Dr. Chris Hairfield, Director of Interprofessional Initiatives, works with ABSN students in MUSC’s new Healthcare Simulation Center, which overlooks the College of Nursing. The Center’s immersive offerings are part of exciting new initiatives at CON. Photo by Jonathan Coultas. Through the Next Steps program, Dr. Amy Williams
A publication of the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing
VOLUME XVI // 2024
Editor
Jennifer A. Turner
Director of Communications & Marketing
Photographer
Josh Goodwin
Multimedia Content Developer
Graphic Designer
Christopher Berge
Berge Design | bergedesign.com
Feature Writers
Cindy Abole
Lisa Moody Breslin
Kimberly McGhee
Melissa Varner
Feature Photographers
Jonathan Coultas
Chris Hairfield
Sarah Pack
PUBLISHED BY nursing.musc.edu
SEND COMMENTS TO: Jennifer A. Turner
MUSC College of Nursing
99 Jonathan Lucas Street, MSC 160 Charleston, SC 29425-1600 turnerja@musc.edu
POSTMASTER: Send corrections to Lifelines, MUSC College of Nursing, 99 Jonathan Lucas Street, MSC 160, Charleston, SC 29425-1600.
For more than a century, MUSC College of Nursing has had a profound impact on the health of South Carolinians, and that legacy proudly continues today as we train more than 600 students each year in our nationally-ranked undergraduate and graduate programs and expand our reach of care on a national and international level.
Our dynamic college continually seeks innovative opportunities to build the next generation of nurse leaders; conducts groundbreaking research and implements programs to advance nursing science; and invests in clinical partnerships that address barriers to education and health care.
As a preeminent leader in nursing education, practice, and research, we are dedicated to service—to our students, our patients and their families, our communities and each other.
Meaningful learning experiences and professional growth are at the heart of our mission. From investing in the latest nursing technology and simulated experiences to ensuring personalized support for each student’s journey, we are creating new educational pathways to serve our students, no matter what stage of their careers.
We also are fostering strong connections and shared goals to address the health care needs of our state and the nationwide nursing shortage. Through partnerships with the MUSC health system and the wider community, we are strategic in creating better health care outcomes while expanding student education, faculty practice and nursing research.
My vision for this new era of the College of Nursing prioritizes strategic synergy in education, strong internal and external partnerships, investment in our people and advocacy to better serve South Carolina and beyond, with a deep commitment to intercultural education, inclusion and belonging in everything that we do.
Personally, I love this college; it was while attending here as a student that I experienced firsthand the power of a culture rooted in inclusivity and teamwork. Together, we are cultivating a space that continues to model this and supports the personal and professional growth of faculty, staff and students.
I invite you to join us in this essential and life-affirming work.
Sincerely,
Catherine O. Durham, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAAN Dean, MUSC College of Nursing
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
—Helen Keller
THE FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT, WE’VE GOT TO WEAR SHADES!
Students got some much-needed stress relief during the Eclipsing Exams celebration in April! We’ll never forget these moments shared together as part of the CON community.
We’re Feeling 22!
US News & World Report has named MUSC College of Nursing 22nd in the nation (14th among public universities) and 1st in South Carolina for Best Nursing Schools - Doctor of Nursing Practice!
The DNP is a practice-focused degree designed to prepare advanced practice nurses in one of four clinical specializations with a primary care foundation and is one of the highest levels of educational preparation for nurses. Nurse practitioner is also consistently ranked as one of the best jobs in the nation.
“As a leader in nursing education, not only in South Carolina but also nationwide, we are graduating students who are meaningfully impacting nursing practice, nursing science, implementation science, health care delivery and patient outcomes. This outstanding ranking is a direct reflection of both MUSC’s stellar reputation and our faculty’s commitment to mentoring the next generation of nurse leaders. I am so proud of their incredible work.” —Dean Cathy Durham
CON By the Numbers
2023
2023
ABSN program in the nation, US News (#1 in SC, #17 among public universities)
DNP program in the nation, US News (#1 in SC, #14 among public universities)
NIH research funding among colleges of nursing (#35 among public universities)
On the Horizon: New Initiatives
Renovate the College of Nursing’s first floor to create education and community spaces that are flexible, multifunctional and student centric.
Develop new offerings tailored to meet the critical health care needs of our state, such as training acute care nurse practitioners across the lifespan, creating an MSN entry into practice pathway and increasing our interprofessional certificate training programs, particularly in palliative care.
Tap into our expertise in behavioral health from an interprofessional practice standpoint, with our psych mental health nurse practitioners partnering with other behavioral health providers to offer the best outcomes for patients.
Explore new avenues of alignment for our research focus areas within the MUSC enterprise and increase partnerships with other entities throughout the university.
#23
#22
#46
Breaking Down Walls
In January 2024, MUSC College of Nursing kicked off a complete renovation of its first floor to create a new area dedicated to learning and innovation for students. Highlights from the project include the following:
• A cutting-edge skills lab featuring nursing simulation capabilities
• Increased classroom space to support program growth, with a 1,700 square foot lecture hall that can be configured into smaller meeting rooms
• A research hub to spark innovation and interprofessional partnerships
• Areas specifically built for community and collaboration, including a lobby with lots of seating and device chargers, consolidated Student Services offices and a 1,200 square foot multifunctional common area adjacent to a kitchenette
• State-of-the-art AV systems and technologies throughout the space to support in-person and remote learning
• The $2.5M project consists of approximately 11,000 gross square feet renovation of the existing first floor, which formerly hosted the MUSC Simulation Center, now located in the James W. Colbert Education Center and Library
Project Partners
- Caplea Coe Architects, Inc.
- J Davis Construction
- RMF Engineering, Inc
- Wade Lewis Gatlin, AIA, Architect/Project Manager
- The Medical University of South Carolina Engineering & Facilities
“This completely reimagined space will be a game-changer for collaboration, recruitment and engagement across the college. We plan to debut this sparkling new space by the end of the year, just in time to be part of MUSC’s Bicentennial celebration. 2024 is going to be an incredible time for MUSC and our college.” —Dean Cathy Durham
Celebrating Nurses Week
We are so grateful to be a part of the outstanding MUSC nursing community and hope nurses everywhere felt appreciated during Nurses Week 2024! From rounding with nursing leadership to a funfilled Student Nurses Day, we loved celebrating those who make a difference. A special thank you to Wade Boals, CON Development Board Member, for hosting us at Saltwater Cowboys!
Welcome to Dean Durham’s Scrub Tour!
By Jennifer A. Turner, Director of Communications and Marketing, MUSC College of Nursing
Karma is the Dean coming on clinical rotations! In the case of our rockstar students, this definitely was a relaxing thought. Welcome to the Dean’s Scrub Tour, where Dean Cathy Durham shadowed several ABSN students in Med Surg 1 this spring to share their clinical spaces and learn from their unique perspectives. With faculty members Chris Hairfield, Ph.D., RN, NPD-BC, and Dawn Terzulli, DNP, RN, PCCN, at the helm, students guided Dean Durham through their day at several MUSC units and even had her pitch in!
by Chris
“The Scrubs Tour came to life during a conversation with the Dean about her interest in engaging directly with students and understanding their experiences in our program,” said Dr. Hairfield. “We got to work and accomplished our shared goal: building connections between faculty and students while enhancing the nursing school experience. I’m proud of this initiative and the team that made it happen!”
Now that’s some good karma!
Photos
Hairfield
“One of the most amazing experiences was not only the connections between faculty and students but also all the other serendipitous meetings, greetings and networking that happened organically along the way. At each department we visited, while the Dean focused on our students, staff members inquired about how they could join our program, spanning all levels.”
“It was so encouraging to engage with Dr. Durham and share our feedback about our clinical and didactic experiences. I enjoyed hearing about her clinical practice and her transition into leadership. This opportunity yields itself to the growth of our program and future innovation.”
—ABSN student Erin Grimsley
MUSC’s Bicentennial Year
Throughout 2024, MUSC celebrates its Bicentennial, and the College of Nursing marks 141 years of preparing the finest professional nurses in the nation who care, cure and create new knowledge with the goal of improving the health of individuals, families and communities. As the second oldest nursing education program in the United States, we continue to change what’s possible in the lives of patients and actively shape the health care of tomorrow.
Today, MUSC stands as a leader in health care, education and research, with a significant impact on public health, and we are proud to be part of both its legacy and future. Take advantage of the opportunities available throughout the year to learn about MUSC’s extensive history, celebrate our accomplishments and look forward to what comes next. Visit the MUSC Bicentennial website to learn more:
bicentennial.musc.edu
Produced by SCETV in partnership with MUSC, the immersive documentary “MUSC at 200: Then, Now, Next” provides insight into our unwavering determination, expansive growth and continuous commitment to excellence in health care and education. Watch online and see if you can spot any familiar MUSC College of Nursing faces, including Dean Emerita Dr. Gail Stuart: “200 years in Charleston on this campus is incredible. And it also reflects how far we’ve come, our ability to adapt, our ability to grow, our ability to innovate and create in new ways that benefit the people of not only Charleston and not only South Carolina, but actually all around the country. That’s something MUSC should be immensely proud of. I know I’m proud of it.”
Scan the QR code to watch or visit bit.ly/ MUSC200
CREATING IMPACT
Combining her love of nursing, research and advocacy, Dr. Sarah Miller and her daughter Amelia visited Capitol Hill with the COPD Foundation for IMPACT 2024 in March.
A New Era: Dean Catherine Durham
Dean Catherine Durham’s 28 years of experience as a nurse and family nurse practitioner are coupled with 28 years of leadership and dedicated service in the U.S. Navy, where she retired in May with the rank of captain. As a nursing educator, she has served in multiple faculty and nursing practice partnership leadership roles since joining MUSC in 2012.
Dean Durham’s exceptional leadership and commitment to nursing education and mentoring distinguish her academic journey. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Purdue University, her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of South Carolina and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from MUSC. By working collaboratively with nursing leadership and her team, she expanded the Graduate Practice Program (currently ranked 22nd in the nation) to seven programs, including the first DNP in Palliative Care.
Her scholarship centers on decreasing barriers to care for at-risk populations, creating innovative clinical programs and rotations and expanding community partnerships. She practices as a family nurse practitioner at Partners in Healthcare (a clinic she co-founded in 2013 as a collaboration between East Cooper Community Outreach and MUSC CON), which provides high-quality, evidence-based primary care to uninsured and marginalized individuals.
Dean Durham’s extensive military career includes critical care nursing at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, and significant roles in leadership, primary care and health care response during crises. In spring of 2020, she played a pivotal role in the operational deployment and management of military health care professionals to provide critical care services to patients in civilian hospitals in New York City at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heart to Heart
“A high priority for me is taking the time to connect with and celebrate MUSC’s nurses on their home turf, whether across the street at MUSC HealthCharleston or across the state at one of MUSC’s regional health network sites. Thank you for welcoming me into your world and being such an inspiration. I can’t wait to see you again soon!” Cathy
Lifelines: 4 Items that Have Shaped My Journey
By Catherine Durham, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAAN
Navigating her newest role, Dean Catherine Durham recently reflected on her career path and four items that embody that journey.
THE BOOK
What was the catalyst that inspired you to become a nurse in the Navy?
When I was in college, I knew I wanted to be a nurse but didn’t have much direction beyond that. Then there was this key moment—one of my classes had an assignment where we had to read a book about a nurse and write an essay. I had waited until the last minute and had to stay in that weekend to complete the assignment. I spent all weekend with Lynda Van Devanter’s memoir Home Before Morning: The Story of an Army Nurse in Vietnam. She went from a very traditional Catholic nursing school to taking a risk with a girlfriend by joining the military to serve on the frontlines in Vietnam. She described her deployments and her relationships, how lost she was when she came home, and even her struggles with alcohol and depression from what she experienced. It’s still available—grab a copy and enjoy!
I was just fascinated by the idea of someone who took big risks, seemingly on a whim, not really knowing what was going to come, and that resonated
with me because I will do that—I tend to be someone who’s comfortable with change and trying something to see how it works. In addition to that impactful book, my parents had a neighbor who was a retired admiral of the Navy Nurse Corps, and she had been encouraging me to join. After that weekend, I thought, “Why not?”. Immediately, I was with the right group of people who were very driven, focused and committed to a mission. It absolutely fit, and I remember thinking, “So that’s it, this is who I am.”
CAPTAIN’S BARS
You retired from the Navy this past May after 28 years. How would you describe that full circle moment in your military career?
Making the rank of Captain in the Navy was always a goal of mine because there were so many amazing leaders that I admired from when I was an Ensign and through all my other ranks. I aspired to be like them. They were the ones who saw things in me that I did not see in myself and invested in me. As a military nurse, there’s an expectation from the moment you join and throughout your entire career for professional development, gaining more skills, and being put in leadership positions. Not everybody ends up being a Commanding Officer, but
there is always an opportunity to be in a leadership role to guide others and work in teams, and I really thrived in that space. Additionally, the sense of camaraderie and teamwork is a cornerstone of military service that transcends rank and time.
The perfect example is when I was sent to New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. I didn’t know most of the people that were going to be there, and we weren’t sure that our manning document was even correct. But as soon as I came down to the lobby that first morning and saw people in “our” uniform, there was an immediate sense of relief—we didn’t have to know each other’s name, but we knew that we were on the same team. It’s a sense of camaraderie and an immediate recognition of who they are and what they do and that you are in it with other people. My Captain’s bars not only represent my 28-year journey as a Navy nurse, but also those that I’ve mentored who are coming behind me and who will do the same thing. That legacy exists for those of us who are leaders and believe in mentoring.
STETHOSCOPE
As you’ve progressed in your administrative and academic roles at CON, you’ve also been intentional in maintaining your engagement with
clinical practice. What’s one tool you can’t live without?
As a nurse and a nurse practitioner, you can do most things with your stethoscope. If you have your eyes, your ears, your sense of smell, your hands and your stethoscope, you can get a lot of answers to potential problems with a patient. And if you don’t have your stethoscope, you feel like you’re not prepared for work. It’s also a feeling of competence and trust in yourself; knowing how to use that one tool opens up so many pathways for you as a nurse and being able to help someone. I love coaching students when they conduct their head-to-toe assessments and helping them to understand that you can give anyone a stethoscope, but it’s the person behind it, using it, that makes the difference.
BOO BUNNY
Your family lies at the heart of all you do. What symbolizes that deep commitment?
This is our daughter’s lovey from when she was an infant, and she’s had it her entire life. It’s still tucked in her bed now as a teenager. We’re a small family just being the three of us, and Boo Bunny gave her a sense of comfort and security if either of us had to be away or travel. That to me is the symbol of family—comfort. My engagement ring also symbolizes that connectedness. It’s critically important to me; Its full circle is not only a symbol of marriage but also knowing you are bound and completely connected to another person. That’s my family.
Meet the Newest Members of CON’s Leadership Team
Teresa
Maggard Stephens,
PhD, MSN, RN, CNE Associate Dean for Academics
Dr. Tese Stephens, a seasoned nurse educator, researcher and consultant with 37 years of experience spanning practice and academia, is a professor and Associate Dean for Academics at MUSC’s College of Nursing. With a passion for instilling compassionate courage and disrupting conventional norms, she authored Stephens’ Model of Resilience and founded RN P.R.E.P. (Personal Resilience Enhancement Plan). Her research, rooted in the narratives of Holocaust survivors, focuses on resilience as a catalyst for well-being and professional fulfillment among nurses, nursing students and clinicians.
As a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) and Belfer Fellow with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Dr. Stephens actively contributes to nursing education and advocacy. She specializes in fostering resilient teams, particularly those undergoing transitions or crises. Serving as an advisory board member for the Coalition for Nurse Well-Being and the South Carolina
Hospital Association’s Workforce Development, she is deeply involved in advancing nursing practice and workforce initiatives.
Dr. Stephens earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from East Tennessee State University, a Master of Science in Nursing from King College and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from the University of Tennessee. Her extensive publication record, comprising numerous publications and book chapters, reflects her dedication to advancing nursing knowledge. A sought-after presenter at regional, national and international conferences, Dr. Stephens continues to lead the charge in promoting resilience, compassionate courage and ethical leadership within the nursing profession.
Kristen McDaniel Poston, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CHSE Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs
Dr. Kristen Poston is an assistant professor in the College of Nursing (CON). She received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from the University of South Carolina, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing,
her Master of Science in Nursing and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from MUSC.
Dr. Poston has been a faculty member at the CON since 2017. Prior to assuming her current role as the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Dr. Poston served as the Lead Faculty for Undergraduate Programs. She is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator. She spent her time as a registered nurse working in neurology and neurosurgery at MUSC and has extensive experience as a FNP working in urgent care and rural health. In addition to her roles at the CON, Dr. Poston serves as the president of the South Carolina Nursing Education Simulation Alliance and is on the board of directors of the South Carolina Nurses Foundation.
Dr. Poston’s scholarship interests are centered on practice readiness, simulation, immersive virtual reality and the development of clinical judgment. She is passionate about preparing high-quality nurses for certification and practice, primarily through experiential learning and simulation. Dr. Poston aims to inspire excitement and growth in students via supporting their development to become the next generation of nurse change-makers. She considers it an honor and a privilege to empower students to reach their professional goals at the CON.
Sarah Miller, PhD, RN Interim Assistant Dean for Ph.D. in Nursing Science Program
Dr. Sarah Miller is a nurse scientist and Associate Professor in the College of Nursing. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Florida, where she was funded by an NIH T32 Neuroplasticity Fellowship for her doctoral studies in Respiratory Neurophysiology. She has a Bachelor of Science in Health Science, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and an MSN in Nursing Education.
Dr. Miller began her career as a basic scientist. She returned to nursing school after completing her basic science training to better apply the findings of her research discoveries to patient populations, as part of the continued effort for bench-to-bedside translational research. She has studied the physiological mechanisms of central neural behavioral control and perception of breathing. Her program of research is focused on chronic respiratory diseases (such as asthma and COPD), dyspnea, and symptom science. She is currently investigating the application of technologyenhanced interventions to address health disparities and inequities in vulnerable populations with respiratory diseases, including patients living in rural and medically underserved areas
Dr. Miller is a passionate mentor for her doctoral students and junior faculty.
She has received several honors for her research, teaching and service, including Palmetto Gold Excellence in Nursing, Excellence in Basic Science Research (University of Florida), National Daisy Award for Excellence in Nursing Education, Excellence in Faculty Teaching (MUSC) and Most Engaging Professor (University of Memphis). She is an active contributor to the COPD Foundation as a South Carolina State Captain. She serves in several international leadership roles, including the International Society for Advancement of Respiratory Psychophysiology and the American Thoracic Society, where she serves on the Nursing Assembly Program Committee and as the Basic and Translational Scientist Working Group Nursing Assembly Representative.
Amy Williams,
DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC Interim Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies
Dr. Amy Williams is an associate professor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at MUSC. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice from MUSC. Dr. Williams is certified by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB).
Dr. Williams has practiced pediatric nursing since beginning her career,
first as a bedside nurse and now as a nurse practitioner in primary care where she provides care at MUSC Children’s Health University PediatricsNorthwoods in North Charleston, SC. The clinic has a large first-generation immigrant population; Dr. Williams speaks both Spanish and English in her practice. She is invested in health equity work. She weaves her clinical and advocacy knowledge into her teaching in the DNP program.
Dr. Williams is known for being active in healthcare policy work at the national level through her professional organization, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and at the state level, in early childhood care. She holds two Governor’s appointments, as a trustee for South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness, and the Early Childhood Advisory Council, where she fills the only healthcare provider seats. She works alongside members of the South Carolina General Assembly and state agency heads to ensure all of South Carolina’s children are prepared for kindergarten through available, evidenced-based early childhood educational and caregiving programs.
She is the recipient of two Duke foundation grants: the first, to promote school preparedness in the Latin American community and the second to co-locate behavioral healthcare in her primary care clinic. She is the site administrator for Zero to Three’s Healthy Steps initiative in her clinic. Her professional interests include healthcare policy and advocacy, social determinants of health obesity, asthma, development, health equity and promoting culturally effective healthcare.
Magnifying Impact through Mentorship and Technology
In 20 years as a faculty member and much-valued mentor, Ken Ruggiero has leveraged technology to improve mental health care quality and access
By Kimberly McGhee, Ph.D., Assistant Professor & Science Writer
For Ken Ruggiero, Ph.D., it’s all about making an impact on the lives of others. In his 20 years as a faculty member at MUSC, first in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and now the College of Nursing, he has earned a reputation as a highly valued mentor and an innovative researcher developing interventions to help those struggling with trauma and mental health issues in the community. As Smart State Endowed Chair of the College of Nursing-based Technology Applications Center for Healthful Lifestyles (TACHL), he supports other researcher-innovators in optimizing technology to multiply their impact on improving care. His is a career marked by a laser focus on the needs, especially mental health needs, of others and how to meet them.
Finding a path
What now seems like a predestined path was less than clear to Ruggiero as an undergraduate. It wasn’t until his junior year that he found his calling while working at a summer camp for youth struggling with behavioral issues.
“I very much enjoyed connecting with the kids, learning more about their day-to-day struggles and trying to help them to increase their resilience,” he said. “That experience was a life changer for me in many ways. It’s what
made it clear to me that I wanted to go into the child mental health field.”
A research assistantship with an undergraduate mentor led Ruggiero to an interest in traumatic stress and childhood trauma, which he pursued in his graduate work. He first came to MUSC as a clinical intern, drawn by the reputation of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center and its faculty, who would become valued mentors and collaborators.
“It was a natural decision to come here because this was one of the best places you could go to learn from and partner with a wide range of top-notch traumatic stress researchers,” he said.
Pointing the way for others
Perhaps because of the importance of mentors and unique learning opportunities in finding his own career path, Ruggiero has placed a high value on mentorship during his career at MUSC. He is passionate about mentoring not only trainees, who will be the next generation of mental health researchers, but also the staff who make community-based interventions possible. Ruggiero believes that taking the time to meet regularly and really get to know mentees’ dreams and challenges is critical to a successful mentoring relationship.
“That’s crucial to keeping that relationship strong and making sure that you have your finger on the pulse and can give good guidance,” he said.
His dedication is not lost on his mentees. “Dr. Ruggiero is selfless in dedicating his time to others and is truly a mentor in every sense of the word,” said Hannah C. Espeleta, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the College of Nursing.
Tonya Hazelton, MS, director of Nursing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging and program manager for TACHL, echoes that praise. “Dr. Ruggiero gives a level of support and generosity to his supervisees that is unprecedented by any other mentor that I have ever had,” she said.
In 2022, Ruggiero was honored with the Peggy Schachte Research Mentor
Award, one of the awards of which he is most proud.
Technology as a multiplier of impact
Although technology has come to define Ruggiero’s career, it was a far cry from what it is today when he first arrived at MUSC. Smart phones didn’t yet exist, and “most people were not connected to the Internet, or if they were connected, were using dial-up modems,” he said.
The full potential of technology to improve mental health care quality and access were not yet clear. But there were inklings. A colleague, Heidi Resnick, Ph.D., had begun to use videos in the emergency department to reduce the risk for anxiety. As uptake of the internet grew, Ruggiero and others wondered whether pairing such interventions with technology could help more people. “We thought, ‘wouldn’t it be cool if we could take some of these concepts and scale them using technology?’” said Ruggiero.
TACHL was growing as a center for innovation under the leadership of Frank Treiber, Ph.D., and Ruggiero joined as co-director in 2014 before taking the role as director in 2018.
Under Ruggiero’s leadership, TACHL has focused on how technology can improve quality of care and how it can be used to scale interventions to help entire communities.
Ruggiero and TACHL partnered with the Red Cross to create, test and implement Bounce Back Now, a free app available in English and Spanish that is designed to improve the emotional health of adults and families affected by natural disasters or mass violence incidents. Ruggiero’s work showed that families affected by disasters actively use the app and that
it can improve their emotional and behavioral outcomes.
Another TACHL-led initiative, the Trauma Resilience and Recovery Program (TRRP), leverages technology to meet the overlooked mental health needs of hospitalized trauma patients who have experienced life-altering incidents, such as gunshot wounds, stabbings and bad car crashes. “Many trauma centers don’t address the mental health needs of these patients, or at least historically, they haven’t,” said Ruggiero.
The largely telehealth-based program, which provides education, screening, assessment, referrals and behavior therapy, has now been adopted by 12 trauma centers in the U.S., most of them in the Carolinas. Tatiana Davidson, Ph.D., co-director of TRRP, led this implementation initiative with funding from The Duke Endowment.
In 2007, the Sofa Super Store Fire in West Ashley claimed the lives of nine firefighters and left their colleagues grief-stricken. Partnering with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Ruggiero, Davidson and TACHL established the Center for Firefighter Behavioral Health in 2011. In one program offered by that center, firefighters are featured in videos to educate other firefighters, describing their struggle with the emotional aftermath of tragedies encountered on the job, their hesitance to acknowledge those struggles due to stigma and the motivation that finally led them to get the help they needed.
Most recently, through his SPARK (Supporting Providers and Reaching Kids) initiative, Ruggiero and his team at TACHL have created a digital platform for interactive games that can support providers in providing high-
quality mental health care for children.
“There are a lot of providers who are overwhelmed with dozens of patients, and they’re expected to be expert in way too many types of treatments,” said Ruggiero. “I’m very excited about our potential to transform how mental health care is provided in a more engaging way in mental health clinics.”
Scaling up
The SPARK system has been tested in 200 mental health providers and 360 children, and Ruggiero is eagerly awaiting the findings.
“If we find that it had significant impact, we want to scale SPARK and start to build out more platforms so that clinicians have a lot more tools like it in their hands,” said Ruggiero. Indeed, his focus for TACHL in the coming decade is to take digital interventions it has developed and shown to be effective and scale them up dramatically.
“In the past, TACHL has prioritized knowledge building and discovery with novel interventions,” he said. “That continues to be important for us. But, going forward, I’d like to prioritize population impact much more.” By scaling up effective, technology-based interventions, he hopes to multiply their impact from helping hundreds of people to hundreds of thousands.
“At the end of my career, I will find it most rewarding if the work our team has done helps to have measurable population impact on traumatic injury patients, for example,” he said. “Right now, 600,000 patients develop PTSD or depression after traumatic injury annually. I hope one day we can look back and say that we helped to reduce that to 400,000.”
Noteworthy
Dr. Kathleen Lindell, Dr. Sarah Miller and Dr. Simone Chinnis (pictured above) were recognized as 2024 Palmetto Gold Award for Nursing Excellence winners in April.
Dr. Carrie Cormack, Dr. Susan Newman and Dr. Martha Sylvia were inducted into the American Academy of Nursing’s 2023 Class of Fellows in October.
Alumna Claudia Miller and RN-BSN student Amy Tamblyn were named the 2024 president and presidentelect, respectively, of the Oncology Nursing Society, Lowcountry chapter, in January.
Patrick Coyne received the prestigious Cunniff-Dixon Foundation Nursing Award last fall.
Ph. D. student Stephanie Neary received the PA Education Association’s Don Pederson’s Research Grant Award and was also named the PA Foundation’s 2023 Breitman-Dorn Research Fellow last fall.
Dr. Katherine Chike-Harris was accepted into the prestigious Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP) program in March.
DNP student Rika Win Kemp was appointed a 20232024 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Doctoral Fellow this past December. The Minority Fellowship Program is a nationally recognized partnership between the SAMHSA and ANA to promote minority mental health initiatives.
Building a Culture of Inclusivity and Belonging: MLK Humanitarian Award Winner Tonya Hazelton
Tonya Hazelton, CON’s Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, was honored with the 2024 MUSC-Black History Intercollegiate Consortium MLK Humanitarian Award. This recognition is a testament to the inspiring, impactful work Tonya does not only for CON but also for the MUSC Enterprise and beyond. She has shown outstanding dedication to improving health equity, recruiting diverse patient populations in the context of her team’s research, assisting CON leadership in identifying strategies to improve retention of diverse students and employees and promoting initiatives to create a culture of belonging and inclusivity throughout the college.
What do you find most fulfilling about your work?
What I find most fulfilling about my work as the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) at MUSC College of Nursing (CON) is the opportunity to create an environment where everyone feels valued and included. Engaging in DEIB discussions and initiatives doesn’t feel like work to me; it comes naturally because I am deeply committed to ensuring that every individual has a voice and feels a sense of belonging. My passion lies in developing initiatives that help others understand the importance of DEIB. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing that moment of realization in someone’s
eyes when they learn something new about a culture, heritage or colleague. When someone shares a personal story or expresses appreciation for the work our DEIB team is doing, it fills my cup. This role allows me to live out my role in “Changing what’s possible,” and I am at my best when I am fostering an inclusive and equitable culture.
What does this honor mean to you?
Receiving the MLK Humanitarian Award is deeply meaningful to me. It first brings to mind my family and the sacrifices they have made for me to do this work. I firmly believe that no one is an island; the work I am doing is a reflection of me, my family and my community. This award acknowledges not just my efforts but also the collective support and inspiration from those around me. It reminds me of the “why” behind my work. DEIB is my passion and my way to serve others. Being recognized with such a prestigious award underscores the importance of this work and the impact it has on creating a more inclusive and equitable environment. It is a blessing to serve alongside amazing colleagues, and I do not take this responsibility lightly.
How can others help support DEIB work at CON?
Supporting DEIB work at the College of Nursing requires a collective effort. Here are a few ways others can contribute:
• Educate Themselves and Others: Engage in continuous learning about different cultures, heritages and the experiences of colleagues. This can help foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for diversity.
• Participate Actively: Get involved in DEIB initiatives and activities. Your participation can amplify the impact of these efforts and show a commitment to creating an inclusive environment.
• Share Stories and Experiences: Personal stories and experiences can be powerful tools for fostering empathy and understanding. By sharing these, individuals can help build a more connected and supportive community.
• Advocate for Inclusivity: Be an advocate for DEIB in everyday interactions. Challenge biases, speak up for inclusivity and support policies and practices that promote equity and belonging.
• Provide Feedback and Support: Offer constructive feedback and support to the DEIB team. Your insights can help refine and improve initiatives, ensuring they meet the needs of the entire community.
By embracing these actions, each member of the CON community can contribute to building a culture of inclusivity and belonging, ensuring that everyone feels valued and heard.
Empowering Patients to Manage Their Own Symptoms
By Kimberly McGhee, Ph.D., Assistant Professor & Science Writer
Last July, Teresa Kelechi, Ph.D., the David and Margaret Clare Endowed Chair and associate dean of research at the MUSC College of Nursing, was one of only 22 nursing researchers worldwide to be inducted by the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony was held at the honor society’s 2023 conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The new inductees, like the 270 nurse researchers already in the Hall of Fame, were selected because they had achieved significant national and international recognition and improved the profession of nursing and the people it serves through their research.
“I am honored to be joining this group of highly prestigious nurse scientists who have taken their research to the next level and who are improving people’s health and quality of life,” said Kelechi.
Kelechi, an internationally recognized expert in wound care, has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and been awarded $10 million in government grant funding for her research, including $5 million in the past five years.
But those are not the metrics by which Kelechi measures the impact of her research. For that, she goes back to the advice a mentor once gave her: “It’s not always about publish or perish. It’s about changing patient care, changing policy or developing a product that
improves the lives of the people for whom we provide our care and our research.” Taking that guidance to heart, she has centered her clinical practice and research on improving the lives of geriatric patients.
She earned a master’s in gerontological nursing from Case Western Reserve University in 1984 and eventually a doctorate in nursing from MUSC and the University of South Carolina in 2001. In her clinical practice at MUSC, she directed the Skin Integrity Clinic from 2001 to 2008, which focused on wound care. She saw firsthand how leg ulcers, which can occur in those with vascular conditions and diabetes, affected people’s quality of life.
“They would always tell me, ‘Please, please do something for my pain and please do something for my itch,’” said Kelechi. “They wanted to feel better and be active in their communities.”
As part of her clinical work, Kelechi often traveled to remote areas of the state, where many could not access or afford health care. Some of the patients she visited reused their leg dressings or resorted to home remedies to manage the pain and itch of the ulcers. “We had patients who would develop their own wound treatments, such as a man who would use cobwebs,” said Kelechi. “Others would use natural things from the woods or use different ingredients to make plasters to manage the symptoms caused by these ulcers.”
Kelechi’s research grew out of a desire
to help these patients to manage their symptoms more effectively. She established a now widely recognized and implemented protocol for preventing venous leg ulcers in those with vascular conditions. The protocol reduced leg ulcers 18% more than what was then the standard of care.
Venous leg ulcers form when the leg becomes inflamed, causing the skin to redden and crack. Kelechi led clinical trials showing that a patient could reduce the risk of developing a leg ulcer by self-monitoring the temperature of the leg, and if the temperature was elevated, applying a cooling gel pack to the affected area.
In her clinical research, Kelechi tested various technologies for monitoring skin changes due to inflammation, from expensive skin physiological monitors to various forms of thermometers. She collaborated with bioengineers to create a cooling gel pack and was inducted into the Charleston Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors in 2017 for her efforts.
Always motivated by a desire to help people to manage their own symptoms better, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds, she established the efficacy of now inexpensive infrared thermometers for measuring skin temperature. Coupled with widely available cheap cooling packs, implementing the selfmonitoring protocol she established is now within everyone’s reach.
“Today people can buy a $10 infrared thermometer and a cheap cooling gel patch and be able to self-manage pretty well,” said Kelechi. “It’s important to me to empower patients to be the directors of their own health.”
Kelechi is currently researching the impact that loneliness and social isolation have on these patients’ ability to heal, and she continues to be interested in the ways that wearable technologies can be used to help patients to self-monitor and manage their own symptoms.
Kelechi’s research has also informed health care policy. “I went to the Hill and spoke to legislators and staffers about the importance of people wearing protective footwear to prevent foot ulcers,” said Kelechi of a trip to D.C. Thanks to advocacy by Kelechi and others, Congress opted to renew a bill that supported their assertions of the importance of therapeutic footwear.
Kelechi believes that a focus on improving symptom management is the “special sauce” that nurses bring to research.
“As nurses, we have been taking care of patients in a wide variety of venues – at the bedside in the hospital, at home, in nursing homes and in community settings,” she said. “Nurse researchers bring a unique perspective because it’s from the lens of the patient, the family and their community and how what they’re dealing with affects their day-to-day ability to take care of themselves.”
Kelechi is proud that this unique perspective has made nurse-scientists valued members of interdisciplinary clinical research teams. “Every one of
the grant applications coming out of the College of Nursing has a colleague in either another college or a different discipline,” she explained.
She has also worked with the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research (SCTR) Institute since its inception to improve clinical trial infrastructure and recruitment, particularly among older adults and other underrepresented populations. Her work with SCTR reflects her love of technology and her commitment to disadvantaged communities. She has worked with teams at SCTR and the Biomedical Informatics Center to explore the role of artificial intelligence in identifying people eligible for trials based on their electronic health records. As promising as this new approach is, she doesn’t think it will ever replace the human touch or community engagement when it comes to encouraging clinical trial participation in disadvantaged populations.
“We now recruit from MyChart and people who are patients in the hospital or ambulatory patients,” said Kelechi. “However, there are people who do not have an opportunity to engage in research because they’re not in those systems. So my philosophy has always been to get out there in the community and offer people these opportunities.”
Kelechi is also generous in sharing the expertise and insights she has gained in her more than 40-year clinical and research career with the next generation of nurse scientists. As the associate dean for Research and Ph.D. Studies at the MUSC College of Nursing, Kelechi directly supports the engagement of faculty and students at all levels of nursing education in clinical
research opportunities and scholarship. Almost half of her publications have been co-authored with mentees, and three of her mentees have gone on to secure career development awards from the National Institutes of Health.
She tries to instill in her mentees the same focus on improving patients’ lives that her mentor passed on to her. In 2017, Kelechi was honored with the Peggy Schachte Mentor Award that recognized her contributions as a mentor to all levels of students and colleagues across disciplines. This is one of the awards of which Kelechi is most proud.
“I think it’s taking time with mentees not only to talk about the technical aspects or the grant-writing aspects. You also must challenge them to think about the ‘so what’ question – why the research matters and how it influences patients and patient care,” said Kelechi. “That’s hard to teach people unless you can show them what it means and give them examples. I do it from my own research, and they love to see the progression.”
“Nurse researchers bring a unique perspective because it’s from the lens of the patient, the family and their community.”
—Dr. Teresa Kelechi
Pathways
CON’S DREAM TEAM
In April, CON’s Student Nurses Association received a 2024 MUSC Student Organization Award for Excellence in Service, and CON Student Government Association president Polina O’Brien was honored with the 2024 Student Leadership Award. Both groups spearhead community outreach and service projects throughout the year. A special kudos to their faculty advisors: Dr. Chris Hairfield and Dr. Dawn Terzulli (SNA) and Dr. Amy Smith and Dr. Megan Honaker (SGA).
Worth a Thousand Words: Student Innovators Make Their Mark
Student innovators Lauren Figura and Erin Grimsley presented as finalists of the university-wide Student Pitch Competition during MUSC’s annual Innovation Week. As Accelerated BSN students, they each envisioned creative, memorable ideas to help fellow nursing students learn rigorous course material. Named the winner of the entire competition, Figura received seed money from MUSC’s Office of Innovation to help make her “Pharm Phriends” flashcards a reality. We can’t wait to see these ideas take flight!
Lauren Figura | “Pharm Phriends” flashcards
Innovative idea and goals:
My healthcare solution that I will be presenting at Innovation Week is “Pharm Phriends”! First semester of nursing school, in our pharmacology class, I started to struggle with remembering every aspect of each drug that we were tested on. As a visual learner, I began to draw characters that represented each drug, using different traits and details to represent how they work in the body, their therapeutic use, adverse effects, as well as important nursing considerations. I shared my creations with classmates and began to realize that my idea could truly help others to not only memorize the drugs but also grasp a better understanding of them for future use. I hope to turn my characters into drug flashcards and share them with other students across the country.
What inspired you to enter the Innovation competition?
My professor, Dr. Amy Smith. After sharing my idea with her, she encouraged me to take it seriously and create a production and distribution plan. I am so thankful for her support and am beyond excited to be able to turn this into a physical product one day.
As a student and future nurse, what does innovation mean to you?
Growing up, I was always a very creative learner. I had a passion for art and creation; however I ultimately loved science more when I got to high school. However, I continued to use art as an outlet in my free time. Being able to express this years later in nursing school is something that I never would have expected. Innovation, in the sense of “Pharm Phriends” ultimately means that I will be able to help other students. Nursing school is challenging to say the least, and to be able to share my ideas with others with this intention would mean everything to me!
Erin Grimsley | “Synapshot –See It to Retrieve It”
Innovative idea and goals:
Medication mistakes are recognized as the top contributor to nursing errors. The literature reflects that pharmacology errors by nurses are often due to a knowledge deficit or due to lack of knowledge maintenance. Here at MUSC we are extremely well-equipped in our pharmacology courses. However, as I was studying for my first semester, cumulative Pathopharmacology exam, I recognized that there were certain drugs that I was having difficulty remembering. Namely, the drugs from the beginning of the semester when I was using the flashcard method to memorize them. I was also having difficulty differentiating drugs that were similar or in the same class.
Therefore, I knew I needed some type of visual to anchor each drug in my mind. I began to make graphics using images and loose word associations to help me recall each one. My goal was to create stories and pictures that I could retain. It is essential that these drugs are stored in long-term memory and that they are retrievable. These graphics are tailored to MUSC’s pathopharmacology courses. Therefore, my hope is that if these graphics can help future students retain these drugs, then it will also increase their confidence, and hopefully, thereby, minimize medication errors in their future practice.
What inspired you to enter the Innovation competition?
One of our awesome nursing professors saw some of the graphics I had created and encouraged me to enter the competition. When I began thinking about the potential of this project, and how it could help future students, I was motivated to see where this could lead. I believe that caring and competency go hand-in-hand when it comes to nursing. In other words, caring nurses seek to be competent. We are all working toward that goal, and if these graphics can help current and future nursing students learn and maintain the knowledge that they have been equipped with to be competent, then I want to share them. I am so humbled and honored to be a part of this Innovation Week student pitch.
As a student and future nurse, what does innovation mean to you?
Innovation, to me, means adapting through creative problem-solving. Being a nurse means working with different people, who respond to interventions in their own unique ways, in an everchanging environment. Every day nurses are faced with challenges that require creative solutions. In essence, these solutions are the art of nursing science. Therefore, I believe that innovation relies heavily on five components: excellent observation skills to identify problems, investigative skills to find the root of that issue, problem solvingskills to find a solution, and creativity to implement it with the resources on hand.
But with all of that said, the last, and perhaps the biggest key to innovation, is the follow-through. Many people can and will say, “well, I could have thought of that, or I could have done that,” but they didn’t. Innovation is an action-oriented process. The beauty of nursing is that there is always an abundance of opportunities to innovate in an effort to improve patient care and patient outcomes, and that excites me.
A special thanks to MUSC College of Nursing faculty members Dr. Alli Adrian, Dr. Amy Smith and Dr. Dawn Terzulli for their mentorship and encouragement for student innovation.
Staying the Course: Veteran’s Military Experiences Shape Her Career Path
By Jennifer A. Turner, Director of Communications and Marketing, MUSC College of Nursing
When veteran Breana “Bre” Wilken entered MUSC College of Nursing’s Accelerated BSN program last fall, it was the fulfillment of a dream that began over a decade ago when she first joined the Air Force.
“The military is the entire reason that I ended up on this career path,” Wilken said. “I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so I joined the military and was given a random job. I attribute a lot of who I am today to my time in the military.”
After training to become an aerospace medical technician, Wilken knew she wanted to pursue nursing. However, the needs of her growing family took precedence. “I had large plans for life that involved going through nursing school 11 years ago, but God had different ones,” she noted. “I had four kids in five years, and in 2018, my husband and I moved our family to Clemson so that he could finish his undergraduate degree.”
In addition to juggling family life, Wilken worked full-time as an EMT in a 911 system in Oconee County. “It was at this time that my passion for healthcare sparked back to life,” she said. “I loved getting to care for patients pre-hospital but always longed to be able to continue their care after we handed them over to the nurse in the emergency department. In 2020, my husband was commissioned back into the Air Force, and I jumped feet-first into finishing my pre-requisites for nursing school. For two years, I did school full time to accomplish this goal.”
Coursework was not the only hurdle Wilken faced while pursuing her nursing dreams. With an active-duty husband, she had little control over where they would move to next. “I had to apply for the 2022-23 cohort and then ask for a deferral so I could provide the Air Force with a proof of acceptance,” she shared. “I prayed every day that I would get to attend MUSC, and God answered those prayers.”
Now in her third semester, Wilken credits the community she’s found at MUSC College of Nursing with helping her thrive. “The ABSN program has provided me with so much support, from faculty always being in my corner cheering me on to my classmates picking me up on my harder days,” she emphasized. “In the first couple weeks of courses, I often sat in class after lecture to utilize my lunch time to get as much work and studying done as possible. Dr. Amy Smith would always check on me and give the best encouragement when I felt like I was struggling balancing school while being a mother and a wife. My favorite experience as a student has been forming lifelong relationships with my classmates and finding amazing mentors within the faculty.”
Now with six months to go, Wilken is counting down the days until graduation and starting a career in a field she loves. “My first plan is to relax and take a vacation with my husband and children, since he’ll just be returning from deployment,” she smiled. “We want to spend uninterrupted time
together to celebrate his coming home and my finishing a goal I have wanted for the last 11 years. My hope is to work in the emergency department, as emergency medicine has always been my passion, but I am open to working in any area.”
For Wilken, her military experiences have not only shaped her career path but also helped instill the strength to stay the course. When asked to share her insight for prospective veteran students considering nursing school, she didn’t hesitate: “Do it. As veterans, we are equipped with the mental tenacity and discipline to make it through nursing school. It’s not easy, but just like basic, it doesn’t get easier, you just learn more and apply it. I’m so grateful for the privilege of attending the College of Nursing at MUSC.”
Four Facts about Breana:
• I have never lived in one location more than 5 years since I was born.
• My four kids, husband and my name all start with B.
• Our family activities include doing Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu.
• The best piece of advice I have ever received was from my dad when I was in high school. He told me, “You can learn something from everyone. You can either learn who and what you want to be, or you can learn who and what you DON’T want to be.”
A Global Health Learning Experience in Costa Rica
By Suparna Qanungo, Ph.D. Director of Global Health, MUSC College of Nursing
The value and importance of global experience in nursing education is increasingly being recognized to grow the nursing profession. Due to the increased interconnectedness and globalization of our communities, there is a growing need for culturally competent nurses and healthcare professionals. To prepare nurses in caring for diverse patient populations, through the MUSC College of Nursing Global Health initiative, we partnered with the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) to develop a customized global health program for nursing students. Seven baccalaureate students participated in the program and traveled to Costa Rica in December 2023, to enhance their clinical and cultural knowledge.
During the 10-day program, students spent time in clinical shadowing with local healthcare professionals, engaged in community awareness initiatives for individuals with physical and mental disabilities and for the empowering of women, participated in mobile outreach clinics to underserved communities to assist with delivering healthcare and engaged in educational exchange with two local nursing schools in Costa Rica and Ecuador. As one student shared, “I really appreciated hearing about and comparing students’ experiences in different countries.” After returning from the trip, students were required to reflect on their experiences and present in local interprofessional platforms to enhance their scholarly aptitude. They worked together to develop a poster which they presented during MUSC Global Health week. They also gave oral presentations about their experience to their classmates in the Accelerated BSN courses.
Overall, the goal for students who completed this program was to develop global health knowledge and a broader view of a nurse’s role as a compassionate provider of health services and advocate for the care of the underserved/vulnerable. Also, they learned to appreciate the social, political, economic and cultural barriers that exist for underserved/vulnerable individuals and families/ communities. In the nursing profession, it is very important to be sensitive to and aware of cultural differences patients
may have, and having a global perspective adds value to the student’s professional development.
My greatest moments were to see how well our students worked together as a team supporting each other throughout the trip and to realize how much of an impact this global health experience had on them both professionally and personally.
This trip was funded by the Mary Swain Endowment with assistance from the Falks-Griffin Endowment. Thank you to our incredible donors.
Excerpts from Student Reflections
“I think we all have gained a huge appreciation for any patient who does not speak English and the challenges they face in the US.”
—Lisa Harlan
“This [mobile clinic] experience was really eye opening and humbling to me. I believe it was the most important experience I could have had on this trip.”
—Erin Grimsley
“Today we assisted with the mobile clinic, and I was bouncing around from waiting room, to exam, to coloring with kids. I had never seen how a mobile clinic operates before, and it was informative! The importance of teamwork was evident today.”
—Maggie
Hartman
“I very much liked the team effort involved [in the pharmacy] when clarifying dosages and calculations before dispensing medication to patients. This is the kind of competence I will carry with me in my future nursing career and when it comes to providing patient care.”
—Angel Ramirez
“The most interesting part was the ability to listen and observe an adolescent psychiatric consultation. I have never sat in on a consult. The consultation was the most meaningful to me. This global experience helped me gain a sense of self and made me realize this is why I chose this profession.”
—Alexis Gontz
“I was in charge of making sure the pills were counted correctly and put into bags labeled with the drug, writing down the directions for it and also educating the patients. Day one was fun and very informative.”
—Kailah Green
“The experience deepened my understanding of culture and how it relates to patient care. Witnessing the resilience and joy of the community members was so humbling and special. Overall, this global experience surpassed my expectations and truly promoted my personal and professional growth as I pursue my career in nursing.”
—Sarah Missroon
Students Who Inspire: Kesha Levesque
Ph.D. student Kesha Levesque, RN, BSN, MBA/HCM shares what inspires her journey as a nurse scientist and how she’s motivated each day to use her research to change what’s possible for patients.
Why is nursing your passion?
I grew up in a community-oriented environment, and helping people was, and still is, a part of my culture. When people are in their most vulnerable states, it is often the nurse who can help patients move from illness to recovery, and if I can be a part of that journey, it brings me joy. As humans, we all go through something, but overcoming challenging moments shows growth, grit, and strength, which I saw the people in my community display.
What do you find most fulfilling about your work?
I get so excited when my patients finally get “the call” to report to the hospital to receive their organs. Patients have to wait several years before they receive a kidney transplant when no living donor is available, so when the wait is finally over, it brings me so much joy.
What have you found most valuable about your experience in MUSC’s Ph.D. program?
Mentorship and faculty availability. Faculty are always available to answer questions. If I need help understanding a concept, they take the time to explain it and provide additional resources that can help.
How has it helped you grow as a researcher and nurse scientist?
Mentorship has given me the confidence to ask the right questions
and remain curious. As a researcher and nurse scientist, asking questions and being curious will help me understand my patients’ challenges and be curiously creative in solving those problems.
What is your research focus and what are your future goals professionally?
My research focuses on disparities in kidney transplantation. African Americans are often less likely to be placed on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, and I am investigating what impact Social Determinants of Health have on rates of waitlisting for African American patients diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease. In the future, I would like to become a Principal Investigator to conduct multi-site studies across the country and secure funding to address the documented disparities in kidney transplantation. I also hope to one day have a significant role at the National Institutes of Health, namely the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
Why is peer support and mentorship such an important part of your Ph.D. experience?
Peer support is critical when going through a rigorous Ph.D. program like MUSC's. My peers understand the challenges, and we have each other to lean on when the work gets tough. I would not be at this point in my journey without my cohort.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
1. Take care of yourself! On an airplane, the safety features explained when you are flying say, “Put on your oxygen mask first before helping others.” Taking care of yourself means eating well and building time in your day to decompress because it allows you to think. Being well physically and mentally will allow you to focus and give 100 percent of yourself.
2. Focus on one thing at a time. You cannot give 100 percent of yourself to each task if you are distracted by other things, so be present in the moment.
Kesha shares more about her experiences in the Ph.D. program: Scan the QR code to watch or visit bit.ly/ KeshaLevesque
BUILDING BRIDGES TO MENTAL HEALTH
As director for Next Steps, Dr. Amy Williams leads an innovative behavioral healthcare program that supports young patients through integrated and collaborative care. It’s just one of many ways that MUSC College of Nursing is addressing the growing need for mental health care in South Carolina and beyond.
NEXT STEPS
As behavioral healthcare diagnoses like anxiety and depression continue to rise in the pediatric population, the expansion of behavioral healthcare models is essential to meet the needs of pediatric patients. Next Steps, a unique partnership between MUSC College of Nursing and the nonprofit PASOs, is an evidenced-based behavioral healthcare program housed within MUSC Children’s Health University Pediatrics. Founded by Dr. Amy Williams and Dr. Cathy Durham in 2022 with a $750,000 Duke Endowment grant, Next Steps has created new pathways to care for children and families experiencing behavioral healthcare concerns, especially in the first-generation Latin American population.
Next Steps Program director Dr. Williams and Program Coordinator Gabriela Ruiz-Coss recently took a moment from their busy schedule to share more about this innovative and impactful program.
What are the goals of Next Steps? What gaps does it help fill?
Dr. Amy Williams (AW): The primary goal of Next Steps is to infuse behavioral healthcare services into pediatric primary care. Pediatric primary care providers have a longstanding relationship with families that is deeply rooted in trust and mutual respect. We see children from birth through their twenties in many instances. It is our job to provide children with holistic care that considers the mindbody connection that gives us all optimal health.
The genesis of our grant application was, if we could build a behavioral healthcare pathway for patients in their primary care settings, then more children would be served and maintain enrollment in care through a point where they would experience changes that had impact on their overall well-being. Research tells us that by doing this, children have capacity for enhanced relationships with family, friends and other trusted adults like teachers, increased success at school and higher self-esteem/self-worth.
Next Steps became a program at a time when children in these clinics were waiting up to a year to get into behavioral healthcare providers. It fills the gap of this waiting time by giving children front line access to behavioral healthcare within their primary care sites. In addition, we prioritize integrating cultural sensitivity in the program by having a full-time community health worker who engages with our patients, meeting them where they are to optimize their behavioral healthcare outcomes through care integration and community-based resources.
Why is it so important to offer Next Steps’ services within a child’s or adolescent’s primary care medical home?
AW: Seeking services for behavioral healthcare conditions remains stigmatized in the United States and beyond. The unfortunate reality for many is that multiple factors contribute to a family’s willingness to seek care for their children when they have behavioral health concerns. Putting Next Steps within the primary care clinics allows a known and trusted pediatric healthcare provider to have sensitive conversations with patients and families about the need for them to seek this specialty-level care.
After this conversation, the pediatric providers can make a warm handoff to the co-located Next Steps team, made up of a PASOs community health worker, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and two licensed professional counselors. This referral process demonstrates to patients and families that these specialists are another element of their primary care team. Our community health worker, Gaby Ruiz-Coss, leads the collaboration between the behavioral and physical health teams by putting patients at the center of this care team model.
Gaby, what do you enjoy most about your work as Next Step’s program coordinator?
Gaby Ruiz-Coss (GR-C): Being able to bridge the connection between patients and families with their providers and local community resources has been one of the most gratifying aspects of my current role. I have witnessed a great need for mental health services from coast to coast and being able to be a part of the solution by helping build the Next Steps program from the ground up has been quite compelling. Since the Next Steps is still a relatively new program, the vast amount of opportunity for innovative problem solving has been highly rewarding.
Tell me more about Next Steps’ partnership with SC PASOs— how do you support each other to best serve patients and their families?
AW: When we wrote the grant, we intentionally included a key and longtime community partner, PASOs of South Carolina. PASOs means steps in Spanish; they are a Latin American advocacy association headquartered in Columbia, SC within the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. We have worked with PASOs for many years and know firsthand the impact that they have on our communities throughout the state.
Each of the clinics that the Next Steps program serves provides care to first-generation Latin American immigrant children. PASOs provides an essential framework for community health workers across the state. The community health worker model of service where individuals in this role share lived experiences with the participants is known to increase and maintain enrollment in programs like Next Steps.
GR-C: Although mental health services are the primary focus for the Next Steps program, patients’ social determinants of health are also assessed. The provider(s) and I will work together to better understand the patient’s circumstances for adequate treatment in addition to helping refer the patient and/or family to the appropriate services or supports that are available in their area. At the moment, resources in South Carolina are quite limited for all communities, especially for the Hispanic population. So, making new connections with other organizations and schools is one of the best ways that MUSC and PASOs have been able to support each other in their respective goals.
Gaby, your role is so important in helping connect patients and families to the services and resources they need. What motivates you to do this critical work?
GR-C: As a first-generation Latin American myself, I have lived similar experiences that most of our patients and their respective families are facing today. On numerous occasions, my family and I had to resort to the many resources and services to which I am now able to connect our patients and families. I knew early on, I wanted to be a part of a team that would allow me to give back to my community and I feel like I’ve found it.
What impact has Next Steps made so far, and how would you like to see it grow?
AW: Next Steps has successfully provided behavioral healthcare to over 200 unique patients in the first year of services. We have patients that have completed psychotherapy (counseling services) and been discharged from the program, providing space for additional patients to receive care. Long term, we would like to have the capacity to provide behavioral healthcare to all children and families that require this level of care. We are proving a model that can be sustainable to primary care practices across the state, and we would like the opportunity to partner with other primary care sites to more inclusively build out behavioral healthcare services in primary care.
GR-C: We have been able to connect and collaborate with schools and other support programs to provide best patient care. The time taken to work out the logistical details (including collecting multiple ROIs) has been worthwhile because of the results in patient progress that have been noted at school, at home and by the referring primary provider. The communities we serve most definitely inspire me to continue working toward seeking the success and longevity of the Next Steps program.
A Beautiful Mind: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Empowers Patients and Destigmatizes Mental Health Care
By Jennifer A. Turner, Director of Communications and Marketing, MUSC College of Nursing
Flashing through his mind like a movie reel, the memories come fast for Josh Moran Jiménez, DNP, R.N.: a relative with schizophrenia, the family friend in college who died by suicide, peers who struggled with their mental health. More resources, less stigma and perhaps most importantly, easy access to a health care professional specifically trained to help: How else could their lives have been changed for the better?
For Moran Jiménez, helping to provide the answers has become an integral part of his lifelong journey.
Patient Empowerment
In May, Moran Jiménez graduated from MUSC’s College of Nursing (CON) with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP), psychiatric mental health specialization. The milestone capped quite a year for Moran Jiménez, who was named MUSC Health-Charleston’s Certified Nurse of the Year in March for his exceptional, collaborative work as an assistant nurse manager at the Institute of Psychiatry (IOP). The achievement is all the more significant considering that Moran Jiménez entered the nursing profession only five years ago. In some ways, however, Moran Jiménez has been preparing his whole life for his calling.
Growing up in Hamilton, Ohio, he recognized early on the fulfillment
found in helping others and believed his path would lead to medical school. Once in college, though, his work as a mentor sparked a new passion.
“I started as a pre-med student but switched to psychology because when I became a resident assistant, the first-year students who were on my floor would come in and talk with me,” shared Moran Jiménez. “I would check in on them, and I was taking a psychology class and thought, ‘You know what, I really like this psychology stuff.’”
Armed with an undergrad degree in psychology, he headed south to Charleston to explore job prospects, but none allowed him to make any significant difference in people’s lives. His aunt was the one who finally landed on the solution: mental health nurse. Within the year, he was enrolled in CON’s accelerated bachelor of science (ABSN) degree program, an intense 16-month, four-semester curriculum that partners closely with MUSC’s academic health system. The rewarding experience not only introduced Moran Jiménez to his profession but also to his future colleagues at IOP, where he began working soon after graduation.
“While we see our patients during acute crisis stabilization, it’s still a good feeling to know you are making a difference in someone else’s life, even
if for a short time,” he said. “Mental health does not discriminate, and many of us have known someone personally, either a family member, friend or classmate who has died by suicide.”
For Moran Jiménez, his work offers the privilege of providing support during one of the worst times in someone’s life.
“We want to make people feel safe and build a relationship of trust to encourage them to focus on their hopes for coming to the hospital,” he noted. “What are they wanting to change in their lives, and how can we
Photo by Sarah Pack
help reinforce that positive change? We can’t just fix everything in their lives for them, but if we can plant seeds by asking reflective questions about what steps they need to take, it empowers our patients and makes their care more patient-centered.”
Peer Mentorship
It wasn’t long into his nursing career before Moran Jiménez recognized the value in continuing his education and soon entered CON’s DNP program. “Working in psych mental health on the inpatient unit and seeing the team rounding felt full circle, because during the ABSN program, they shared with us the opportunity to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner, and I wanted to learn how I could advocate for nursing and for our patients,” he said. As part of the curriculum, students learn to assess problems in their work environments as opportunities for improvement, and Moran Jiménez immediately identified an area of need.
“I was involved with my shared governance council and saw an opportunity where we could improve care for our patients by reducing seclusion rates by going through the process of an assessment form,” he said. “How can we identify what a patient’s triggers are or what patterns of escalation occur so that we can be more proactive? It’s a patient-centered approach of knowing what the patient says agitates them and what they prefer for de-escalation or how they prefer to regulate their emotions.”
Implemented in October, the quality improvement project not only gained the support of unit champions, whom Moran Jiménez helped to mentor in his role as project lead, but also was
recognized in his MUSC Certified Nurse of the Year nomination.
Moran Jiménez was honored for his commitment to reducing workplace violence toward care team members, supporting health equity initiatives and pursuing personal development that directly affects the quality of his patient care. Over the last five years, Moran Jiménez has achieved multiple certifications in his specialty, including Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, Certified Addiction Registered Nurse, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse – board certified and Nurse Executive –board certified. Last fall, he obtained a graduate certificate in health informatics while still in the DNP program and working full time.
“As a student, Josh exemplified what it means to be an outstanding learner,” asserted CON faculty member Hannah Robidoux, DNP, APRN. “He was driven by a passion and willingness to learn to ensure his future success and continual growth in the field of mental health. He already is and will continue to grow as a visionary leader in the field, making transformative advancements in mental health care.”
Lifting the Stigma
Embarking on the next stage of his career, Moran Jiménez wants to remain focused on where he can do the most good. As a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, he has more options to increase patient access to mental health services and shape the profession. He also looks forward to helping to develop new avenues of advocacy to reduce the stigma of mental health care. “I feel like each person is on a journey in their life, and we all are impacted by different
psychosocial stressors,” he emphasized. “We need to recognize the connection of mental health with people’s physical health and how to foster healthy coping skills, as well as normalize seeking treatment for mental health symptoms. It’s normal to say, ‘I need a day off because I have to go to the dentist,’ and it’s also OK if somebody needs a day off because they have to go to their counselor. People shouldn’t feel guilt or shame surrounding it.”
For Moran Jiménez, nurses play a central role in normalizing and propagating that message. “We’re helping to reduce the stigma. We’re bridging the gap in access to care, and we’re recruiting and mentoring nurses in the specialty of psychiatric mental health,” he noted. “I feel very fortunate being here at MUSC because of the passion and the care.”
Moran Jiménez with his supportive husband, Andres, whom he married last July.
In Depth: Dr. Simone Chinnis, Director of Community Engagement
As MUSC College of Nursing’s Director of Community Engagement, Simone Chinnis, DNP, MBA, APRN, FNP-C, AE-C, is building bridges of connection to improve lives across South Carolina.
Why is community engagement so critical to CON’s mission?
Community engagement at CON is critical to the 1) creation of innovative methods to improve health outcomes, 2) formation of practice partnerships for both faculty and students and 3) development of policies to elicit upstream change. Through community engagement, we are exposed to societal factors, systems, that are in place that adversely impact the health of our patients. Community engagement will create opportunities for CON’s faculty and staff to develop bidirectional, meaningful relationships with community members while eliciting a sense of social responsibility and resulting in all parties becoming agents of change.
We are all part of the community where our College is located, where we practice and where we reside. Our patients cannot just be those that we encounter within the walls of our office, within clinics where we practice. If we are trying to elicit change, the profession of nursing has to get to a point where we realize what is happening around us and feel a sense of responsibility for those occurrences. This is the type of experience that I would like to curate within the College of Nursing. Of course, this aligns with OneMUSC and CON’s strategic plan.
What are your top priorities as CON’s Director of Community Engagement? Where are the most pressing needs?
My top priority as the Director of Community Engagement is to create a strategic plan for engagement. CON is an entity that has numerous foci—e.g. creation of a culture of belonging, acceptance, equity, and respect; increase student recruitment; growth in our use of innovative technology; and etc. As we grow within the space of community engagement, we must ensure that we move with intentionality in this space, meeting CON’s strategic needs and the strategic needs for MUSC. This is important to ensure that we are creating long-lasting relationships that are supported by the institution.
As the director of the PARTNER program, you’ve experienced firsthand how innovation can revolutionize behavioral health care for rural and historically underserved populations. Why is community engagement so critical in building these bridges of connection?
In order to understand the needs of the community, one must be connected to the community. This connection can be formed through community engagement. Members of the community should provide
recommendations pertaining to the community’s needs/interests and serve as an integral part of the decisionmaking process for initiatives. This will elicit a higher level of community investment and ensure that the initiative is birthed from the community and not an imperialistic venture.
How is CON making a difference in behavioral health in SC?
CON is increasing the number of behavioral health providers in South Carolina, enhancing workforce readiness and advancing behavioral health equity by using technology to develop innovative models to improve behavioral health care outcomes. Specifically:
• CON is impacting behavioral health in South Carolina by increasing the number of behavioral health providers by training the next generation of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP) through our graduate and certification programs. In fact, CON was awarded a $1.2 HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training – Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults (BHWET-CAY) grant to increase academicpractice partnerships in behavioral health.
“In order to understand the needs of the community, one must be connected to the community.”
—Dr. Simone Chinnis
• Additionally, we are enhancing workforce readiness through the Psychiatric Advanced Practice Registered Nurse TechNology Enhanced Residency (PARTNER) Program, which is a remote tele-mental traineeship that was originally funded by the Duke Endowment to provide additional training to newly certified PMHNPs as they provide care to patients across the state of South Carolina.
PARTNER is a partnership between CON, MUSC Outpatient Telehealth and the MUSC Health Institute of Psychiatry. PARTNER’s purpose is to advance behavioral health equity through telehealth with a targeted focus on remote populations and creation of a collaborative relationship with primary care providers.
• CON is leading the charge by providing integrative collaborative
care through Next Steps, which provides both culturally and linguistically appropriate services to patients. Next Steps, which is a grant funded by the Duke Endowment, is a behavioral health program that is embedded within MUSC Children’s Health Pediatric Primary Care, providing services to patients affiliated with their Northwoods and Moncks Corner clinics. This clinical program is collaborative in nature as well, promoting a close partnership between the behavioral health team (licensed professional counselors, PMHNPs, and community health workers) and primary care providers.
• Another program that is affiliated with CON is the Trauma/ Telehealth Resilience and Recovery Program (TRRP), which focuses on patients’ emotional recovery after they have experienced a
traumatic injury through the provision of “education, screening, assessment, referrals and mental health treatment or behavior therapy.”
In your role, you’re a powerful advocate for CON partnering with community organizations to create impact. How can others support and magnify this critical work?
Others can support this work by becoming involved. Serve as a volunteer at local organizations. Begin to develop relationships with people who possess different interests and/ or characteristics from you. Notice the systems that impact the lives of others and become involved in advocacy. Partner with communities because you care, which will probably elicit a sense of societal responsibility and then become an agent of change.
Peace and Plenty: HRSA Grant Fuels Student’s Dream
By Lisa Moody Breslin
When Peace Roseau, DNP, R.N., graduated this past May from MUSC College of Nursing as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, it was a significant step in her lifelong commitment to heal and serve others, especially youths who live in rural areas where access to mental health providers is limited and far from equitable.
Roseau’s senior year became even brighter when she learned that she was an honored recipient of a $12,500 award from the Behavioral Health Workforce Education in Training: Children and Adolescents and Young Adults program. Roseau’s award is a small slice of a $1.2 million Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to MUSC College of Nursing — a grant to increase innovative academic-practice partnerships to prepare psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner students to care for children, adolescents and young adults, according to Joy Lauerer, DNP, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, who co-wrote the grant with Hannah Robidoux, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC.
“The money offers another level of comfort for me,” shared Roseau in February. “As with any program, expenses are not cheap. I can finish strong now. I’ve used the money to offset the cost of tuition and books. I also got a new laptop, which has really helped with clinicals.” To date, 11 students, part time and full time, have received stipends from the HRSA grant, which MUSC College of Nursing received in September of 2023.
The path that Roseau has taken to become a psychiatric mental health nurse has been filled with impressive experiences that offered what she describes as a “glimpse of everything.” She experienced health care from the perspective of nurses, technicians and providers. She interviewed patients and heard recovery stories, as well as triumphs over trauma. “It was, and still is, very humbling,” said Roseau.
A Nigerian whose parents immigrated to the United States in the late 1980s, Roseau imagined when she started school at MUSC College of Nursing that she would follow in the footsteps of her mother, Esther Ajukwa, in general medicine. But one day, during a psychiatric clinical, Roseau experienced her “aha!” moment. It was a moment that tapped her heart and her sense of logic, she explained.
“I remember shadowing a nurse practitioner who was with a patient,” Roseau said. “When the other nursing students and I huddled for discussion, the first thing I said was, ‘I want to be a psych nurse. This is what I want to do with my life.’” For four years she has worked on an acute inpatient youth psychiatric unit — an MUSC unit that specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry. She helps patients between the ages of five and 17, and she is trained in child and adolescent psycho pharmacology, psychotherapy techniques and de-escalation.
For Roseau, one situation in particular solidified that she is exactly where she needs to be. “We had a child here for
eight months who struggled to navigate some horrible situations. He was tough to care for, which was completely understandable given the uncertainties in his life,” Roseau explained. “We made strides, and then we would pull back as he made strides and then regressed. We were his family.”
Eventually, Roseau and the health care team learned that the child would be moving in with a loving aunt and uncle. “He became so anxious about leaving us; his face was red for hours,” Roseau added. “But now we get positive updates regularly. He is ahead of his class academically, and his social skills did a 180. With the help of others, he used the tools that he learned here.”
Roseau’s pride in her MUSC training, experiences and opportunities is immense. “Our professors and clinical instructors were all nurses at some point; they understand the importance of a holistic approach to nursing,” Roseau said. “They can relate to us and teach us using their nursing experiences, and they have an opendoor policy.” Roseau’s commitment to heal and her passion to serve others is equally firm.
“I chose to go back to school to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner because of the rise in mental health crises in the United States, specifically in disadvantaged populations,” she said. “Now I know that I can continue to help those disadvantaged from access to proper mental health care.”
Psychotherapy Training in the PMHNP Program
By Joy Lauerer, DNP, APRN, PMHCNS-BC and Hannah Robidoux, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Designed to equip students with necessary skills, MUSC’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program offers a strong curriculum that includes both psychopharmacology and psychotherapy training. It is one of the few DNP programs in the nation to integrate and scaffold cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment, a CBT program focused on children and adolescents), and motivational interviewing, as well as others. As MUSC is home to the National Crime Victims Research & Treatment Center, this also provides students an opportunity to complete trauma-focused CBT training in an online format.
MUSC College of Nursing has recently developed a pilot program
to teach psychodynamic therapy to PMHNP students and advanced practice registered nurse fellows. This pilot program encompasses not only psychodynamic psychotherapy training but also a case supervision component providing extensive support, guided reflective supervision and clinical experience to participants.
During the course of the DNP program, PMHNPs begin with an introduction to CBT and over 4 semesters advance through the outline psychotherapy training, ending with case supervision with faculty and a licensed social worker in synchronous meetings. These opportunities across the curriculum provide students with the confidence and competence to apply their skills in real-world clinical settings.
New PMHNP graduates with Dr. Lauerer and Dr. Robidoux in May.
Increasingly, clients who seek care from PMHNPs are looking for treatment that includes more than medicationfocused care. When PMHNPs integrate psychotherapy into a client’s plan of care, the client experiences improved outcomes. Therapy often helps facilitate change and deep personal growth. Students are encouraged to explore the models of therapy offered and develop advanced skills in one or more of the approaches. By the end of the DNP program, students are prepared to meet the complex needs of diverse client populations.
Pilot Program Equips Students to Help Traumatic Injury Patients
Last fall, MUSC College of Nursing launched a new pilot training collaboration between its Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program and the Trauma Resilience and Recovery Program (TRRP), also housed within the College. Sponsored by MUSC College of Nursing faculty members Dr. Joy Lauerer, Dr. Hannah Robidoux and Dr. Tatiana Davidson, this innovative program equips PMHNP students with expertise in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT); students provide evidence-based telehealth treatment to pediatric patients and their families following traumatic injury under the supervision of Davidson. Building on the program’s incredible success, the training will expand to include adult trauma victims for the Fall 2024 semester.
Milestones
A PATH FORWARD
Dr. Christina McDaniel, CON affiliated faculty member and alumna, was named System Executive Director of Palliative Care for MUSC in December. This role is a testament not only to her life’s work but also to her powerful advocacy for nurses as leaders in palliative care.
For Aminah Fraser-Rahim, DNP, APRN, practicing empathy and patience and being a clear communicator are important qualities that she uses daily as a pediatric palliative care nurse practitioner.
Palliative Care Nurse Brings Empathy, Life Experiences to Help Patients, Families
By Cindy Abole, Print Editor, TheCatalyst
For the past four years, she’s helped many young patients and has assisted families who are facing their children’s serious medical illnesses, some of whom have to come to terms with news that no family wants to hear. In most cases, it is the most difficult and vulnerable time of their lives. It’s no wonder that Fraser-Rahim and her specialty team at the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital call their work an extraordinary honor.
Fraser-Rahim’s journey into nursing and eventually palliative care medicine took
this Philadelphia-born, Lowcountryraised woman on a path paved with daunting twists and turns that have given her a more meaningful perspective on the way she sees life.
An educator turned nurse, her passion for health care was rooted as a child — her mom, Martha Fraser-Rahim, worked as a health specialist and contract nurse. She got her first glimpse of nursing watching her mother care for her sick grandmother. She was also influenced as a Burke High School student participating in the South Carolina
AHEC Health Careers Program, a program supporting minorities exploring careers in the health professions. Those experiences planted seeds that would later bloom and set her on her path.
Years later, she returned to Charleston, completed her bachelor of science in nursing degree at MUSC College of Nursing and began working as a clinical nurse coordinator and nurse manager at a private pediatric clinic while earning her master’s degree and doctorate in nursing practice from MUSC in 2018. Anxious to work and start a new chapter
Photos by Sarah Pack
in her career, she applied for a nurse practitioner position at MUSC Health Ear, Nose and Throat Services.
But mere minutes after receiving the job offer, she was confronted with lifechanging news: a diagnosis of breast cancer that would cause a serious setback in her plans. Her doctors recommended an aggressive treatment plan that included chemotherapy, immunotherapy and multiple surgeries. She declined the ENT job in order to focus on her health.
“It was devastating news,” recalled Fraser-Rahim. “I had followed my path, returned to school, studied nursing for six straight years and was ready to work while remaining diligent to everything in my plan. This was supposed to be my time: work a good job and spend time with my daughter, Nia. Instead, life was put on hold for 16 months as I dealt with my cancer and recovery.”
By mid-2020, Fraser-Rahim’s treatments and cancer recovery had progressed well, and she did not want to wait any longer to start her career. She craved normalcy in her life again. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, she leaned in and landed an opportunity to work as a nurse practitioner in pediatric palliative care with MUSC Children’s Health.
“Palliative providers have a great deal of resilience in the face of difficult loss and at that point of my nursing career, I wasn’t sure if I was ready,” she said, remembering a previous experience working with the palliative care team as a nursing student. But she marveled at the team’s camaraderie, empathetic interactions, sensitive body language and the attentive care provided to each and every patient and their family members. “In the blink of an eye, everything can
change. I never knew what that meant until I was the one receiving unwelcome news. I was different now and I was open to trying something new.
Fraser-Rahim joined a small pediatric palliative care team that consisted of physicians, a social worker, bereavement coordinator, volunteer coordinator and a second nurse practitioner, with plans for expansion. Today, she works with a 12-person team that includes a chaplain, physicians and multiple advanced practice providers who support pediatrics and the Advanced Fetal Care Clinic.
She feels today’s team has the bandwidth to care and attend to more patients and families than ever before and is proud of the team’s growth and achievements since she joined it four years ago. “I cannot explain how humbled I am to be able to enter a patient-family’s room when they’ve received the most lifealtering and devastating news. For them to allow me to sit among them and be in that sacred space and be vulnerable with them — it truly is an honor.”
She also has high praise for her team, one of the best parts of her job. “I feel lucky that I’m surrounded by strong women on this team — we’re purposeful and mindful to each other in managing the complexities of our jobs. We adopted self-check-ins, promote selfcare practices and allow moments of vulnerability — and, in an environment that is supportive and present for each other,” she said. “For me, a healthy Aminah translates to me being more aware, mindful and empathetic to the patients and families that I serve and care for.”
Fraser-Rahim is also quick to credit her strength and success to her mom and family. “Who I am today has so much to do with my mom and family and the empathy I show to others. It was always modeled to me growing up. They’ve always been there for me and always fill my tank up with love, therefore I can go and pour out that love to the families I care for,” she said.
Below: Fraser-Rahim shares a laugh with patient Skylar Brown.
Legendary: MUSC’s Bicentennial Alumni Weekend
In 2024, we are honoring a momentous milestone – the 200th anniversary of the Medical University of South Carolina. For the first time, alumni from every class year and every college were invited back to campus in February for a packed threeday weekend, featuring everything from a symposium and class reunions to a college BBQ and Alumni Bash. Catching up, making new friends and reconnecting with MUSC—we can’t wait to do it again soon!
Save the Date: Alumni Weekend 2025, February 27 – March 1
education.musc.edu/alumni
College of Nursing | Development Board | 2024
Thank you to our board members for their service supporting and advancing the work of the college.
Why are you a champion for MUSC College of Nursing?
“I am a champion for MUSC College of Nursing due to the continued challenges that nurses and the nursing industry face every day. Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry and are the face of interaction with patients. They save lives, make patients comfortable, deal with emotional insecurities and see symptoms in advance of doctors. The bedside manner they employ is vital for patients who are concerned, nervous and confused as to the medical treatment prescribed. I am a champion of underdogs and will do my best to support those that support all of us in every medical office, whether in a hospital, doctor’s office, or in-home provider.”
—Pat Marr, Board Chair
“Nursing is at the heart of all medical care, and MUSC College of Nursing is a leader in ensuring that our heartbeats toward the future of nursing are strong. I want to play my small part in championing for those who answer the call to a career in nursing. It impacts our entire community.”
—LaTasha Gandy
“As a champion for the MUSC College of Nursing, I am deeply committed to advancing the future of healthcare through innovative education and compassionate care. Our collaboration ensures that we are not only preparing the next generation of nurses to excel in their careers but also enhancing the quality of life for the patients and communities we serve.”
—Connor Danielowski
“Nursing is my passion. Being a champion for nursing allows me to showcase the outstanding achievements of the College of Nursing faculty, staff, students and alumni and how these endeavors impact our Lowcountry community.”
—Nancy Finch
Nancy Finch Community Volunteer
Jane Manuel, Coldwell Banker Realty
Swen Harrington United Bank
Bob Mason Community Volunteer
LaTasha Gandy Bank of America
Connor Danielowski Chronic Care Staffing
Patrick Marr Board Chair, WSR Realty
Wade Boals Saltwater Cowboys
Cas Danielowski Millenia Medical Staffing
Lighting the Way
By Isabelle Livoti, Alumni & Development Coordinator
In February, MUSC College of Nursing held the Lighting the Way Gala to raise money for student scholarships. Development Board Chair Pat Marr was instrumental in organizing and implementing the gala along with newly appointed Dean Catherine Durham, DNP, FNP, FAAN. Both stressed the importance of raising scholarships for students as well as educating guests on the recent projects and initiatives of the College.
An impactful moment from the event was the opportunity to hear from two speakers, accelerated BSN student Tyre Vasquez and DNP student Elizabeth Kelly, who each spoke about the impact that scholarship donations had on their lives and ability to succeed in their programs of study. Durham also highlighted the need for scholarships to remove the financial barrier that potential nursing students face.
The gala was held at the Embassy Suites in Mount Pleasant with a cocktail reception and silent auction. Guests were invited to bid on items, including a getaway at the
Woodhouse Day Spa and an extravagant weekend on Shem Creek. Later in the evening, following the event’s program, the live auction took place with donated trips to Italy, a week at Folly Beach, and more. Both the silent and live auction were key in raising scholarship funds to support the College’s mission to counter the rising nursing shortage across the country. With 15 community sponsors and 122 guests in attendance, the Gala was a huge success and raised funds for three nursing scholarships.
Thank you to Board Chair Pat Marr for spearheading this incredible fundraising event, as well as to all the event’s sponsors: Chronic Care Staffing, Millenia Medical Staffing, Bank of America, Brown & Brown, The Bartone Family, Cobalt Commercial Services, Cobalt Property Group, First Capital Bank, MUSC College of Nursing, MUSC Palliative Care, Palmetto Restaurants, The Finch Family, The Robert Mason Family, Steinberg Law Firm, and WRS, Inc.
Thank you for supporting this worthy cause!
On Track
Without scholarships, student loan debt would have been “insurmountable” for third-generation nurse Ashley Kelly, who feels called to help families.
By Melissa Varner, Assistant Director of Content Strategy, Institutional Advancement
When Ashley Kelly applied to the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing in 2010, she asked herself two questions: “‘Will I get in?’ and ‘If I get in, how will I afford tuition?!’”
Both grandmothers and her mother were nurses; her mother was also an MUSC alumna who graduated from the College of Nursing in 1980. “I grew up watching the women in my family give of themselves selflessly as nurses and knew it was my calling, too,” Ashley said.
She decided she would just “figure it out” if she was accepted. As it turns out, she didn’t have to – she was accepted and awarded a full academic scholarship!
“I’m not sure if anyone knows exactly what it feels like to be given such a gift,” Ashley said. “Not only does it validate all your hard work, but it also instills a drive that propels you to not only excel, but also empowers you to create change.”
Excel, she did. Ashley graduated with honors from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in 2012. After graduation, she worked at MUSC for 10 years, helping women with highrisk pregnancies. As a nurse, one of her proudest accomplishments was innovating a “crash cart” for one of the most common childbirth emergencies, post-partum hemorrhage, when a woman continues to bleed heavily after delivery.
“These carts have helped providers have exactly what they need at their fingertips to help save so many new mothers and their babies,” she said. She says it’s just one way she can pay forward the generosity of the donors who made it
possible for her to earn her first nursing degree.
In 2019, Ashley planned to return to the college to advance her career. She applied to the Doctor of Nursing (DNP) program, with the goal of becoming a family nurse practitioner. Then her world turned upside down. She and her husband decided to divorce. Not long after, Ashley was diagnosed with melanoma.
She deferred her acceptance to MUSC while she recovered from surgery and treatment for skin cancer. In 2021, she felt physically ready to return to the college to pursue her DNP. Financially, she was still unsure how she would afford it. She was now a single mother, working two, and sometimes three, jobs. Taking out student loans felt much riskier now, at 40, then it did 10 years ago.
“There are a lot of young nurses in the graduate program with me,” Ashley said. “If I were younger, I feel like I would be able to maybe take those loans out. But when you’re older like I am, it’s a little nerve racking.”
Especially as the mom of a young daughter with big career dreams of her own. “Fiona likes to put her stethoscope on animals,” Ashley said. “So, she wants to be a marine biologist or veterinarian.”
Like Ashley, more than 80 percent of College of Nursing students require financial aid to pursue a nursing career. The college is actively working to grow the number and size of available scholarships so that students can attend nursing school without undue financial hardship.
Until then, students like Ashley must continue to weigh the pros and cons of taking out student loans. “I still do every semester – I weigh the pros and cons,” Ashley said. “Should I take this much out? I’ve been lucky every year to receive help. So, that’s been literally a godsend.”
The three scholarships she’s been awarded have made it possible for her to continue her path toward an advanced degree. As of now, she’s on track to graduate in 2025.
“So, I still have had to take out loans, but it’s nowhere near what I would have had to take out if I hadn’t received help,” Ashley said. “And honestly, if I had to have taken out all these student loans, I probably wouldn’t have come. Because I just don’t think I can deal with that much that much debt. It would have been insurmountable.”
Kelly with her mother and grandmother.
Scholarship Announcements
Fall 2023 - Spring 2024
Thank you for Being the Difference!
Our donors help ease the financial burden of our students so that they can attend nursing school without undue financial hardship. Scholarships also help us recruit and educate nurses at the doctoral level to offset the national shortage of nurse educators. To learn more about establishing a scholarship and being the difference in a nurse’s life, contact Kaitlin Epperson, Director of Development, at 843-792-8421 and zobelka@musc.edu
125th Anniversary
Endowed Scholarship
Kiel Amaral
Cecilia Tallo
135th Anniversary Scholarship
Angela Lentini-Rivera
1883 College of Nursing Scholarship
Kesha Levesque
Vaida Shelley
Andell Endowed Scholarship
Kaitlyn Floyd
Elizabeth Mathis
Annie K. Norton Endowed Scholarship
Elizabeth Kelly
Barbara Sutton Pace
Endowed Nursing Scholarship
Mary Prybylo
Betty C. Kelchner Endowed Scholarship
Denise Smalls
Betty Murray Brundage Kinard
Endowed Scholarship
Krysta Falls
Captain Robert Wilkens Palliative Care Scholarship
Florence Maffeu Tamwo
Caroline W. Davis RN Scholarship
Megan Felt
Kinzlee Mims
Maggie Montgomery
Makenzie Pinno
Claudia Regensburger
Tyre Vazquez
Breana Wilken
Christina and Robert Brinkman
Endowed Nursing Scholarship
Courtney Wages
CVS Health
Foundation Scholarship
Hannah Brown
Johntoria Dargan
Aleah Hatcher
Tiffany Price
Dorothy Johnson Crews
Endowed Scholarship
Kiel Amaral
Kelly Ditter
Whitney Anne Elliott
Arianna Johnson
Elizabeth Mathis
Shamani Richardson
Dr. Deborah C. Williamson
Nursing Scholarship
Jonah Burrell
Dr. Heidar A. Modaresi
Nursing Scholarship
Laarni Sanders
Dr. James B. Edwards
Nursing Scholarship
Emily Stump
Milestones
Dr. J.W. Thurmond
Endowed Scholarship
Kinzlee Mims
Dr. Sekou Dakarai
Nursing Scholarship
Rika Kemp
Edith Dority Lucas ’58
Endowed Scholarship
Addison McCully
Elsie Morgan Endowed Nursing Scholarship
Onyiyechi Ajukwa Roseau
Brittany Kroske
Susan McCabe
Lindsay Powers
Lindsay Pugh
Exchange Club of Charleston Award (Nursing)
Emanuel Geddis
Jennifer Kile
Mary Helen Wofford
Gail W. Stuart
Endowed Scholarship
Taylor Wait
Graduate Incentive Award-Nursing
Grooms Family
Nursing Scholarship
Lisa Harlan
Helene Fuld Health Trust Endowment
Kailah Green
Jaclyn Rowe
Henry T. Finch Jr. Nursing Scholarship
Candace Broach
Jean P. Wilson College of Nursing Endowed Scholarship
Tonya Palmer
Cassidy Soto
Jill and Richard Almeida Nursing Endowed Scholarship
Kelsha Washington
Joan K. Rigter Nursing Scholarship
Mary Helen Wofford
Joseph H. and Terese T. Williams
Endowed Nursing Scholarship
Agatha Cain
Sophia Ridgeway
Izant Family
Foundation Scholarship
Hannah Brown
Lettie Pate Whitehead
Foundation Scholarship
Briana Aaron
Ezinne Agim
Myoshia Baskin
Kelsi Blair
Ellen Blake
Mary Broderick
Emma Brown
Erin Chaney
Katherine Chike-Harris
Adriannah Drolapas
Danielle Edmonds
Olivia Erwin
Krysta Falls
Kaitlin Flowers
Arianne Fritts
Keona Gary
Bethany Ghent
Abigail Greene
Megan Henson
Julia Hepburn
Lillian Kendinger
Elizabeth Lista
Shenae Long
Ahraya McCray
Jessica McCue
Elizabeth McKenzie
Rachel McKoy
Sarah Missroon
Emily Morgan
Amanda Morris
Chloe Mueller
Stephanie Neary
Kylie Newsom
Emily O’Neill
Amber Rodgers
Vaida Shelley
Margaret Smith
Sarah Rose Thornton
Marion Vereen
Breana Wilken
Margaret Ann Kerr
Endowed Scholarship
Kristi Barbour
Marianna Stuart Mason
Endowed Memorial Scholarship
Elizabeth Jourdain
Marianne T. Chitty
Endowed Nursing Scholarship
Ashley Hoffman
Myra Ingraham
Marie LePrince Farmer
Nursing Scholarship
Candace Broach
Edna Zheng
Martha Halliday Wrobleski
Memorial Scholarship
Kaitlyn Paul
Mary Swain Endowment
Polly Boynton
Mason Scholars
Angela Lentini-Rivera
Maude Callen Endowed
Memorial Scholarship
Matthew Reeves
McClelland - Palmer Scholarship
Grace Collins
Michael Warha
MUHA RN-BSN Scholarship
Shakeila Commander-Burgess
Meredith Frailey
Amy Tamblyn
MUSC College of Nursing
Annual Scholarship
Chelsea Slippy
MUSC College of Nursing
Board Scholarship
Sarah Ellerbe
MUSC Provost Scholarship
Briana Aaron
Tamra Atkins
Ja’Niyah Beaver
Alexis Carter
Tiffany Connor
Casey Dickson
Kaitlyn Floyd
Emanuel Geddis
Suzanne Hakeos
Aleah Hatcher
Kelly Kesterson
Anna Layman
Ahraya McCray
Tiffany Price
Angel Ramirez
Jaclyn Rowe
Samantha Shockey
Theresa Skojec
Ny-Asia Smiley
Amelia Spitznagel
Cecilia Tallo
Gretchen Wanning
Kaylee West
Adrienne Wood
Nina Smith Nursing Scholarship
Tamra Atkins
Tiffany Connor
Maggie Long
Erica Richards
Faith Wrighten
Olivette Garr Smith Scholarship
Abigail Greene
Kylie Hood
Olympia “Bia” Vallis
Nursing Scholarship
Shannon D’Alton
Kelly Ditter
Kaylee Persson
Patrick and Maureen Marr
Endowed Scholarship
Zoe Domsohn
Reba Carter O’Keeffe
Endowed Scholarship
Casey Dickson
Roper St. Francis Healthcare
Patron Nursing Scholarship
Amaz Braddy-Sumpter
Christian Chassereau
Rose and Ted Levin
Nursing Scholarship
Emma Menzer
Ruth Chamberlin Scholarship
Whitney Anne Elliott
Ruth P. and Stephen Stewart
Endowed Scholarship
Jennifer Huggins
Samuel Steinberg
Endowed Scholarship
Mina Miano
Sandra Hayes Poulnot
Nursing Scholarship
Kaylee Persson
Jessica Praigg
Sara Piechnik
Endowed Scholarship
Stacy Harris
Ted and Joan Halkyard Nursing
Endowed Scholarship
Lorelei Dimmel
Katie Lopez
Thomas J. Wiscarz Memorial
Nursing Endowed Scholarship
Edson Moya
Ursula Caton Endowed
Memorial Scholarship
Rikayla Boone
Vanette Schultz Forbes ‘47
Nursing Scholarship
Zoe Domsohn
Veterans Scholarship
Fund in Nursing
Shannon Lowell
Virginia Lawton
Harper Scholarship Fund
Molly Carlson
Meet Kaitlin Epperson
Director of Development
As the new Director of Development for MUSC College of Nursing, Kaitlin Epperson is excited to spotlight the incredible work of students, faculty and staff and to share the meaningful impact donors can make on the future of the college.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
The thing I enjoy the most about my work is that at the end of each day, I know I am helping others and leaving an impact on my community.
What makes MUSC College of Nursing such a dynamic and special community?
In my short time in the role, it’s clear that MUSC College of Nursing is a dynamic and special community— this culture is established within the
leadership of the college, along with its faculty, staff and students. As I reflect on my first few months with the College of Nursing, I am filled with gratitude for the warm welcome and support I have received—I have been met with openness, kindness and a genuine eagerness to collaborate. The fact that the College is part of an Academic Medical Center sets us apart as far as what we can accomplish in the research and education space.
How does donor support impact the mission of the College of Nursing and those it serves?
Ultimately, the work we do in Development establishes possibilities that may not have otherwise come into fruition without the generous support of our alumni and community donor base. Our donors have an affinity to
Fun facts about Kaitlin
Hometown: Mount Pleasant, SC
Currently Reading: Taking a break from reading after recently finishing my courseload for my master’s in healthcare administration with MUSC College of Health Professions
Favorite Place: Turks & Caicos
Favorite Quote: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” —Maya Angelou
I’m inspired by: My son, Hudson
give to MUSC College of Nursing, and their goal with each gift is to help the College fulfill its mission. I am continually inspired by the generosity and dedication of individuals who are committed to making a difference in the nursing community.
What is your favorite thing about working with MUSC donors?
Each donor presents a unique connection to and passion for MUSC—I love getting to know the donor’s story and helping them along their philanthropic journey. It’s a wonderful partnership!
Goals for the next year:
Continue to bolster philanthropic support for MUSC College of Nursing!
The Fabric of Our Community
In honor of MUSC’s Bicentennial year, the College of Nursing’s Diversity and Inclusion Champions of Excellence (DICE) group has launched a joyous collaboration to promote Belonging: the CON Unity Quilt. Celebrating the diverse fabric of the CON community, the meaningful initiative invites all students, staff, faculty and alumni to submit photographs of fabric swatches that have special significance in their lives, which will be pieced together into a digital quilt to tell their stories. Inspired by the community-building aspects of quilt making, CON Director of Diversity Tonya Hazelton shared her vision with DICE, which was instrumental in helping to make the idea a reality.
“The commonality of quilting is found across cultures as a way to bond people in a shared experience,” shared Hazelton. “This expression of Belonging within our college community will celebrate the unique experiences of each contributor while also weaving together our shared experiences. I would like to especially thank Dr. Teresa Kelechi for her leadership in championing the CON Unity Quilt and its message of Belonging.”
The finished digital quilt will be printed on a display banner as well as featured in an online exhibition, which will share each person’s fabric photograph and the story behind its significance. In addition, as part of MUSC’s Bicentennial celebration, the Unity Quilt’s stories will be shared both internally and externally throughout 2024.
Join us by contributing to this digital storytelling initiative and affirming your belonging to the vibrant tapestry of our community. Visit bit.ly/unityquilt or scan the QR code below.
