Lifelines 2021

LIFELINES 2021

The Year of the Nurse Continues There is no slowing down during a pandemic

nursing.musc.edu

COLLEGE OF NURSING PHILOSOPHY

VISION

The College of Nursing’s philosophy is congruent with that of the Medical University of South Carolina and guides the education, research, and practice of nurses and other health professionals in an interprofessional health sciences center. This philosophy embodies the concepts of nursing, health, person, and environment. The faculty believe that the discipline of nursing is both an art and a science focusing on the optimization of health and holistic wellbeing across diverse populations within global communities. Our core values guide the integration of education, scholarship, and inquiry to advance knowledge and practice framed by a collaborative interprofessional model of care.

The Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing will be a preeminent leader in nursing education, practice, and research to improve the culture of health and quality of life.

MISSION In an interprofessional environment that is respectful, inclusive, transformative, innovative, and sensitive to a changing fiscal climate, the College of Nursing is committed to promoting health through: • Providing evidence-based nursing education • Generating, translating and disseminating scientific knowledge • Leading excellence in practice

CORE VALUES INTEGRITY

• Demonstrate honesty, ethics and moral strength in every aspect of personal and professional life • Ensure equity and fairness • Uphold organization standards of conduct, policies, and procedures

INNOVATION

• Advance the profession of nursing through research, practice, scholarship and life-long learning • Seek and embrace new and bold opportunities to ensure fiscal responsibility while ensuring the college’s growth potential during stable, as well as, unstable financial climates

IMPACT

• Shape and re-envision the nursing profession by providing cutting edge education and experiential learning opportunities • Act intentionally to achieve significant and influential outcomes for our global society • Transform health care through collaborative leadership, policy, and advocacy

INCLUSIVITY

• Embrace and promote diversity • Celebrate individual talents and strengths • Create and promote an environment of belonging where people feel empowered, respected, and valued

A publication of the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing

LIFELINES Volume XIII, Issue 1 • 2021

PROUD TO BE A NURSE It does not seem so long ago when nurses worldwide began to celebrate the Year of the Nurse and Midwife in January 2020. I remember feeling a great sense of pride and gratitude that I belonged to a profession that engaged in shaping practice and research and, by extension, patient

Executive Editor

Linda S. Weglicki,

Dean, College of Nursing Editor

Beth Khan Photographer

outcomes in ways that transcend not only our institutions but also in the discipline of nursing itself.

Now, as we begin 2021, I still feel this sentiment more poignantly than I could ever imagine nearly one year ago. In the earliest days of this unprecedented pandemic, I recall moments when

Josh Goodwin

nurses were hailed as heroes. I thought, "We are

Contributors Sharon Bond

not heroes. This is what nurses do every day, and

Debbie Chatman Bryant Leslie Cantu Bryce Donovan Lisa DuBois Carrie Cormack Catherine Durham Theresa Kelechi Sharon Kozachik Anahita Modaresi Caroline Wright

this is what nurses have always done."

However, over these past many months, the overwhelming stories of nurses and their actions, as they faced daily new challenges of the coronavirus, have been nothing less than heroic.

Nurses have been and continue to lead the way through this pandemic. Their unending stamina, resilience, empathy, and gentle care can be seen at the bedside, in community health settings, in public health and educational environments, in clinics, and in the "war rooms" of hospitals and health care systems.

In this issue of Lifelines, we reflect on 2020 and share stories marked not just by one but by two historic parallel evolving crises: the worldwide COVID-19 health

PUBLISHED BY

and economic pandemic and racial injustices occurring throughout the United States. Both terrible and traumatic events highlighted the college's struggles as it sought new and innovative approaches to meet its tripartite mission of education, research, and patient care. Last year's events also pushed us to find ways to combat structural racism and remain true to our core values that embrace inclusivity,

College of Nursing 99 Jonathan Lucas Street Charleston, SC 29425 nursing.musc.edu

equity, integrity, diversity, respect, and an environment of belonging.

Over the past 12 months, I witnessed so many people doing extraordinary and innovative things. Our faculty, staff, students, college alumni and friends, and community partners demonstrated tremendous flexibility, strength, and compassion as they stepped up in so many different ways. The magnitude of their

HAVE FEEDBACK? SEND COMMENTS TO:

Lifelines Editor MUSC College of Nursing 99 Jonathan Lucas St., MSC 160 Charleston, SC 29425-1600 khane@musc.edu

POSTMASTER: Send corrections to Lifelines, MUSC College of Nursing, 99 Jonathan Lucas St., MSC 160, Charleston, SC 29425-1600. © Copyright 2021 by the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without permission from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing.

support and response to mitigate risk and transcend new ways of living, engaging, teaching, learning, and protecting, required adaptability, imagination, and grace.

The MUSC College of Nursing, no matter what, will continue to exercise our thoughtful and forward-thinking approach and pause when we need to navigate the multifaceted challenges which have transformed many of the ways we carry out our mission and priorities.

Alumni and friends, I encourage you to stay connected, share your stories, and remain safe and well throughout 2021!

Linda S. Weglicki, Ph.D., R.N. Dean and professor Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing

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FEATURES YEAR OF THE NURSE GAINS NEW MEANING ...............................4 HISTORY OF THE NURSE MIDWIFERY PROGRAM .....................10 ACADEMICS - Jumping in feet first......................................................... 12 • Pivoting in a pandemic............................................................................ 12 • Palliative Care Initiative............................................................................13 RESEARCH - Keeping in touch during a pandemic................................ 14 • What About the Caregivers?................................................................. 14 PRACTICE - Re-envisioning faculty practice during COVID-19.......... 16 • Meeting the moment.............................................................................. 16

DEPARTMENTS THE DEAN'S DESK...................................................................................... 1 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION....................................................................... 18 AROUND THE COLLEGE.......................................................................20 FACULTY & STAFF NEWS.......................................................................24 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT............................................................................28 ALUMNI CONNECTIONS.......................................................................36 MAKING A DIFFERENCE.........................................................................38

Interviews conducted by Lisa Dubois and Anahita Modaresi in May 2020 have been edited for space and clarity.

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Year of the Nurse gains new meaning during the pandemic T

he World Health Organization (WHO) designated 2020 as the "Year of the Nurse & Midwife" well before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our lives. As days and weeks turned into months, the important role that nurses have in difficult health care crises like these become

so pronounced and valued. But how fitting that the designation is today. No one would have predicted the same year Florence Nightingale would have celebrated her 200th birthday; we would also witness a health care crisis like none other in modern times.

Nightingale's pioneering efforts more than 167 years ago led to health care reforms and models used today. She established standards for sanitation, identified the value of data to inform care, and decreased mortality associated with preventable diseases - all of which are foundational to limiting the spread of disease. All were important then and just as important today as we address the many health challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These unprecedented times have challenged many nurses, especially those serving on the front lines. Countless nurses have sacrificed their own mental and physical health, as well as time with their family, and sadly, some have lost their lives while putting others before themselves. Nurses understand there’s an element of danger to their job, especially when dealing with a virus that scientists are still trying to figure out.

In the pages that follow, you will read about two nurses who served on the front lines in New York City in March and April 2020. Both are graduates of the college, but who are at different points in their nursing careers. Caroline Wright, a 2018 BSN graduate, is a critical care nurse in Charleston and felt the calling to take her skills to where they could be best used at the time.

Catherine Durham is a 2012 DNP graduate with 21 years of nursing experience. She is the assistant dean of the DNP program and a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves.

Both nurses are heroes, as are the countless others who have and continue to rise to the occasion by serving and caring for others during times of adversity.

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In their own words...

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n April 2020, Caroline Wright, BSN ‘18, an ICU nurse at MUSC Health, volunteered to serve in the COVID-19 unit of Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY, the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic at the time. Wright describes the importance of teamwork and the need to improvise, given limited re-

sources in health care crisis situations. Wright notes the important role she took on for ICU patients during this time – that of support as a surrogate family member, because loved ones could not be present during the final moments of life. Her view from the frontlines is heartbreaking and unfiltered. Yet, she feels valued and believes she has skills to do what others can't.

When you first walked into the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, were you prepared for what you saw?

You know, I wasn't prepared for the reality of the situation. I had this idea in my head but when I walked into that unit, I was in complete shock. At the time, at MUSC Health, we had two COVID positive patients in the entire hospital. When I arrived in New York, I walked into this big room with over 60 COVID positive patients.

The beds were on top of one another and just a foot or two apart. Patients were on ventilators and all alone. No family members were present. Some patients were on 9 or 10 drips at a time. I was in shock. I will honestly never forget that moment. I knew it was going to be bad, but I had no idea.

It was overwhelming, and to think that was just one unit. The rest of the hospital was converted into multiple other makeshift COVID ICUs. It took creativity, as they 6

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converted areas like the PACU and the cath lab into an ICU to meet the demand of so many who were so ill. It was so insane.

I had no idea and honestly, if people saw what I witnessed every day while I was there, they would not be leaving their homes or worried about wearing a mask.

What was the difference between your ICU experience in Charleston and your experience in a COVID unit in NYC? Everything I learned went out the window because it was a completely different situation. You had to adjust and be flexible. The management was different than how you would typically manage an ICU patient. I couldn’t get caught up on things which we typically focused on, such as charting. Of course, we charted the important vitals, but the hospital management knew our priority was the patient. Also, there were a lot of

new medications and I was not used to administering them. Since I was a new employee, I was constantly asking people questions about how things are done.

I'd ask, "What's the protocol for this and that?" The response usually sounded like, “Well, it used to be this, but now just do your best.” Many hospital policies had to be modified or changed just to allow us more time at the bedside with the patient.

How was the management of the patient different?

Since I was in a COVID unit, all the patients had respiratory issues, so the way we managed them was different. For example, we would lay patients on their stomach to help improve oxygenation.

These patients also required a lot more sedation than typical ICU patients.

Normally, we would have a patient on one or two sedation meds. These COVID

“ I am used to times in the ICU before COVID where loved ones gather and share a beautiful, bittersweet moment. Here death is cold, lonely and tragic so I held their hands and told them they are loved." patients were on four or five, making it difficult to get them off of the drips.

Weaning them off the vents was extremely hard.

What do you think would be helpful in terms of training nurses?

Teaching flexibility. In New York, we didn't have all the resources and supplies that were needed or that I was accustomed to using. I learned to make do with what I had and repurpose things. I learned how to stretch things beyond its typical usage and to use my best judgment and assess the situation. Physicians stressed that, too. Physicians really valued our opinions because they knew that we spent the most time with the patients. They encouraged us to speak up when we saw something unusual or if any major changes were needed for our patients. The role of the nurse was different. I felt the physicians really valued us.

Did you have any moments when you thought this is why I do this?

I was starting to question all this. These patients were the sickest of the sick and unfortunately the success rate with taking patients off a ventilator and extubating them was not very high. Many ended up being re-intubated, so we didn't get to see a lot of the positive side for those we cared for. Patients don't get discharged from the ICU. Before that happens, the patient goes to a step-down unit, consequently the ICU nurses do not see a lot of positive

outcomes. However, I had a mother who had just given birth. She was COVID positive and intubated, so I was prepared for things to end tragically. Two weeks later, we took the tube out and the mom survived. It was phenomenal. Later, she was able to FaceTime with her baby. I can't imagine what she went through - to give birth and be away from her baby. It was pretty amazing. We tried to keep these moments fresh in our memories to help us push through and visualize the happy endings.

Was your nursing training helpful?

What could have helped you prepare for this?

I don’t know how you can really prepare for something like this during a pandemic, but one thing that stood out for me was the teamwork. Maybe that could be strengthened back home? I'm usually someone who tries to do everything myself, but in these types of situations you really have to use the resources you’ve been given, and support from others. For example, as I was gowned up and in an isolation room, I couldn't go in and out, so I had to reach out for help. I made signs of what was needed that could be read through the window by another nurse who was charting outside the ICU. Nurses from other areas in the hospital served as resource nurses. It worked great because trained nurses could innovate.

They would draw all of our labs, turn our patients and do many of direct nursing

care functions to support us. It was a huge relief to have that assistance and support. They were all very well qualified and trained and were so amazing about jumping in and knowing what needed to be done and doing it. Another thing we did was prone patients (turn face down).

They used PACU nurses to create a proning team so when the physician wanted a patient proned you would call and a group of five PACU nurses would arrive. Just having those type of resources to eliminate some of the stress was huge.

The things we learned in textbooks can only take you so far in these difficult events. I had to apply the basic principles we learned in order to problem solve and figure out a different solution. It wasn’t only what I learned in nursing school that had to be adjusted, but even things I learned as an ICU nurse, I had to do differently. But what remained constant was reaching back to the basics of what I learned in school like the principles of ABC airway breathing circulation. The basics don’t change. This is what we train for. This is that moment. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Everything we read about in the textbook combined with basic skills we are able to adapt and put to good use.

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U

nder military orders, Cathy Durham, DNP '12, APRN, FNP-C, arrived in New York on March 6 to meet her team of 121 nurses from around the United States who were deployed to New York City, the coronavirus

U.S. epicenter at that time. Three days prior, Durham was tagged to provide a leadership role on a mission to bring help and hope to thousands of New Yorkers. Durham is a Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves and a senior nurse executive for Operational Health Support Unit Jacksonville that encompasses 133 reserve nurses from South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico. She joined the team in NYC to provide senior nurse leadership for a group of nurses mobilized from all over the United States. Military leadership felt medical assistance was critically needed in 11 hospitals across the city swamped with COVID positive patients. Durham and her team answered their call to duty.

What was your reaction when you first arrived in New York and realized the severity of the situation?

Before I was deployed, I remember thinking 40,000 ventilators was an overreaction because we live in the United States. How could this be necessary? We were all a little wary because we didn't know what the situation was going to look like. Sure, we saw images on television, but was it really out of control?

The first hospital we went to was Bellevue, the oldest hospital in the U.S. It was full of incredibly sick patients. They had expanded their ICU services, but they weren't bursting at the seams. It wasn't hemorrhaging. They were busy, and they just needed a few more nurses.

The second site we went to was Elmhurst Hospital. I was with two physicians and another nurse to perform a needs assessment.

From our first encounter with the hospital's nursing supervisor, we knew things were different there. In my 25-year career, I've never seen that many patients in an emergency department and they were all COVID positive. The gurneys were three deep against the walls and into the hallways.

As a nurse, I'm used to providing comfort for sick patients, yet I found it challenging to convey empathy with only my eyes because the N95 mask covered half my face. I could see the look of fear in their eyes. Their panic-stricken eyes were so hard to see. My physician colleague said that the patients' faces reminded him of photos of prisoners in concentration camps during World War II. The faces in that emergency department will never leave my mind and my heart.

When the four of us walked out of the hospital, we didn't speak.

We were still digesting what we saw. When we returned to the command center, we had a decision to make about which providers to send to these hospitals. There's a risk of sending our team 8

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members into a COVID hospital, but we were really honest with them and managed their expectations. Our nurses and physicians handled this situation with such grace.

A month later, Elmhurst was no longer hemorrhaging and almost back to baseline in regard to their numbers. Elmhurst has an incredible staff. They smiled when they met us and engaged in conversation. Even though they had to compartmentalize their stress, they were very thoughtful in our discussions. All of the hospitals I worked in had an incredibly resilient group of people.

Some of the Elmurst staff got emotional when we first walked inside in uniform. A few days later, when we went back to check-in, the CEO pulled us aside to tell us he had received lots of emails from staff. He said the thing that resonated most for him was the messages like, "when we saw the people in uniform coming in, it was the first day that we felt safe." That was pretty humbling.

What was your role while in NYC? For the first five days, along with my physician counterpart, I was to call hospitals and create a needs assessment. From the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we knew which hospitals had the highest volume of ventilated patients and the greatest need. We told the chief nursing officers and chief medical officers that we were ready to embed a team into their hospital system if they needed us.

We performed needs assessments at five hospitals within 48 hours. One thing we looked for was adequate staffing. For example, one site did not want any med-surg nurses because they had too many. But they were in dire need of ICU nurses and critical care nurses because their ventilated patients had grown by 400% in two days. We were able to get them the type of nurses they needed from our pool. Another site had the right mix of nursing

personnel and was open to taking more med-surg nurses.

We also implemented a team nursing model where we paired an ICU nurse with an OR nurse. The pair could take three patients instead of just two. The OR nurse also operated as a "runner" to get supplies for the ICU nurse. At each site, we tried to match and leverage our assets as best we could. We managed expectations and understood what each hospital needed. We continued with site visits and checked back at sites where we embedded our people to see how they were doing. By the end of April, we had 217 nurses and physicians embedded in seven sites.

As a senior nurse executive, when I wasn't doing administrative duties at the command center in a hotel, I rotated to a different clinical site every two days. I worked the bedside in ICUs with one of the nurses on my team. I haven't been an ICU nurse in 21 years, so many things changed, but I was there to serve the ICU nurse. If they needed something, I was going to get it.

At the bedside, there's an opportunity to mentor and counsel.

Very few ICU patients in the hardest hit hospitals are being discharged so some days were notably hard, and it was important to me to offer support to those nurses.

What made this situation more difficult than other highpressured situations you've encountered?

The racial and economic health disparities in this country were evident in the patient population that I saw in New York. Many of the patients needed to work to provide for their families, which prevented them from coming into the hospital until they were really sick. Also, many of the patients didn't have primary care providers that were managing their symptoms early on.

Another hard thing had to do with the patient's family since they were not able to come inside the hospital. Families were not able to see how rapidly their loved one was declining. This made it very tough to have conversations with family members about end-oflife care. Family members were and still are having to make tough decisions about life-saving measures very quickly.

We used tablets to help engage family members via FaceTime so that they could see their loved ones, work with the health care team to make decisions on their health, and at times be with them in their last moments, but it was hard for both the families and the staff. We had some psychiatric mental health providers on our team to help both patient families, patients and staff and augment the native hospital resources.

As a nurse educator and someone who was on the frontlines, what do you think is a critical need in nursing education?

From an educational standpoint, a critical need is to incorporate more public health into our education. Take a look at how nurses engage in public health aspects and how we can manage that.

During this emergency, both physician and nurse were asked to work on teams outside their comfort zone. It was important to

Dr. Cathy Durham (left) with College of Nursing alumna, Sadie Treleven, BSN, R.N., at Harlem Hospital in May 2020.

create systems to support that work such as team nursing and to support people working outside their specialty. One team member stated, “we have two jobs here; be kind and be flexible” and that phase was repeated many times.

If all health care professionals, nurses, in particular, could go back to our foundational roots and think about how you assess a patient. What are the basic principles of pathophysiology? Then we can come from a place of being flexible and kind to each other and work as a team to address the patient's needs and put aside what we think is our assigned role. We're all health care providers on the same side. I think we need to frame our education around that understanding.

I know there were some legal questions around this line of thinking. Am I going to be sued if I have to be a med-surg nurse because I'm really an OR nurse? Am I going to be sued for working outside of my scope of practice? I'm one nurse to 15 patients.

It's supposed to be one to eight, so I'm not going to be able to do all these things that I was told to do. We have to educate students on what it means to respond in an emergency and the ethical requirements. The American Nursing Association and the American Medical Association have statements on the ethical responsibilities in an emergency and a pandemic. So, we need to emphasize these ethical responsibilities in our education.

Being a nurse in a pandemic begins with understanding the public health aspect, but also knowing how to be a team player. We may not need a labor and delivery nurse during a viral pandemic, but you're still trained as a nurse, so let's leverage your skills and educational preparation and maximize them in this pandemic setting.

This was an incredible experience, and I was really proud to be there. I'm proud to be in nursing. I'm humbled by being part of a profession that is adaptable and is incredibly resilient. I will forever be grateful to have witnessed the many nurses I worked with who possess these attributes. I think if you don't look at this as glass-halffull and take the wins from it, you lose out.

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By Sharon Bond, Ph.D. '09, MSN '92, CNM '83, FACNM Associate professor, retired 2014

Celebrating Midwives A brief history of the Nurse-Midwifery Education Program at the MUSC College of Nursing from 1973 to 2009

By Sharon Bond, Ph.D., CNM, FACNM

F

achieved exceptional milestones educating trailblazing

birthing at the Penn Center in Beaufort, South Carolina, and

nurses who serve the health care needs of families,

some county health departments. Maude E. Callen, certified

communities and populations; nurses who change what's

nurse-midwife (CNM) and graduate of Tuskegee University,

possible through nursing care. One milestone worthy of a

taught at the Penn Center from 1944 to 1964, and assisted

look back is the history of the nurse-midwifery educational

more than 800 women in giving birth in Berkeley County.

program, from 1973 through 2009.

Each year, Callen taught six-week initial training courses and

or 138 years, the MUSC College of Nursing has

In mid-20th century South Carolina, the outlook for

Many grand midwives acquired their knowledge about

a two-week refresher course to grand midwives. Callen is

women giving birth, especially in rural areas, was bleak.

a well-recognized hero in South Carolina and the recipient

Many families lived in extremes of poverty, lacked plumbing,

of many awards, including an honorary degree from the

electricity and access to health services. Perinatal statistics

Medical University. Her work was tenderly portrayed in W.

at the time depicted a sad state of health for women, ranking

Eugene Smith's photo essay published in a 1951 issue of Life

South Carolina as having the third-highest rate of maternal

Magazine.

and infant mortality in the United States.

During these years, especially in the Lowcountry, many

By 1970, the MUSC College of Nursing and the MUSC Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology began exploring

women received care by the "granny," or grand midwives,

the feasibility of bringing a certified nurse-midwife (CNM)

women whose faith, experience and wisdom called upon

education program to the Medical University. Lawrence

them to give compassionate assistance to women birthing

Hester, M.D., then chair of the Department of Obstetrics

at home during a time when hospital care was unaffordable.

& Gynecology, recognized that using registered nurses in

In 1950, about 100 grand midwives licensed by the South

an expanded role was necessary to meet the demand for

Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

services and improve perinatal statistics. Marcia Curtis,

(DHEC) assisted in 15,799 births registered in South Carolina.

Ed.D., then dean of the College of Nursing, understood that a

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strong education program could prepare nurses as midwives and supported the philosophy promoted by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM).

Initially, it was necessary to establish a family-centered, comprehensive service to provide patient care in outpatient and hospital settings. A successful nurse-midwifery practice was essential for future student education. In 1971, Carmella Cavero, CNM, fellow of the American College of NurseMidwives (FACNM) and then ACNM president, was recruited

by Curtis to plan and direct the service. Cavero quickly recruited other certified nurse-midwives to the College of Nursing. Within 18 months, the CNMs managed a busy practice, providing family planning services and care to pregnant women at multiple outlying clinics with oversight and collaboration from the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Once this viable service was evident, it became time to advance the education program.

Original MUSC College of Nursing Nurse-Midwifery faculty (photo circa 1973): Bottom row, left to right: Harriet Simpson, Carmela Cavera, and Norma Pacenta. Top row, left to right: Margaret Ann Corbett, E. Jean Martin, and Anne Malley.

In 1974, a certificate program was implemented, followed by a master's degree in nursing curriculum in the maternal-

program and practice grew and contributed to improving the

child track five years later.

state's perinatal statistics.

Nurse-midwifery practice, especially in outlying rural

Indeed, low income, uninsured women cared for by

clinics, was not without its challenges. Since advanced

nurse-midwives birthed substantially fewer low birthweight

practice nurses did not yet have prescribing authority, CNMs

babies. Between 1979 and 1980, the rate of low birthweight

found it necessary to track down physicians at the hospital

babies in South Carolina was 8.9%. During that time, MUSC

to sign prescriptions. Paper prescriptions for antibiotics and

midwives completed 13,250 prenatal visits and 1,102 births,

other medications were then forwarded to patients by postal

reducing the rate of low birthweight infants born to women

mail. Fortunately, health departments were able to dispense

in their care by almost half (4.8%).

prenatal vitamins and treat certain infections.

In 1977, Helen Varney Burst, CNM, FACNM, a graduate

Pope Francis credits a nurse with having saved his life when he was just 20 years old. He said, "A great woman, brave

of Yale University, became director of the nurse-midwifery

too, to the point of arguing with the doctors." He suggested

program at MUSC. The college was fortunate to have Burst

that "midwives might have the most noble of all professions."¹

on board. Not only was she the president of the ACNM,

I think he might be right.

but in 1978 she released the first edition of her textbook,

“The College of Nursing honors and celebrates the

Varney's Midwifery, regarded as the gold standard for nurse-

pioneers, leaders, and graduates of MUSC CON Nurse-

midwifery education in the United States. Cavero and Varney

Midwifery education program. They have been a critical

are pioneers and living legends to midwives everywhere.

part of history and improving the health of so many South

Faced with budget shortfalls in 1981 and a need to turn out more BSN-prepared nurses in the face of a critical shortage, Curtis realized she might be forced to discontinue the nursemidwifery program. The tenacious nurse-midwifery faculty and students sought to protect their program. They won the support of Lowcountry state legislators, specifically Rembert Dennis, Arthur Ravenel, Dewey Wise and W. Paul Cantrell.

These representatives understood the impact of nursemidwives on the health of mothers in their districts and persuaded the state Legislature to finance the program for another two years. The South Carolina March of Dimes was also an invaluable supporter of nurse-midwifery education.

It was the vision and foresight of Lawrence Hester, M.D., Curtis and Henry Heins, an MUSC obstetrician and gynecologist, who championed for nurse-midwifery in South Carolina. Through their leadership, the academic

Carolinians,” said Dean Linda S. Weglicki.

1. Hattrup KN. Pope: Midwives might have the most noble of all professions. Aleteia. January 21, 2020. https://aleteia. org/2020/01/21/pope-midwives-might-have-the-most-nobleof-all-professions. Accessed January 29, 2020.

Acknowledgements: Brooke Fox, MUSC University archivist, Elizabeth Bear, Ph.D., CNM, FACNM, Marjorie McManus, CNM, E. Jean Martin, CNM, Carmela Cavero, CNM, FACNM, Charleston Post & Courier Sharon Bond, Ph.D., CNM, FACNM, retired in 2014 as an associate professor in the MUSC College of Nursing. She graduated from the College of Nursing's nurse midwifery program in 1983, master's program in 1992 and Ph.D. program in 2009.

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ACADEMICS

Jumping in feet first As a Mid-Westerner, I grew up believing the saying, “If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb.”

COVID-19 has forever changed that saying for me; March 2020 started relatively normal and ended with escalating uncertainty due to the novel COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the COIVD-19 pandemic affected the MUSC College of Nursing last spring, when the university instituted a modified operations directive. While challenging, our faculty quickly responded as we transitioned face-to-face courses in our accelerated BSN program to online delivery with the goal of keeping our students progressing towards an on-time graduation. For example, Dr. Berry Anderson, associate professor, incorporated peer-to-peer education by forming small student discussion groups using Blackboard Collaborate, a comprehensive online learning tool. He then brought the entire class into a single virtual session to engage in richer discussions. Dr. Shannon D’Alton, instructor, and Dr. Melanie Cason, assistant professor and simulation program director, implemented interactive virtual clinical learning experiences. These activities allowed students to complete a case study, meet in small groups to discuss case specifics and ancillary course content, and come together as a larger clinical group to engage in a clinical case debriefing session. The esprit de corps and can-do attitudes of our faculty, staff, and students make me proud to be a member of the MUSC College of Nursing family.

Sharon Kozachik, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN Associate Dean for Academics

PIVOTING IN A PANDEMIC How the College of Nursing came together to ensure student success

N

urses continue to demonstrate time and again why the nursing profession is consistently rated by

Americans as among the most honest and ethical among Gallup's list of professions. This belief has continued to be true throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as news stories reported and honored nurses serving on the frontlines in cities across the United States. It is a phenomenal time to be a nurse, and perhaps it is why the college is seeing a continuing interest in those seeking a nursing career.

Due to the economic downturn and possible financial issues facing incoming student applicants, it was expected that applicants and admitted students would be forced to either defer enrollment or even withdraw from fall 2020 classes. However, after the country saw how essential nurses' contributions are to the health care system, the College of Nursing saw no slow down or waning interest in the number of outstanding applicants to our undergraduate or graduate programs. In fact, the college enrolled more students last fall than it did previously in fall 2019, which was a record-breaking year as the college's largest incoming class.

Witnessing the resolve, strength, resilience, and bravery of nurses who have been committed to providing care on the front lines throughout the coronavirus crisis seems to be inspiring people to want to pursue a career in nursing. For colleges of nursing and students enrolled in nursing programs during a pandemic brings a unique set of challenges, including different ways of learning such as active engagement in an online learning environment as well as the ongoing difficulties in access to clinical experiences so that students continue to receive required direct patient care opportunities.

In March 2020, the college developed a contingency plan that had faculty reimagining new education models for their educational programs. With the assistance of

Sharon Kozachik, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, joined the college in March 2020 as an associate professor to teach in the doctoral programs. Before moving to Charleston, she was an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, one of her alma maters. Kozachik was named the Interim Associate Dean for Academics in June 2020 when Gigi Smith, Ph.D., R.N., was selected to serve as associate provost for MUSC’s Education Innovation and Student Life effective July 1, 2020.

To read more about Dr. Kozachik, please see page 24.

the Nursing Technology Center team, BSN faculty and students quickly transitioned from in-person classes to online courses. Fortunately, the college has many years of experience in delivering quality education in a virtual world. Actually, the College of Nursing was one of the first nursing schools in the country to offer web-based nursing education to meet students' changing learning needs when its Ph.D. program went online in 2003. Over the years, the DNP and RN to BSN programs evolved into an innovative online format. Before the novel COVID-19 pandemic, all of MUSC's nursing courses were online, except for the accelerated BSN program.

12

LIFELINES

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academic programs is commendable,"

Teams worked in the workplace, they

unaccustomed to online instruction

Undergraduate faculty who were

said Felesia Bowen, Ph.D., DNP, APRN,

began using it with enrolled students

were propelled into a world of distance

FAAN, assistant dean of undergraduate

and prospects to create and keep open

education by mid-March. With the

programs. "The entire college com-

lines of communication. Additionally,

outstanding support of the college's

munity has been so supportive of our

Student Services designed an online

technology team and faculty already

students."

orientation for new ABSN students, host

familiar with online teaching, these

Staff also became adept at many

frequent student-faculty townhalls,

educators became pros at web platforms

online tools they had never used before.

and continually update FAQ's on the

such as Collaborate, Panopto, and

For example, the Student Services

college's website. Even when changes

TurnItIn. Faculty quickly learned that

team began to use Microsoft Teams,

were occurring daily, keeping students

with some minor adjustments, such as

a communication and collaboration

informed was critical in alleviating

providing students with a weekly over-

platform that offers a variety of ways

any anxiety regarding their education

view, students could achieve course

to communicate, such as chat, video

during this unprecedented time. The

objectives a week at a time.

meetings, and file collaboration tools,

college continues to be committed to

as a way to synchronously connect

taking bold steps to create an inclusive

faculty and students worked together

"The collaborative process in which

with other team members other than

and quality nursing education model fit

to ensure the ongoing success of our

the traditional email system. Since

for the future.

PALLIATIVE CARE INITIATIVE

W

hen the World Health Organization designated 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, nurses

rejoiced for the recognition yet had no inkling of how prophetic that designation would soon be. Nurses on the frontlines of the

COVID-19 pandemic endlessly provide care and comfort to patients, connecting patients with their families through video chats and FaceTime, and bolster one another's spirits while navigating the myriad health care challenges faced during this unpredictable time.

In addition to the many contributions made by nurses to promote a culture of health, the pandemic highlighted ways to improve the health care experience for patients and their families.

One thing that has been glaringly apparent over the past year is equitable access to palliative care. Underserved populations are among the most severely impacted by COVID-19 and have a disproportionately higher number of COVID positive diagnoses and associated deaths. Access to palliative care ensures that a sufficient number of educated clinicians, who are prepared to address the palliative care needs of patients and families, is not only available but are met. A recent study by the S.C. Palliative Care and Quality of Life Study Committee found that nearly 54% of South Carolinians who died in 2018 would likely have been eligible for palliative care.

Years before the pandemic spread around the globe, the college began planning a new program that would prepare advanced practice nurses to specialize in care for people with serious illnesses. The college felt it was hugely important that advanced practice nurses could obtain expertise and gain a deeper understanding of the physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of patients and families who are living with chronic and serious illnesses.

Through a generous gift from the David R. and Margaret Clare Foundation, the College of Nursing developed a post-master's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Lifespan Palliative Care program that began enrolling students in fall 2020. A first of its kind program in the U.S., this doctoral-level palliative care track will meet the growing palliative care needs locally, nationally, and globally by increasing the number of advanced practice nurses it puts into the workforce.

"We are preparing advanced practice nurses who will provide evidence-based and compassionate care across the health continuum, from the point of diagnosis of a serious or life-limiting condition through supportive end-of-life care," said Carrie Cormack, DNP, APRN, lead faculty for palliative care education in the College of Nursing.

This program could not have come at a better time. Amid so much suffering due to the pandemic, palliative care nurses have been given an incredible opportunity to help and serve others while giving patients and family members an added layer of support that they so badly need these days.

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RESEARCH

Keeping in touch during a pandemic The new normal has touched every individual in a different and unique way, and that holds true for our researchers and research participants engaged in several studies being conducted at the College of Nursing. Keeping in touch was imperative to make sure research trials would continue to run smoothly and researchers could uphold the responsibilities inherent in research that involves human subjects.

Protecting the safety of both the study participants and team members directly involved in data collection was one of our major priorities. The College of Nursing Office of Research was vigilant in keeping up with new regulations that were coming in daily from key university and federal officials such as the National Institutes of Health. It was important to pass this information along to our researchers, and to problem solve any challenges they faced in the transition from face-to face data collection procedures, to the new online formats.

For example, all of our study teams adapted to using virtual platforms to maintain contact with study team members and their study participants. Initially, these communications through constant barrages of emails were overwhelming and difficult to keep up with. However, after a conversation with Dr. Martina Mueller, the concept of Lunch Breaks emerged. Lunch Breaks created a forum in which CON researchers and study team members could keep in touch via an online forum during a weekly informal chat held Fridays at noon. These well attended chats, allowed us to discuss national and MUSC research updates, new available resources, and how to navigate challenges that would suddenly arise.

One significant outcome was the development of a COVID impact questionnaire. With input from several researchers and study team members, we created a questionnaire to standardize information across our studies. The influence of factors such as access to medical or mental health care and food, reduction of income or lost jobs, or increased responsibilities caring for loved ones are factors known to affect health and potentially, study results. This team effort has resulted in a data repository available through the Office of Research for use in future trials and may help explain the impact of COVID-19 on current and future study results.

As we move forward, the success of our community research at the CON can be summarized by our motto: We are keeping in touch.

WHAT ABOUT THE CAREGIVERS? Researchers tackle caregiver stress in high tech ways

I

magine you awaken each morning, anticipating your day will be occupied with

caring for someone who is unable to care for themself. Perhaps it is your 28 year-old-son with a new spinal cord injury or your spouse who has Parkinson's disease, or maybe it's your

elderly neighbor who depends on you to shop for groceries and drive her to her physician.

Whatever your situation, your day will often be filled with stress and anxiety.

The day-to-day caregiving stresses contribute to the high emotional, physical, and financial tolls affecting the quality of life of the 65 million individuals who provide unpaid care and services for loved ones. These family members, friends, neighbors, and community advocates offer more than $470 billion annually in unpaid services such as feeding, bathing, shopping, preparing meals, laundering clothes, and transporting individuals who cannot care for themselves. Many also provide complex medical and nursing tasks. More than half of caregivers report they do not have a choice about performing these caregiving tasks. The burden is enormous.

It is no surprise that some of our researchers in the College of Nursing understand these challenges with many acting as a caregiver at one or more times in their lives. Over 75% of the currently funded studies conducted by the

Teresa Kelechi, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN

Associate Dean for Research

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College of Nursing faculty involve caregivers.

Two, in particular, stand out, and both are principal investigators and scholar scientists.

Shannon Phillips, Ph.D., R.N., and Leigh Ridings, Ph.D., both received a K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award to individually study the unique needs of caregivers of children, adolescents, and young adults.

Phillips, a former pediatric critical care nurse and associate professor, recognizes the helplessness families experience when faced with caring for children with a complex medical condition. Her research focuses on adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease and their families. She received her award from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) to develop an intervention using mobile health technology (mHealth) that helps adolescents and young adults up to the age of 18 transition to take care of themselves.

One of the most challenging aspects of this transition period, which until this time, has had a high involvement of caregivers (parents, grandparents, even siblings), is the caregiver's ability to make the transition while facilitating their child to self-care.

Phillips notes that this process is much more complicated in children with complex conditions like sickle cell disease. During her earlier studies, she developed an application (app) with Julie Kantor, M.D., that aimed to help caregivers and children monitor their condition, recognize early symptoms that predicted a pain crisis, and improve communication with the health care team. They soon realized caregivers were struggling to assist their older children towards achieving independence and were experiencing worrisome stress about their children.

The app, with input from children and parents, helped parents see how their adolescents were managing and improved communication through the app. One caregiver believed this communication helped bring down her stress level as well as her child's. Another parent was so pleased with the ability to read information with his soon-to-

be adolescent about how best to self-

According to Ridings, 40% of

manage pain. That way, the adolescent

caregivers develop a mental health

could now problem-solve and take better

concern in response to their child's

care of himself.

injury. This correlates with their child's

Finally, some caregivers used the app to teach others outside of the parentchild dyad, particularly grandparents, about the disease. The app was seen

emotional recovery following the traumatic event.

"Unfortunately, there are very limited resources for caregivers who often face

as a useful technology to help children

sometimes lengthy hospitalizations,

take care of their sickle cell disease and

changes in employment, and other

reduced caregiving stress by assisting

stressors," said Ridings.

caregivers in feeling empowered to support their child better.

Ridings, a clinical psychologist and

The technology Ridings developed enhances coping skills and provides information on how to talk to children

assistant professor, is the most recent

after the injury and what to expect,

recipient of a K23 reward, of more than

primarily focusing on keeping things

$740,000 from the Eunice Kennedy

normal immediately following the injury.

Shriver National Institute of Child Health

The intervention starts quickly while

and Human Development (NICHD), to

in the hospital and helps parents cope

study a scalable mHealth resource to

through the first 30 days of recovery.

facilitate behavioral and emotional recovery after pediatric traumatic injury.

Anguish is a word often used by caregivers of 300,000 children who

Ridings will work towards tailoring the intervention, providing a more personalized approach to meet the unique demands of each caregiving

sustain a sudden traumatic injury from

situation, and help caregivers manage

animal bites or car accidents in the U.S.

during an extremely stressful time to

each year. In Riding's study, caregivers

improve emotional health recovery.

are aged 18 years and over and consider

The College of Nursing is proud of

themselves the primary caregiver of

this exciting work that will advance

an injured child. Her intervention is

caregiving science and improve

designed to address highly prevalent

caregiver quality of life.

traumatic stress disorder and depression in caregivers and children.

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LIFELINES 15

PRACTICE

Re-envisioning faculty practice during COVID-19 The uncertainty and disruption brought on by the coronavirus did not escape higher education institutions. Last year, colleges and universities were forced to reckon with the long-term reality of faculty, students, and staff's inability to return to our "normal" routines and class schedules until COVID-19 vaccinations were widely distributed.

For health care institutions and the nursing profession, that concern was even more pronounced since faculty competencies in the clinical setting and our students' training in the practical application of clinical skills are foundational. The College of Nursing and faculty practices were not immune to this unpredictability due to many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. A key question became how to alleviate the anxiety and face the unknown with more confidence?

The mission of faculty practice partnerships is to create opportunities for faculty members to maintain clinical competence, fulfill certification requirements, and share expertise with other health care providers and students beyond the classroom’s learning environment. These interprofessional partnerships with hospitals and community-based agencies support the education and development of a well-trained nursing workforce to meet the primary, acute, chronic, and transitional care needs of our community both locally and globally.

When faced with challenges, as nurses and interprofessional care teams, we rise to meet them. In health and health care, nurses are extraordinary influential leaders who negotiate the moment and expand our boundaries to lead through change. History has taught us – those who refuse to evolve dies. The coronavirus' unprecedented and unpredictable situation presented us with an opportunity of a lifetime that we can either meet with a glass half empty or glass half full attitude. We in the College of Nursing choose the latter. As faculty leaders we are, as we have over the past year and will continue to do so, determined to expand our boundaries, seek innovative solutions, and lead changes as we never have before.

MEETING THE MOMENT COVID-19 pushed our health care systems into reinventing care delivery models to accommodate patients as we never thought it could.

I

n the wake of COVID-19, telehealth technologies and the remote delivery of care have played es-

sential roles in today's health care. By eliminating physical boundaries and using virtual care instead, providers are able to drill deeper into the services they provide to their patients, specifically at-risk populations.

Due to the pandemic, mental health experts believe many children are in this at-risk category.

Isolation, contact restrictions, and stress due to the economic shutdown have inflicted a shift to children and young adults' psychosocial environment. Psychiatric mental health providers had to adjust their practices to quickly accommodate shelter-in-place orders so that patients were not left ‘in the wind’ when mental health services were needed most.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one in five children and adolescents experience a mental health problem during their school years. Examples include stress, anxiety, bullying, family problems, depression, a learning disability, and alcohol or substance abuse, and serious behavioral concerns, such as self-injury and suicide, all of which are on the rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health, children and teens who visited emergency rooms for suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts doubled between 2007 and 2015. However, the availability and access to mental health services for at-risk youth, particularly during these unprecedented times, are at critical capacity.

Pilot Program But there is hope. In 2016, MUSC Children's Health opened a first-of-its-kind medical clinic at Meeting Street Elementary at Brentwood in North Charleston that offers parents the convenience of an on-site clinic. The school-based health center has a full-time nurse practitioner who can

Debbie Chatman Bryant, DNP, R.N., FAAN Associate Dean for Practice

diagnose conditions, order x-rays and lab work and write prescriptions, as well as a pediatrician who sees patients once a week.

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As a way to offer comprehensive health right where kids are, the College of Nursing partnered with the health center last year to establish a mental health program. Joy Lauerer, DNP, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, an associate professor and a

other recreational activities. One 11-year-old patient confided, "sometimes I feel like there is no reason to get up in the morning."

This experience also serves as a learning tool for our

skilled mental health practitioner, was a champion of this

MUSC DNP students. Before COVID, DNP students in the

initiative.

psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner track worked in

Prior to COVID, the program used telehealth technol-

the school clinic. They prepared children and parents for the

ogy during school hours to address a child’s mental health

telehealth visits and worked closely with Lauerer to conduct

and behavioral needs. Orienting children to telehealth visits

comprehensive assessments and psychotherapy. This pre-

proved simple because they are familiar with technology and

COVID experience aided our DNP students to quickly transi-

are comfortable communicating virtually. However, when

tion to the use of telehealth as others struggled to provide

COVID began to spread, the school closed in early March

this important care.

2020. This put therapy and services on pause for many who relied on this clinic.

Knowing that these visits could easily be replicated at

Telehealth technology has turned the home quarantine and stay-at-home orders into an opportunity to see a glimpse of a child’s home life and environment for some mental

home, MUSC providers could continue with visits using a

health experts. The virtual telehealth visits allow the provider

virtual telemedicine platform called Doxy.me. By connecting

to see the home environment so they can fully appreciate

through Doxy.me using computers, Lauerer is able to

the family's ecology and work dynamically within the family

connect virtually by inviting parents via text messages to

system to affect change.

join the visit.

"Using telehealth demonstrates that the mental health

This program is an example of how we continue to expand, transform, and innovate to meet the needs of

community is there to assist families with the support many

our faculty, students, and most especially the vulnerable

families need during these unsettling times," Lauerer said.

populations in the community we serve. Vulnerable, at-risk

Initially, the emotional responses of children to COVID-19

populations already face significant social determinants of

was one of both anxiety and fear associated with not fully

health disadvantages to include the lack of private or public

understanding what it meant to quarantined. The lack of

transportation, service inequity, and unaffordability, to

a structured schedule and the comfort of interacting with

name a few. When faced with uncertainly and disruption,

peers and teachers proved stressful for many children. As

our faculty and students are meeting the challenge with

the uncertainty of the COVID impact persisted, children

this innovative product as well as expanding nursing

and families reported problems of disengaging from online

professional practice across the health system to connect

gaming, decreased physical activity, and difficulty sleeping.

clinical, professional, and care delivery services.

Lauerer found that many children were also experiencing a profound loss from a lack of peer support, interaction, and

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DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Illustration by Beth Khan

STRONGER THAN EVER, STRONGER TOGETHER

D

iversity and inclusion has always been a central part of the tripartite mission of the College of Nursing,

but 2020 was different. We witnessed a virus ravage the

entire globe. We witnessed the disproportionate impact the coronavirus had on minority communities, and we

included entertaining activities like a college-wide potluck lunches (before COVID), social justice BINGO, and cultural competency training.

Other activities have taken a more thought-provoking tone. One popular initiative to come out of the group is

witnessed police brutality in Black communities. These

the Diversity Openness Talking Series (DOTS), a monthly

events have created a pandemic within a pandemic, but the

meeting where faculty, staff, and students have reflective

silver lining in all this chaos is that it has led to increased

conversations about different articles, topics, or current

engagement, reflection, discussion, and action.

events in a safe space. Some recent topics included the

In an effort to promote a healthy cultural climate within the college, an initiative out of the college's Diversity and Inclusion Council was created in late 2019. The

downtown Charleston, effective allyship, transgender

Diversity and Inclusion Champions

and gender non-conforming patients, educational

of Excellence, or DICE, is a group

gerrymandering, and interracial marriage.

of faculty and staff, whose purpose

Hazelton

killing of George Floyd, the Emanuel movie, the removal of the John C. Calhoun statue from Marion Square in

Another practice that is being used to promote the

is to weave diversity into the day-

infusion of diversity and inclusion practices across all

to-day workflow of the college by

aspects of university business, is the attention to the

supporting diversity initiatives, acting

MUSC Diversity statement at the beginning of every

as a resource, fostering a tolerant and

committee meeting. A similar practice has been adopted

accepting work environment, and

by other colleges in the American Academy of Colleges

promoting training and collaboration

of Nursing with the goal of increasing inclusive thinking

between other MUSC diversity organizations. The DICE group meets monthly and is

and communication. The College of Nursing understands that diversity statements alone will not improve diversity

chaired by Tonya Hazelton, a project coordinator in the

but are a part of a larger strategic plan to ensure a culture

college's research office.

and environment that actualizes the organization's values,

DICE members serve as diversity and inclusion allies for CON faculty and staff. They also carry out initiatives that foster an environment that promotes inclusion, respect, and a safe space. Some of DICE's efforts have 18

LIFELINES

2021

innovation, impact and inclusivity.

ADDRESSING RACIAL INEQUITIES THROUGH CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS

D

uring the summer of 2020, COVID-19 created a dual crisis: a pandemic within a pandemic. The country

witnessed the connection between the coronavirus crisis and growing racial disparities, leading to civil protests in

cities including Minneapolis, Washington, DC, Portland, and Charleston. The horrific and unnecessary deaths of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and several other Black individuals sent shockwaves to countless Americans, including our students, faculty, and staff, who were

"...we must commit to promoting equity and engaging in more in-depth reflection and conversation, in order to find new ways to understand, honor, and strengthen respect with and for one another."

- DEAN LINDA WEGLICKI

understandably disturbed by these tragedies and the events that followed throughout the U.S.

From these necessary discussions and reflections, the

Many minority students and co-workers could relate

deans developed a series titled Nursing Leadership Forum for

to the discriminatory treatment experienced by minority

Racial Equity: Critical Conversations that focused on nursing

groups, while others felt a sense of hopelessness. Difficult

leadership and racial inclusiveness.

and complicated conversations resulted and gave pause to

"The message of the series is that we can do better and

institutions that required an in-depth examination of racial

should do better to address the systemic challenges and

inequity.

social injustices of our faculty, staff, and students of color

Feeling the call to address the outcry of social injustice in South Carolina as well as across the country, college of

face regularly," said Andrews.

Last November, the first panel session kicked off, with

nursing deans from MUSC, the University of South Carolina,

hundreds of faculty and staff from all three institutions

and Clemson University came together to discuss what they

gathering virtually to discuss the topic of essential

could do for their students, faculty, and staff.

considerations for recruiting faculty of color and featured

Linda S. Weglicki, Ph.D., R.N.,

in the MUSC College of Nursing, as a panelist. The

FAAN, dean of the University of

following month, Dean Weglicki moderated the session

South Carolina College of Nursing,

titled, Enhancing Career Success: Addressing the burdens

and Kathleen Valentine, Ph.D., MSN,

of Micro-aggressions. The third live panel discussion was

director of nursing at Clemson

held in February and focused on genomics, race, and health

University, took a hard look at their

disparities.

institution's values and commitment

Weglicki

Gayenell Magwood, Ph.D., R.N. FAHA, FAAN, a professor

Jeannette Andrews, PhD., R.N.,

"As we embrace new opportunities in 2021, we will

to diversity, inclusion, and equity.

undoubtedly continue to face evolving challenges," said

They listened to employees' and

Weglicki. "Still, we must commit to promoting equity and

students' concerns, and one common theme emerged - more

engaging in more in-depth reflection and conversation, in

needed to be done.

order to find new ways to understand, honor, and strengthen

"As nurse leaders, we must lead critical conversations that

respect with and for one another. Only then will we begin

help each of us understand the forces of racial inequality and

to overcome structural obstacles, eliminate disparities and

plan, intervene and evaluate our progress," said Valentine.

remove barriers to health equity and that promotes the health of everyone."

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LIFELINES 19

AROUND THE COLLEGE

KEEPING OUR ENVIRONMENT SAFE When our students come to campus, our number one priority is keeping them safe. Whether they are coming for a simulation exercise or to pickup their nursing kits and stethoscopes you can be rest assured that we have precautions in place to protect the health of our students, faculty and staff.

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LIFELINES 21

AROUND THE COLLEGE

CON OPENS TWO PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS CRITICAL NEEDS

MUSC offers country's first DNP in palliative care The Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing was approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education to offer the country's first known Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree with a palliative care concentration. The new online program was created to meet the growing demand for health care providers who are equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively manage care for individuals and families living with a serious illness. This unique program focuses on the value of palliative care as a basic human right and the care of individuals with life-threatening, progressive illnesses, emphasizing respect for patients’ and families’ beliefs, values, and choices.

The post-master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice in Lifespan Palliative Care program meets the needs of advanced practice nurses who want to gain a deeper understanding of the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social needs of patients and their families who live with a serious illness from the time of diagnosis through end of life and bereavement. The curriculum, designed to be completed in five semesters, will prepare the graduate to use analytical methods to improve quality and safety in healthcare systems through organizational leadership, systems thinking, and practice management in palliative care.

Palliative care is the practice of providing symptom relief from serious and/or life-limiting illness while promoting and improving the quality of life for both the patient and their families. Often confused with hospice or end-of-life care, palliative care is a central part of treatment and support, based upon unique expertise, delivered at any time during the trajectory of a serious or life-limiting illness. The goal is to prevent and ease suffering and improve quality of life.

“We listened to our students, and many working nurses who expressed the need for advanced education and training because they feel they are not adequately prepared to lead and direct the treatment of complex health challenges faced by those who need palliative care,” said Linda Weglicki, Ph.D., R.N., dean of the College of Nursing. “Last year, there were only 219 certified palliative care nurses and 104 physicians board certified in palliative medicine in South Carolina. It is clear that more doctorally prepared nurses are needed to serve our state’s growing aging population, and those who are facing diagnoses associated with serious and life-limiting illnesses.”

Graduates of DNP in palliative care program will not only learn how to communicate effectively with their patients and families, but they will become experts to others on how to successfully integrate palliative care into the standard of practice of health care for those who are suffering due to serious illness while focusing on the quality of life or relief of pain and suffering.

For more information about the DNP in Lifespan Palliative Care contact Dr. Carrie Cormack at cormackc@musc.edu 22

LIFELINES

2021

New mental health certification helps address a critical need The MUSC College of Nursing continues to address the mental health challenges in South Carolina and around the country by opening a new post-graduate certificate program. The new online Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) – Lifespan Certification aims to address critical shortages of mental health care providers in this state and beyond.

The certificate program also includes two new innovative courses focused on neuroscience, psychopharmacology, and psychotherapy.

The PMHNP certificate allows advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to provide a continuum of mental health treatment, support, recovery, and prevention services across the patient's lifespan. It also will allow APRNs to expand their scope of practice by attaining a second certification in psychiatric mental health, in addition to their primary care or acute care certifications.

Joy Lauerer, DNP, APRN, a psychiatric mental health clinical nurse specialist and associate professor, is lead faculty of the program. "The new post-MSN PMHNP certificate program will integrate innovative aspects of telemedicine, palliative care, and care for rural disadvantaged at-risk populations," she said.

The need for qualified mental health professionals in the United States has never been greater. According to the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, one in every five adults in the U.S. experiences a mental health condition in a given year. In addition to the growing need for mental health services, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration predicts the field of mental health will be 250,000 professionals short of the projected demand by 2025.

The part-time program, which takes four semesters to complete, is available to APRN licensed primary care or acute care certified nurse practitioners and certified clinical nurse specialists in psychiatric-mental health. The post-masters PMHNP certificate program will prepare qualified nurses to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification exam.

For more information about the PMHNP Lifespan Certification contact Dr. Joy Lauerer at lauerer@musc.edu 2021

LIFELINES 23

FACULTY & STAFF NEWS

CON WELCOMES NEW ENDOWED CHAIR Last November, Kathleen O. Lindell, Ph.D., R.N., ATSF, FAAN, joined the College of Nursing as the Mary Swain Endowed Chair in Palliative Care. Lindell began her 30-year nursing career as a pulmonary clinical nurse specialist at the University of Pennsylvania Lung Center, where she participated in developing evidence-based programs to advance the health of patients with lung disease.

Most recently, she was an associate professor of medicine and nursing at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. During this time, Lindell directed patient support and education at the Dorothy P. & Richard P. Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, becoming

the first nurse on the faculty at the Pitt School of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, & Critical Care Medicine with a joint appointment in the School of Nursing.

Her research funding focuses on palliative care knowledge and preparedness in patients with advanced lung disease and their family caregivers. Lindell's work has been published in 37 peer-reviewed publications. She is actively involved in the American Thoracic Society and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) and served on the Board of Directors of both organizations. Presently, she is a member of the PFF Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee.

Lindell graduated from the St. Francis General Hospital Professional School of Nursing with an associate degree. She continued her studies at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, where she earned her BSN, MSN, and Ph.D. degrees.

KOZACHIK NAMED ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ACADEMICS In April 2021, Dean Linda S. Weglicki named Sharon Kozachik, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, associate dean for academics and associate professor for the College of Nursing after Gigi Smith, Ph.D., R.N., was selected to serve as associate provost for Education Innovation and Student Life for MUSC. Kozachik teaches in the doctoral programs and is dedicated to educating the next generation of care providers to ethically address the complex challenges of pain in the context of the opioid crisis.

Prior to joining the college, Kozachik held the position of provost fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and received excellence in teaching awards from the Maryland Nurses Association and the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association.

Her research interests include the bi-directional relationship between sleep perturbations and pain and the role of hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis stress responsivity and proinflammatory cytokines in precipitating and perpetuating pain and sleep disturbance co-occurrence. Her research was funded by the American Nurses Foundation, the Oncology Nursing Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. Kozachik co-chairs the Palliative and End-of-Life Expert Panel for the American Academy of Nursing and also served the academy as a site evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and through her work supporting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Kozachik earned her Ph.D. in nursing from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, her MSN from Michigan State University College of Nursing and her BSN from the University of Michigan-Flint School of Nursing.

NEW FACULTY AND STAFF Mary Evelyn Armstrong, MA, CRA, PMP, assistant dean for finance and administration John Bian, Ph.D., associate professor, statistician Simone Chinnis, DNP, MBA, APRN, FNP-C, instructor Alexis Cunliffe, M.Ed., student recruiter Kristin Laudenslager, education technology specialist Alexis Nagel, grant writer

24

LIFELINES

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Marcelaine Reneau, Ph.D., APRN, instructor Leigh Ridings, Ph.D., assistant professor Precious Simmons, Ph.D., R.N., instructor Elizabeth Snyder, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, instructor Kimrey Stump, Student Services program coordinator Christina Beall-Sullivan, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, instructor

COLLEGE OF NURSING'S STAFF OF THE YEAR The College of Nursing Staff of the Year award is given twice a year to recognize a staff member who makes exceptional contributions to the college and strives to embody MUSC’s values of compassion, collaboration, respect, integrity and innovation. In fall 2019, Tonya Hazelton, project coordinator for TACHL, received the bi-annual honor that is voted on by faculty and staff. Hazelton has been a part of the college’s research team for four years and MUSC for 14 years. “Receiving this award is truly an honor. I work with so many amazing people here at College of Nursing and I feel humbled to have been nominated from among my peers. They are the ones that inspire me every Hazelton day,” Hazelton shared.

In the spring of 2020, Madleine Scully, graduate program coordinator, was named college’s Staff of the Year in July 2020. Scully has only been with the college a short while, but already demonstrated excellence in her work and contributes to a positive work environment. She brings a hard-working, service-focused and dedicated mindset to her role on the Student Services team. “I was not expecting this at all. I appreciate this honor and recognition so much,” Scully said during the remote CON Assembly meeting.

Meredith Kerr, a financial technician, was the recipient of the staff award in fall of 2020. Kerr, who has been with the college for more than 20 years, is proficient in knowing MUSC policies, state procurement code, and federal regulations and makes her an invaluable source to handle all procurement aspects, including travel. She works tirelessly to help faculty and other MUSC departments find solutions and contributes to a positive work environment.

ACCOLADES

Tonya Hazelton and Carolyn Page, both received a 2020 President Values in Action (VIA) award. In December, Hazelton was he recipient of a VIA award in the category of respect

by MUSC President David Cole. A few weeks later, Dr. Cole presented Page with a VIA award in the category of compassion.

The VIA award recognizes five deserving employees who demonstrate, at an institutional level, one of MUSC's five values of compassion, respect, innovation, collaboration, and integrity.

Cathy Durham, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, was elected to the Fetter Healthcare Network's Board of Directors.

Terri Fowler, DNP, APRN, Tonya Hazelton and Whitney Smith, DNP, APRN, were selected to participate in MUSC's Advanced Leadership Program that will develop highly effective senior leaders in academic health care.

Emily Johnson, Ph.D., was awarded the College of Health Professions Alumni 2020 Outstanding Achievements in Research Award.

Amy Smith, MSN, R.N., received the Maralynne D. Mitcham Interprofessional Fellowship that prepares MUSC faculty and staff to successfully assume new roles in interprofessional education,

Scully

Kerr

research, practice, or administration. Her proposal is to create a high-fidelity COVID-19 simulation scenario that involves multiple patients at end-of-life.

Angela Stanley, DNP, APRN-BC, PHCNS-BC, NEA-BC, was one of six honorees at MUSC’s Black History Awards program presented by the Office of Student Programs & Student Diversity and the six colleges of MUSC.

FACULTY PROMOTIONS

Stephanie Armstrong, Ph.D., R.N. - promoted to assistant professor Felesia Bowen, Ph.D., DNP, APRN, FAAN - promoted to assistant dean of undergraduate programs Catherine Durham, DNP, APRN, FNP-C - promoted to assistant dean of graduate practice programs Kasey Jordon, Ph.D., R.N. - promoted to assistant professor Moby Madisetti - promoted to research director Susan Newman, Ph.D., R.N. - promoted to assistant dean of the Ph.D. program Kristen Poston, DNP, NP-C - promoted to assistant professor Melody Reibel, Ph.D., R.N - promoted to assistant professor Angela Stanley, DNP, APRN-BC, PHCNS-BC - promoted to assistant professor

2021

LIFELINES 25

FACULTY & STAFF NEWS

NURSING INSTRUCTOR SHINES LIGHT ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING

By Leslie Cantu

H

uman trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the U.S., said Stephanie Armstrong, R.N.,

Ph.D., assistant professor in the MUSC College of Nursing.

It’s easy to see why, at least for those with no moral code.

“Once a criminal sells guns or drugs, they have to

replenish their supply, but people can be continually exploited,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong’s work focuses on the intersection of human trafficking and health care. She wants to help health care professionals learn to recognize the signs that someone is a victim of trafficking and then know what to do about it.

And that’s not easy, she acknowledges. Extricating someone from a human trafficking situation is complex, as the victim

She likened public awareness surrounding human

may be trapped in place by family ties, threats to their own

trafficking to the understanding of domestic violence 30

or a loved one’s safety, mental trauma or substance abuse.

years ago. The two primary forms of human trafficking in

Victims also need extensive services afterward to help them

the U.S. are sex trafficking and labor trafficking; of the two,

reintegrate into society – services that are not always available.

sex trafficking attracts more attention. But labor trafficking

But Armstrong is motivated by her passion for health equity and vulnerable populations, a sense of purpose that was instilled in her at the beginning of her nursing career.

Actually, Armstrong didn’t start out in nursing. She was a

can often be found in areas that require a lot of lower-paid workers, like those in the tourism industry or farm work.

She mentioned the visa system for low-skill seasonal or temporary workers, like housekeepers, landscapers, theme

management consultant who worked on business process

park or resort workers and restaurant staff, which she said

re-engineering. But she’d always had a love of anatomy and

can leave workers vulnerable to unscrupulous employers.

physiology, and she was a naturally nurturing person. She

Visas are valid only for a specific employer, so a worker who

went back to school to become a nurse and began working in

finds the work environment isn’t what was promised can’t

women’s health with new moms in northern Virginia.

Eventually her alma mater asked her to teach some clinical classes, and she discovered a love for teaching. Now, she teaches women’s and infants’ health at MUSC in the College of Nursing, as well as special sections on human trafficking.

“I teach students early in the semester about trafficking, and almost every semester, I have someone identify a victim

just pick up and get a job across the street with another employer.

“If they leave that employer, then they are in the country illegally. They have to stay with that employer to be here legally. So the system needs some reform to help prevent this type of exploitation,” she said.

Armstrong has also advocated on Capitol Hill for a bill that

while they’re in their women’s health clinicals,” she noted.

would expunge a victim’s criminal record if the person was

She’s also developing an interprofessional elective course on

being trafficked at the time and was forced to commit crimes

human trafficking for students of all six MUSC colleges.

Armstrong said human trafficking is a hidden crime that is all around us. Even the experts can’t say with certainly how many victims there are because of its shadowy nature.

And although there has been more media exposure of this

by the trafficker. Already, 44 states have such laws at the state level, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report.

"The reason this bill is so important is that in order for survivors to move forward and beyond their exploitation,

crime of late, there still remains much misinformation and

they need to be able to make money in the legal job market,

misunderstanding of it.

so they need employment. And it’s very difficult to obtain

“We’re definitely seeing more in the news – and that has been excellent in that it’s bringing about more awareness –

employment if you have a criminal record,” she said.

But Armstrong is primarily focused on how health care

but I don’t think people really understand how trafficking

professionals can address human trafficking. She works

happens or who traffickers are or how to identify victims,”

with HEAL Trafficking, an international multidisciplinary

she said.

group that looks at human trafficking from a public health

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2021

perspective. There, she serves on the group’s research and education and training committees and was also selected to serve on a new committee to update the HEAL Trafficking Protocol Toolkit.

“One of my missions is to see that all hospitals have a human trafficking identification and response policy and protocol in place,” Armstrong said. She found South Carolina hospitals lacking in such protocols when she surveyed them for her doctoral dissertation in 2018.

Between 50% and 88% of trafficking victims seek health care at some point during the time they’re being trafficked, providing an opportunity for intervention – if a health care provider recognizes the issue.

Armstrong said health care workers might observe physical signs of torture or abuse, like chunks of missing hair, missing teeth or bruises in various stages of healing.

People who are being trafficked generally endure poor living conditions and may have food or sleep taken away as punishment; because of these conditions, they’re particularly susceptible to communicable diseases.

Providers might also notice that a patient is unwilling to make eye contact or looks constantly to a companion to provide all the answers. Increasingly, Armstrong said, traffickers are using technology to control their victims.

“The patient will come in and have their phone on speakerphone, and the trafficker will be listening to the entire interaction with the provider while they may be sitting in the parking lot,” she said. “It’s really important for health care providers to know this so they can try to separate the individual not only from an accompanying person but from any technology devices as well.”

Knowing how to respond can be tricky.

“We have to remember that our wheelhouse as health care professionals is to offer medical care and the opportunity for assistance – if they’re ready to receive it,” she said. “Not everyone is ready to leave their situation because there could be confounding factors.”

Those factors could include threats of harm to family members if the victim attempts to leave. A female victim might also have had a child with the trafficker.

Once they escape the trafficking situations, victims have extensive needs ranging from basic necessities like housing to help for severe mental trauma. Armstrong said the Tri-County Human Trafficking Task Force is working to understand what local community service providers offer, where the gaps are and what can be done to fill those gaps.

It’s important for health care providers to understand how to provide trauma-informed, survivor-centered care so that they do not retraumatize victims and can help them to

on a movie that was filming locally. He asked her for help to find a dress for his wife to wear to the wrap party. Armstrong spent an hour helping him browse. He didn’t buy anything but returned later, saying that because she had been so helpful that he’d love to invite her and a friend to the party and would send a limo to pick them up.

Armstrong was excited. “I was like, ‘We’re going to meet all these celebrities!’” she recalled. Luckily, an older and wiser co-worker suggested they get some information from the film company. After some phone calls, they discovered the movie he’d mentioned was actually being filmed in Mexico at that moment. Needless to say, Armstrong didn’t go to the fictitious party. She doesn’t know what might have happened had she gone, but she has her suspicions.

“Whatever it was, it wouldn’t have been good getting in a limousine where you can’t get out.”

But she realized how easy it had been for that man to get her to believe him and even to trust him. She understands how people can be deceived and fall prey to traffickers, particularly children.

Armstrong thinks it’s important that South Carolinians understand just how pervasive trafficking is in this state.

“It’s really throughout the state. It’s across the country. It’s everywhere, unfortunately.”

overcome the shame and stigma of their situations, she said.

Armstrong thinks back to her younger self. She was 19 – young, blonde, pretty and naive. She was working retail in Virginia when a man came in and told her he was working 2021

LIFELINES 27

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

FORMER PH.D. STUDENT (NOW INSTRUCTOR) RAVAGED

BY THE DEATH OF DAUGHTER FINDS A WAY TO PERSEVERE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

BY BRYCE DONOVAN

“I had to come to grips with everything,” she said. “I felt like I wasn’t as sensitive to my patients anymore.

I was like, ‘Who cares that your knee hurts? I lost my daughter.’ I thought, ‘I’ve got to get a grip on this.’”

Forging a path Reneau’s parents met while her father was stationed in Germany. She grew up there, going to what she calls “the American schools” before moving to the states at 16 to finish up in Virginia. It was during her senior year that she got pregnant.

“Back then, when girls got pregnant, they were dismissed from school,” she said. Eighteen, raising a child on her own and being forced to repeat the 12th

I

t took a moment to register. Was it

delusion. Maybe I believe him for my

her phone ringing? A quick check of

own peace of mind. But driving off and

the time – just after 5 a.m.

leaving? How heartless is that? I felt that

Another ring.

that’s what he should be punished for.”

Caller ID: Unknown number. Not good, she thought.

Saskia’s boyfriend was sentenced to two years in prison.

Marcelaine Reneau answered with

“There was no real satisfaction in that

a whisper and what she heard on the

because it didn’t bring my daughter

other end of that call changed her life

back,” she said. “It was just a really

forever. Her 32-year-old daughter

horrible thing to happen. His life, I’m

Saskia had been killed by her boyfriend.

sure, will never be the same again. But

There had been an argument, the voice

neither will ours.”

on the other end said. He ran her over

Left behind were twin 12-year-old

in his car. Police said he fled the scene.

girls, their lives completely uprooted.

Time stopped for Reneau.

Everything they knew changed in

“It’s that call you dread as a parent.

an instant. Suburban Virginia was

But you never think it will actually

swapped out for the rural Midwest. They

happen to you.”

would live with Reneau’s sister and her

Saskia’s boyfriend would later tell

husband in Kansas.

authorities that they had a fight, he was

Reneau, a then-54-year-old

angry and was trying to leave. Her death

nurse practitioner specializing in

was an accident, he said.

pain management at the Ralph H.

“I do believe it was a horrible, terrible mistake,” Reneau said. “Maybe it’s self28

LIFELINES

2021

Johnson VA Medical Center, went into counseling.

grade was more than she could take.

She decided to get her GED diploma and move on.

The next few years were tough. There were several jobs along the way. While working as a paralegal, she asked herself the tough question: Is this how I want to keep living my life?

The answer was a resounding no, so once her daughter was old enough to go to school, Reneau decided to do the same. At 25, the single mother reinvented herself. She applied to Riverside School of Professional Nursing in Newport News, Virginia.

In 1993, she graduated as a registered nurse with a job working in the ICU at Riverside Regional Medical Center.

“When you’re the newbie, you get the night shift,” she recalls of that first nursing job. “And part of my duties was to bathe the patients. I know it sounds weird, but it was actually something I loved because I felt like that was where

Marcelaine Reneau, back row, second from right, celebrates Mother's Day with her family in 2015.

This would be the last time she enjoyed the holiday with her daughter Saskia, back row, far left. Photos provided I could give some tenderness. I could

night and earned her Master of Science

emotionally, by some miracle, her

be gentle. That’s a very vulnerable time

in nursing.

schoolwork didn’t suffer. She toughed it

for people. It just reinforced that I was doing something I loved.”

“Believe it or not,” she said, “that was my first traditional university setting. It was incredible. I said to myself, ‘One day

out and continued her studies without taking any time off.

“A tragedy like that can ruin a person.

I’m going to be a professor."

Tear a family apart. But I sought and

many times in the decades that

Triumph over tragedy

I wasn’t going to let that happen,” she

followed, her career path did not deviate.

Two years later, she was back in

said. “I needed to be able to function

There was another daughter. A stint

Germany. While there, she earned

and be a good mom to my other kids.”

Changing perspectives

accepted serious counseling because

Though her surroundings changed

back in Germany. A son. A move to San

her Master of Nursing degree. For the

It took time, but about a year and a

Antonio. It was there, in Texas, that she

next eight years, Reneau worked on a

half later, Reneau felt as though she had

shifted from working in the ICU to the

military base in Heidelberg, Germany,

finally gotten back the compassion that

ER.

until the prospect of being closer to

helped her be a successful nurse in the

her kids and grandkids – many of

first place.

What stuck with her the most from that time was the undocumented

whom were back in the U.S. – brought

immigrants who came in desperate, sick

her back. This time, she landed in

receiving various degrees from the

and oftentimes unable to communicate

Charleston.

College of Nursing. She also recently

their needs.

While working at the VA hospital, she

“That really gave me an insight

decided to pursue her Ph.D., with the

Last May, Reneau joined 127 students

accepted a job as an instructor at MUSC College of Nursing.

into what it’s like to live like that,” she

goal of landing the teaching position

said. “I held a baby who almost died in

she had dreamed of since leaving

have to pry away from me,” she said. “I

“Now I’ve got that job they’re going to

my arms from meningitis. The mom

Hawaii. She was accepted into MUSC’s

guess you could say I’ve finally achieved

couldn’t speak English, but she trusted

College of Nursing program. Less than

my goal.”

me to take care of her child. That job

one year into the three-year program,

was a good reminder that nursing is

she received that fateful call about her

such a trusted profession.”

daughter’s death.

In 2004, she moved to Hawaii. While working in Oahu, she went to school at

“It was a nightmare,” she said.

Though she was shattered 2021

LIFELINES 29

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

SCHOLARSHIP ANNOUNCEMENTS UNDERGRADUATE | FALL '19 125TH ANNIVERSARY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND Izabella Nieves Jessica Michel Rodriguez-West 135TH ANNIVERSARY SCHOLARSHIP FUND Tommy Collins ELEANOR SHEALY ADEIMY SCHOLARSHIP Kathaleen Osterritter ANDELL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Stephan Stewart URSULA CATON SCHOLARSHIP Ruth Graves CON SCHOLARSHIP Kandyce Downs CON SCHOLARSHIP FUND (CLASS OF 1969 SCHOLARSHIP) Rachael Elise Landers CAROLINE W. DAVIS RN SCHOLARSHIP Shivani Patel DEAN'S ADVISORY BOARD 125TH ANNIVERSARY SCHOLARSHIP Greyson Reed Abrams Jeremy Lamon Pittman DIVERSITY IN NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Thomas Stokes Griffith

B. KELCHNER ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Essence McClary M. KERR SCHOLARSHIP Aileen Decker

Jocelyn Montgomery Jessica Morris Kattie Price Caitlin Simmons Nadezda Slingerland

JULIE & ANTHONY LANZONE SCHOLARSHIP Katelyn Ann McCarty

JOSEPH & TERESE WILLIAMS NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Rachael Dickey

M. S. MASON SCHOLARSHIP Jennifer Owens

J. P. WILSON COLLEGE OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Lois My Ngo Fagiani Megan Saul

MCCLELLAND-PALMER SCHOLARSHIP Sadie Mendenhall ELSIE MORGAN ENDOWED NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Jim Harper O'KEEFFE SCHOLARSHIP David Rebula

135TH ANNIVERSARY SCHOLARSHIP Amy Alsplaugh

CECILIA PENG SCHOLARSHIP Elizabeth Mariel Coffey

MAUDE E. CALLEN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Ariana Amini

JOAN K. RIGTER NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Sean Wilson ROPER ST. FRANCIS HEALTHCARE PATRON NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Ross Johnson Amber Norris AMELIA KAASA ROWLAND NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Mallory Kriewaldt

HENRY T. FINCH NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Samantha Aline Young

S. STEINBERG SCHOLARSHIP Ashley Rene Bruno

HELEN FULD HEALTH TRUST ENDOWMENT Jennifer Sharon Boston Samantha Aline Young

BEV AND WALLY SEINSHEIMER SCHOLARSHIP Megan Rae Gibson

VIRGINIA LAWTON HARPER SCHOLARSHIP FUND Maheen Beram 30

LIFELINES

2021

GRADUATE | FALL '19

BARBARA SUTTON PACE ENDOWED NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Kristin Lea Dibello

MARIE LEPRINCE FARMER SCHOLARSHIP Katrina Calvert

TED & JOAN HALKYARD NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Angela Christina Swain Bianca Wallace

THOMAS J. WISCARZ MEMORIAL NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Spencer Jaime LeFlem

J. W. THURMOND SCHOLARSHIP Anne Lewis LETTIE PATE WHITEHEAD FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Kristen Carter Taylor Gompert Hope Yu Jie Keane Paige Maroney

MARIANNE T. CHITTY ENDOWED NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Jason Betts Jessica Madiraca COLLEGE OF NURSING 1883 SCHOLARSHIP Christopher Brown Christopher Hale CON SCHOLARSHIP Aindrea Maddray DOROTHY JOHNSON CREWS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Emily Sue Livingston JAMES B. EDWARDS NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Bernadette Faye Gaffney TED & JOAN HALKYARD NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Czarisse Lao Epres IZANT FAMILY FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Kelley Westbrook

B.M.B. KINARD ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Imani Jaapor Fickling LETTIE PATE WHITEHEAD FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Dian Dayalsingh Melissa Fluharty Jessica Giblin Rachael Kincaid Haley LaFrancis Hilary Puzak Kristina Reich Jennifer Reilly Brianna Stevens Catherine Warren Tarita Williams Crystal Wood Stephanie Brooke Xavier MCALHANY CON SCHOLARSHIP Samantha O'Brien ANNIE B. NORTON ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND Shawna McDonald NINA SMITH SCHOLARSHIP Lindsey Kiala RUTH & STEPHEN STEWART ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Alejandra Schimmel Nichole Lynn Snow GAIL W. STUART SCHOLARSHIP Viktoriya Malashiy OLYMPIA "BIA" VALLIS NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Samantha Bernstein LETTIE PATE WHITEHEAD FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Cyndi Anderson

UNDERGRADUATE | SPRING '20 125TH ANNIVERSARY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Jeremy Pittman RUTH CHAMBERLIN SCHOLARSHIP Greyson Abrams

CHARLESTON COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY ALLIANCE SCHOLARSHIP Jennifer Owens

Kashauna James Essence McClary Sadie Mendenhall Margot Palmer Shivani Patel Kattie Price Ebony Seay Kameryn Short Madeline Walden Bianca Wallace Maiben Watkins Anna Wayne

DIVERSITY IN NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Brian Byrne MARIE LEPRINCE FARMER NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Katrina Calvert HELENE FULD HEALTH TRUST ENDOWMENT Kirsten Mullins TED & JOAN HALKYARD NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Megan Saul ELSIE MORGAN ENDOWED NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Hope Keane MUSC PROVOST SCHOLARSHIP Maria Bartell Joseph Clark Allison Craig Clayton Daniell Melissa Duddy Corinne Eidle Savannah Hayes Paige Healy Elizabeth Montrose Courtney Oran Miranda Peecher KellyAnn Reese Ali Schmidt Gloria Schweers Emily Welch Perpetua Lekia Bello-Ogunu Ashleigh Davis Tu Cam Khuong ROPER ST. FRANCIS HEALTHCARE PATRON NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Ross Johnson Amber Norris AMELIA KAASA ROWLAND NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Paige Maroney LETTIE PATE WHITEHEAD FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Emily Bedenbaugh Kristen Carter Hanna Inabnett

J. P. WILSON COLLEGE OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Jennifer Boston Lois Ngo Fagiani

GRADUATE | SPRING'20 CVS HEALTH FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Christopher Brown Dian Dayalsingh JAMES B. EDWARDS NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Bernadette Gaffney LETTIE PATE WHITEHEAD FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Brandi Brinegar Elizabeth Kepley Viktoriya Malashiy Lauren Micalizio De'Edda Powell Alejandra Schimmel Lauren Turner Catherine Warren Megan Wayne OLYMPIA "BIA" VALLIS NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Samantha Bernstein S. PIECHNIK SCHOLARSHIP Connie Bradley VETERANS IN NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Chinedu Nkwocha

2021

LIFELINES 31

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

SCHOLARSHIP ANNOUNCEMENTS UNDERGRADUATE | FALL '20 125TH ANNIVERSARY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Kala Steward MARIANNE T. CHITTY ENDOWED NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Angela Wiper COLLEGE OF NURSING 1883 SCHOLARSHIP Alyssa Ramosbarbosa CAROLINE W. DAVIS RN SCHOLARSHIP Jenna Harrison MARIE LEPRINCE FARMER NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Andrea Skoog HELEN FULD HEALTH TRUST ENDOWMENT Colleen Kinslow TED & JOAN HALKYARD NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Hoa Nguyen DOROTHY HALSEY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Katherine Manning VIRGINIA LAWTON HARPER SCHOLARSHIP Angel Allison JULIE & ANTHONY LANZONE SCHOLARSHIP Chelsea Woodhall PATRICK & MAUREEN MARR SCHOLARSHIP Emma Renfro MCALHANY CON SCHOLARSHIP Sabina Marie Gavi MCCLELLAND-PALMER SCHOLARSHIP Maya Kim ELSIE MORGAN ENDOWED NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Hope Keane MUSC PROVOST SCHOLARSHIP Peter Bolte Stuart Bost 32

LIFELINES

2021

Madeline Bragaw Alexander Depue Isabel Flemion Usman Ghazi Daiza Gore Hannah Kemp Ashley Lloyd Abigail Mart Sarah Mireles Caitlyn Nestor Carolina Ortiz Genevieve Salzer Bridgette Sauder Chardonnay Simonds Ashley Tierney Cinthya VillicanaChavez Isabella Weight

O'KEEFFE SCHOLARSHIP Kimberly Colpean BARBARA SUTTON PACE ENDOWED NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Emma Shelley ROPER ST. FRANCIS HEALTHCARE PATRON NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Emma Renfro AMELIA KAASA ROWLAND NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Lindsey Wilson BEV AND WALLY SEINSHEIMER SCHOLARSHIP Taylor Wait STEINBERG SCHOLARSHIP Thomas Smith THURMOND, J. W. SCHOLARSHIP Madison Cutrone LETTIE PATE WHITEHEAD FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP DeAndra Butler Madison Bynum Mary-Grace Davis Savannah Dubose Lucious Ellison Camellia Etherington Victoria Holmes Lindsey Hosey Haley Hyer Brooke Jones Theresa Moon

Samira Rahbar Madeline Walden Cassidy White Haley Wren

JOSEPH & TERESE WILLIAMS NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Paige Braziel J.P. WILSON SCHOLARSHIP Lan Tran Tajae Woods

GRADUATE | FALL '20 125TH ANNIVERSARY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Tammy Halladay 135TH ANNIVERSARY SCHOLARSHIP Kelly Potter ANDELL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Melissa Fluharty MAUDE E. CALLEN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Joshua Everson URSULA CATON SCHOLARSHIP Lavonya Curry MARIANNE T. CHITTY ENDOWED NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Emily Young

COLLEGE OF NURSING 1883 SCHOLARSHIP Chelsea Taylor CON SCHOLARSHIP (CLASS OF 1969) Heather Hall DOROTHY JOHNSON CREWS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Emily Livingston

B.M.B. KINARD ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Bessie Brown

NINA SMITH SCHOLARSHIP De'Edda Powell

M. S. MASON SCHOLARSHIP Kyrsten Urff

RUTH & STEPHEN ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Kendra Greaves Minwook Chong

DR. HEIDAR A. MODARESI NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Jenalee Jenkin

OLYMPIA "BIA" VALLIS NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Samantha Bernstein

MUSC PROVOST SCHOLARSHIP Kristin Cashman Lianne Cole Rachel Friend Julia Garcia Ashley Kilcrease Destiny Murph Zoie Reviere Stefany Scaringi Meera Shah Amy Smith

LETTIE PATE WHITEHEAD SCHOLARSHIP Onyiyechi Ajukwa Ashley Efremov Myckayla Gailliard Lauren Leasure Stephanie Neary Kylie Newsome Doris Owusu Amoah Kayla Trevillian

OLIVETTE GARR SMITH SCHOLARSHIP Sydney Freeman

ANNIE B. NORTON ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Hilary Puzak

CAPTAIN ROBERT WILKENS PALLIATIVE CARE SCHOLARSHIP Nicole Sartor

TED & JOAN HALKYARD NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Leah Richards Maribel Rey

CECILIA PENG OPERATING ROOM NURSING TRAINING SCHOLARSHIP Christian Cook

THOMAS J. WISCARZ MEMORIAL NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Christopher Brown

DEAN'S ADVISORY BOARD 125TH ANNIVERSARY SCHOLARSHIP Yanique Chambers Jennifer Janowiekci JAMES B. EDWARDS NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Bernadette Gaffney HENRY T. FINCH NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Alexandra Ruppe

IZANT FAMILY FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Yulia Lopez B. KELCHNER ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Alejandra Schimmel KERR SCHOLARSHIP Haley LaFrancis

PIECHNIK SCHOLARSHIP Kiara Baylock JOAN K. RIGTER NURSING SCHOLARSHIP Tiffany Ballington CORINNE V. SADE FUND FOR PALLIATIVE CARE EDUCATION Nicole Sartor

To learn more about establishing a scholarship contact the College of Nursing's development director at 843-792-8421.

2021

LIFELINES 33

COMMENCEMENT 2020

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LIFELINES

2021

This is not the commencement ceremony they imagined. They didn't get to walk across the stage or toss caps in the air. But they finished strong and proved their resiliency in the face of an unprecedented semester.

We can't wait to see how they change the world. Below are just some of our resolute May 2020 graduates.

2021

LIFELINES 35

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

IN MEMORIAM Georgia Arnold, MSN '02, BSN '98 May 7, 1952 - October 17, 2020 Summerville, SC

Moses Gnanashekar, BSN ‘98 June 1, 1953 – May 28, 2020 West Columbia, SC

Patrick Glenn Norvell, BSN '99 March 9, 1961 - November 16, 2020 Columbia, MO

Mary Roempke Barwick, Diploma ‘63 October 28, 1942 - February 1, 2020 Montgomery, AL

Wendy Horne Hatchell, BSN '84 December 29, 1961 - October 14, 2020 Florence, SC

Rondey S. Peake, DNP '12 1973 - March 27, 2020 Boiling Springs, SC

Edna Eugenia Edens Bode, ‘53 June 8, 1931 - June 25, 2020 Temple Terrace, FL

Vivian Doris S. Hayes, Diploma '54 April 2, 1932 - November 5, 2020 Spartanburg, SC

Clarice Smoak Ross, Diploma ‘44 April 1, 1925 - July 20, 2020 Walterboro, SC

Peggy Griggs Boykin, Diploma ‘65 October 11, 1944 - May 12, 2020 Camden, SC

Amelia Hunt, BSN ‘94 February 24, 1954 - May 30, 2020 Earl, NC

Norma C. Smith, Diploma ‘59 October 26, 1938 - July 27, 2020 North Charleston, SC

Marsha Ellen Brown, BSN ‘85 August 10, 1954 - January 17, 2020 Eagle Springs, NC

Polly Ann Webster Jefferies, Diploma '49 August 28, 1929 - September 23, 2020 Charleston, SC

Patricia Sowell, BSN ‘53 March 25, 1932 - March 7, 2020 Vero Beach, FL

Vanessa Admiral Collier, BSN ‘97 October 7, 1959 - October 9, 2019 Charleston, SC

Brenda Joyce Kennerty, BSN ‘90 July 24, 1947 - September 11, 2020 Charleston, SC

Eva W. Timbrook, Diploma Midwifery March 9, 1940 - December 30, 2019 Cantonment, FL

Betty Faye Dempsey Crowley, Diploma ‘53 May 12, 1932 - March 17, 2020 Hartsville, SC

Sharon O'Mara Macon, BSN '83 September 27, 1958 - October 9, 2020 Isle of Palms, SC

Easter Elaine Harris Walton, Diploma ‘55 April 1, 1934 - May 23, 2020 Columbia, SC

Joyce Adele Crum, Diploma ’56 January 27, 1935 - December 19, 2019 Atlanta, GA

Nancy "Elaine" Marshall, BSN '63 October 24, 1946 - September 6, 2020 Irmo, SC

Eunice Mavis Wilson, midwifery ‘75 December 6, 1941 - Aug. 27, 2020 Pickens, SC

Col. Christopher Wade Dabbs, BSN ‘93 January 19, 1966- February 15, 2020 Great Falls, SC

Karen Lynn McGee, BSN ‘96 Oct. 14, 1961- March 21, 2020 Johns Island, SC

Jerri M. Wingard, Diploma ’54 September 24, 1933 - April 18, 2020 Lexington, SC

Sylvia Jane Cox Davis, BSN ‘62 July 9, 1942 - April 29, 2020 Kure Beach, NC

Dorothy S. McGuckin, Diploma ‘54 January 30, 1933 - May 13, 2020 Charleston, SC

Jean Annette Brickle Withers, Diploma ‘53 November 15, 1932 - June 2, 2020 Charleston, SC

Barbara Marie Harrelson Glenn, Diploma ‘54 July 16, 1933 - June 23, 2020 Georgetown, SC

Edward B. "PD" Mitchell, BSN ‘97 April 6, 1955 - April 7, 2020 Charleston, SC

Obituaries reported to the Medical University of South Carolina Alumni Office from October 1, 2019 through December 1, 2020.

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LIFELINES

2021

ALUMNI PROFILE: VALERIE ASSEY

I

n 1991, Valerie Assey, RN, MSN '86, began working in MUSC's Infectious Diseases Division to help build

an HIV/AIDS clinic for a population that did not have a lot of support 30 years ago. According to Assey, the

clinic saw 50 patients in the first year the clinic was open. Today, the clinic follows more than 1,300 patients.

"There wasn't any specialized care in the Charleston area at that time," Assey said. "It's been a joy to see these patients have a place to come for quality care and that we've been able to secure grant funding to continue to expand medical and support services for the past 30 years."

Because of Assey's experience as a nurse administrator in MUSC's Division of Infectious Diseases, she sees

my nursing instructor advised me that to be ready for

first-hand the importance of palliative care nurses and

my role as a nurse; I needed to work whenever possible

the enormous role they play in their patient's well-

with patients. Working every weekend as a student

being. She recently hosted a College of Nursing Alumni

nurse with the many nurses who mentored me served

reception in her home to highlight the importance of

as an invaluable experience. I would still recommend

palliative care and the exciting work the college is doing

the same today in whatever your field of interest.

to train nurses in this area. Recently, Assey shared some of her thoughts on palliative care with Lifelines.

What advice would you give a student contemplating

What role do you feel palliative care plays in infectious

Knowing your personality type and having a passion for

diseases?

palliative care nursing is a good start.

going into palliative care?

Assey: I think for any specialty dealing with serious illnesses and/or symptoms that impact quality of life,

How have you used your training and education from the

palliative care should be part of that conversation with

MUSC College of Nursing to do good in the world?

the patient. It is another resource to help our patients

During my master's program, HIV/AIDS became

navigate their best health.

my calling. I worked diligently with this population

Providing care to patients at end-of-life is emotionally

program at MUSC that meets the highest standards of

challenging. Given your experience, how can we best

care. We have come a long way since 1991!

to improve providing care locally. Today, we have a

prepare students to cope and have difficult discussions with families?

Valerie Assey, MSN, R.N., is a nurse administrator at the

I think bedside nursing is crucial to gaining the

Ryan White Clinic at MUSC.

necessary skills to help patients and families during this difficult time. When I was a first-year nursing student,

Share your updates with us and we will publish them in the next edition.

Connect and share your story with us at education.musc.edu/alumni 2021

LIFELINES 37

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

CON RECEIVES $1.8 MILLION GIFT FOR NURSING SCHOLARSHIPS

M

USC College of Nursing has received a $1.8 million to fund scholarships for nursing students. The gift

from Chuck Chitty of Chattanooga, Tennessee, supports the

established Marianne T. Chitty Scholarship that has assisted nursing students with a financial need since 2013. The scholarship was named for his grandmother and endowed by his parents, Mr. Charles Chitty and Dr. Kay Chitty, longtime supporters of the college.

The donation will allow for increased enrollment in MUSC's nursing programs, allowing students to complete their degree at a lower cost. With over 600 students enrolled, the College of Nursing provides nursing education in undergraduate and doctoral levels.

Charles Chitty with his mother, Kay Chitty.

"We know that financial need is high for many of our students," said Linda S. Weglicki, Ph.D., R.N., dean of the College of Nursing. "Mr. Chitty's extraordinary generosity will allow us to continue to help future nurses fund their education so that they can begin the delivery of health care that is so desperately needed today."

The bequest will benefit scholarships for nursing students and allow for robust and sustainable support of the College of Nursing's greatest scholarship needs.

Including the MUSC College of Nursing in your estate plans, as Chuck Chitty has, is an incredible way to leave a legacy. To learn more or to let us know if you've already included us in your future plans, please contact Linda Cox, director of planned giving, at 843-792-4275, or visit muscgiving.org for more information.

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LIFELINES

2021

What kind of a legacy will you leave?

Have you considered a planned gift to the College of Nursing through a bequest in your will? It is the most common type of planned gift. There are many different types of bequests including a specific sum of money, a percentage or the residual of your estate. If you have considered leaving the College of Nursing in your will, but would like to include the proper bequest language, we have provided several examples below: SPECIFIC BEQUEST “I hereby give, devise and bequeath ______ dollars to the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation, Charleston, SC, designated in support of __________ in the College of Nursing.”

PERCENTAGE BEQUEST “I hereby give, devise and bequeath ______ percent of my estate to the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation, Charleston, SC, designated in support of __________ in the College of Nursing.”

RESIDUARY BEQUEST “I hereby give, devise and bequeath all the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation, Charleston, SC, designated in support of __________ in the College of Nursing.”

If you have already left the College of Nursing in your will, please contact the Office of Planned Giving so that we may celebrate you!

Linda Cox • Director of Planned Giving and Executive Director of Alumni Affairs 843-792-4275 • CoxL@musc.edu

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

EVERY GIFT MATTERS The MUSC College of Nursing is grateful for every gift, large and small. We deeply appreciate our generous supporters who keep our beloved nursing school fiscally healthy and strong. From individuals and families, to students and employees, to corporations and foundations, the vision and generosity of these donors propel our institution forward and provide us with countless opportunities to change what’s possible in nursing. Every gift to the College of Nursing matters, and we are proud of our extensive donor family.

The MUSC College of Nursing thanks the following individuals for their contributions to the MUSC College of Nursing in FY 2019-2020. We apologize for any inadvertent errors or omissions.

$50,000 and above

Mrs. Ann D. Edwards and Dr. James B. Edwards

Mr. Charles B. Chitty and Mrs. Alice R. Chitty

Mrs. Jill R. Ewell and Mr. Gregory S. Ewell

Clare Foundation

Dr. Nancy J. Finch and Mr. Henry T. Finch Jr.

Dr. Christopher E. Clare

Mrs. Joan S. Halkyard and Mr. Edwin Halkyard

Dr. Lewis M. Davis Jr.

Hamilton Electrical & Plumbing, Inc.

Duke Endowment

Mrs. Sheralyn S. Heyse and Mr. Frederick H. Heyse

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Maurice E. Halsey

Dr. Carolyn M. Jenkins and Mr. Warren Jenkins

Mrs. Maureen S. Hamilton and Mr. David Hamilton

Dr. Laurin J. Kaasa, Jr. and Mrs. Shirley Kaasa

National Christian Foundation

Mr. Amos B. Kelchner and Mrs. Betty C. Kelchner

New Morning Foundation

Mr. James J. Kerr and Mrs. Harriette F. Kerr

Mrs. Mary W. Swain and Mr. David C. Swain Jr.

Mr. Fredrick W. Kinard Jr.

Whitehead Foundation, Inc.

Dr. Richard M. Kline and Mrs. Katherine C. Kline

Zero to Three Foundation

Mr. Anthony Lanzone and Mrs. Juliann H. S. Lanzone Ms. Jo A. Lee

$25,000 - $49,999

Mr. Theodore E. Levin and Mrs. Rose Levin

Dr. Deborah C. Williamson and Dr. David R. Garr

Ms. Nancy W. McClelland

Coastal Community Foundation of SC

MUSC Alumni Association

Macy, Jr. Foundation

Mr. Michael C. Pace

Roper Saint Francis Healthcare

Reitman Family Foundation Mr. Robert S. Reitman and Mrs. Sylvia K. Reitman

$10,000 - $24,999

Steinberg Law Firm, LLP

Ms. Renee M. Black

Mr. Alan Swain

Dr. Kay K. Chitty and Mr. Charles B. Chitty

Dr. Jane M. Zapka and Mr. David J. Zapka

Mrs. Ruth B. Limehouse Mr. Patrick W. Marr and Mrs. Maureen O. Marr

$500 - $999

Mrs. Corinne V. Sade and Dr. Robert M. Sade

Dr. David Barkley and Mrs. Joan Barkley

Mrs. Beverly D. Seinsheimer and Mr. Walter G. Seinsheimer Jr.

Dr. Elizabeth M. Bear

Mrs. Linda H. Wilkens, USN

Dr. Daniel P. Gracie Mrs. Hattie Halsey

$1,000 - $9,999

Dr. Leslie R. Justice and Mr. David A. Justice

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Aid to Education Program

Mrs. Elizabeth Khan and Mr. Jamie Khan

Dr. Julie V. Barroso

Mrs. Edith D. Lucas

Mrs. Mary E. Canaday and Dr. Stephen D. Canaday

Dr. Gayenell S. Magwood and Mr. Robert L. Magwood Jr.

Charleston County Medical Society Alliance

Mrs. Elizabeth G. Maree and Mr. F. Kenyon Maree

CVS Health

Mrs. Cheryl R. McCoy

Dr. Raymond N. DuBois Jr. and Mrs. Lisa A. DuBois

Dr. Heidar A. Modaresi and Mrs. Ingrid Modaresi

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LIFELINES

2021

Dr. Susan D. Newman

Dr. Cordellia E. Bright

Mr. James R. Oakley and Mrs. Leah D. Oakley

Mrs. Deborah H. Brooks and Mr. Jack J. Brooks

Mrs. Laura V. Schaefer and Mr. Eric Schaefer

Dr. Deborah C. Bryant Captain Gloria H. Caffrey and Captain John F. Caffrey

$250 - $499

Mrs. Karen E. Carnevale and Mr. Robert B. Carnevale

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Janice G. Agazio and Maj. Timothy C. Agazio

Mrs. Deborah C. Carter and Dr. James F. Carter

Ms. Jean E. Alexander

Mrs. Julie A. Clark and Mr. Timothy J. P. Clark

Mrs. Jessie D. Atkinson

Dr. Charles M. Collins, Jr. and Mrs. Audrey B. Collins

Mrs. Margaret C. Burwell and Col. Jack O. Burwell Jr.

Dr. Garris K. Conner

Dr. James T. Christmas and Mrs. Brenda D. Christmas

Dr. Donna J. Corley and Mr. G. R. Jones

Dr. William R. Cook, Jr. and Mrs. Sharon W. Cook

Mrs. Joe Ann E. Cox and Dr. Ralph E. Cox Jr.

Dr. Catherine O. Durham

Mrs. Brenda H. Craig and Mr. T. L. C. Craig III

Mrs. Sylvia E. Friedner and Mr. Jerry F. Friedner

Col. Raymond H. Crum Jr.

Ms. Barbara Johnson-Williams and Mr. Cecil J. Williams

Dr. Anita C. Curl and Mr. Lonnie B. Curl Jr.

Dr. Teresa J. Kelechi and Mr. James R. Kelechi

Mrs. Joan L. Daniels and Mr. William L. Daniels

Ms. Susan Lewis

Major Edward R. Davis

Dr. Jerry A. Mansfield and Mrs. Jane Mansfield

Mrs. Veronica M. Deas and Mr. Garryl L. Deas

Mrs. Phyllis S. Medoff

Ms. Mandisa D. Dennis

Mr. Lee H. Moultrie II

Mrs. Jennifer S. Doles and Dr. Lonnie R. Doles

Dr. Martina Mueller

Ms. Tara M. Dorundo

Dr. Lynne S. Nemeth and Dr. Steven M. Ornstein

Ms. Michele D. Drake

Mrs. Saranel M. Niver

Cmdr. Amy L. Drayton

Ms. Mary F. Peete

Mrs. Gloria H. Dunlap and Mr. Robert L. Dunlap

Ms. Joyce L. Peterson

Dr. Barbara J. Edlund and Mr. William H. Edlund

Mrs. Sharon P. Schuler and Mr. Milan R. Schuler

Mrs. Sonya S. Foster

Dr. Mitchell J. Seal and Mrs. Helen P. Seal

Mrs. Elizabeth J. Fountain and Mr. Jacob J. Fountain

Dr. Georgette M. Smith and Mr. Frank A. McMahon

Ms. Roberta M. Frasier

Mrs. Kathleen A. S. Stephens and Dr. David S. Stephens

Mrs. Paige W. French and Mr. John E. French III

Mrs. Alice F. Summers

Mrs. Carol J. Frye and Mr. Jim L. Frye

Mrs. Suzanne C. Yarborough and Mr. Edwin T. Yarborough

Mrs. Gwendolyn Geddies and Mr. Paul Randolph

Mr. Henry A. Zeigler

Ms. Jeannette C. Glenn Mrs. Kathleen E. Goodwin and Lt. Col. Ronald R. Goodwin

$100 - $299

Mrs. Betty L. Gore and Dr. Robert T. Ball Jr.

Mrs. Elowise H. Anderson and Mr. S. Jenkins Anderson

Mrs. Alicia P. Grant and Mr. Alfred J. Grant Jr.

Dr. Diane J. Angelini

Dr. Cameo A. Green

Mrs. Valerie H. Assey

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Sandra Green

Mrs. Katharine D. Beard and Mr. Henry E. Beard III

Mrs. Carolyn J. Grimball and Mr. John B. Grimball

Mr. Michael T. Beshay

Mrs. Mary B. Gwyn and Mr. J. Richard Gwyn

Dr. Pia B. Biason-Webb and Mr. Scott Webb

Ms. Brenda C. Haile

Mrs. Jane E. Biggs and Mr. Robert H. Biggs

Mrs. Patricia M. Harder and Mr. Henry D. Harder

Dr. Sharon M. Bond and Mr. James C. Blain

Mrs. Rebecca C. Harlan and Dr. Joseph E. Harlan Jr.

Dr. Phyllis A. Bonham and Mr. Carl N. Johnson

Dr. Elizabeth D. Harmon

Dr. Walter M. Bonner, Jr. and Mrs. Beverly S. Bonner

Dr. Patricia A. Hart and Mr. Scott A. Hart

Mrs. Marie C. Bridges and Mr. Jimmie R. Bridges

Mrs. Ginger D. Hill and Mr. Craig E. Hill

2021

LIFELINES 41

MAKING A DIFFERENCE Ms. Karen L. Hiott

Mrs. Jane L. Siedlarz and Mr. Raymond T. Siedlarz

Dr. Cameron W. Hogg and Rev. John Hogg

Mrs. Constance B. Simons

Mrs. Betty J. Howell

Dr. Valeria D. Smith

Ms. Catherine M. Hudak

Mrs. Mary W. Spackman and Mr. Elwood H. Spackman Jr.

Dr. Roy E. Hudgens, Jr. and Mrs. Lottie C. Hudgens

Mrs. Nancy F. Tassin and Mr. Kenneth M. Tassin

Ms. Hazelmarie Huff

Mrs. Ginny D. Thaxton

Dr. Mary R. Jacob and The Reverend Melvin R. Jacob

Mrs. Frances Ann D. Theile

Dr. Delwin B. Jacoby and Dr. Keith J. Jacoby

Dr. Kathryn A. Van Ravenstein and Mr. David Van Ravenstein

Ms. Marilyn D. James

Ms. Sharon L. Vendrick

Mrs. Frances S. Jones and Dr. Barry N. Jones

Ms. Sheila T. Walters

Mrs. Mary L. Jones

Ms. Susan M. White

Lt. William L. Jones and Mrs. Rita A. Jones

Mrs. Betty S. Whitesell and Mr. Joel Whitesell

Mrs. Lynn F. Kelley and Mr. Jack T. Kelley

Ms. Gloria K. Wilson

Mrs. Shirley S. Keyes and Mr. Abbie V. Keyes

Ms. Kimberly L. Witte

Dr. Fred M. Kimbrell and Mrs. Betty R. Kimbrell

Ms. Laura E. Woyahn

Mrs. Barbara S. Laidlaw and Dr. James C. Laidlaw

Dr. Joseph C. Yarbrough Jr. and Mrs. Harriet T. Yarbrough

Mrs. Leah P. Lanier and Mr. Norman Lanier

Mr. James L. Yearwood Jr.

Dr. Joy A. Lauerer and Mr. Kenneth Lauerer Mrs. Julie L. Lorris and Mr. Peter H. Lorris

$99 - $1

Mr. Mohan Madisetti

Mrs. Karen H. Adams and Mr. Timothy J. Adams

Mrs. Martha Sue D. Maloney and Mr. Charles S. Maloney

Mrs. Amelia B. Alderman and Mr. Robert L. Alderman

Mrs. Ann S. Mappus

Ms. Shaniqua D. Alston

Mrs. Marilyn M. Mattice and Mr. Wray W. Mattice

Ms. Deborah C. Ammons

Mrs. Debra B. Mattison and Dr. H. R. Mattison

Dr. Stephanie C. Armstrong

Ms. Michelle K. Maybell

Mrs. Rhoda M. Ascanio

Mrs. Christina L. McDaniel and Mr. Dennie M. McDaniel

Mrs. Barbara E. Atwater

Ms. Marjorie T. McManus

Mrs. Myrtle H. Bailey

Ms. Laura Medoff

Mrs. Anita G. Baker and Mr. Laurin M. Baker

Mrs. Sarah F. Meyer and Mr. Gene Meyer

Ms. Gwen W. Beall

Dr. Meredith W. Michel

Mrs. Anne L. Beck and Mr. Charles A. Beck

Dr. David W. Moon and Mrs. Mary M. Moon

Ms. Lorri A. Bennett

Dr. Ngan K. Moran

Mrs. Colleen W. Bible and Mr. Robert Bible

Ms. Jane M. Morgan

Mrs. Judy K. Black

Dr. John K. Nickles and Mrs. Barbara M. Nickles

Mrs. Brenda S. Brastauskas and Mr. James P. Brastauskas

Mr. Thomas P. Nolen and Mrs. Georgiana T. Nolen

Ms. Patricia D. Brinson

Mrs. Mary C. Perano and Mr. Alan M. Perano

Mrs. Loretta R. Brockenfelt and Mr. William P. Brockenfelt

Mr. Russell E. Perkins and Mrs. Patricia D. Perkins

Ms. Annie S. Brown

Mr. Daniel Perlmutter

Mrs. Doris K. Brown and Mr. Michael A. Brown

Dr. Maryellen Potts

Ms. Kathryn M. Brown

Mrs. Barbara M. Righter and Mr. Robert Righter

Mrs. Geraldine M. Campbell

Mr. John S. Rodenberg and Mrs. Catherine T. Rodenberg

Ms. Mary P. Canton

Dr. Savannah C. Rogers

Ms. Maria E. Cardenas

Mrs. Sandra W. Rund and Mr. Charles Rund

Dr. Melanie H. Cason

Mrs. Katherine W. Seabrook and Mr. William J. Seabrook

Ms. Karen C. Caudill

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LIFELINES

2021

Dr. Jessica L. Chandler

Dr. Gary C. Kimsey and Mrs. Roberta H. Kimsey

Mrs. Joyce S. Chaplin

Ms. Shyronda A. Knotts

Ms. Jane P. Chrysostom

Mr. Robert Kwafo

Dr. Evelyn R. Coe and Mr. Larry Coe

Ms. Karen S. Langston

Mrs. Barbara M. Connor and Dr. Gregory S. Connor

Mrs. Virginia S. Ledbetter and Mr. Curtis J. Ledbetter

Mrs. Patricia A. Cook and Dr. Taylor I. Cook

Mrs. Laurann Litchfield and Mr. Harry S. Gray Jr.

Mrs. Rachel D. Coon and Mr. Carl C. Coon Jr.

Mr. Carlos A. Lopez

Mrs. Mary E. Cotterill

Mrs. Sydney G. Lubkin and Mr. John C. Lubkin

Ms. Sara A. Currence

Ms. Molly M. Lussier

Mrs. Eleanor L. Currin and The Reverend B.M. Currin, Ph.D.

Mrs. Nancy S. Lynn

Mrs. Diana D. Curtis

Mrs. Ann L. Magwood and Mr. Wayne Magwood

Mrs. Monica C. Dainer and Dr. Paul M. Dainer

Ms. Lisa A. Manni

Mrs. Carole D. Davis

Ms. Deborah M. Martin and Mr. Edmund Martin

Mrs. Mary O. Davis and Captain William A. Davis

Mrs. Carolyn C. Matthews

Mrs. Jill S. Deich and Mr. Charles S. Deich

Ms. Marcella D. McCall

Mr. Thomas M. Diamond and Mrs. Janice W. Diamond

Mrs. Ashley McGowan

Mrs. Lynn M. Dryzer and Dr. Scott R. Dryzer

Mr. Benjamin F. McGuckin Jr.

Ms. Holly E. Edmunds

Mrs. Linda L. Mendonca

Mrs. Debra L. Ferrara and Mr. John A. Ferrara

Mrs. Dolores A. F. Millings and Mr. Ronald A. Millings

Mrs. Joan D. Ferrer and Mr. Larry T. Ferrer

Ms. Rosie B. Mintey

Ms. Rochelle Fisher

Mr. Craig Mitchum

Mrs. Deborah A. Fogleman and Mr. Roy L. Fogleman

Mrs. Anahita M. Modaresi and Mr. Daniel Perlmutter

Mrs. Mildred L. Fueyo

Mrs. Tommye T. Morris and Mr. Robert E. Morris

Mrs. Vernell S. Fulton and Mr. Douglas J. Fulton

Mrs. Wendy A. Muzzy and Mr. Sean Muzzy

Mrs. Patricia H. Furr

Mrs. Diane J. Myers and Mr. Nathaniel Myers Sr.

Mrs. Anne Galipeau and Mr. William Galipeau

Mr. Karl E. Naugle, Jr. and Mrs. Joan Naugle

Dr. Tracy P. George

Lt. Col. George M. Neil, USA (Ret.) and Mrs. Freya C. Neil

Mrs. Michelle L. Grant

Mrs. Anita Joyce H. Nichols

Mrs. Wanetta J. Grignol and Mr. Ronald M. Grignol

Mrs. Amy E. Oliver and Mr. B. Scott Oliver

Mrs. Lucille H. Guerry

Mrs. Carolyn F. Page and Mr. John L. Page

Dr. Virginia C. Hall

Ms. Ramona Y. Parker and Ms. Crystal Parker

Mr. Albert Heatley, Jr. and Mrs. Mildred H. Heatley

Mrs. Rosanne W. Pate and Mr. Michael Pate

Ms. Christal M. Henricks

Mrs. Samantha A. Perlmutter and Mr. Jacob B. Perlmutter

Ms. Mary T. Hougland

Ms. Paulette B. Perry

Mrs. Alice L. Howell and Mr. William E. Howell

Ms. Kathleen A. Peterson

Mrs. Miriam M. Hunter

Mrs. Candy E. Purcell and Mr. William J. Purcell

Ms. Rudie B. Ivester

Mrs. Gloria H. Purcell

Mrs. Andrea P. Jackson and Mr. Stanley A. Jackson

Mrs. Betty S. Quiat

Mrs. Teresa E. Jenkins and Mr. Everette Jenkins

Dr. Susan E. Reinarz

Ms. Betty Jennings and Mr. Glenn T. Foust III

Ms. Courtney J. Renault

Mrs. Marlene P. Jett

Ms. Patricia M. Richardson

Mrs. Carolyn G. Jordan and Mr. James C. Jordan

Mrs. Diane G. Ridley and Mr. Edgar B. Ridley

Mrs. Hilary K. Joseph and Mr. Elijah R. Joseph

Mrs. Nancy A. Roberts and Mr. Milton F. Roberts

Ms. Kathleen M. Kiesel

Ms. Meggan M. Rogers

2021

LIFELINES 43

MAKING A DIFFERENCE Dr. Kenneth J. Ruggiero and Mrs. Deana I. Ruggiero

Dr. Ashley M. Thibodeau

Dr. Pandora H. Ryant

Dr. Marie C. Thomas

Mrs. Mona C. Sechrest and Mr. Randy Sechrest

Ms. Paula J. Thomson

Ms. Stacey L. Seipel

Ms. Beverly L. Turner

Mr. Jamie M. Sicard and Mrs. Adrianne Sicard

Mrs. Lucy W. Turner

Ms. Faith M. Singleton

Mrs. Evelyn O. Wear

Mrs. Donna P. Smith and Mr. David L. Smith

Mrs. Patricia A. Weathers and Mr. Donald F. Weathers

Dr. Dianne M. Smolen and Dr. Gerald E. Smolen

Mr. James J. Weidel

Dr. Nancee V. B. Sneed and Mr. John W. Sneed

Mrs. Sue D. White and Mr. Robert A. White

Mrs. Antoinette W. Stanton and Mr. Jack D. Stanton

Mrs. Ellen M. Williams and Mr. Willson M. Williams Jr.

Mrs. Cathy S. Stokes and Mr. Henry C. Stokes Jr.

Mrs. Denise T. Wood and Mr. Paul L. Wood

Ms. Kathleen A. Stovall

Mrs. Martha L. Yarborough

Dr. Martha L. Sylvia

Mrs. Margaret M. Zee

Ms. Diane I. Taylor

Dr. Andrena S. Zeigler and Mr. Allen Zeigler

Dr. John A. Tenini

Mrs. Angeline D. Zervos

MUSC COLLEGE OF NURSING

LEGACY SOCIETY Members of the Legacy Society have chosen to include a planned gift from their estates to the MUSC Foundation for the College of Nursing.

Ms. Jeanne S. Allyn

Dr. Carolyn M. Jenkins

Ms. Marguerite A. Assey

Mrs. Charlotte M. Knapp*

Dr. Elizabeth M. Bear

Mrs. Nancy S. Lynn

Ms. Renee M. Black

Mrs. Anahita M. Modaresi and Mr. Daniel Perlmutter

Mrs. M. Azalee P. Blitch*

Dr. and Mrs. Heidar A. Modaresi

Mrs. Mary S. Cash*

Ms. Mary J. Neff

Mr. Charles B. Chitty and Mrs. Alice R. Chitty

Ms. Annie K. Norton*

Dr. Kay K. Chitty and Mr. Charles B. Chitty

Mrs. Janelle Othersen and Dr. H. Biemann Othersen Jr.

Mrs. Jean Day and Dr. Richard Day

Mrs. Corinne Vincent Sade

Mrs. Nettie D. Dickerson*

Mr. and Mrs. Walter G. Seinsheimer, Jr.

Mr. Ira M. Estridge

Mr. Harry O. Shaw III

Dr. Nancy J. Finch

Mrs. Marion P. Shearer*

Dr. Cotesworth Fishburne IV* and Dr. Shirley Fishburne

Mrs. Nina A. Smith*

Mr. Jacob J. Fountain and Mrs. Jade Fountain

Mr. Stephen Stewart*

Ms. Ellen L. Gaillard*

Mrs. Elizabeth H. Stringfellow*

Mrs. Dolores E. Grimes*

Mrs. Frances J. Thomas

Mr. and Mrs. Maurice E. Halsey

Mr. Spiro C. Vallis

Mrs. Borghild M. Helgesen*

Mrs. Jean P. Wilson*

Ms. Florence V. Illing* Ms. Rudeane (Rudie) Barfield Ivester

44

LIFELINES

2021

* Deceased

IN THE SPIRIT OF NURSES EVERYWHERE...

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For indeed, that is all who ever have.

- MARGARET MEAD, 1901 - 1978 CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGIST

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