursing

Sheila Lee, BSN ’83

Personifies Professionalism

Benjamin Timsuren, MS ’17

Sahel Kargar-Javahers, MSN ’22

Contagious Positive Attitude

Callie Williams, MS ’19

Bellwether

Jill Ciotta, MS ’15

Hannah Rupard, BSN ’19

The Art and Science of Nursing-Excellence in Precepting and Mentoring

Ashleigh Bohn, MS ’21

Jalisa Beck, MSN ’22

Excellence in Education

Erika Opie, BSN ’15

Jocelyn Faro, MSN ’21, BSN ’17

Congratulations to the following alumni, who have recently received promotions:

SENIOR CLINICAL NURSE I

Amy Woods, MS ’09

Christopher Steets, MS ’16

Dominique Duval, BSN ’17

Nicole Hauser, BSN ’18

Aubrey Powers, MS ’19

Rebecca Meyerson, MS ’20

Alexia Owusu-Sakyi, BSN ’20

SENIOR CLINICAL NURSE II

Martina Patricio, BSN ’97

Kristen Rawlett, PhD ’14, associate professor at UMSON, was co-author of “Perceptions of Mindfulness Practices as a Support for Individuals Managing Care-Giving Responsibilities and Chronic Disease,” published in the May 2023 issue of Chronic Illness.

Courtney Cioka, MS ’16, nurse manager at the UMMC R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, and Taylor Sadarananda, MS ’17, assistant nurse manager at the UMMC Midtown Campus, were quoted in a Nurse Journal article in February about what nursing school students should do in their last year of school.

Casey Green, BSN ’17, one of fewer than 100 nurses in the United States to attain all five emergency nursing certifications, was one of five nurses nationwide to be selected to have a digital portrait created as part of Canvases of Care, a GE HealthCare campaign that illustrates the number of hours nurses serve through brushstrokes. Green has provided more than 22,000 hours of care.

Ann Marie Felauer, DNP ’18, assistant professor at UMSON, was featured in an article in Clinical Advisor in March about advanced practice nursing students providing well-child exams to children enrolled in Early Head Start and Head Start programs in Baltimore.

2020s

Adwoa Amponsah-Poku, DNP ’22, joined the UM Charles Regional Medical Group in La Plata, Maryland, as part of the primary care team.

Selena St. Jules, BSN ’23, was featured on an episode of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing’s The Resilient Nurse podcast in June, as part of a discussion about how nurses can identify their values, speak up with integrity, and use resilience to remain empowered.

SCHWOYER-MORGAN LEADS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Congratulations to Tracie SchwoyerMorgan, DNP ’10, MS ’00, who was elected president of the UMSON Alumni Association, as of July 1. She will serve a three-year term.

Schwoyer-Morgan is the director of Palliative Medicine Support Services at Gilchrist, a provider of serious illness and end-of-life care in Maryland. In this role, she has built a palliative care program across multiple settings, including inpatient, outpatient, and in nursing homes. Schwoyer-Morgan also leads a team of nurse practitioners and social and mind body specialists that provide ongoing care and management of patients with chronic, progressive, and terminal illness.

She has served as a member-at-large representative on the UMSON Alumni Council since 2015.

In Memoriam

Elizabeth Preston, DIN ’44

Dorothy Walls, DIN ’49

Joan S. Bird-Eisenhauer, BSN ’56

Zaiga Priede Kalnins, MS ’65

Ann F. Bennett, MS ’69

Brenda L. McCaskill, BSN ’76

Deborah Kaye Jensen, BSN ’78

P. Dale McMahon, MS ’78

Gloria C. Grabenstein, BSN ’79

Margot A. Regen, MS ’79

Patricia P. Petz, BSN ’91

Barbara T. Magness, BSN ’98

Patrice E. Snyder, MS ’98

Dawn M. Macreadie, MS ’01

This list includes notices the School of Nursing received from Feb.16 - June 28, 2023.

Fellows Selected to National Organizations

Congratulations to seven alumni, including two UMSON faculty members, who will be inducted as 2023 American Academy of Nursing (AAN) Fellows in October and the one alumna inducted as a 2023 American Association of Nurse Practitioner (AANP) Fellow in June. They join communities of approximately 2,900 AAN and more than 950 AANP Fellows worldwide.

Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing

Lori Edwards, BSN ’80, assistant professor and associate dean for the Master of Science in Nursing program, UMSON

Anne Dearth Williams, DNP ’12, MS ’86, BSN ’82, vice president, health services and education, Special Olympics

Kathleen McGrow, DNP ’14, MS ’02, BSN ’86, chief nursing information officer and industry executive, Microsoft

Janet Selway, MS ’88, associate professor and director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Adult-Gerontology

Primary Care Nurse

Practitioner specialty, UMSON

Karin Elisabeth Warner, MS ’96, BSN ’90, professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing

Chien Jen Chen, MS ’16, acting director, nursing education, Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office

Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners

Suzanna Simonds

Fitzpatrick, DNP ’20, MS ’00, nurse practitioner, UMMC

Election Results: UMSON Alumni Association

Congratulations to the alumni elected to the Alumni Council of UMSON’s Alumni Association, the oldest continuously active nursing alumni association in the nation. Remember, anyone who has received a diploma or degree from the School is automatically a member of the association. There is no membership fee!

President Tracie Schwoyer-Morgan, DNP ’10, MS ’00

Vice President

Sophia Walker Henry, MS ’13

Communications Liaison

Julie Riggs, DNP ’19, MS ’12

Members-at-Large

Kerry Sue Mueller, BSN ’90

Vivian Ebbesen-Fludd, MS ’94

Christine Vaaler, BSN ’20

ALL-ALUMNI REUNION 2023 RECAP

More than 90 alumni and guests celebrated at UMSON’s annual All-Alumni Reunion on April 29. The BSN Class of 1973 enjoyed recognition at the Heritage Class induction ceremony during the program. Kata Orosz, BSN ’23, then a student, thanked alumni for their contributions to student scholarships. Eight members of the class of 1963 were thrilled to reunite and celebrate their 60th reunion. Kelly Doran, PhD ’11, MS ’98, associate professor, delivered a presentation for continuing education credit on “Wellness Interventions for Long-Term Care Staff at the Individual, Social, and Organizational Levels.”

Save the date for our next All-Alumni Reunion: Saturday, April 27, 2024

Celebrating Nursing Excellence

Congratulations to the following alumni, including an UMSON faculty member, who received Excellence in Nursing awards from Baltimore magazine at a ceremony in May 2023.

Kathryn Fritze, BSN ’81, Oncology

Monika Bauman, MS ’10, BSN ’90, Management/ Nurse Executives

Cynthia “Sally” Seen, BSN ’90, Community Care/ Ambulatory Care

Mary Ellen “Meg” Bernstein, MS ’98, Community Care/ Ambulatory Care

Amy Borth, MS ’10, BSN ’02, Intensive Care

Tracey Peñaloza, MS ’17, BSN ’09, Management/ Nurse Executives

Leigh Chapman, MS ’11, Management/Nurse Executives

Shoshanah Szanzer, DNP ’19, BSN ’11, Pediatrics: Non-Neonatal

Leslie Taylor, MS ’11, Management/Nurse Executives

Susan J. Collins, DNP ’13, Operating Room

Megan Doede, PhD ’19, MS ’13, Educator, UMSON assistant professor

Elizabeth Stehr, BSN ’13, Cardiovascular

Caitlin Brown, MS ’14, Oncology

Leif Coble, BSN ’14, Nursing Informatics

Sara Fitzgerald, MS ’15, Community Care/ Ambulatory Care

Casey Green, BSN ’17, Intensive Care

Stephanie Al-Adhami, MS ’21, Educator

Melinda “Mindy” Berger, MS ’21, Educator

Dana Chandler, MSN ’22, Medical-Surgical Nursing

Naima Holland, MSN ’22, Acute Care/Family Practice/ General Medicine

Back to Their Alma Mater

The following alumni have returned to UMSON in faculty or staff positions, shaping the next generation of nurses:

Charlotte A. Seckman, PhD ’08, associate professor

Jared Muhati, MS ’09, assistant professor

Caitlin Donis, MS ’13, clinical instructor

William Mangana, DNP ’20, assistant professor

clockwise from top: alumni and guests at UMSON’s annual All-Alumni Reunion in April; members of the Class of 1963, who celebrated their 60th reunion; Kata Orosz, BSN ’23, thanking alumni for their contributions to student scholarships

PHOTOS: LARRY CANNER

Driving Change with Data

George Zangaro, PhD ’05, MS ’97

BY FAYE RIVKIN

George Zangaro, PhD ’05, MS ’97, RN, FAAN, had childhood aspirations that included owning a purple garbage truck. Instead, at 19, he joined the Navy and became a hospital corpsman. He devoted the next 25 years to the Navy, in nursing and administration, while earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Columbia Union College and his master’s degree in medical-surgical nursing and his PhD from UMSON.

Zangaro has always loved numbers and has spent most of his career using data to answer questions that advance nursing and that influence decisions throughout health care.

“Numbers are powerful,” he says. “If we want change, we need to provide evidence, and we obtain that evidence with numbers.”

As the first nurse director of the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA), part of the Health Resources and Services Administration, he reinstituted and led a redesign of the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses; data from that survey is used to develop and sustain nursing initiatives. In that role, he also developed a performance management framework and data collection system for reporting outcomes of health professions programs funded by the federal government.

Now, as chief policy and scientific officer at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Zangaro and his colleagues are using numbers and data to understand nursing faculty burnout and the almost 9% national faculty vacancy rate in the United States.

Their recent study, “Burnout Among Academic Nursing Faculty,” published

in the Journal of Professional Nursing, explores the significant burnout, exhaustion, and disengagement in nursing faculty, both undergraduate and graduate, nationwide; more than 85% of the more than 3,500 survey respondents reported moderate to high exhaustion and burnout. “There is constant media coverage and evidence available on the burnout of nurses,” Zangaro says, “but nothing about nursing faculty.” He hopes the study will increase visibility of the issue and drive legislators to provide resources to reduce burnout and promote wellness and resilience in nursing faculty, who are critically needed to teach the nurses that will bolster the workforce.

“If we are going to be good consumers of research,” Zangaro says, “we need to read and critically analyze results to determine if we agree with the findings and conclusions.” To help nurses learn how to evaluate situations using numbers and data, he’s been teaching statistics and measurement for almost 20 years at various universities, including early in his career at UMSON, where his courses included nursing research and statistics, health services leadership and management, and meta-analysis.

In recognition of his distinguished career as an academician, researcher, and clinician, as well as his exemplary Navy career, Zangaro received UMSON’s 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award. “UMSON gave me the tools to be successful and make significant contributions to the profession of nursing,” Zangaro says. “I enjoy working with large datasets to answer research questions that will make significant contributions to nursing education, practice, and research.”

right: Zangaro in Lewes, Delaware, where he lives

“Numbers are powerful. If we want change, we need to provide evidence, and we obtain that evidence with numbers.”

GEORGE ZANGARO

Zangaro (center) received his Distinguished Alumni award at the All-Alumni Reunion on April 29 from Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, (left) then-Bill and Joanne Conway Dean, and Malinda M. Peeples, MS ’97, RN, CDCES, FADCES, (right) then-president of the UMSON Alumni Association.

YOU WE NEED YOU

VOLUNTEERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

SHARE YOUR TIME AND TALENT HOW AND WHEN YOU CHOOSE

SPOTLIGHT ON CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Alumni Reunion will be here before you know it!

A successful, meaningful event requires broad participation across all of our alumni, from all graduating classes. Plus, it’s more fun when you know a lot of people who attend and can spend the day catching up.

How can you help?

We need class representatives to tap into your networks and reach out to your classmates to encourage participation for the reunion and other events and programs.

For more information, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at nrsalumni@umaryland.edu or 410-706-7640.

Perspectives on Parsons Hall

BY JILLIAN DREICER AND GIORDANA SEGNERI

In the spring 2023 issue of Nursing For/um, we asked you, our alumni, if you had lived in Parsons Hall and if you remembered the street address at the time you lived there. We were expecting a couple of responses, but we were overwhelmed by the number of you who reached out to share colorful and richly detailed memories of your time in the former student residence, which was located at 622 W. Lombard St. for those who responded. At about the same time, we solicited stories of Parsons Hall through an online form, and even more alumni submitted their memories and photos.

We are so grateful for this information and for the memories you so generously shared with us (full of fun and mischief, even!). We offer a very brief selection of some of them, just to whet your appetite, and invite you to read more and peruse the photos alumni shared at nursing.umaryland.edu/parsonshall.

SHIRLEY (BRAMBLE)

LENTZ, BSN ’56

“For fun we used to ‘bowl’ in hallways with softballs or basketballs and Coke bottles for pins. My first roommate got dismissed for smoking in the room and going out after hours on dates. The housemothers locked doors at 10 p.m. and used to report everything to the dean so we would trick her with false reports. Dates had to wait for you to come down because they couldn’t leave the first floor.”

CLAIRE (PAYNE)

GREENHOUSE, BSN ’66

“At 10 p.m. for 10 days, seniors gathered in the stairwell on each floor for a loud and joyous Senior Sing Time. We sang as loud as possible, ‘For four long years we sweat and slaved, it nearly drove us to the grave; but now our graduation’s near, only (day countdown) more days!’ This was followed by applause, screaming, and running back to our rooms!”

NADINE (ZERWITZ)

JACOBS, BSN ’74

“One of my memories was that the Class of 1974 started the tradition of hanging student uniforms across Lombard Street. Prior to that year, uniforms were simply hung out of windows. My graduating class managed to string them all the way across the street, creating quite a buzz below.”

left to right: Greenhouse, Jacobs, and Lentz stand in front of the approximate location of Parsons Hall on Lombard Street; Jacobs holds a photo of what the scene behind them looked like circa 1990, with Parsons Hall at right, towering above the hospital.

photos of Greenhouse in her student and graduate nurse uniforms

a commemorative brick from Parsons Hall, made available when the building was demolished in 1997, from Lentz’s collection

a Baltimore Sun newspaper clipping from May 1974 showing nursing student uniforms strung across Lombard Street from Parsons Hall, from Jacobs’ collection

KATHLEEN EDWARDS, BSN ’67

“I was an RN-to-BSN student, working full time on my BSN. All my classes were in Baltimore, so I moved there from Montgomery County, Maryland. I remember the elevator with the clanking metal grate and the sound of voices saying, “Close the door,” so the elevator could move to another floor. I remember the bathrooms with marble type floors.”

ELIZABETH “IBBY” (WILHIDE) TANNER, MS

’74, BSN ’70

“I remember having to kneel on the floor in Parsons Hall to get our nursing student uniform dress length approved. The requirement was that our uniform be long enough to touch the floor! We also had our classes in Parsons Hall and walked to the hospital right next door for clinical. Those were very happy times, and we became the best of friends with our dorm mates.”

CAROL (PAINE) ADOLPHSEN, BSN ’77

“I lived in Room 520. It was a corner room so had the advantage of air circulation that most rooms didn’t. There was no air conditioning then. The heat was provided by steam in radiators and wouldn’t come on until the late afternoon. It started with some metallic sounds, so I knew that it would be warm soon.”

 Symposium on Home and Community-Based Care UMB, April 17

 Interprofessional Education Day UMB, March 29

American Association of Colleges of Nursing Policy Summit Washington, D.C., March 29

 Orioles Spring Training Sarasota, Florida, March 3

 Sigma Pi at-Large Chapter Induction Ceremony UMSON, April 4

First Annual Research Day UMSON, March 30

 Conway Scholars Luncheon USG, April 4

 Nurses Week UMSON, May 6 - 12

 Faculty and Staff Luncheon UMSON, May 15

State of the School USG, May 1

 Living History Museum Docent Appreciation Tour Maryland Center for History and Culture, Baltimore, June 15

Ogbolu, our School’s eighth dean, is the first who is also an alumna – and a threetime graduate at that.

Advance

UMSON has had a remarkable history since its founding in 1889, leading cutting-edge advancements in nursing education, practice, research, service, and innovation. In 2023, we continue to be among the very best nursing schools in the nation; we also acknowledge that our willingness to change and evolve has been a driving factor in our success.

Our 134th year brings another season of change for UMSON. We are excited to welcome Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD ’11, MS ’05, BSN ’04, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, the School’s eighth dean and second Bill and Joanne Conway Dean. Particularly exciting for us in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations is that Dean Ogbolu is a three-time UMSON graduate. In addition to new School leadership, the Alumni Association also welcomes a new president, Tracie Schwoyer-Morgan, DNP ’10, MS ’00, CRNP, ANP-BC (see “Class Notes,” Page 32).

In partnership with our new leaders, we continue to look for new ways for alumni and friends to support the School. One new initiative is the White Coat Giving Campaign, launched this past summer as an opportunity for alumni and friends to welcome entry-into-practice students into the nursing profession.

Just as change is a constant for UMSON, so is the need for external support. Whether you donate to something new, such as the White Coat Giving Campaign, or a long-existing need, such as the general scholarship fund, your charitable contributions help UMSON continue to educate the nurse leaders, clinicians, educators, and researchers of the future.

Each year, our Honor Roll of Donors, included in this magazine, recognizes the alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends who have so generously supported the School. Thank you for continuing to change UMSON for the better.

Aunt Stell Stood Her Ground

Stacey M. Conrad

Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Relations sconrad@umaryland.edu

410-706-6504

Estella Coates Baldwin, DIN ’27, held a variety of positions during her nursing career, including director of pediatric nursing at the thenUniversity of Maryland Hospital and the nurse in charge of the student infirmary at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). But to Ann Mech, JD, MS ’78, BSN ’76, assistant professor and director of legal affairs, she was “Aunt Stell,” a role model for “encouraging me to pursue a rewarding career in nursing,” Mech said.

Baldwin did post-graduate work at what was then Sydenham Hospital for Communicable Diseases in Baltimore, the former Montebello State Hospital, “treating patients with the most contagious of diseases: polio, diphtheria, typhoid, and even smallpox,” Mech said. She completed further post-graduate work at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Hospital in pediatrics, leading to what would be her career-long practice specialty.

But what really defined Baldwin, Mech said, was that “decades before it was acceptable for nurses to openly challenge male physicians, Estella stood her ground. One example of her fortitude came when Estella was working at the University of Maryland Hospital, which housed its pediatric department near the hospital’s operating rooms. One day, an irate surgeon stormed into

below: Baldwin caring for a patient in the infirmary at the University of Maryland, College Park, circa 1950s

The Louisa Parsons Legacy Society

The School of Nursing’s Legacy Society is named in honor of pioneering nurse and philanthropist Louisa Parsons, the University of Maryland School of Nursing’s first superintendent; she made the first planned gift to the School in 1916. The Louisa Parsons Legacy Society comprises people who, like Parsons, are committed to supporting future generations of students and nurses by providing funding for scholarships, research, faculty positions, and other critical needs. Joining the Louisa Parsons Legacy Society allows you to make a significant difference to future nursing students without impacting your current lifestyle.

To learn more about making a planned gift, contact Stacey Conrad, associate dean for development and alumni relations, at sconrad@umaryland.edu or 410-706-7640.

her office to tell her she had to keep her patients quiet — he could hear their crying in the OR. Because Estella’s patients were sick, away from their parents, and frightened, she refused to silence them, suggesting instead that the surgeon wear earplugs.”

Baldwin started her position at UMCP before 1940 and worked there until her retirement in 1972. “She cared for generations of students coming of age in turbulent times in this country: the end of the Depression, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam,” Mech said. “Social mores changed, and along with it, the role of women. By the end of her career, Estella was working with female physicians and male nurses. She viewed the ability to adapt and grow as essential in nursing, something she stressed to me.”

In her Aunt Stell’s memory, Mech established the Estella Coates Baldwin Scholarship, which recently was awarded to Phoebe Chan, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing student. In her thank you letter to Mech, Chan wrote, “I understand that as a nurse, I must advocate for my patients no matter the situation, and I plan to do so with the courage of Estella.” — G.S.

Estate of Myrtle Ageton, DIN ’44, and Robert Ageton

Janet D. Allan

Anonymous

Floraine B. Applefeld

Estate of Carolyn V. Arnold

Jeanne Ascosi, BSN ’74

Estate of Zabelle S. Howard Beard

Deborah S. Beatty, MS ’96

Abbe R. Bendell, BSN ’74

Ann F. Bennett, MS ’69

Marjorie Stamler Bergemann

Estate of Jean L. Bloom, DIN ’46

Estate of Margaret Brandt, DIN ’50

Estate of Mary J. Brewer

Estate of E.L. Bunderman, DIN ’31, and Clarence Q. Bunderman

Estate of Ann Ottney Cain

Estate of Dorothy C. Calafiore, BSN ’51

Estate of Shirley E. Callahan, BSN ’52

Sharon A. Childs, MS ’91

Estate of Avon B. Chisholm

Marlene H. Cianci, MS ’66, BSN ’65

Estate of Gladys B. Clagett and Lansdale G. Clagett

Estate of Bonnie L. Closson, BSN ’61

Jon B. Closson

Claudette C. Clunan, BSN ’72

Steven S. Cohen

Regina M. Cusson, MS ’79

Estate of Mary Jane Custer

Jill A. DeCesare, BSN ’69

Carol Distasio, MS ’73, BSN ’71

Nancy Donovan, BSN ’76

Susan G. Dorsey, PhD ’01, MS ’98

Carol Drake, BSN ’68*, and Francis D. Drake

Celeste A. Dye, BSN ’66

Kay F. Edwards, PhD ’81, BSN ’67

Estate of Barbara Elgin, BSN ’54, and Lee Elgin

Estate of Lura Jane Emery, MS ’79

Julie C. Fortier, MS ’68

Judith A. Freitag, BSN ’77

Beth Ann Gan, BSN ’77

Estate of Mary H. Gilley, DIN ’44

Debbie Gilbert Glassman, MS ’79, BSN ’75

*deceased

Estate of Judah Gudelsky

Carolyn Cook Handa, BSN ’63*

Laurette L. Hankins

Sharon Hanopole, BSN ’66

Phyllis M. Heffron, BSN ’74

Barbara R. Heller

Estate of K. Cornelia Hesselbach

Estate of Marie L. Hesselbach

Estate of Kjerstine K. Hoffman, DIN ’47

Carol A. Huebner, PhD ’90, and Michael F. Huebner

Margaret H. Iles, DIN ’53

Catherine Ingle, BSN ’61

Estate of Mary McCotter Jackson

Estate of Jeanette A. Jones, MS ’70*

Estate of Jean W. Keenan, DIN ’48

Jane M. Kirschling and Robert Flick*

Anita M. Langford, MS ’79, BSN ’77

Cynthia P. Lewis, BSN ’58, and Jack C. Lewis

Estate of Phyllis R. Luckenbaugh, MS ’79, BSN ’72, and Paul Luckenbaugh

Estate of Ann Madison, BSN ’62

Estate of Mildred Madsen, BSN ’73

Estate of Rita Malek, DIN ’49

Myrna E. Mamaril, MS ’93

Estate of Demetria Manandic, BSN ’54

Estate of Lois Marriott

Joan Nicholason Martellotto, BSN ’66

Margaret A. McEntee, MS ’73

Estate of Wealtha McGurn

Beverly J. Meadows, PhD ’06, MS ’84, BSN ’69

Norma J. Melcolm, MS ’69

Estate of Joan L. Meredith, BSN ’62

Sharon L. Michael, BSN ’71

Nancy J. Miller, BSN ’73

Patricia Gonce Morton, PhD ’89, MS ’79

Sondra M. Mroz, BSN ’66

Elizabeth A. Ness, MS ’93

Evelyn Norwitz

Elizabeth G. O’Connell, MS ’74, BSN ’73

Daniel J. O’Neal III, BSN ’66

Harriet Palmer-Willis, MS ’70, BSN ’68

Barbara J. Parker, PhD ’86, MS ’76

Charlene M. Passmore, BSN ’77

Thomas S. Paullin

Margot A. Regen, MS ’79

Ann E. Roberts, BSN ’93

Estate of Margaret Robinson

Linda E. Rose, PhD ’92, and William G. Smillie

Estate of Amelia Carol Sanders, DIN ’53

Patricia A. Saunders, BSN ’68

Estate of William Donald Schaefer

Estate of Phyllis J. Scharp, BSN ’50

Sandra A. Schoenfisch, MS ’76

Eleanor B. Schron, PhD ’08, MS ’79, and Spencer R. Schron

Estate of Alta Fay Schuster, BSN ’54

Estate of Beverly Seeley

Christine K. Shippen, MS ’98, BSN ’73

Martha J. Shively, BSN ’72

Deborah K. Shpritz, MS ’82, BSN ’78, and Louis Shpritz

Estate of Betty Lou Shubkagel, BSN ’54

Estate of Anna Mae Slacum

Estate of Connie Slewitzke, BSN ’71

Rebecca S. Stanevich, BSN ’73

Barbara A. Stepura, MS ’85

Estate of Marie V. Stimpson, MS ’89, BSN ’84

Jacquelyn M. Jones Stone, MS ’71

Estate of Sandra Sundeen, MS ’68

Estate of Ginger V. Swisher, DIN ’49

Susan L. Tancredi, MS ’79, BSN ’69, and Peter Tancredi

Courtney A. Kehoe Thomas, BSN ’66

Diane L. Thompkins, MS ’84

Virginia D. Thorson, BSN ’55

Estate of Norma C. Tinker, BSN ’48

Estate of Martha C. Trate, BSN ’48

Marion Burns Tuck, MS ’80

Robin Varker, BSN ’75

Elena V. Virts, PhD ’15, BSN ’00

Joella D. Warner, BSN ’64

Estate of Helen Parker Wear

Doris Baumgardner Webb, BSN ’59, and John H. Webb*

Margaret C. Wilmoth, MS ’79, BSN ’75

Susan Dorsey Wilson, BSN ’66

Estate of Patricia Yow

As we are unable to confirm all alumni credentials, only UMSON degrees and graduation years are included.

COURTESY OF ANN MECH

Honor Roll of Donors

JULY 1, 2022

The annual Honor Roll of Donors recognizes alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents, and friends who have contributed $100 or more to the University of Maryland School of Nursing, July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023. A list of all donors is available online at nursing.umaryland.edu/honorroll.

As it is impossible to confirm all donors’ credentials, only UMSON degrees and graduation years are included.

$1,000,000 and up

Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF

$500,000 - $999,999

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Sharon L. Michael, BSN ’71†

$100,000 - $249,999

Alzheimer’s Association

Bedford Falls Foundation Charitable Trust

Mary Catherine Bunting, MS ’72†

Florence Nesh Charitable Trust National Council on State Boards of Nursing

$50,000 - $99,999

John D. Guberski

$25,000 - $49,999

Janet D. Allan and Beverly Hall

Baltimore Community Foundation

Bertha & Olin Cooper Hoddinott Foundation Fund

Jon B. Closson

Francis D. Drake

ExerCorporation

Estate of Jeanette A. Jones, MS ’70*

Thomas S. Paullin

$10,000 - $24,999

Jeanne Ascosi, BSN ’74

Carol M. Blum, BSN ’74

Marlene H Cianci, MS ’66, BSN ’65 †

Frank E. & Miriam Loveman Foundation, Inc.

Kathryn Patchen Freer, BSN ’74, and Robert Walker Freer†

Judith A. Freitag, BSN ’77

Barbara J. Kellogg, BSN ’72

Jane M. Kirschling

Nancy J. Miller, BSN ’73

Mary Etta C. Mills, MS ’73, BSN ’71†

Rosemary Noble, BSN ’66, and Michael W. Noble†

Michelle M. Rivest, MS ’79, BSN ’75, and Jeffrey A. Rivest†

Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving

John P. “Sean” Skelley

Barbara A. Stepura, MS ’85

Daniel J. Sundeen

John E. Sundeen

Susan L. Tancredi, MS ’79, BSN ’69, and Peter Tancredi

Courtney A Kehoe Thomas, BSN ’66†

David Vlahov, MS ’80, BSN ’77, and Robin Gershon

Joyce Willens, PhD ’94, and Bradford H. Lamson-Scribner

William F. & Caroline Hilgenberg Foundation†

$5,000 - $9,999

Ann R. Brookens, BSN ’66, and Bruce R. Brookens

Carolyn J. Brownell, BSN ’86, and Dave Brownell

Estate of E.L. Bunderman, DIN ’31

Sharon A. Childs, MS ’91†

Thomas F. Crusse, MS ’11

Winifred S. Hayes, MS ’74, BSN ’71†

Carol A. Huebner, PhD ’90, and Michael F. Huebner

Bruce E. Jarrell and Leslie S. Robinson

Anita M. Langford, MS ’79, BSN ’77†

Julia A. Llewellyn

Myrna E. Mamaril, MS ’93†

Elizabeth C. Minnigh

Elizabeth A. Ness, MS ’93† Oncology Nursing Foundation

Virginia K. Saba*

Sandra A. Schoenfisch, MS ’76†

Eleanor B. Schron, PhD ’08, MS ’79, and Spencer R. Schron†

Alan J. Silverstone and Kylanne G. Silverstone

Jacquelyn M. Jones Stone, MS ’71

Virginia Lee Franklin Memorial Trust†

May C. Wong, MS ’74†

$2,500 - $4,999

Cecil J. Clark Jr., MS ’90†

CVS Health Foundation

Marla J. De Jong, MS ’96

Jill A. DeCesare, BSN ’69†

Emily P. Deitrick, BSN ’68

Barbara A. Dralnick, MS ’72

Karen Huss, MS ’75, BSN ’69, and Richard Huss

Jean M. Jones, BSN ’72

Joseph Jeff McKinney, BSN ’75

Karen A. McQuillan, MS ’86, BSN ’81†

Norma J. Melcolm, MS ’69†

Glenda B. Motta, BSN ’71

Elizabeth S. Niemyer, BSN ’78, and John Niemyer

Joyce A. Parks, DNP ’14, MS ’93, and Kevin Parks

Kathleen L. Pelch, BSN ’77

Linda E. Rose, PhD ’92, and William G. Smillie

Patricia A. Saunders, BSN ’68†

Martha J. Shively, BSN ’72†

Sigma Foundation for Nursing

Janice M. Thompson, BSN ’62, and Phillip E. Thompson

$1,000 - $2,499

Nellie C. Bailey, MS ’93†

Shawn C. Becker, MS ’05†

Marjorie Stamler Bergemann and Saul R. Snyder

Christopher F. Callaghan

Community Foundation of Frederick Co.

Lynne M. Connelly, MS ’78, BSN ’76

Linda K. Cook, PhD ’05, MS ’97

Darlene J. Curley, MS ’82, BSN ’80†

Janice M. DiGrazia, BSN ’81

Martha M. Dooley, BSN ’72

Diane C. Eikner, BSN ’72

Foot Creek Corp. of Arizona

Bradley T. Foote and Barbara Foote

Norma K. Francis, BSN ’62

Kirsten M. Gaskin, MS ’03

Rosa R. Goldstein, BSN ’58, and Lawrence Goldstein

Bridgitte C. Gourley, DNP ’08

Dorna P. Hairston, PhD ’05, MS ’88

Dinah L. Halopka, BSN ’74†

Rachael Hanson

Janet R. Harris, PhD ’97

Patricia A. Hong, BSN ’72

George Johnson and Christine A. Johnson

Sally A. Kaltreider, MS ’88†

Joseph H. Kelly, MS ’85, BSN ’77, and Mary C. Kelly

Joanne E. King, MS ’03, BSN ’80

bold: Louisa Parsons Legacy Society

† Cornerstone Club, recognizing those who have dontated to UMSON for 20 years or more

* deceased

Barbara G. Kormann, BSN ’66†

Loree S. La Chance, BSN ’89

Angela L. Lee, MS ’93, and Patrick T. Lee

Ruth J. Lee, DNP ’10, MS ’04

Nancy B. Lerner, DNP ’10, MSN ’74, BSN ’66

Mariah D. McCarthy, BSN ’72

Margot Kelley Miles, BSN ’70, and Thomas P. Miles†

Betty Jane Mincemoyer, DIN ’48†

Kathryn Lothschuetz Montgomery, PhD ’97, and John B. Montgomery

Vannesia D. Morgan-Smith, BSN ’80†

Sondra M. Mroz, BSN ’66

Robin R. Nida, BSN ’73

Elizabeth G. O’Connell, MS ’74, BSN ’73†

Barbara M. O’Connor, BSN ’71

Daniel J. O’Neal III, BSN ’66

Charlene M. Passmore, BSN ’77†

Lesley A. Perry†

Karen C. Poisker, MS ’81, BSN ’78†

John M. Preto, MS ’82, BSN ’77, and Jane F. Preto

Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund

Elizabeth Boyer Reeder

R. John Repique, MS ’99

Caleb A. Rogovin, MS ’92†

Carol A. Romano, PhD ’93, MS ’85, BSN ’77†

Mohamad Amin Saad and Margaret Saad

Rosetta F. Sands, MS ’70, BSN ’66

Pamela Reik Schrank, BSN ’68, and W. Winslow Schrank†

Estate of Alta Fay Schuster, BSN ’54

Margaret K. Seuss, MS ’96

Susan E. Simms, BSN ’78

Sue Song

Joan M. Stanley, MS ’78

Barbara M. Sylvia, PhD ’90

Michael Tafelski and Theresa Tafelski

Jo Gail Wenzel, BSN ’67

Anne D. Williams, DNP ’12, MSN ’86, BSN ’82

Susan Wozenski

George A. Zangaro, PhD ’05, MS ’98

$500 - $999

Anna C. Alt-White, PhD ’87†

Linda Daley Atila

Janet C. Austen, MS ’07

Deborah S. Beatty, MS ’96

Christine Boltz, MS ’98

Marita S. Bowden, BSN ’66

Andrea Brassard

Honora E. Caldwell, BSN ’72

Lynn Chen

“I donate, in part, to remain attached to this superior educational institution. I am proud of my professional career that started at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. It is who I am as a registered nurse.”

Eve Goodale Layman, BSN ’73

Justin Codd and Giordana Segneri

Stacey Conrad

Linda Costa, BSN ’76

Emilie M. Deady, BSN ’72†

Jan M. DiSantostefano, MS ’93

Sandra Dunnington, BSN ’76, and Kenneth R. Dunnington

Nancy Eason, BSN ’75 and Alan D. Eason

Shirley B. Edwards, MS ’80, BSN ’78†

John W. Foreman and Linda P. Foreman

Patricia Golembieski, BSN ’71†

Patricia A. Grady, MS ’68

Susan E. Gutkin, MS ’99

Laurette L. Hankins

Donna Sullivan Havens, PhD ’91†

Carol Ann Helfrich, BSN ’67

Maeve Howett

Anne M. Kim, BSN ’00

Hyeon Joo Lee, PhD ’09, MS ’02

Pamela A. Lentz, MS ’00, BSN ’84

Laurice P. Lucas, BSN ’82

Sandra W. McLeskey

Michele A. Michael, MS ’74

Charlotte E. Naschinski, MS ’82†

Yan Ni, BSN ’14

Tyler Ostrowski and Kathryn M. Ostrowski

Katharine W. Parris, MS ’95, BSN ’69†

Margaret A. Pedersen, BSN ’74

Linda C. Pugh, PhD ’90, MS ’76, BSN ’69†

Katherine J. Reichelt, BSN ’64

Natalie J. Rook, MS ’85, BSN ’72†

Nayna Shah

Harold W. Smith, MS ’77, BSN ’72†

Robin Varker, BSN ’75†

Kamala Via, MS ’12

Sandra B. Warner, BSN ’60

Tara L. Weinkam

John W. Willis Jr., BSN ’93

Rebecca F. Wiseman, PhD ’93†

$250 - $499

American Endowment Foundation

Patricia K. Beneshan, BSN ’66

Andrea Caldwell Berndt, MS ’89

Deborah L. Bowers, BSN ’78

Georgia Anne Masser Boyer, BSN ’61†

Voncelia S. Brown, MS ’82, BSN ’78

Mary Wolf Byrnes, BSN ’77, and Kevin M. Byrnes

Caffes-Steele Inc.

Jeffrey S. Cain†

Valerie M. Capallo, MS ’84

Joan Carpenter

Charities Aid Foundation of America

Ling-Yin Chen

Monica J. Clark-McGrew, BSN ’80

Jane B. Clemmens, DIN ’50†

Thomas R. Coe, MS ’94

Robin B. Cohen, MS ’73†

Frona S. Colker, MS ’74†

Eric J. Davis, MS ’03

Donna M. Dorsey, MS ’75†

Eastern Glass

Jewel L. Edmonds, BSN ’12

Kathleen F. Edwards, BSN ’67

Dorrie K. Fontaine, MS ’77, and Barry Fontaine

Elizabeth M. Galik, PhD ’07

Denise C. Geiger, BSN ’79†

Martha B. Gibbons, MS ’68

Sonya Z. Goodman, MS ’79, BSN ’73†

Mary J. Graham, MS ’80†

Shannon K. Idzik, DNP ’10, MS ’03

Juliette S. Jenkins, MS ’78

Sandra Jensen, MS ’70†

Elizabeth K. Johnson, MS ’08, and Richard N. Johnson

Jane F. Kapustin, MS ’85†

Lou Ann Race Kellner, BSN ’78

Gail G. Kestler, BSN ’71, and James Kestler†

Lynda A. King, BSN ’69

Diane T. Langford, BSN ’75†

Gail Schoen Lemaire, PhD ’96, and Theo E. Lemaire

Vincent T. Liu, MS ’01, BSN ’97

Dianne L. Mackert, BSN ’72

Beverly J. Meadows, PhD ’06, MS ’84, BSN ’69

Carolyn J. Means, BSN ’81

Debra L. Mendelsohn, BSN ’76, and Bruce S. Mendelsohn†

Eun-Shim Nahm, PhD ’03

Gina D. Negri, MS ’03

Lois H. Neuman, BSN ’63†

Evelyn Norwitz

Killian M. O’Donnell, MS ’98, BSN ’95

Patricia B. O’Donnell, MS ’76, BSN ’70

Peter J. Olin, MS ’07

Laura J. Owenson

Barbara Patterson

Malinda M. Peeples, MS ’97

Corentheis Perry-Simon, BSN ’69

Keith Petrie

Carol Y. Phillips, PhD ’90

Jeanette Barnes Priest, BSN ’71†

Robin Prothro, BSN ’79

Julie K. Qashu, MS ’10

Joanne S. Reifsnyder, PhD ’00

Barbara A. Reville, DNP ’11

Joseph W. Rogers Jr. and Cory Rogers

Kay F. Sauers, MS ’78, BSN ’72, and Robert Sauers

Marilyn S. Schmitter, BSN ’64

Susan K. Schurman, MS ’08, BSN ’99

Phyllis W. Sharps, PhD ’88, BSN ’70†

Richard J. Sikorski and Cynthia C. Sikorski

Elizabeth P. Smith, MS ’99

Janet R. Southby, MS ’71†

Sheri B. Stern, MS ’91, BSN ’75†

Anne Smyth Terry, BSN ’78

Margaret E. Trimble, BSN ’67

Chidiebere S. Uka, BSN ’23

Barbara L. Van de Castle, DNP ’14

Verizon Foundation

Mary Patricia Wall, PhD ’04

Ron Wallen

Joan I. Warren, PhD ’04, MS ’88†

Mary L. Wetter, MS ’92

Katharine Wheaton, BSN ’15

Shijun Zhu

$100 - $249

Teresa Acquaviva, BSN ’78†

Paul K. Addae, BSN ’05

Beatrice V. Adderley-Kelly, MS ’71

Brenda M. Afzal, MS ’99, BSN ’98

Emmanuel N. Agbara, BSN ’02

Irene G. Akande, DNP ’17, BSN ’05

Olukemi O. Akintola, MS ’17, BSN ’09

Maxine H. Counihan Aldridge, BSN ’02

Nancy R. Alga, BSN ’76

Lisa Allman, BSN ’93

Rosemarie R. Almonte, MS ’01

Cheryl A. Andrews, MS ’99, BSN ’77

Ella J. Angell, MS ’98

Diane Atchinson, MS ’78

Missy Atkinson

Alicia R. Baker, BSN ’04

Candy Barbag, BSN ’72

Christine L. Barclay, BSN ’77

Robin Barthlow-Busan, BSN ’81

Curtis S. Basso, BSN ’95

Mark B. Bauman, BSN ’89

Monika E. Bauman, MS ’10, BSN ’90

LaKeisha D. Beasley, MS ’07

Joan R. Benfield, MS ’92†

Eva K. Berkow, BSN ’59†

Mary Griffin Bey, BSN ’75

Roberta S. Billman, BSN ’74

Vivian G. Blackburn, BSN ’83

Derryl E. Block, BSN ’75, and Steven H. Greenfield

Steffi J. Bokser, BSN ’85 and Allan Bokser

Mary K. Bonanno, BSN ’73

Patricia J. Bosak, BSN ’69

Janine K. Boyer

Margaret A. Bradford, MS ’76, BSN ’74†

Breyer Law Offices

Angelique G. Brooks, MS ’12

Patricia D. Brooks, BSN ’56†

Blanche R. Brown, DNP ’15

Kim P. Brown, MS ’17

Susanne S. Brown, BSN ’68†

Carola Bruflat, BSN ’68†

Paul L. Brunson, BSN ’88

Barbara J. Bungard, MS ’11

Lisette K. Bunting-Perry, BSN ’83, and James Perry

Brooke K. Buppert, BSN ’06

Ann W. Burgess, MS ’59

Colleen M. Burke, BSN ’77†

Rose M. Burke, BSN ’74†

Michelle Butler, MS ’01

E. Bronwyn Byron, BSN ’79

Kathryn A. Cadwell, MS ’93, BSN ’75†

April A. Campbell, BSN ’91†

Cynthia A. Carbo, BSN ’78

Kristen M. Carlin, MS ’17

Ruth M. Carroll, PhD ’90

Debra L. Casson-Patton, BSN ’84

Barbara J. Chapman-Nellis, BSN ’77

Rita K. Charney, BSN ’82, and Donald Joseph Charney

Joo Lee Choe, BSN ’95

Seon Yoon Chung, PhD ’16

Nora C. Cincotta, MS ’97

Sandra K. Cleaver, MS ’84

Anne H. Cole, BSN ’67†

Imogene S. Combs, BSN ’69†

Barbara L. Conrad, BSN ’73†

Karen A. Cook-Henderson, BSN ’72

Gail Cowan, MS ’85†

Frances D. Fosbroke Cox, BSN ’74

Joan L. Creasia, PhD ’87

P. Dale Every Creighton, BSN ’58

Kimberly F. Crilly, MS ’08, BSN ’07

Sharon R. Crowley, BSN ’72

Deborah N. Dang, PhD ’06, MS ’78, BSN ’72†

Dayton Foundation

Leslie W. Daugherty, BSN ’75†

Charlotte E. Davies, MS ’68†

Mary E. De Salvo, MS ’93

Beverly A. Dearing-Stuck, MS ’78, BSN ’69

Amanda H. D’Erasmo, BSN ’95

Marsha H. DeWeese, MS ’93

Nancy Donovan, BSN ’76

Margaret A. Dooling, MS ’80

Patricia L. Dorio, BSN ’95

Carol Swamidoss Douglas, BSN ’85

Ana C. Duarte, PhD ’18, MS ’09, BSN ’06

Elizabeth S. Duda, BSN ’69

Patricia B. Eagen, BSN ’63†

Ann Louise Ellenson, BSN ’70†

Myreda L. Erickson-O’Brien, DNP ’19

Mary Ann C. Faith, BSN ’73

Deborah A. Falls, BSN ’80

Donna M. Feickert-Eichna, BSN ’73

Judith G. Flemmens, BSN ’67†

Julius A. Fomengia, BSN ’05

Lark A. Ford, BSN ’76

Janet Tull Foreman, MS ’81, BSN ’76†

Julie C. Fortier, MS ’68†

Jacqueline Fox

Margaret A. Franckhauser, MS ’82

Adalyn G. Frank, MS ’95, and Edward G. Frank, BSN ’82

Jeffrey Frederick

Silvia I. Freyre, BSN ’11

Wanona S. Fritz, MS ’78

Audrey G. Gift, PhD ’84, and James Gift

Judith K. Gilbert, BSN ’84

Robyn C. Gilden, PhD ’10, MS ’01

Vicki L. Gillmore, PhD ’90, MS ’77, BSN ’76†

Susan R. Giscombe, MS ’10, BSN ’06

Antoinette M. Gonzalez, BSN ’55

Joy A. Gonzalez, MS ’12, BSN ’07

Ellen J. Gorman, MS ’93†

Claire P. Greenhouse, BSN ’66†

Margaretta C. Grimm, MS ’86, BSN ’81

Bonnie M. Hagerty, MS ’77†

Carole F. Hair, MS ’79

Pamela V. Hammond, MS ’79

Felion M. Hankerson, BSN ’07

Mary M. Harding, BSN ’72

Ruth M. Harris, MS ’81, BSN ’79†

Susan G. Harris, BSN ’94

Debbra M. Hattery, MS ’96

Kimberly S. Haus-McIltrot, MS ’96

Rita C. Hendershot, BSN ’69

Regina F. Hendrix, BSN ’83

Donna C. Herndon, BSN ’69

Susan W. Heslin, MS ’98

Viola S. Hibbard, BSN ’88

Diana M. Hicks

Ron Hill

Eileen B. Hollander, MS ’89, BSN ’83

Kristine R. Holmes, BSN ’74

Jane M. Houck, MS ’84†

Mary P. Howard, MS ’94, BSN ’73

Ruth F. Howell

Teresa Hughes

Dora E. Ifon, MS ’98

Catherine Ingle, BSN ’61

Jo A. Irving, MSN ’70

Brenda S. Jackson, MS ’77

Teri L. Jackson, BSN ’80†

Nadine A. Jacobs, BSN ’74†

Karen A. Jeffries, MS ’91

Eleanor H. Jenks

Cynthia Jennette, BSN ’63

Kathleen P. Johnson, MS ’96

Lisa M. Johnson, BSN ’87

William Jordan, BSN ’81†

Donna L. Kahn, MS ’89

Julie Karner, BSN ’88

Anne Khademian

Kyutae Kim, PhD ’23, MS ’11, BSN ’08

Mary Shelley Darling Knach, BSN ’79

Brian Kopan and Kristine Kopan

Mary Jean Kotch, BSN ’74

Diane L. Krasner, PhD ’98, MS ’94, BSN ’79

Nancy E. Krauss, MS ’67†

R. Kathleen Kruse, BSN ’85

Roslyn Kurman, BSN ’73

Sally G. Kweti, BSN ’99

Nancy Lacy, BSN ’54

Linda S. Lammeree, BSN ’94

Eve L. Layman, BSN ’73†

Patricia A. Lewis, BSN ’80

Carol A. Libonati, MS ’86, BSN ’68†

Katherine N. Linden, BSN ’77 †

Nancy Lougheed, BSN ’61

Jane B. Mace and Samuel V. Mace

Kati C. Machtley, BSN ’72

Barbara J. Major, BSN ’74†

Sandra B. Malone, PhD ’98†

Ellen G. Mann, BSN ’68

Jo Ellen Marek, BSN ’64†

Wendy P. Margolis, BSN ’76, and Peter Margolis

Michele Marsh, BSN ’87

Beth A. Martucci, DNP ’10, MS ’99, BSN ’96

Jeanne A. Matthews, PhD ’91

Gloria J. Mayfield, MS ’72

Gail O. Mazzocco, MS ’74†

Anne E. McArdle, BSN ’74†

Donna Behler McArthur, PhD ’98, BSN ’76

Lisa S. McCarl, MS ’84, BSN ’81, and Clayton S. McCarl Jr.

Marie C. McCarthy, MS ’79

Margaret A. McEntee, MS ’73†

Douglas A. McIltrot

Pat McLaine

William J. McLennan

Ann B. Mech, MS ’78, BSN ’76

Astride A. Akamba Mekaa, BSN ’19

Lillian A. Milburn, BSN ’04

Judith R. Miller, BSN ’66

Marilyn J. Miller, PhD ’00, MS ’81, BSN ’79

Priscilla O. Mills, BSN ’69

Lisa Morgan

Tracie L. Morgan, DNP ’10, MS ’00

Melissa A. Murdock, BSN ’89

Bonnie M. Murphy, BSN ’82

Cheryl Murphy

Nicole L. Nash

Michaele Nesbitt-Johnson, DNP ’17, BSN ’83

Myra N. Njapau-Dove, DNP ’20

Maidana K. Nunn, MS ’63

Kevin J. O’Brien, MS ’98

Phyllis R. O’Day, MS ’78, BSN ’71

Simone M. Odwin-Jenkins, DNP ’19

Patricia A. O’Hare, MS ’76†

Suzanne P. O’Keefe, DNP ’20

Tosin H. Olateju, MS ’15, BSN ’11

Diane E. Olechna, MS ’00

Clara Arehart Olivas, MS ’67

Raphael A. Onyedinma, BSN ’95

Joyce B. O’Toole, MS ’68, and Thomas J. O’Toole

Kempton Packard

Anna L. Parker, BSN ’68

Terry S. Peck, BSN ’82

Mary J. Pizzo, BSN ’77

Promise Home Health Inc.

Nan K. Pue, BSN ’66 †

Madonna Putz-Vitarello, BSN ’84

Minnie M. Raju, MS ’05, BSN ’02

Suzanne R. Ranson, BSN ’76†

Carol A. Rauen, MS ’91, BSN ’81†

Kristen E. Rawlett, PhD ’14

Karen K. Reichert, BSN ’66

Laurel A. Renaud, BSN ’80†

Barbara M. Resnick, PhD ’96†

Loretta M. Richardson, MS ’71, BSN ’68†

Eleanor M. Riordan, BSN ’47†

Teresa V. Robison, MS ’88, BSN ’80

Jake A. Rodriguez, BSN ’19

Nicole Noelmay Rodriguez

Janet Rowan, MS ’63, BSN ’61†

Deborah L. Ryan, MS ’98

Perry J. Sayles, BSN ’00

Linda M. Sayre, MS ’92, and John Sayre

Rhonda E. Scharf, BSN ’72

Carole Schauer, MS ’70†

Chuck M. Schevitz, BSN ’81 †

Barbara Schmitthenner, BSN ’57†

Sheila M. Schoeplein

Deborah Lynne Schofield, DNP ’09, MS ’95

Patricia P. Sengstack, MS ’88, BSN ’82

Christine K. Shippen, MS ’98, BSN ’73†

Pamela L. Shumate, DNP ’12

Patricia A. Skelton, MS ’93

Elizabeth S. Sloand, MS ’86

Andrea L. Smith, MS ’83

Claudia M. Smith, BSN ’65†

Marc C. Smith, DNP ’17

Sally Jo Snader, BSN ’81

Laura M. Sorkin, MS ’96†

Anne M. Sparks, BSN ’77

Katharine S. Speers, BSN ’54†

Eva F. Squibb, BSN ’13

St. Cloud Window Inc.

Irene C. Stadler, BSN ’87

Jean P. Staples, BSN ’68†

Susan R. Stone, MS ’87, BSN ’82

Florence C. Strawser, BSN ’71

Beth Swann

Synergy HomeCare

Thomas P. Tafelski

Sylvian Tambis, BSN ’19

Gail F. Tarlton, MS ’02, BSN ’00

Barbara N. Terry, BSN ’71†

Charmaine Thomas

THRIVE Program

Boris K. Towns, BSN ’20

United Way of Central Maryland Inc.

Constance R. Uphold, PhD ’88

Kim L. VandenAssem, MS ’11, BSN ’87

Jane M. Vardaro, MS ’77, and Joseph E. Vardaro

Susan Vines

Lorrie Voytek

Lesley A. Walther, BSN ’17

Suzanne D. Walton, MS ’87, BSN ’78†

Kimberly Weir

Linda Elaine Wendt, PhD ’91†

Robert W. West, BSN ’14

Rodney J. Wherley

Mary E. White, BSN ’76

Margaret R. Widner-Kolberg, BSN ’75

Paula A. Wiegel-Thrasher, BSN ’73

Margaret C. Wilmoth, MS ’79, BSN ’75†

Adele Wilzack, MS ’66†

Barbara V. Wise, PhD ’99, MS ’82

Priscilla S. Worral, PhD ’86

Deborah A. Wright, BSN ’75

Eileen M. Wyant, BSN ’72

Karen L. Yarbrough, DNP ’16, MS ’93

William Yarbrough

Harry E. Yeiser and Gail P. Yeiser

Sherry L. Zane, BSN ’69

GAINING A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE IN TANZANIA

In early June, seven nursing students from both undergraduate and graduate programs flew more than 7,500 miles to the East African country of Tanzania to undertake a two-week Global Field Experience through UMSON’s Office of Global Health. Accompanied by B. Elias Snyder, PhD, MS ’14, FNP-C, ACHPN, assistant professor and director of that office, and Charlotte Nwogwugwu, DrPH, BSN, RN, HIV PCP, CPH-BC, assistant professor, the students participated in site visits, clinical care, community meetings, workshops, and, of course, fun — including a safari at the Ngorongoro Crater.

Highlights included visits to the Black Rhino Academy International School, a nonprofit boarding and day school where UMSON students provided health screenings for more than 70 students, and to Engaruka Health Communities Organization (EHCO), a Tanzanian-founded and -led community hospital being built to serve a predominantly Maasai community.

The field experience was designed for students to gain insight into the rich diversity of cultures in Tanzania and to explore various aspects of the country’s health care system. The trip emphasized cultural humility, equity and justice, inner bias work, understanding the burdens of diseases, and comparing health care systems.

A University of Maryland, Baltimore grant and UMSON’s Carolyn F. Waltz and Ora L. Strickland Endowment provided funding to cover most of the travel costs for the students, increasing global opportunities for students who may not have considered applying without financial support.

To support future global health initiatives like this one, visit nursing.umaryland.edu/give/ GlobalHealthSupportFund

right, top to bottom: Nwogwugwu (center, left) and Snyder (center, right) present a goat to a Maasai chief as a token of gratitude for his support of EHCO hospital; the group takes a photo together at Black Rhino Academy after completing school health screenings; Tenica Watt, MS ’10, CRNP, a Doctor of Nursing Practice student, prepares traditional Swahili food. below: an elephant seen during safari at Ngorongoro Crater

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Imelda received the Patricia A. Saunders, BSN ’68 Scholarship, awarded annually to an undergraduate student who needs to work while attending school. When Saunders was an UMSON student, she received a scholarship that allowed her to reduce her reliance on employment, and this inspired her to help other students.

MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY at nursing.umaryland.edu/give

“I am a first-generation college student and have always had a job while attending school full time to be able to help my mom. Receiving the scholarship gave me the peace of mind that I was going to be able to cover some bills and focus on my courses with full dedication.”

Imelda Argueta-Delgado Bachelor of Science in Nursing Student