Penn Nursing Upfront: Spring 2017 by PennNursing

spring 2017

VISION AND VALUES: A COMPASS IN TIMES OF CHANGE 3 Also: “…Involve Me and I Learn” 10 Where Nurses Lead: In the Military 16 Empowering Movement 20

Board of Overseers Andrea Berry Laporte, Nu’69, Chair Dean C. Kehler, W’79, PAR’13 Immediate Past Chair Rosemarie Morrissey Greco, Past Chair

Melanie Franco Nussdorf, CW’71, PAR’02, PAR’04 Vivian W. Piasecki (chair emerita) Krista M. Pinola, Nu’86 Marjorie O. Rendell, CW’69, PAR’05 (emerita) Carolyn E. Bennett, Nu’91 Jean Renfield-Miller, PAR’15 Carol Lefkowitz Boas, Nu’77, PAR’09 Ralph F. Reynolds, W’84, PAR’17, Cornelius C. Bond, Jr., PAR’79 PAR’20 (emeritus) Ashley Z. Ritter, Nu’07, GNu’10, Gilbert F. Casellas, L’77, PAR’08 GR’20 (ex-officio) Alberto J. Chamorro, W’78, PAR’05, Randi Roy, C’87, WG’91, PAR’19 PAR’09, PAR’10 Sandra Beeber Samberg, Nu’94, Eleanor L. Davis, Nu’82 GNu’95 Kim R. Dickstein, W’87, PAR’17 Marie A. Savard, HUP’70, Nu’72, William R. Floyd, Jr., C’67, WG’69 M’76 Seth Ginns, C’00 Jan A. Sigmon, Esquire, C’82, Stephen J. Heyman, W’59, PAR’90 PAR’13, PAR’17 Wendy Hurst Levine, PAR’11, PAR’12, Martin J. Silverstein, GL’08, PAR’09, PAR’16 PAR’12, PAR’13, PAR’15, PAR’19 Patricia Martín, M’85 Patricia B. Silverstein, C’81 Barbara L. Nichols Susan Drossman Sokoloff, C’84, PAR’17, PAR’18

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Dean Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN Editor Cathy Greenland Assistant Editor Sasha Dages and Monica Salvia Contributors Cayla Lockwood, Pier Lopez, William Parker, Katie Siegmann Content Development and Creation The LightStream Group Design Dale Parenti Design Illustrator Neil Webb @ Debut Art Photography I. George Bilyk, Daniel Burke Printing Garrison Printing Advisory Board Taylor Allen, J. Margo Brooks Carthon, Christina Costanzo Clark, Edward Federico, Terri Cox Glassen, Joe Libonati Feedback Welcome! Please let us know what you think of this issue of upFront by contacting us at 215.898.4841 or NurseAlumni@nursing.upenn.edu upFront is a biannual publication of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. www.nursing.upenn.edu

table

contents

Dean’s Message

f e at u r e s 3

Vision and Values: A Compass in Times of Change Penn Nursing’s core values of social justice, inclusion, and impact have long served to guide its thinking and actions as evidenced across a mission that encompasses research, education, and practice.

“…Involve Me and I Learn” – Ben Franklin Around the corner or around the world, Penn Nursing students are eager to engage with diverse communities, build relationships, and address the disparities that result in poor health outcomes and care.

A Passion for Policy Penn Nursing junior, Erin Hartman, served as an intern with the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). Her experience was an immersion in policymaking at the highest level.

16 Where Nurses Lead: In the Military

Throughout history, nurses have played a crucial role in the United States’ military. Today, military nurses are helping drive advances in clinical care, research, and policy at home and around the globe. 18 The Science of Family Caregiving

Dr. Deatrick received the 14th annual Claire M. Fagin Distinguished Researcher Award this fall, honoring her important contributions to advancing family-centered care. 20

Empowering Movement Nurse-midwife Mamie Guidera is action personified. Whether it be rowing or yoga, through her volunteer work with Philadelphia Center for Adaptive Sports, she is changing lives by doing and by enabling others to do.

A Legacy of Giving Her name is not on a building, or a scholarship, or a program. But the generosity of Patricia Kind is firmly imprinted on Penn Nursing.

d e pa rt m e n t s 23

Penn Nursing Announcements

24 Penn Nursing News 26

Alumni Connections

Alumni Weekend 2017

Alumni Notes

34 Penn Nursing Babies 35

In Memoriam

37 Calendar

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Dean’s Message Dear Readers: Here at Penn Nursing, our aim is to make a significant impact on health and health care by advancing science, demonstrating practice excellence, preparing leaders in the discipline of nursing, and promoting equity. Whether that is focused on improving health care, building community partnerships to advance health, or informing policy, the people of Penn Nursing are found on the frontlines of hospitals, boardrooms, courtrooms, and more. We are a community enmeshed in our globally-reaching mission of research, education, and practice and our work reflects a set of thoughtfully considered values: social justice, inclusion, impact, innovation, and integrity. Acknowledging the divisive post-election climate, School leadership felt an urgency to pause and take stock of our motivators, efforts, and actions. We wanted to be sure that now more than ever before, our work continues to be relevant and clearly defined. In considering a topic for the cover story of this issue of upFront, the obvious choice was to highlight where we stand today and how our guiding principles are reflected in our actions. These principles are woven within our history and provide us with a clear compass as we move forward. With research as a cornerstone, we are innovative and inclusive in all aspects of our work, and our impact on health and healthcare is worldwide. Beyond our cover story, in this issue of upFront, you’ll find many examples of the incredible work we do and how we truly live our values.

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With this in mind, I’m proud to share that Penn Nursing has been named the number one nursing school in the world for the second year in a row, and the back to back recognition is no coincidence. We are privileged to have extraordinary faculty who regularly go above the call of duty, advancing science and research, teaching and mentoring, practicing and advocating for change. Our students are among the best and brightest, and you only need to spend a few minutes with them to see what makes them so special. They don’t shy away from a challenge, they bring big ideas to the table, and most importantly, they follow them through. And our alumni show up everywhere; more often than not, in leadership positions. Beyond healthcare, you’ll find them in the military, in politics, in nonprofits, and more. They are an amazing bunch, and with each graduating class, continue to grow stronger, more diverse, and more engaged. I hope that you are inspired by this issue of upFront, as I continue to be by the work of our world-class faculty, students, and alumni. I look forward to hearing about your journeys, and encourage you to stay connected!

ANTONIA M. VILLARRUEL, PhD, RN, FAAN Professor and Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing

Vision and Values: A Compass in Times of Change

Like the points on a compass, an institution’s values provide direction and consistency in all circumstances, irrespective of changes in the world. In times of significant societal transition and disruption, these principles are ever more important, providing both orientation and a tool for navigating forward. Penn Nursing’s core values of social justice, inclusion, and impact have long served to guide its thinking and actions – and were recently found to be evident across a mission that encompasses research, education, and practice. “Our mission has always been to make a significant impact on improving the health of all people, to be the preeminent intellectual and transformative force in improving health through nursing,” says Antonia Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor and Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing. “Our values guide our actions to accomplish this mission.” The arrival of a new Dean in 2014 was an opportunity for the School to establish a new strategic plan and the process started with a reaffirmation of the organizational vision, mission, and values. “Our most recent planning process was an opportunity to take a close look at what we were saying about ourselves and our actions and make sure that it made sense for now and the future,” adds Dr. Villarruel.

As it turns out, Penn Nursing’s values and mission are not just relevant, but timely. “We had hours of robust discussions about what is happening in the world today – from the global economic crisis and climate change to accessibility of health care,” she explains. “It became apparent that social justice, inclusion, and impact are integral to our efforts in research, policy, practice, and education. They help us resolutely confront the realities of today’s world, lead change, and improve the lives of people everywhere.”

A Unique Perspective Many contemporary issues, like human trafficking, climate change, and a growing population of elders, are complex and not only impact economies and www.nursing.upenn.edu

societal stability, but also the health and well-being of communities. As the profession that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), provides 90 percent of the world’s health care services and views the patient in the broadest context, nurses are key to addressing these concerns, particularly as they impact the most vulnerable populations. “Any issue that touches human health is a nursing issue,” says Dr. Villarruel. “We have a role in prevention and treatment and in forwarding knowledge and leading change.” As an example, Penn Nursing was among the first schools to sign the White House Health Educators Climate Commitment in 2015, pledging to prepare nurses to advance the knowledge and to effectively address the health impacts of climate change. “On the surface, climate change and nursing may not seem congruent. But nurses work with people every day who have been affected by climate change – from the spread of vector-borne disease and respiratory illnesses exacerbated by poor air quality, to an increase in chronic conditions,” says Dr. Villarruel. “We also have the data that shows the effects of climate change on health. Our place is to share this knowledge and advocate for change.” Among many other issues, nursing also brings an important perspective to ensuring that our aging population has the opportunity to thrive and that elders are not marginalized. The global population of people aged 80 and older is expected to almost triple by 2050 and the growth and proportion of older American adults is unprecedented. Nurses are prepared to understand aging, how it affects the

psychosocial, physical, and emotional needs of elders, and to develop solutions that meet those unique needs. “Even if you work with pediatric patients, you still need to understand how to communicate with your patients’ grandparents,” explains Pamela Z. Cacchione, PhD, CRNP, GNP, BC, FGSA, FAAN, Ralston House Endowed Term Chair in Gerontological Nursing and Associate Professor of Geropsychiatric Nursing. “Understanding the complexities of aging and having a positive attitude toward aging is imperative for all nurses.” Dr. Cacchione has dedicated her career to understanding, serving, and advocating for frail elders. As a clinician educator at Mercy Living Independently for Elders – West Philadelphia (LIFE), she is part of an extensive interdisciplinary team that provides comprehensive medical, health, recreational, and social services to underserved and disadvantaged elderly, many of whom have at least four chronic conditions. “LIFE utilizes a nursing model of care designed to provide interdisciplinary, inclusive care for these frail seniors,” she says. “We have achieved great success in combating and reversing health disparities in this population, and have given countless nursing students the opportunity to engage with elders and learn just how resilient they can be.” Many LIFE members come from populations that have been historically marginalized and underserved. Dr. Cacchione explains, “Working with these elders has provided a deep look into a population that has not been well understood. Despite the racism, health disparities, and trauma that LIFE members

Caring for the Most Vulnerable Without Judgement Kimberly Trout, PhD, CNM, APRN, Assistant Professor of Women’s Health, knows that nurses are particularly well-positioned to apply the lens of inclusion and social justice to human health. Dr. Trout works to provide compassionate care to commercial sex workers, who are often the victims of physical and sexual abuse, homelessness, and addiction. “Nurses are quite often the first health care professionals to whom trafficked women will reveal their situation,” explains Dr. Trout. “Studies suggest that this is because nurses are highly trustworthy and practiced in demonstrating respect, particularly when it comes to privacy and confidentiality.”

Nurse are often witnesses to the tragedy of the human condition. When that nurse is 4

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well-grounded in moral, legal, and humanistic principles, that experience can be leveraged for great change. For Dr. Trout, her practice in identifying and helping victims of human trafficking coalesced in one moment early in her career. “In my clinical practice as a certified nurse midwife in rural central Pennsylvania in the 1990s, I cared for a woman prenatally who was a mail order bride from a foreign country. Ultimately, this woman’s husband became abusive and the community was able to garner resources to extricate her from the situation,” explains Dr. Trout. “That was the start of my education in understanding that the problem of human trafficking was much more extensive than I realized.”

Kim Trout (right) at a health fair with community members and Penn students

Dr. Trout maintains that nurses have an important role in forwarding social justice and inclusion in care, and in identifying and helping victims. “Despite what I have witnessed with my patients, I maintain hope that the human spirit can triumph. And I keep putting one foot in front of the other, every day,” she says.

have experienced, they have thrived with interdisciplinary care. And they are incredibly generous in sharing their experiences to help us understand how those experiences have impacted their lives. They are helping us develop the interventions and care models that address social justice issues and health for a very large population.”

The Role of Research in Advancing Justice, Inclusion, and Impact for Vulnerable Populations Almost always, historically marginalized and disadvantaged populations face a higher burden of illness, injury, disability, and mortality, and their access to and use of care is limited. These populations also have a long history of being excluded from research and therefore, potentially, from the benefits of that research. Nursing research has long focused on improving the outcomes for the most vulnerable. “Nurse researchers play an important role in changing disparities and improving the culture of health,” says Dr. Villarruel. “By focusing on inclusion, impact, and social justice, our research challenges dominant truths and disrupts structural inequities in health care to enhance health and quality of life.” Consider the health status of black men in the United States. They have the lowest life expectancy and highest mortality rate among men and women in all other racial or ethnic groups in the country.

“Urban black men from low-resource communities are at high risk for health disparities – yet this is not a population that society typically views as vulnerable,” explains Therese S. Richmond, PhD, FAAN, CRNP, Andrea B. Laporte Professor of Nursing, and Associate Dean for Research & Innovation. Dr. Richmond has focused her research on addressing social injustice in health. She is passionate about using nursing science to prevent injury and violence and improve outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations. “When we see preventable disparities in health states among different people – because of who they are, where they live, and resources that are available to them – nurse researchers can use science to tackle these disparities,” she says. Similarly, Margo Brooks Carthon, PhD, RN, FAAN, Assistant Professor, Family and Community Health and Lisa M. Lewis, PhD, RN, FAAN, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusivity are conducting research that integrates the tenets of social justice into health care. “Our ability to fulfill our commitment to nursing requires us to advocate for the rights of individuals to have access to health and experience good health outcomes, irrespective of personal characteristics,” says Dr. Brooks Carthon. “By focusing on the quality of care delivered to minority patients, we heighten our ability to transform and deliver care that is tailored to meet the needs and expectations of diverse patients and communities.” www.nursing.upenn.edu

Addressing the Poor Health Narrative for Black Patients The health disparities of black men in the United States are compelling: Black men have high exposure to stressors, are more likely to be injured than white men, are more likely to have psychological consequences, but are less likely to have psychiatric disorders diagnosed than whites. They die in the greatest numbers from hypertension-related complications. And older black men experience poorer health outcomes during and after hospitalization, compared to older white men. Penn Nursing researchers are tackling these issues at the intersection of disparities, care delivery, and health care systems that care for high proportions of minority populations. A recent study by Lisa M. Lewis, PhD, RN, FAAN, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusivity, has examined the health disparities faced by black men, particularly those with hypertension. Preliminary results from her study of close to 200 participants show important corollaries between how black men manage their hypertension medications and self-efficacy, social networks, depression, perceptions of masculinity, and patient-provider trust. “While the results are preliminary, we are finding important implications for how we might develop better interventions (high blood pressure programs) that are tailored to the unique needs of hypertensive black men,” says Dr. Lewis. The magnification of disparity in health care for black men has long been of interest to Therese S. Richmond, PhD, FAAN, CRNP,

Andrea B. Laporte Professor of Nursing, and Associate Dean for Research & Innovation. She is currently completing a study into the psychological consequences of serious injury in urban black men. The study, funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health, includes more than 600 injured men and has found that more than one-third have significant symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and significant symptoms of depression three months after hospital discharge “Returning these men to the community with unrecognized psychological consequences contributes not only to sub-optimal recovery, but to behavioral manifestations that contribute to injury recidivism, self-medication for symptoms, or interactions with the criminal

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justice system,” she says. “Individual health contributes to the health of the community, and conversely the health of the community contributes to the health of the individual. As nurses, we need to attend to the entire package – and not just this one individual with this one traumatic injury,” she says. Delving further into outcomes for older black patients, Margo Brooks Carthon, PhD, RN, FAAN, Assistant Professor, Family and Community Health, has examined the relationship between the quality of nursing care and 30-day readmissions among older black patients with acute myocardial infarction. “Older black patients bear a disproportionate risk of readmissions and despite a range of interventions, no single approach has been repeatedly effective in reducing readmissions for this population,” she explains.

Her study showed that variations in nursing care quality and the omission of necessary care consistently predicted an increase in readmission risk among older black patients. It also revealed that the very patients who need the most care may receive the least. “Our current research on nursing care and minority health outcomes is among the first to examine the role of nurses and their ability to provide adequate care to older, chronically ill minority patients,” says Dr. Brooks Carthon. “Our findings substantiate the valuable contribution of nursing care and reveal that improvements in outcomes of hospitalized minority patients may rest in part on ensuring that adequate institutional support is devoted to nursing, which in turn fosters an environment where nurses are able to more efficiently deliver patient care.”

Applying These Values to the Curriculum Students are often drawn to nursing by a desire to make a difference. At Penn Nursing, they are not only exposed to a curriculum that will develop their critical thinking and technical skills, but one that will also bring their attention to issues such as social determinants of health, health equity, and the health impact of marginalization. Lisa M. Lewis, PhD, RN, FAAN, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusivity, and Cynthia A. Connolly, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Professor of Nursing, co-teach

NURS 103, Psychological and Social Diversity in Health and Wellness. While the course focuses on health care access, health history, health promotion, and issues of equity and diversity, its real goal is to help students begin to think differently about health care and their role as care givers and advocates. In NURS 103, students get a foundational introduction to the social determinants of health. They participate in case studies and small group discussions that enhance understanding about the many health disparities seen among different populations. “Quite simply, we emphasize social justice and inclusion because that’s what nursing is about,” explains Dr. Lewis. “We give students the tools they need to think critically about their patients and to understand the context in which they live.”

“In this course, students philosophically move from the acute/chronic care models to thinking about vulnerable populations and the social determinants of health that may limit those populations’ access to comprehensive health care,” explains Monica J. Harmon, MSN, MPH, BSN, Senior Lecturer. Through clinical and simulated experiences, students learn to consider the impact of the social determinants of health on transitioning people through the health care system, including prevention services. And they also learn about the strengths and resilience of communities. “This knowledge helps our students become professionals in delivering customized care to patients in a wide variety of settings, including hospital beds, prison cells, or community clinics,” she adds. Penn Nursing students are committed to social justice and have high expectations that the nursing curriculum will help them explore inequities across race, gender, class, and community. That was illustrated during a 2016 town hall meeting when students asked that social justice be better threaded throughout the curriculum. “This has given Penn Nursing faculty much to consider with regard to how and what we teach,” says Dr. Lewis.

That understanding helps students in their assessment of an individual’s health history by placing that patient’s health within a construct of the physical and social environment. Students can then more effectively communicate with the individual in order to improve health. “We teach NURS 103 students that in their role as nurses, they must advocate for those patients who may not be well-equipped to do so for themselves,” says Dr. Lewis. Later in the curriculum is NURS 380, Nursing in the Community, a course that helps seniors consider how nursing influences the health and healing capacities of populations and of groups, families, and individuals living within particular communities, locally and globally. Students work with vulnerable populations including the homeless, people with substance addictions, prisoners, mothers and babies, school children, and elders.

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Nursing Students Bring Focus to Enhanced Care of LGBTQ People “Penn Nursing students are very socially and politically active and demonstrate initiative in finding ways to serve people, understand social determinants of health, and address needs in communities around the world,” says Dr. Villarruel. “A great example is the Nurses PUSH program, a student group initiated and led by Penn Nursing students.” Nurses PUSH (Penn Understanding Sexuality in Health care) promotes better quality care for LGBTQ patients. “We try to position our learning around gender, sexuality, and LGBTQ populations

so we can be better providers for all patients,” says Madelyne Greene, Nurses PUSH co-chair. “We advocate for a nuanced understanding of how identity in various forms affects health.”

forms that ask all patients about gender identity, offering the categories of male, female, transgender male, transgender female, gender queer, or other as options.

Nurses PUSH has been instrumental in helping facilitate improvements in the nursing curriculum around LGBTQ health so that everyone at Penn Nursing is prepared to care appropriately for these patients.

Having open, honest, and respectful communication with patients not only helps the health care provider get to know the patient as a person but also enhances care. The National LGBT Health Education Center shared an example regarding a 59-year-old woman who experienced a high fever and chills after head and neck surgery. When she went to a clinic for care, none of the health care providers asked about her gender identity. That was a mistake: The woman was a transwoman and the source of her infection was in her prostate gland.

“As nurses, we need information around identity, behavior, and practice related to sexuality and gender. We need to be able to ask inclusive and nonjudgmental questions in a respectful manner to get that information,” explains Greene. “Penn Nursing students have had overwhelmingly positive responses to this training.” Asking the “right” questions can really mean making small changes in communication. For instance, Nurses PUSH advocates asking a patient if he is in a relationship and what he calls the person he is in a relationship with, instead of asking if the patient has a wife or girlfriend. They also advocate using intake

Collaborating to Overcome Health Disparities Knowing that much of what significantly impacts health – like physical environment, socio-economic status and demographics – happens outside of health care settings, nurses have a long history of working in communities and partnering with a variety of stakeholders to improve outcomes. Today, Penn Nursing continues to broker conversations and collaborate around social determinants of health. “We have long been associated with asking the questions that raise awareness of health care issues. And we are also very good at bringing people and groups together to begin the dialogue that develops solutions to impact change and overcome health disparities,” says Dr. Villarruel. Leading by example, Dr. Villarruel chairs the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity and the Elimination of Health Disparities. The roundtable brings together people from diverse perspectives and sectors to address racial and ethnic disparities in health care, to find new strategies to overcome disparities, and to develop new leadership in targeted

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“Improving communication skills and practicing respectful language can go a long way in helping LGBTQ patients feel safe and comfortable receiving care. That comfort can enhance dialogue between nurse and patient, which is crucial to providing appropriate, patient-centered care,” explains Greene.

areas. In November, Dr. Villarruel and Dr. Laura Magana Valladares, Executive Senior Advisor, IANPHI Mexico Secretariat, National Institute of Public Health, shared the National Academy of Medicine’s report “A Framework for Educating Health Professionals to Address Social Determinants of Health” with the Penn community. “Addressing social determinants of health requires transformational learning,” explains Dr. Villarruel. “It must be experiential and collaborative, and it must be ongoing.” She also co-chairs the Strategic Advisory Committee for the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, an initiative of the AARP Foundation, AARP, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The campaign has been instrumental in improving America’s health through nursing. Action coalitions nationwide work with policymakers, health care professionals, educators, and business leaders to respond to the nation’s need for safe, high-quality, and effective health care. “Chief among our initiatives is to push for change that allows nurses to practice to the full extent of their

education and training,” says Dr. Villarruel. The committee’s collaborative effort has achieved important results: Eight states have increased consumers’ access to care by removing barriers that prevented nurse practitioners from providing care to the full extent of their education and training. Overall, in 21 states and the District of Columbia, nurse practitioners are allowed to provide full care. “Nurses are key to meeting the health care demands of a growing underserved population,” says Dr. Villarruel. “Practicing to the fullest extent of our education and training allows us to play a key role in improving health outcomes of diverse populations.”

Constancy and Values Social justice, inclusion, and impact are the foundation of Penn Nursing’s vision and mission. Those values are clearly woven into research, education, and practice and serve as a compass as the School puts its mission into action. “Because our School is values-driven, we are able to interact effectively and make good decisions,” says Dr. Villarruel. “Our values help us take a holistic view of practice and science in order to positively impact all populations.”

Partnering for Better Outcomes A collaborative effort often gains more ground, particularly when tackling health disparities. That’s what happened when deans of three Penn schools (Nursing, Social Policy and Practice, and the Graduate School of Education) identified common interests in improving the health and well-being of children and families in Philadelphia. The outcome is the Penn Futures Project, a cross-Penn initiative. “We invited our faculty to meet together and share work they were already doing in the community,” explains Dr. Villarruel. “From there, natural synergies were identified and established and Penn Futures took off.” Penn Futures projects include partnering with a Philadelphia health sciences public school to enhance teacher training and provide student

counseling; development of field training for Penn graduate students to prepare clinical and education professionals to better serve LGBTQ youth and their families; and collaboration with the City of Philadelphia’s Deputy Mayor’s Office for Health and Opportunity to identify children in poverty and create a model to improve service delivery and enhance interventional programs. “Penn Futures is an excellent example of leveraging the collective experience and energy of the Penn community to develop solutions that will make Philadelphia a more equitable place for youth and families,” she adds. Enhancing the Penn community with students who have an understanding of global health issues and social justice is vital to sustaining synergy in improving lives and building

stronger communities. Penn Nursing collaborates with the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program, offering returning Peace Corps volunteers support in pursuing a master’s degree in nursing. “These students make an exciting addition to our community. They share their experience and global perspective in the classroom, promote social justice, and foster a rich cross-cultural understanding,” says Dr. Villarruel. Coverdell Fellows complete an internship or clinical placement in underserved communities in greater Philadelphia, Lancaster, PA or the neighboring states of New Jersey and Delaware. “They not only advance their education, but enhance health care in underserved communities,” she adds. www.nursing.upenn.edu

Nursing student, Claire Whitney interacts with residents of a Breaking the Cycle transition home in Philadelphia.

“…I N VO LV E M E AND I LEARN.”

BEN FRANKLIN

Around the block or around the world, Penn Nursing students are eager to work with diverse communities, build relationships, and address the disparities that result in poor health outcomes and care. Not surprisingly, these students know that they are often the biggest beneficiary of this work, providing them with both insight and inspiration. Becoming Community Champions You don’t need to go far from Penn’s campus to find a community in need. Philadelphia is the poorest of the nation’s 10 largest cities, afflicted by prostitution and drug addiction, a population increasingly challenged by chronic diseases and replete with barriers to health care, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Yet, there is reason for hope and improved health in small pockets of the community, including several transitional homes that are part of the Breaking the Cycle initiative. There, women trafficked for sex have a safe place to live and get treatment for addiction, mental health care and job training. To help them break the cycle of victimization, drug addiction, and incarceration, a team of Penn Nursing studentvolunteers known as Community Champions work one-on-one with residents. And while they provide fundamental education about good health and self-care, the education goes two ways: Volunteers 10

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also learn how to authentically engage with patients, as well as build mutual respect and collaborative relationships. “Volunteers benefit as much as those whom we serve,” explains nursing student Monica Del Signore, co-director of Community Champions. “Those working with the residents in Breaking the Cycle homes gain important skills in therapeutic communication and education, which are vital competencies for nurses. They are able to focus on and address the health needs of previously incarcerated women and learn about the different roles nurses can have outside of the hospital.” There are more than 50 Penn Nursing student volunteers in the Community Champions program, which supports more than 10 initiatives in Philadelphia, like Breaking the Cycle. “Our volunteers meet the health needs of all kinds and feedback indicates that through participation, they are equally benefitting in myriad ways,” says Del Signore.

“I chose to study nursing so that I could have a positive impact on people’s lives,” says Caroline Benson, the other student co-director of Community Champions. “As a volunteer, I get to use what I learn in class to benefit others, and in doing so, I learn more about how to meet people where they are and how personal experiences can influence health.” Benson also values the experience of meeting with community organizers to identify opportunities for further community involvement and sustained engagement. “Through my work leading Community Champions, I have gained a tremendous amount of insight into the intricacies of community. I have valuable experience now in understanding how communities work, how to uncover problems, and then find resources to make a positive impact on outcomes,”she adds. Benson participates in an after-school program for third-graders at Comegys School, where 100 percent of the students are considered economically disadvantaged. Teaching young children in an impoverished community about healthy eating, how the body works, and how to take responsibility for good health by making smart choices is a way for Benson to help them get a head start on leading healthier lives.

The students Arostegui and other volunteers work with have difficulty assimilating into the publicschool system. Their English language skills are often weak, which makes understanding lessons and doing homework a struggle. Tutors like Arostegui provide homework and literacy support that builds confidence, helps them succeed in school, and ultimately, graduate. “Completing one’s education is an important factor in maintaining better health,” explains Arostegui. “By supporting these students academically, we’re hoping to have a positive effect on their health by strengthening their problem-solving skills and helping them translate their knowledge into healthy behaviors. By tutoring, I am helping them in so many more ways than just ensuring they complete their homework,” she adds. But the benefits go both ways, explains Arostegui. “Getting to know the students and their families has helped me better understand that the health of a person has so much to do with his or her family and the entire community,” she says.

“We engage with these young students in fun but meaningful ways to teach them about fundamental health topics such as hygiene and nutrition,” explains Benson. “A significant aspect of a nurse’s role is educating patients. I’m learning how to do this with the youngest members of this community.”

Connecting Education and Health Community Champions also partners with Puentes de Salud (Bridges of Health), an organization that promotes health and wellness among South Philadelphia’s rapidly growing Latino immigrant population. Poverty as well as cultural and linguistic barriers contribute to negative health outcomes, Puentes helps address those barriers through health care, social services, and education. It was the educational aspect of their mission that prompted Penn Nursing student Giulia Arostegui to volunteer as an after-school tutor for fifth-graders. “Encouraging young students to study and get excited about learning is a fun challenge and something that I hope benefits them as they continue their education,” says Arostegui. “I’ve always been passionate about education, so this is a great fit for me.”

Arostegui

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“It was interesting to compare and contrast our health care delivery systems, in particular the differences and similarities of nursing practice in Spain versus the United States,” says Wasson. “I want to become more knowledgeable regarding determinants of global health and universal responses to major health issues. This foundation will allow me to foster change and become actively engaged in efforts to improve health outcomes worldwide.”

Embracing a Global Perspective

Wasson

Understanding Others The nursing field is global and to be an effective nurse, a person must be able to work competently in cross-cultural situations. Penn Nursing student Janelle Wasson learned that lesson from a freshman-year reading assignment and has since embraced a career path in global health. “I recognized that on my journey of caring for others as a nurse, I would undoubtedly come across patients with specific cultural preferences. I want to be able to provide these individuals and their families with the best quality care,” says Wasson. “I’m immersing myself in the unique global health courses and opportunities here at Penn so I can achieve this goal.” To work toward her career aspiration, Wasson took a Spanish course focused on medicine, which emphasized that language is often a barrier to health care. “I remember during my OB clinical rotation sophomore year, sitting in on a prenatal appointment with my wonderful clinical instructor and a Hispanic patient who spoke little English. If my instructor hadn’t been fluent in Spanish, the patient would not have been able to understand the important care instructions provided. And, because I was prepared through my Spanish class, I was able to engage one-on-one with the patient as well, helping to conquer a language barrier,” she adds. During her study abroad experience last summer in Spain, she also saw firsthand how different sociopolitical situations and cultural perspectives can influence health care.

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Penn Nursing students who fully engage in different communities often do so because of a desire to develop cultural competence – understanding and respecting a person’s culture and adapting care to align with that culture. For some nursing students, like Kaelyn York, that desire takes them far from home. “As far as I am concerned, we as Penn Nursing students won the lottery in terms of the opportunities we have access to for learning about diverse communities,” says York. “Traveling and working abroad pushed me to grow and taught me lessons I only could have learned in these unique situations. Many of these experiences also helped inform my identity as a nurse,” she adds. The summer after her sophomore year at Penn Nursing, York and two other Penn Nursing students set off for Oaxaca, Mexico. Their purpose was to study conversational and medical Spanish and to identify health concerns of women in that area. The three surveyed nearly 50 women in rural villages outside of Oaxaca and identified a need for health and nutrition classes focused on diabetes prevention and chronic disease management. Together, they developed teaching tools and a teaching plan, unknowingly creating a foundation for health intervention in an underserved area. “We were able to pass the project on to a group of students who arrived just before we left. They ended up teaching fitness and nutrition courses, including healthy cooking and Zumba classes. The next cohort of Penn Nursing students to go to Oaxaca continued on with our mission of health education,” she says. York’s next foreign foray was Australia, where she participated in a medical-surgical study abroad program and learned that nurse education can be far different outside the United States. “I was expected to take a full patient load with the supervision of one nurse. This type of learning really worked for me. It challenged me in the ways I need to be challenged,”

Spain

Oaxaca, Mexico The Gambia

she says. “The rigor of the clinical aspect of the program really tested me. And, by working with medical-surgical patients, I learned that the small ways you can make someone feel better or more dignified are not taught, they are learned.” From Australia, York went to The Gambia, one of Africa’s smallest and poorest countries. There, she helped a non-government organization collect data on, monitor, and evaluate solar suitcases – small, durable solar-power systems that run lights, charge cell phones, and power monitors in rural clinics. “When I wasn’t traveling to collect data, I was invited to shadow in the hospital,” York says. It is these hospital experiences that have helped define the nurse York intends to be. “Much of the time I was uncomfortable in some way, because of the heat, or the situation, the language barrier, the religious culture. I was confronted with the challenge of expanding my mind and the lens through which I look at the world and the people in it. And I saw nurses who demonstrated the utmost care for their patients and their community. Their dedication continues to inspire me,” she says.

“I’m not yet sure where I am going with my life after I graduate, but I do know that I am most passionate and most excited when working with vulnerable communities,” says York. “And the truth is, who else is going to do it but nurses? We are truly powerful agents of change and important resources for people who don’t have any.”

Australia

York

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A PA S SIO N F O R POLICY

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As an intern with the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) last summer, Erin Hartman, a Penn Nursing junior, had more than a few stand-out moments. She witnessed part of Senator Chris Murphy’s (D-CT) 15-hour filibuster pushing gun control legislation. She stood on the steps of the United States Supreme Court to hear its decision on Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt to overturn abortion restrictions in Texas. And she snagged a meeting with U.S. Rep. Diane Black (R-TN), a former nurse. “In the last Congress, there were five nurses in the House of Representatives and I reached out to each of their offices.” Rep. Black offered a one-on-one meeting, “an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because even her interns don’t have this type of access,” says Hartman. “At first, I guess she thought it was a formal meeting because her assistant started to take notes, but I explained that I was a nursing student interested in health policy and said I just wanted to hear her story. Her eyes lit up. She dismissed her assistant and leaned back in her chair and we chatted for a half hour.” Black told Hartman that, while running for office, she did a lot of door-to-door campaigning. A former emergency room nurse in her community’s hospital, she was often recognized by former patients. 14

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“She said, ‘If a nurse who cared for you after a heart attack showed up at your door and asked for your vote, how could you not support her?‘ Listening to her story was very empowering,” continued Hartman. “And it reminded me of all I can accomplish as a nurse.”

Pursuing an Immersive Policy Experience Hartman applied to the internship because she sought immersion in policymaking at the highest level, surrounded by health and policy experts. Her experience did not disappoint. “There is not much information available online about the inner workings of the Senate and you don’t get a taste of what the work and environment is like until you’re truly in it,” explains Hartman. “The most surprising aspect was the accessibility of everyone once I was working on the Hill. I could cold-email staffers from offices across both chambers and they would meet me for coffee. Everyone was so willing to mentor students and share their advice.” Hartman says, despite the perception that government moves slowly, she has never seen people move more quickly than she did during her Senate experience. “There was not a single health-related issue in the news that a staffer hadn’t already researched and strategized a way to combat,” she explains. “I was surrounded by brilliant people from such interesting backgrounds, who were deeply invested in improving their areas of influence. It became clear that there is not one direct path into policy and politics.”

Hartman began carving out her own path this past summer when she worked with Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) on legislation for the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which secured funding to fight the country’s heroin and opioid crises. Passionate about empowering women through reproductive justice and advocating for victims of sexual assault, Hartman also wrote letters on behalf of Senator Murray (and other senators on the HELP committee) to cabinet members and agency secretaries. “I researched current policies and provided recommendations on women’s health issues,” she explains. “These included the incidence of sexual assault on college campuses and within homeless populations, as well as reproductive justice, which I tracked and analyzed through women’s health legislation and court cases.”

Finding a Path to the Policy Table Interested in health care, economics, and politics, Hartman came to Penn Nursing after a summer of volunteering for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) inspired her to physically and emotionally help patients in their most vulnerable moments. “I also saw nursing as a career with great flexibility in its opportunities and one in which each day would be different. I knew I would continually learn as a professional,” says Hartman. “And Penn Nursing offered so many avenues to diversify my studies.” It didn’t take her long to navigate her options. As a second-semester freshman, she applied to The Wharton School’s Public Policy Research Scholars (PPRS) Program to matriculate into its inaugural class during the fall semester of her sophomore year. “Academically, it has supplemented my nursing curriculum with economics, policy, statistics, and political science courses in addition to health care management and health care policy courses,” she says. “I am the only nursing student in the cohort and have chosen to pursue the health policy track. PPRS has opened many doors for me, including the health policy internship and the policy research that I began this semester with the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics.” Hartman sees nursing as a foundation to create comprehensive impact through policy. “In the sphere of women’s health, which is extremely politically charged, I recognize the importance of having the nursing perspective,” she explains. “During my internship, I was able to speak about the feasibility of policy from firsthand experience, gained through caring for patients in the clinical setting.”

Why Nurses’ Voices are Necessary Hartman says nurses’ voices are critical at the policy table because they’re grounded in facts and evidence-based practice. Hartman with US Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr “There is a need for clinicians who not only understand what patients need and experience – especially in terms of the implications of sexual assault and the feasibility of contraception access – but who can also translate that into political policy,” she explains. “I think the firsthand experience nurses have in caring for patients is unparalleled in the policy sphere. They can speak anecdotally rather than theoretically. As nurses, we are educated to care for the entire person, and it is that mission that informs and creates smart policy.”

Hartman’s mentor, Julie Sochalski, PhD, FAAN, RN, agrees. “Look at Delaware’s newly sworn-in Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long, a nurse whose graduate focus was health policy, or Dr. Mary Wakefield, former Deputy Secretary for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, whose positions on Capitol Hill and in academia put her at the pinnacle of health policy,” says Dr. Sochalski. “Each chose health policy as their specialty practice, they honed their skills through education and engagement, and they grew into positions where they could act and make a difference.” Dr. Sochalski knows a thing or two about having a “passion for policy” having spent a career learning about each critical feature of the U.S. health care system, its economics, the policies that shape it, and how to wield policy tools to promote better health. “My ‘patient’ is the health care system,” she says. “It is not well and is in need of intervention. Policy is my intervention, it is my practice specialty. I am as passionate about my practice as any good nurse is about his or hers – intervening as effectively as I can to heal my patient and training others in this practice.” Hartman, who wants to attend law school after practicing clinically for a few years, has set her sights to working on precedent-setting cases, like those taken up by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Reproductive Rights. “I want to learn how to use and interpret the law to change patients’ lives,” she explains. “Nurse attorneys have a unique ability to employ their clinical background to defend their clients and to influence policy as a vehicle for change.”

www.nursing.upenn.edu

Where Nurses Lead: In the Military

U.S. Army photo by Timothy L. Hale/Released

Wilmoth

Nurses have played a crucial role in the United States’ military throughout its history, often braving the same dangers as the soldiers they treated: disease outbreaks, harsh conditions, and combat. Yet the military employed only civilian nurses until the early 1900s, when Congress established the Army Nurse Corps and Navy Nurse Corps. These were joined by the Air Force Nurse Corps after World War II. Today, military nurses are commissioned officers, and their leadership is helping drive advances in clinical care, research, and policy at home and around the globe. Resilience in Challenging Environments For Pamela Wall, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAANP, GNu’05, Gr’15, nursing and leadership skills go hand in hand when serving in a high-stress environment – such as Biloxi, Mississippi in the aftermath of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. “When we lowered the gangway from the hospital ship, patients came in thousands,” says Wall, a retired U.S. Navy commander. “I can’t describe the devastation, both to the city and its health care infrastructure. The people we treated had witnessed a 20-foot tidal surge, and many had lost their homes. It was heartbreaking, but it was also gratifying to be able to help.” Managing the stress of people affected by this disaster – as well as the troops involved in the response – was no small thing. But Wall was uniquely qualified. She dedicated her 20-year career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in the Navy to helping others manage stress and recover from trauma. Included in that career was the design of a program to help forward-deployed service members manage both day-to-day and combat-related stressors. 16

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“I was on four different deployments, each with different leadership roles,” says Wall. One major challenge was the task of promoting the well-being of her mental health team in a stressful, constantly changing environment. “I had to find ways to maintain my own resilience while supporting the resilience of my staff,” she explains. Wall says Penn Nursing greatly influenced her career and success as a naval officer. She is grateful to Therese S. Richmond, PhD, CRNP, FAAN,

Andrea B. Laporte Professor of Nursing, and Associate Dean for Research & Innovation for helping her see the bigger picture when making clinical decisions. “Penn Nursing taught me to think outside the box,” she says. “My education there really launched me in an unexpected trajectory.”

Wall

Leadership and Influence on Policy “The military intentionally develops all officers as leaders,” says MG Margaret Wilmoth, Gr’93. “There are required levels of professional military education necessary for promotion, and a graduate degree in one’s field is essential.” As the first Army Nurse Corps officer to command an Army Reserve medical brigade, Wilmoth led the 332nd Medical Brigade through a period of incredible growth – the unit doubled from 3,000 to 6,000 troops, with units spread across eight states and Puerto Rico. She says that leading this unit – as a part-time reservist herself – required some of the same skills essential to traditional nursing. “It was important to carefully manage my time, set priorities, and evaluate outcomes,” says Wilmoth, noting that nurses in command positions tend to be very relationship-oriented and politically savvy. “It also helps to have a thick skin,” she says. Wilmoth currently serves as the Deputy Surgeon General for Mobilization, Readiness, and Army Reserve Affairs. In this role, she leads initiatives to support troops’ medical readiness for deployment. This includes developing policies focused on preventive medicine – such as immunizations and annual checkups – as well as protocols to ensure care for reservists injured during training.

health care,” she explains, noting that the recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to significant advances in trauma and amputee care, as well as improvements in telemedicine. Bader held leadership roles at various levels in the military, which she says required many Bader of the skills central to traditional nursing, such as communication, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary teamwork. Supporting policy efforts for the military health system gave her a view of how health care functions on a larger scale. “I was able to see how policy is made, attend meetings with senior military and civilian leaders, and help identify and address issues affecting the health of our military as a whole,” says Bader. “I had the opportunity to utilize expertise across a wide spectrum of health care environments, and this helped me gain a new perspective on health care policy.” A current doctoral student at Penn Nursing, Bader values the guidance of her advisors Rosemary Polomano, PhD, RN, FAAN and Salimah Meghani, PhD, MBE, RN, FAAN.

“We want to have the proper policies in place to meet reservists’ health care needs and ensure they have the highest levels of medical readiness,” she says. “Health care professionals must also be professionally ready to deploy.”

Bader’s research focuses on trends related to the biological, psychological, and social aspects of chronic pain. She hopes her work will benefit pain management outcomes for members of the military, a population she plans to continue serving after graduation.

During her time at Penn Nursing, Wilmoth benefited from the mentorship of Claire M. Fagin, PhD, FAAN, RN, then the dean of Penn Nursing, as well as from

Opportunities to Lead

Jacqueline M. Fawcett, PhD, FAAN, RN.

“Claire and Jackie really helped me think beyond what I thought was possible in the field of nursing,” she says.

Shaping the Future of Military Health Care Dating back to Florence Nightingale’s pioneering work with British troops, nurses have been instrumental in developing policies and best practices for military medicine. Sometimes, advances in this field offer applications well beyond the military. “Military medicine is often on the cutting edge of research,” says Christine Bader, MS, BSN, RN, NE-BC a retired U.S. Air Force Reserve colonel. “The medical needs of our military often drive innovations in

In 2011, LTG Patricia Horoho became the first member of the Army Nurse Corps and the first woman to serve as the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM). Thanks to the military’s demand for dedicated nurses and its emphasis on progressive leadership training, more and more nurses are rising to the higher echelons of America’s military branches. “When you become a nurse in the military, leadership growth is expected from day one,” explains Wall. Reflecting on her own experience as a Navy officer, she says, “It was challenging, but it was also a valuable opportunity to learn about myself, learn about others, and gain leadership skills I could carry with me into civilian life. I wouldn’t trade my 20 years in the military for anything.”

www.nursing.upenn.edu

The Science of Family Caregiving Nurses in the 1970s and ‘80s were at the forefront of an interesting change in pediatric care. Child advocacy had become increasingly a part of care planning, and technological and scientific advances were helping children with serious, chronic conditions live longer. The only problem was, those children were living in hospitals. “We began to realize that we could sustain children’s lives through excellent nursing and medical care but that a complex family and parent dynamic was involved as well,” says Janet A. Deatrick, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor Emerita of Nursing and former Director of the Center for Health Equity Research. At that time, Dr. Deatrick was a registered nurse working in pediatrics. “It was clear that we had to reverse a trend that had started in the 1920s and move care back to these children’s homes.” What also became apparent was that family support was an important part of that care. “Since then, I have been thinking about how family support matters to children with complex health conditions and how nurses make a big difference in the interdisciplinary decision making that can help these children and their families,” Dr. Deatrick. While she gives her own family credit for instilling in her a sense of service and responsibility that influenced her decision to become a nurse, it is the families of chronically ill children that inspired Dr. Deatrick to delve deeply into research and contribute to the science of family caregiving. Her insight and sustained scholarly productivity resulted in the development of family nursing and standards of clinical care for vulnerable families and their children. This work earned her the 2016 Claire M. Fagin Distinguished Researcher Award, an annual honor for School of Nursing faculty members or doctoral program graduates who make distinguished contributions to nursing scholarship.

Encouragement from a Nurse Pioneer With a focus on the science of family caregiving, Dr. Deatrick earned her master’s degree in child psychiatric nursing, followed by her PhD. Her path as a nurse scientist was set and she took on the historic debate around family-centered care, encouraged by the examples of Claire M. Fagin, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN and her studies on maternal-child separation during hospital stays. 18

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“I remember an interview with Claire about the time her son was hospitalized for hernia repair. She and her husband were adamant about staying by their son’s side while he was in the hospital, something that was just not done at the time,” explains Dr. Deatrick. “That episode led to her ground-breaking study of allowing parents of hospitalized children to room together, which, in turn, transformed hospital practice.” Dr. Deatrick applied Dr. Fagin’s insight to what she had observed as a nurse: Family support for children hospitalized with serious chronic conditions was an important factor in their well-being. “I wanted to more fully understand the parent-child relationship in this context and the factors that influenced the welfare of these children,” she explains.

Collaborating to Understand the Family Dynamic In the early 1980s, Dr. Deatrick began what would be a career-long collaboration with Kathleen A. Knafl, PhD, FAAN of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and later with her colleagues at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Together, they sought to understand how families of children with serious chronic conditions cope, and how they view the future while managing the care of their children. “We were interested in understanding the core issues these families faced and how they dealt with those issues,” explains Dr. Deatrick. “How did families manage in these circumstances, and how did the way they managed affect the children’s health outcomes?” These questions led the researchers to develop the Family Management Style Framework (FMSM) and the Family Management Measure (FaMM), which systematically recognizes multidimensional family processes involved in disease management for children with serious health problems. “Janet has long been committed to supporting families with kids with chronic illnesses and to helping both the kids and the families to flourish,” says Dr. Knafl. “By measuring key aspects of family management, the FaMM helps nurses enhance the care of their patients and better support the families in caregiving.” The FMSM is used throughout the world to guide research and has been adapted for use across the life span in a variety of health conditions. The FaMM has been translated into 10 languages and helps clinicians and researchers to more fully understand family functioning in the context of chronic childhood conditions.

Optimizing Family Management for Childhood Brain Tumor Survivors

young adults, what family means to them, not what the family does for them, is a primary focus,” she says.

From studying families of children with serious chronic conditions, Dr. Deatrick began focusing on childhood brain tumor survivors and their families. Because of advances in care, children with brain tumors are surviving and living longer. But these survivors report the lowest quality of life of all childhood cancer survivors. And unlike most parents who relinquish day-to-day responsibility for their young adults, parents of childhood brain tumor survivors often maintain their caregiving roles.

“What Janet has done over her career in supporting families and children who have devastating chronic conditions has been the height of bravery and represents the finest research and pioneering care,” says Dr. Fagin. “Because of her, we have a more precise understanding of factors that support or impede optimal child and family functioning.”

Drs. Deatrick and Knafl also identified family management patterns within the families they studied. One pattern centered on families with routines and activities that are “family-focused.” In these families, the children and the parental caregivers functioned better and the families were better able to integrate the care of the children’s condition into family life. “Our quantitative research showed the children and the lives of the family members were viewed as normal. They managed illness-related demands but also sustained usual patterns of family and child functioning,” says Dr. Deatrick. While it is important to focus on the child’s condition during crises, over the long-term, families are best served by integrating the child as a normal member of the family. To find out more about the maternal caregivers and survivors, Dr. Deatrick and her research team began interviewing them in their homes. The caregivers talked about their journeys and about the demands of being both a mother and a caregiver. The survivors talked about their families and quality of life. “For these

Teaching Others about Family Research In 1989, Dr. Deatrick was recruited to Penn Nursing, where she shared her passion for family research by teaching undergraduate and graduate students about family models of health and illness. “Families and communities are the most important contexts we must understand in caring for patients and advising families on how best to care for their loved ones,” she says. At the doctoral level, Dr. Deatrick teaches qualitative and quantitative research methods to help students identify challenges that arise when conducting research with families. “I enjoy seeing students develop their own programs of research around family and community,” she says. “It has been a wonderful experience to teach about family because for me, this is the heart of nursing.” “We are so proud to honor Dr. Deatrick,” says Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor and Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing. “She has given a powerful voice to youth with significant, chronic conditions and their families, and, in doing so, has greatly influenced family-centered care.”

Dr. Deatrick is the 14th recipient of the Fagin Award, honoring University of Pennsylvania nursing faculty members or graduates from the School’s doctoral program who make distinguished contributions to nursing scholarship. The Claire M. Fagin Distinguished Researcher Award was established to honor Claire M. Fagin, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN, Dean of the School from 1977 to 1992. Dr. Deatrick has been recognized for her accomplishments with numerous awards including the Christian and Nancy Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, University of Pennsylvania; a Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing; the Achievement Award, University of Illinois Alumni Association; the Excellence in Nursing Research Award from the Society of Pediatric Nurses; the Suzanne Feetham Nurse Scientist Family Research Award from the Eastern Nursing Research Society; and the Distinguished Contribution to Family Nursing Research Award at the International Family Nursing Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, among others. www.nursing.upenn.edu

E M P OW ER IN G M OVEMENT Nurse-midwife Mamie Guidera, MSN, CNM, FACNM, Advanced Senior Lecturer, is action personified, even on a bad day. During a recent snowstorm when the University delayed opening until noon, Guidera trudged into Fagin Hall for a 10 am meeting only to learn that it was being rescheduled. Conveniently, she remembered the cross-country skis in her car and headed out to nearby Wissahickon Park. That same predilection for action is equally evident in her role as a nurse-midwife and member of the Penn faculty, whether she is traveling to Haiti to deliver care following the earthquake, bringing a group of students to Guatemala each year, or advising the Penn women’s crew team. Fueled by a passion to make a difference in the world, Guidera inspires students, colleagues, and community members to find their own path to action.

Helping People Find Strength and Spirit More than a decade ago, Guidera was riding her bike along Boathouse Row, when the only house on the west side of the river caught her attention. It is owned by the nonprofit Philadelphia Center for Adaptive Sports (PCAS), an organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of people with disabilities by promoting healthy and active lifestyles. The boathouse serves as headquarters for the Philadelphia Adapted Rowing Program (PAR), the oldest adapted rowing program in the United States which spearheaded the acceptance of adaptive rowing as a Paralympic sport. “I’d been rowing since I attended a clinic with my son almost 20 years ago, and I’d done a lot of canoeing, but I didn’t belong to a boathouse,” says Guidera. “When I learned about this program, it intrigued me, so I became a volunteer. And it has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” Though Guidera prefers rowing as a restorative, almost meditative, recreational experience, the PAR program is quite competitive. “Most of the people who do this are very athletic and very competitive,” says Guidera. “We have people who’ve been in accidents, amputees, people with visual impairments, multiple sclerosis (MS), and other disabilities, but they’re just as competitive and ready to train as any serious rower. It’s just harder to find places to train and compete when you have a disability.” 20

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PAR welcomes these experienced rowers, as well as novices and recreational rowers. The program’s wide range of sculls, expertise in adapting boats, and energetic volunteers make the program a leader in the sport of adaptive rowing. “Though I consider rowing more of a good-for-thesoul activity, I’m happy to train with and serve as a partner for people who love the competitive aspect,” explains Guidera. “It’s great fun to teach people how to row. We can adapt boats for anyone, whether in a wheelchair or not, and can overcome nearly any obstacle.” A few years ago, Guidera helped coach a woman who was blind and wanted to compete in a single scull. “We used headsets to communicate, and it was an amazing experience for us both,” she recalls.

Bringing Balance to Her Life and Others Volunteers like Guidera are integral to the success of PCAS programs, says Executive Director Jeff McGinnis. “Mamie is a huge asset. She’s a good rower – which is obviously very important for our PAR program – and because of her nursing background, she understands what people are dealing with and how to best work around their challenges,” explains McGinnis. “She’s been with us a long time and has great leadership qualities. She’ll bring athletes down to train even on days we don’t normally row because she’s so committed to their success and our program.” PAR isn’t the only PCAS program on which Guidera has made her mark. As a certified yoga instructor, she started the Center’s adaptive yoga program and recently received a grant from the National Parkinson Foundation to develop an adaptive yoga class specifically for people with Parkinson’s Disease. “I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s almost 10 years ago, and yoga has been a lifesaver. It helps with strength, flexibility, balance, and posture. You tend to lose your posture with Parkinson’s. Yoga helps you maintain mobility and athleticism.” says Guidera. “What started as a group of us doing yoga on the dock, waiting for the boats to come in, is now growing as a new program.” Though trained as a traditional – not adaptive – yoga instructor, Guidera worked to develop an adaptive program at PCAS with the help of a teacher trained in

programs, visit centeronline.com, find the Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports on Facebook, or contact McGinnis at 215.765.5118 or pcas@centeronline.com.

Photo courtesy of Gary G. Schempp Photo, LLC.

To volunteer with PCAS, or learn more about its

the practice. Adaptive yoga must meet the needs of participants who, in many cases, can’t stand.

students to hang in there once they get into clinicals. She makes me very proud.”

“Instead of adapting traditional poses, we have learned to go with poses that work for those with significant disabilities and then adapt up for participants with greater physical abilities as well as non-disabled volunteers,” Guidera explains. “I’m amazed at some of the things people are able to do. I’ve taught three series so far, and no one stays in a wheelchair. All poses can be done standing, sitting, or lying on the yoga mat.”

An avid rower since her freshman year of high school, Sparrow says she loves leading the rowing team and working with her teammates toward one common goal.

McGinnis says he’s thrilled Guidera has brought the yoga program to PCAS. The goal of that program, PAR, and the other 10 sports program PCAS offers are to improve the health and wellness of all participants. “The social component is so important, too. We can never lose sight of that,” he says. “We recognize that when you have a disability – especially an acquired one – you can pretty quickly become isolated. Volunteers like Mamie understand our mission to meet as many needs as possible for our participants.” “For me, rowing feeds my soul and yoga keeps me moving,” adds Guidera. “I’d like to help others find what they need through these sports.”

Advocating for Students in Athletics and Academics Guidera also brings her love of rowing – and her knowledge of nursing students’ numerous academic and clinical obligations – to her role as a faculty advisor for members of the Penn women’s crew team. “In the School of Nursing, we take advising seriously. If a nursing student is going to row, the Office of Student Affairs typically sends that student to me,” she says. “As her advisor, I can help with academic scheduling issues and do a little negotiating with the coach when it comes to arranging practices and finding a balance between athletics and academics.” The team’s current captain, Anna Sparrow, is a nursing student. “She’s pretty remarkable,” says Guidera. “It can get quite difficult for nursing

“I’ve learned so much as a student-athlete,” says Sparrow. “Learning how to balance academics and athletics is a challenge that any studentathlete faces, and adding my clinical obligations to that already difficult scenario was definitely tricky. I’m very fortunate that I attend an institution that values and facilitates student participation in a variety of activities. And, the support I have from both my advisors and coaches has made the balance less tricky.” Sparrow says Guidera, especially, has been incredibly helpful in providing her coaches with an inside perspective on student life. “Mamie has served as an advisor to many of the nursing students on our team, and really takes into account our commitment to both the sport and our education,” she says. “There was a big learning curve for me, and there were definitely times when this all seemed like too much. Thankfully, we have people committed to helping us get through it. As a senior and a captain, I can say that I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”

Encouraging Others to Expand and Share Their Strengths In the end, says Guidera, it’s all about finding balance and doing what you love. Volunteering with PCAS and advising Penn’s rowers help round out her life and practice, all while enabling others to find their own balance and empowerment through physical activity and organized sports. “As a nurse, I see the importance of work-life balance,” she explains. “You need to feed your soul and keep your body strong as much as you work your brain. When I started volunteering, I didn’t know I had room for more people in my life. The people I row and practice yoga with are an awesome, tough group who constantly inspire each other and me.” www.nursing.upenn.edu

A Legacy of Giving Her name’s not on a building or a scholarship or a program. But the generosity of Patricia Kind is firmly imprinted on Penn Nursing. “She was a genuine, warm and caring person,” says Claire M. Fagin, PhD, FAAN, RN, Dean Emerita and Professor of Nursing. “Sharing her time, talent, and treasure with Penn Nursing was important to her.” Pat died in 2016 at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy of support that impacted the School of Nursing and many organizations in the Philadelphia area that help seniors, adults, and children. “The first time I met her, we had lunch together and I asked for her advice on what I could do to put Penn Nursing on the map. After we had batted around a few ideas, she in turn asked me how much money I thought I would need. I had no idea – fundraising was new to me then. Off the top of my head I said $15,000. Pat took out her checkbook and wrote a $15,000 check – just like that,” explains Dr. Fagin. That money launched a lecture series for the School of Nursing. “Of course, $15,000 was so minimalist that supporting a very visible lecture series was almost unreal. Not to worry. Pat and I were new together and the rule became to invite the best and she would take care of it. We both enjoyed that and I learned a lot from our first experience. She continued to support our lecture series, among many other things, throughout her lifetime,” says Dr. Fagin. When it was suggested the lecture series be named after her, Pat vehemently objected. Her humility transcended her philanthropy. “Both of my parents were extremely generous. But they always gave to help others, never to bring acclaim to themselves,” explains Pat’s daughter, Laura Kind McKenna, GNu’81.

outreach, prevention, education and direct care of those with mental health disorders. “Life was not easy for Mom. She lived with serious mental illness for many years, so she had a deep concern for people like her. But she was a fighter. She struggled and never gave in. Even in the last 15 or so years of her life when she developed dementia and lost many abilities, she was still loving and kept her wonderful sense of humor,” says McKenna. During visits to programs that she was interested in supporting, Pat would actively seek out the people using the service or program and engage them in conversation. “I recently did a site visit to a program in Norristown and an elderly man who was a client of the program approached me to offer his condolences,” says McKenna. “He remembered my mother as a warm and gracious woman. That’s just who she was. Her job was to help wherever she could and to put her whole self into that help.”

A Nurse Through-and-Through As a life-long nurse, Pat believed that nursing held the answer for much of what was wrong in the world. “One of her first gifts to the School of Nursing was a flagpole for the roof,” says McKenna. “She couldn’t believe that the Nursing School was tucked away behind other buildings and wanted a way to make it more visible. That was just like her. When she saw a need, she met it.” While serving as president of the van Ameringen Foundation in New York City, she stewarded a gift from the foundation to Penn Nursing for the van Ameringen Chair in Nursing Excellence, the first endowed nursing chair in the country. She also personally made a large gift to support the fundraising drive to name Claire M. Fagin Hall. Although she stopped practicing nursing shortly after her marriage, Pat maintained her license for the

A Champion for Improved Mental Health Pat was especially interested in supporting initiatives and programs that helped people living with mental illness enjoy a better, more meaningful life. She was influenced in that focus by her father Arnold van Ameringen, who started the van Ameringen Foundation in the mid ‘50s, which continues to support

upFront | Spring 2017

Patricia Kind

rest of her life. “She was proud to call herself a nurse and always maintained that nursing prepared you for life – for giving and caring and putting others first,” says McKenna. “She loved nursing and she loved Penn Nursing. She saw her gifts as a means to an end, a way to make sure that more nurses received the highest quality education and made an impact for good on the world.”

Modeling Selfless Giving The one institution that does bear her name – the Patricia Kind Family Foundation – manages a heavy responsibility: Continue selfless community involvement and provide funds to help children, adults, and seniors obtain basic human needs. From 2001 to 2016, the Foundation made 470 grants totaling more than $32 million. “The Family Foundation started after my grandmother died and money was left to my mother to establish a foundation. She set up the Family Foundation and

encouraged her five children to continue to be actively involved with supporting health and human services in the Delaware Valley,” says McKenna, who recently stepped down after 18 years serving as a volunteer manager trustee of the Family Foundation. Her sister Chrissy stepped into this role. “Mom instilled in her five kids, and all of her 19 grandchildren, the importance of giving generously, making things better for those who are less fortunate,” says McKenna, a volunteer nurse practitioner at the Catholic Worker Free Clinic of Philadelphia. “Like my mom, nursing is an important part of my identity.” Even at the end of her life, Pat continued giving, donating her body to the Humanity Gifts Registry of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. “It was her last selfless act and she was adamant that we follow through with her wishes,” says McKenna. “She is very much missed by us all, yet we know her real legacy – her giving nature – is also part of who we are and what we all try to do each day.”

PENN NURSING ANNOUNCEMENTS President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price are pleased to announce the appointment of Risa Lavizzo-Mourey as the University of

Pennsylvania’s nineteenth Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor, effective January 1, 2018.

Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA Risa Lavizzo-Mourey will be the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Population Health and Health Equity Professor with joint faculty appointments in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy in the Perelman School of Medicine, the Department of Health Care Management in the Wharton School, and the Department of Family and Community Health in the School of Nursing. A world-renowned expert in health policy and geriatric medicine, Lavizzo-Mourey has served since 2003 as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and, for fifteen years before that, as a distinguished professor and administrator at Penn. In addition, Dean Villarruel is pleased to name three faculty members to endowed chairs in Penn Nursing. These positions honor their innovative research and commitment to the field of nursing science, and recognize the many contributions they have made to the School of Nursing.

Connie M. Ulrich, PhD, RN, FAAN Lillian S. Brunner Chair in Medical and Surgical Nursing Dr. Lillian Brunner was known internationally as the editor of the traditional surgical nursing texts, Textbook of Medical and Surgical Nursing and The Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice. In addition, she was strong supporter of the School of Nursing as an Overseer, Chair of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing Advisory Board, and generous philanthropist.

Peggy Compton, PHD, RN, FAAN van Ameringen Chair in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing The chair was established in 1981 by the van Ameringen Foundation by then-President of the Board and long-time nursing supporter Patricia Kind. The Foundation funds prevention, education, and direct care in the mental-health field, with an emphasis on those individuals and populations with an impoverished background and few opportunities.

Patricia D’Antonio, PhD, RN, FAAN Carol E. Ware Professorship in Mental Health Founded in 2012, Carol E. Ware is a longtime member of Penn Nursing’s Board of Overseers and one of the School’s leading supporters. www.nursing.upenn.edu

PENN NURSING NEWS Penn Nursing faculty and students are advancing science, delivering solutions, and transforming policy and practice. You can learn more about their impact on health and health care at www.nursing.upenn.edu.

Mary Naylor Co-authors National Academy of Medicine Discussion Paper Presenting New Framework to Guide Patient and Family Engaged Care A new discussion paper, co-authored by Mary Naylor, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Marion S. Ware Professor in Gerontology and Director of the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health, and published by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), asserts that a cultural shift to “patient and family engaged care” is an essential driver to achieving the “Quadruple Aim” outcomes of better culture, better care, better health, and lower costs. By introducing the term “patient and family engaged care,” the authors recognize the evolution of the field toward embracing partnership – working with patients and families, not simply doing to and for them. In addition, the authors lay out a novel Guiding Framework grounded in scientific evidence and the lived experience of patients, their care partners, practitioners, and health system leaders. It provides a pathway for organizations to create and sustain a culture of patient and family engaged care, including practical real-world examples.

Inaugural Penn Nurse Innovation Fellows Named Jennifer Pinto-Martin, PhD, MPH, the Viola MacInnes/Independence Professor of Nursing, a Professor of Epidemiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Executive Director of the Center for Public Health Initiatives (left); and Leah Moran, MSN, RN, Nurse Manager for the Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (right), have been appointed the inaugural Penn Nurse Innovation Fellows.

The Fellowship represents an important collaboration between Penn Nursing, Penn Medicine’s Center for Health Care Innovation (CHCI), and the Department of Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). Formally launched in January 2017, the program fosters multidisciplinary collaboration by enabling Fellows to work directly with designers, developers, and innovation specialists from the CHCI over the course of a semester. They will learn disciplined techniques for testing potentially value-producing ideas faster, less expensively, and more reliably. These skills will enable them to drive change in health care within Penn Medicine and at the local, state, and national levels. “Nurses are natural innovators. The opportunity to embed Fellows within the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation provides opportunities to not only learn different approaches – but also to provide patient and family perspectives to on-going work within the Center,” said Penn Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN.

Penn Researchers Study how to Repurpose Existing Drugs for New Indications Heath Schmidt, PhD, of Penn Nursing and Penn Medicine, teamed up with Penn clinical

researcher Rebecca Ashare to test galantamine’s ability to help smokers kick their habit. Galantamine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor approved in 2001 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, blocks an enzyme that degrades acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that’s been linked to cognition that also binds to some of the same neuronal receptors that mediate nicotine’s rewarding effects. “The idea is that if you can increase acetylcholine signaling in the brain, you could decrease nicotine-related behaviors such as tobacco smoking,” says Schmidt. A review of this work was featured in The Scientist, January 2017. upFront | Spring 2017

Moral Obligation of Clinicians to Address the Needs of Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia More than 15 million family members and other unpaid caregivers provide care to persons living with dementia in the United States. Yet the current health care environment and reimbursement models emphasize obligations toward individual patients, preventing clinicians from reaching out to these caregivers to assess their needs and provide care. In “Who Should Assess the Needs of and Care for a Dementia Patient’s Caregiver?” recently published by the AMA Journal of Ethics online, co-author Nancy A. Hodgson, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Anthony Buividas Term Chair of Gerontology and Associate Professor in the Department Biobehavioral Health Sciences examines the ethical obligation of clinicians to reach out to family caregivers of persons with dementia to ask them to share their challenges and concerns and then to provide resources for help. “In dementia care, attention to family caregivers should be mandatory as their health and well-being are a critical part of the context of providing care to a patient with dementia,” said Hodgson. “We have a moral obligation to assure the health and well-being of family members who are intimately involved in caring for a patient with dementia.”

Older Adults Walk More for Money and Opportunity to Donate to Charity Personal and social goals may be effective in motivating older adults to exercise, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Although numerous studies have demonstrated significant health benefits from walking – including decreased risk of heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and premature mortality – fewer than half of all adults achieve recommended levels of physical activity. “Our research finds that goals are a valuable tactic in helping older adults live a healthy lifestyle,” said Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, George A. Weiss University Professor in the University of Pennsylvania’s School for Nursing and Perelman School of Medicine, director of the UPenn Prevention Research Center, and professor in the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics. She co-led the study with Jason Karlawish, MD, a professor of Medicine, Medical Ethics and Health Policy, and Neurology, who noted that “walking is safe, free, and readily available – making these intervention initiatives a sustainable way to better health.”

Employment of More Nurse Assistants in Hospitals Is Associated with More Deaths and Lower Quality Care Hospitals that employ more nurse assistants relative to the number of professionally qualified nurses have higher mortality rates, lower patient satisfaction, and poorer quality and safety of care, according to the European study titled “Nursing Skill Mix in European Hospitals: Cross-sectional Study of the Association with Mortality, Patient Ratings, and Quality of Care,” published in the leading scientific journal BMJ Quality and Safety. “The contention of some leaders in health care that fewer highly skilled professional nurses in hospitals supported by lower skilled, lower waged workers is safe and cost effective is not supported by this study,” says lead author Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, Director of Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research. “This research is consistent with a growing body of research showing that sufficient numbers of professional nurses providing direct care to hospitalized patients produces the best outcomes and avoids costly adverse care outcomes.” www.nursing.upenn.edu

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS From the Penn Nursing Alumni Board President

Hello Penn Nursing Alumni! The footprint of Penn Nursing grows larger each day, representing the cumulative impact of talented nurses across clinical specialties, zip codes, and countries. Penn Nursing alumni are shaping the health of patients and communities in addition to health policy and international standards of care. Our community thrives because of your dedication to clinical excellence, rigorous research, and mentorship. Alumni are integral members of our community, to the mutual benefit of our university, students, patients, and you – our valued graduates. We offer many opportunities to remain engaged – regionally, virtually, as well as on campus. As 2017 introduces new opportunities, challenges, and growth, please stay connected with Penn Nursing. Stay In the Know Have you moved recently, changed your name, or started a new job with a new email address? Keep your contact information up to date to ensure you receive updates about all the exciting news and events taking place across the university (www.quakernet.alumni.upenn.edu). If you haven’t already, take a moment to check out the new Penn Nursing website, a rich source of the latest updates on programming and exciting work happening at the School. Read the profiles under Meet Our Alumni and suggest someone we can add. Virtual and In-Person Connections Engagement with Penn Nursing is often just one click away. Receive updates and enter the conversation by following the Penn Nursing Facebook or LinkedIn Groups or #PennNursingDean on Twitter. Join us for our webinars offered frequently throughout the year (don’t miss Wendy Grube on April 20 and our new Leadership series launching in September). Partner with the university’s efforts to offer an interview to EVERY undergraduate applicant by joining the Alumni Interview Program, providing regional or virtual interviews to the next generation of Penn Nursing students. Join the members of the Alumni Board as Annual Givers with a financial donation to the school to support our legacy of excellence. Meeting in person fosters incredibly rich conversations and opportunities as well. For many of you, this may take place closer to home than you think: The Dean will be in Boston on April 19. The Alumni Board is working to develop student and alumni mentorship opportunities in your neck of the woods (network in NYC in June). You could also join your fellow classmates on campus at Homecoming (Nov. 4-5), Alumni Weekend (May 12-14), or a Master’s Program Reunion. The Alumni Board works on projects year round to support our alumni from graduation onward and welcomes you to join our committees. For each of you, the connection will look different but know that you remain an integral member of the Penn Nursing community for life. We are invested in your personal and professional accomplishments and depend upon your expertise and involvement with Penn Nursing to advance health care and educate the next generation of nurse leaders. There is much work to be done, but together anything is possible. Best, Ashley Z. Ritter, Nu’07, GNu’10 President, Penn Nursing Alumni Board

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From the HUP Nursing Alumni Association President Dear Fellow Alumni, This past September 2016, HUP celebrated our 130th reunion. Our reunions are every five years, with the next one in 2021. My vision is for HUP to celebrate the 150th reunion in 2036, and I think this is an achievable goal. Again, I want to thank our Reunion Chair, Patricia (Pat) Walter Marzozzi and the entire HUP Alumni Board for their efforts on the reunion. I also want to thank each speaker. They were excellent and very informative about nursing today, community, and global nursing. Thank you Sarah Kagan, Therese Richmond, and Julie Sochalski, all from Penn Nursing, as well as Regina Cunningham, Chief Nursing Executive, Associate Executive Director, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dean Villarruel and Neville E. Strumpf were terrific banquet speakers. Thanks also to Monica Salvia and Pier Lopez for their help and all the support they provide to our organization throughout the year. Did you know that Dean Villarruel sponsored the Cocktail Reception Hour at the 130th reunion? This was greatly appreciated and demonstrates the partnership, collaboration, and the networking between HUP Nursing Alumni Association, Penn Nursing Alumni, and Penn Nursing. We work regularly with Penn Nursing Alumni. As president, I am invited to attend Penn Nursing Alumni Board meetings, as my predecessors have done. Julie Tierney Davis and I have served for two years as members on the Penn Nursing Awards Committee. It has been an extreme pleasure for me the past two years to communicate with Ashley Ritter, Penn Nursing Alumni President. While both alumni associations are under one umbrella, we have our own identity and support each other. During the 130th reunion, we acknowledged these HUP Alumni award winners: Distinguished Alumnus Awards: Presented to the HUP Alumni who have made outstanding contributions in nursing beyond the local level and demonstrate evidence of such regionally, nationally, and internationally. The awardees were: Pamela F. Cipriano, HUP’76, Cleo Wolfe Libonati, HUP’68, Joanne Branca Masella, HUP’75, and Roberta (Bobbi) D’Onofrio Pichini, HUP’68. Special Recognition Awards: Presented to the HUP Alumni who demonstrate leadership and achievement at the local level. The criteria for selection include the demonstration of creative ability, originality, persistent constructive effort and cooperation, and professional relationship. The awardees were: Joan Doyle, HUP’74, Margie Moffett Iacobacci, HUP’78, and Shelia Ryan Mehlam, HUP’66. Outstanding Service Award: Presented to Isabella (Isabel) Stainsby Harrison, HUP’49 who served as HUP Alumni Association Treasurer for almost three decades and Julie Tierney Davis, HUP’73 who has been the Secretary for the HUP Alumni Association. I urge HUP graduates to get involved with your alumni association. As students, some of you received HUP scholarships to advance your education. Please think how you might give a little of your time back. Please contact me at edreisbaug@aol.com or telephone 610.363.7891 if you have questions. Susan Sharkey McKelvey, HUP’73 has done a terrific job as Nomination Chair, contacting graduates to serve as an officer or on the HUP Board of Directors. She will be happy to talk to you about the Board roles. Finally, I invite you to attend an event and reconnect. The HUP Alumni Spring Luncheon will be on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at Charlotte’s Restaurant in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. We are also looking forward to Penn Alumni Weekend, May 12-15, 2017. It will take many of us getting involved to keep the HUP Alumni Association going. Let’s get to the 150th reunion! Warm Regards, Elaine (Nuss) Dreisbaugh, HUP‘60 President, Alumni Association of the School of Nursing of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania www.nursing.upenn.edu

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS Activism… at Penn Nursing This year, many of you have expressed a renewed interest in connecting with your elected government officials. Involvement is critical to the strength of a democracy, to the health care team, and to your alma mater. In order to provide the services and programs you want, we need to hear from you. And, we need you to take an active role! We invite you to contact us to share your ideas, volunteer your expertise and time, and provide valuable feedback. Volunteers are invited to join committees for Alumni Awards and Student-Alumni Connections, host events, interview prospective

BSN students, post online, host a student for direct-patient care shadowing, or have coffee to explain your NP role to a transfer student. Learn about ways to connect on our website or call 215.898.9773. Help us increase our capacity to support your and our students. Please share your ideas and your time.

Mentors and Shadowing Host Needed We experienced a significant increase in requests from students and young alumni seeking advice, career support, and shadowing opportunities this year. Many of you have helped meet this request, and we are grateful! A formal mentoring and shadowing program is launching this year to create a streamlined process for students and alumni. Whether you have volunteered before or are new to the process, we ask you to consider signing up as a mentor or shadowing host at www.nursing.upenn. edu/alumni/networking-connections/. A cup of coffee, with the right company, can make a world of difference.

An Online Learning Library Did you know that Penn Nursing Alumni webinars are recorded and available for viewing at your convenience? Find a topic that interests you or share a recording with a colleague. Recorded webinars include: Dean Villarruel’s annual Town Hall (a great place for an overview of Penn Nursing right now)

Mickey’s Got the Measles: What can we learn from the Disneyland outbreak?

Women and Health: Revisit, Review, Reinvision

Causes of Autism Spectrum Disorder and ongoing studies

Ditch the Pressure of Healthy Aging for your Own Path to Aging Well

The Effects of Exercise on Heart Health and Disease

A virtual discussion of the documentary The American Nurse, featuring Dean Villarruel and film director Carolyn Jones

Skyrocketing Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in Young Children

To view a recorded webinar, search the Penn Nursing YouTube channel for Alumni Webinars, or for even more links go to the lifelong learning page on our website at: www.nursing.upenn.edu/alumni/resources-benefits/life-long-learning/ And be sure to view our schedule of upcoming webinars and join a live session for a more interactive experience! 28

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ALUMNI WEEKEND 2017 – MAY 12-14

We invite School of Nursing graduate students, undergraduate alumni, Education School nursing majors, and HUP alumni to choose from dozens of events hosted by the School, your program, or undergraduate Penn reunion class. Learn something new, connect with students, fellow alumni, faculty and the Dean, and show off your Penn Pride.

Friday, May 12, 2017

Saturday, May 13, 2017

12 – 1:30 pm

8:30 – 9:30 am

The Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics presents: A Bold New World for Us and Our Grandchildren – Coming Changes in Health Care Featuring Penn Nursing’s Dr. Linda Aiken.

Penn Nursing Legacy Breakfast Dean Villarruel hosts this annual Legacy Breakfast with guest speaker Dr. Pat D’Antonio, Director of Penn’s Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing. Join us to learn more about our shared history and to dialogue with fellow Legacy alumni (limited to 25th-50th reunions)!

3:30 – 4:30 pm

What’s Going On? How to Understand and Cope with the Teenage Brain Sponsored by Penn’s Office of Alumni Education and featuring Penn Nursing’s Dr. Kate McDonald. 4 – 5:30 pm

Celebrating Excellence: Student, Alumni and Faculty Awards Penn Nursing’s annual Awards program honors the varied achievements of our community members. Celebrate the recipients of this year’s Alumni Awards and hear about the accomplishments of Penn Nursing graduating students and faculty. A reception will follow.

10 – 11:15 am

Making the Most of the “Golden Years” Caring for yourself and your aging loved ones can be challenging, but the golden years are also filled with opportunity. Faculty members Nancy Hodgson, Pam Cacchione, and Adriana Perez will discuss these challenges and opportunities, including the latest in research and care issues around healthy aging, mental health for care givers and the aging adult, improving quality of life for dementia patients living at home, and promoting physical activity for older adults. 11:45 am – 12:30 pm

Penn Nursing in the Parade All nursing alumni are invited to march with Dean Villarruel, Nursing Alumni Board president Ashley Ritter, and fellow alumni. This year, we welcome our Adult Gero Acute Care MSN reunion alumni to march with Program Director Deb Becker.

12:30 – 3:30pm

Penn Nursing at the Picnic All nursing alumni (undergraduate, graduate, HUP Nursing, and School of Education nursing majors) are invited to enjoy a picnic lunch and network with fellow alumni, students, faculty, and Dean Villarruel at the Penn Nursing tent. President Gutmann will visit our tent to make remarks. Be sure to register for the nursing tent when signing up to receive your free Nursing giveaway on site. $40 advance registration ($50 on site) 4 – 6 pm

Adult Gero Acute Care Program Reunion Join alumni, students, and current and past program faculty to reconnect, network, and learn about today’s program. Special guests include Program Director Debbie Becker and Dean Villarruel. Light refreshments, wine, and soft drinks. Registration: $20 for the reunion, OR $45 if combined with Saturday picnic registration (a savings of $15.) For registration and a listing of all events, hotels, and undergraduate Penn Alumni reunion schedules, visit our website at: www.alumni.upenn.edu/alumniweekend. Nursing events can be found in both the Non-Reunion category and, for reunion classes, in the General Events category.

www.nursing.upenn.edu

A L UMNI NOTES Patricia Flatley Brennan, GNu’79, is the director of the

1950s Elizabeth Fox Tatum, HUP’53, shared that after learning at Penn, she taught nursing, then worked in A.F. labor and delivery. When her husband died, she got a MA in English and taught school. She currently volunteers as a nurse in her church.

1960s

National Library of Medicine, one of the 27 institutes and centers within the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. For more about Patty, see a profile of her on the Meet Our Alumni pages of the Penn Nursing website.

June H. Cella, GNu’67, retired from homecare

Cynthia W. Haughey, GNu’79, is a professor

in 1994. She teaches Nine Great Religions, a two-semester course at the University of Delaware’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. “And, yes, I am still wearing those heels!” Patricia C. Ravella, Nu’67, works as an

urgent care family nurse practitioner in Hilton Head, SC. Donna Schatz Weinstein, Nu’67, is an

associate at Howard Hanna in Cleveland, OH.

at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

1980s Angela Cucinotta-Hawes, GNu’80, has joined the nursing staff of Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA as an assistant clinical professor. Lynne D. Pancoast, Nu’80, GNu’81, is a

part-time staff nurse at Atlanta Care.

1970s

Joan M. Romano-Fisher, GNu’80, is the

Rosemary C. Polomano, HUP’74, is the

nursing director at Easton Hospital.

Associate Dean for Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Laura Ann. L. Kee, Nu’75, is an associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Eileen Lord Williams, Nu’75, writes, “After retiring from the U.S. Navy Reserves, I am now joyfully engaged in my second career as a quilt/fiber artist. I am solo artist in the upcoming show, The Rhythm of the Sea, at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center in Cary, NC, from Oct. 26 to Nov. 23. If you are in the area I’d love to have you stop by and see my fiber work.” Kathleen Shaver Amrom, HUP’76, is an artist member

at InLiquid. Joan Mitchell, HUP‘78, is an education nurse

specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Gail S. Delfin, Nu’78, GNu’80, has joined the staff of the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA, as a clinical nurse in cardiac care. Nancy Cohen Farber, Nu’78, works as a

women’s health nurse practitioner at Cohen Children’s Hospital.

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Mary A. Zajc, Nu’80, GNu’85, is the associate chief nursing officer at Vaster Brothers Medical Center. Susan M. Beidler, GNu’81, GGS’02, GR’02, has joined Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, IA, as chairperson of the department of nursing. Lynee C. Borucki, GNu’81, GR’01, has joined

the staff of Rutgers University in Medford, NJ as an associate professor. Diane M. Breckenridge, GNu’81, is vice president of Brookline College in Phoenix, AZ. Anita Rossanese Schmeer, GNu’81, is the

director of nursing at Graterford Prison. Joan M. Hipp, Nu’82, is a case manager at

Memorialcare Medical Foundation. Kristin A. Bennett, GNu’83, has joined

Delaware Health and Social Services in Hockessin, DE, as nursing director in the Division of Public Health. Gail Fitzpatrick Rudolph, GNu’83, is a nurse

prescriber at a non-profit psychiatric facility in Mason, OH. Regina McCabe Grazel, GNu’84, is employed

by the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics as program director of the critical-congenital-heart-defects screening program of the state’s Department of Health. She is serving on the board of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses this year as the immediate past president.

Martha M. Parra, Nu’84, GNu’97, is the vice president of Children’s National Medical Center. Anne Gabrielson Fine, Nu’85, GNu’88, works

at Family Medicine. Sharon A. Sweeney, GNu’85,

is the coordinator of Nursing Quality and Safety Improvement at Pocono Medical Center. In this role, she has the ability to further her interest in the implementation of the EHR and Falls Prevention Programs in the acute care setting, and is responsible for the continuing nursing education program as well as multiple other educational programs. Vanessa Johnson, GNu’86, GNC’97, is a nurse practitioner at St. Christopher’s Hospital. Susan Pereles, Nu’86, is the field director at

Autism Speaks. Diane L. Spatz, Nu’86, GNu’89, GR’95, received a

Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. This award honors her longstanding and profound impact on neonatal nursing. Susan M. Weiner, GNu’86, GR’00, recently moved back to Bucks County and had a children’s book published called, The Poodle in the Puddle. She is also enjoying travelling with her husband to exotic places since she has retired. Gina B. Bradley, GNu’87, is an advanced registered nurse practitioner at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. Denise McNulty, GNu’87, GNC’99, has

contributed three chapters to the newly published Leadership and the Advanced Practice Nurse – The Future of a Changing Health-Care Environment. The book features three innovations of Denise’s creation which she designed from 20 years of experience with patients, nurses, and students: The Journey to Psychological Empowerment, The Journey to Self-Leadership, and The Journey to a Culture of Excellence. For use in all stages of nursing education (from BSN to PhD), Denise writes about individual leadership development of self and helping others to develop as leaders.

If you are a HUP Nursing or Penn Nursing graduate, we want to hear about your life! Send us a personal or professional update at NursingAlumni@nursing.upenn.edu or call us at 215.746.8812. Photos are encouraged! Ellen Bechhofer Kitchen, GNu’88, is a registered nurse at Premiere Health Care.

episcopal priest.

Laura McWade Paez, Nu’88, GNu’91,

Jean L. Haspel, GNu’95, is an adult nurse

celebrated her 25th anniversary at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. as a PNP in the department of G.I. Nutrition where she coordinates the Feeding Disorders program. Her daughter, Sarah, is a senior at Cornell University. Her other daughter, Anna, is a sophomore at Penn Nursing and their brother Evan is a sophomore in high school.

practitioner at CompleteCare Health Network. Jennifer Careen Sandoz, Nu’95, is the

director of human resources at Surgical Care Affiliates. Sarale R. Temple, Nu’95, is the assistant director of clinical appeals at AxelaCare Health Solutions.

Carole-Rae Reed, GNu’88, GR’97, is an

associate professor of health sciences at Stockton University. She recently presented at Oxford University’s All Together Better Health International conference.

Heather Mooney Bastardi, GNu’96, is

celebrating 20 years as a pediatric nurse practitioner at Boston Children’s Hospital in the Advanced Cardiac Therapies Program.

Monica Weber, GNu ‘88, is the director of

professional nursing practice at the Cleveland Clinic. Christian N. Burchill, GNu ’89, is a senior

nurse researcher at the Office of Nursing Research and Innovation at the Cleveland Clinic. Kimberly Pride, GNu’89, is a senior research

analyst at Modus Health Group. Marilyn R. Smith, GNu’89, works at Banuelos

Family Medicine in Milton, FL. Stacey Murphy Ukrainskyj, Nu’89, is a

senior clinical research scientist at Cellgene. Paige Waterman, Nu’89, is the director of translational medicine at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

1990s Alycia Leigh Bischof, Nu’90, GNu’95, has

joined Woodbury Pediatrics in Hainesport, NJ, as a nurse practitioner. Georgie L. Narsavage, GR’90, is the

associate dean at the University of South Carolina. Marguerite S. Patzer, GNu’91, GNC’96, is a

nurse practitioner at South Shore Medical Center. Susan M. Miovech, Nu’92, GNu’93, GRN’96,

is an adjunct professor at Argosy University. Katrina L. Losa, GNu’93, is an administrative

director of Cancer Services at Aria Jefferson Health. Diane S. Mortimer, Nu’93, GNu’97, works at

the Minneapolis DA Health Department.

Elizabeth M. Miller, Nu’98, GNu’01, WG’04, is the state

Claire M. Nevin-Field, GNu’94, is now an

Tammi Damas, GNu’96, GR’02, WG’02, was appointed

by former HHS Secretary Burwell to the DHHS National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice for 2016-2020. Patricia E. Duncan, GNu’96,

has been working at Penn for the past four years and has recently changed roles to become part of a new program facilitating kidney transplants. Tricia is a nurse practitioner for Penn Cardiovascular Consultants at Penn Heart and Vascular Center. She first began with the Kidney Transplant Team evaluating pre- and postkidney transplant patients, but recently changed her role to complete the cardiac risk stratification for kidney transplant patients. The kidney transplant program created a specialized cardiac-focused team of providers to evaluate their patients for surgery, a new program with which Tricia feels fortunate to be involved. Kathleen O. Demutis, GNu’97, is a clinical

site coordinator and senior lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. Audrey Kaufman, GNu’97, is a nurse at RCA

Lighthouse. Sigrid Lynn Ladores, Nu’97, GNu’02, is an assistant

professor at the School of Nursing at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

president of Wellcare Health Plans. Stephanie Yoder, Nu’98, GNu’03, is a nurse

practitioner in Hillard, OH. Zenith A. Gonzalez, Nu’99, GNu’00, is a nurse practitioner at Sacramento Heart and Vascular. Georgia F. Kornblatt, Nu’99, writes to us,

“I have recently completed my MSN in Health Administration and Leadership at Drexel University. I have also started a new job as the operations manager for the LIFE Geisinger Program, a program of all-inclusive care for the elderly. I would love to hear from my classmates at gfko.rnblatt@verizon.net or on Facebook.” Meredith A. Lahl, Nu’99, GNu’02, is the executive

director and associate chief nursing officer at Cleveland Clinic’s Zielony Nursing Institute. She is the first-ever ACNO of Advanced Practice Nursing, where she leads the system’s 1,000 APRNs and plans to launch an APRN fellowship. Brook E. Pletcher, GNu’99, is a certified

nurse practitioner at the Pediatric Group in Princeton, NJ.

2000s Sheldon Fields, GR’00, is the

dean of the School of Health Professions at the New York Institute of Technology. Sheldon will oversee the school’s five allied health degree programs comprising more than 100 full- and part-time faculty and 785 students. He will also work on building the school’s research infrastructure, adding programs at NYIT’s non-U.S. campuses, expanding alumni relations and development activities, and recruiting and retaining a diverse base of expert faculty, staff, and students. Elizabeth G. Mongahan, Nu’00, is a graduate

student at Holy Name University. Lisa A. Marcus, Nu’03, GNu’07, is a nurse midwife at Reading Health Systems.

Mary E. Happ, GR’98, was appointed the

Emily R. Power, Nu’03, GNu’09, is a nurse

position of associate dean of research and innovation at Ohio State University College of Nursing.

practitioner at Boston’s Children’s Hospital.

www.nursing.upenn.edu

ALU MNI NOT ES

( C O N TI N U ED )

Susan Krause Flavin, GNu’04, writes to us,

Jessie George, Nu’08, GNu’12, works at Penn

“In December of 2015, I was awarded my PhD in Nursing from the College of Nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina. My dissertation was entitled “Perceptions of Isolation and Social Support in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and Sarcoidosis: A Mixed Methods Study.” I remain a director of immunology development at Janssen Pharmaceutical Research and Development, one of the Johnson and Johnson family of companies.”

Medicine.

Carmel D. Bogle, Nu’05, GNu’07, is a physician at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Winchester, VA. Stephanie Marie Green, Nu’05, GNu’07,

works at Helping Hands of Savannah. Pamela H. Wall, GNu’05, GR’14, is recently retired from

the U.S. Navy and is now at Duke School of Nursing as assistant professor and co-director of the Psychiatric Post-Masters Residency Program in Durham, VA. Christine M. Becer, Nu’07, joined the U.S.

Nancy Gerhard Hesse, GNu’08, has been

named President and CEO of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) at its Eastern Regional Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA. Nancy previously served as Interim President and CEO since February 2016, and before that as Chief Nursing Executive for CTCA and Chief Nursing Officer at Eastern. Nancy joined CTCA in 2014 after a long tenure at Abington Memorial Hospital. She began her career as a staff nurse in the Emergency Trauma Center and advanced to become the director of Emergency Trauma and then Chief Nursing Officer for AbingtonLansdale Hospital. A devoted Philadelphian, Nancy graduated from Abington High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Widener University and a master’s degree in Nursing Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Organization of Nurse Executives, and serves on the Board of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

Department of Justice as a trial attorney in Washington, D.C.

LifeMed Alaska.

Sharon K. Fan, Nu’07, GNu’11, GR’12, is a

Sarah J. Ogilivie, Nu’08, is a registered nurse

nurse practitioner at the Medical Offices of Manhattan.

at the University of Minnesota.

Kimberly Liberatore, Nu’07, GNu’11, joined

Penn Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology as a senior improvement advisor. Rev. Sadie Mitchell, GNu ’07, has published

a #1 best-selling book, Miracles on Demand: Transform your ordinary struggles into extraordinary blessings with God’s help. It is a delightful collection of contemporary and Biblical stories illustrating how God’s intervention changed lives. Sadie presents seminars on spiritual care-giving to families, nursing home employees, and health care students. She launched, the “Spiritual Care of Homebound Elderly” campaign to fund a project that will provide free Christian fellowship for Philadelphia area residents. Lindsey Sloan, Nu’07, is a resident physician

at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Heather L. Cunningham, Nu’08, GNu’12, has

joined the City of Philadelphia Health Department as a women’s health nurse practitioner. 32

upFront | Spring 2017

Matthew C. Kuhns, Nu’08, GNu’10, works at

Mia Van Pelt, Nu’08, married Brian Hinkes

W’08 on September 6th, 2015, at the New York Botanical Garden. “We were happy to be surrounded by so many friends and family members.” Carli A. Young, Nu’08, GNu’12, is a certified nurse midwife at Crozer Keystone Women’s Health. Kevin R. Driscoll, GNu’09, WEV’09, WEV’11, WEV’12, is the lead anesthesiologist and

organ recovery coordinator at First Colony Anesthesia in Gaithersburg, MD. Alexandra Solomon Dulay, Nu’09, joined the

staff of Memorial Sloan Cancer Center in Brooklyn, NY, as a nurse. Karen E. Hansch, Nu’09, GNu’12, is celebrating five years at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Center in Bethesda, MD. In her work as a clinical research nurse on the 3NE Stem Cell Transplant Unit, Karen cares for patients with chronic and acute oncologic, hematologic, and immunologic illnesses. This year, not only is Karen celebrating five years with the NIH, but

her passion – clinical research nursing – has also become an officially recognized specialty by the ANA. Congratulations on a successful year, Karen! Alexandra M. Pendrak, Nu’09, W’09, GNu’12, is a nurse practitioner at Lankenau

Hospital.

2010s Kaci Kapczynski Davis, Nu’10, GNu’14, is an

inpatient nurse practitioner on the oncology unit at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she began her nursing career six years ago as a registered nurse. She gave birth to a daughter in November. See Penn Nursing Babies on p. 34. Robert J. Li, Nu’10, GEN’13, works as a

software engineer. Margaret S. Harper, GNu’11, is the owner

and nurse practitioner at Harper Mental Health & Wellness LLC. Christina M. Kucher, Nu’11, GNu’13, is a

nurse practitioner at Main Line Health. Gerardo J. Melendez-Torres, Nu’11, W’11, GNu’12, is an assistant professor at Warwick

Medical School. Tina Roy Sadarangani, GNu’11, is a research assistant at New York University School of Medicine. Susanna R. Shuman, Nu’11, W’11, is an

associate director of analytics in Chicago, IL. Diane Donahue, GNu ‘12, is a family nurse practitioner in Express Care at the Cleveland Clinic. Margaret Haviland, Nu’12, GNu’17, married fellow Penn

alumna Annie Bancroft ENG’12, W’12 on August 13th, 2016 in a celebration at the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia. Penn Nursing alumni Elise Buckwalter, Nu’12; Addie Cunniff, Nu’15; Margie Ferris, Nu’09; Zach Ferris, Nu’09; Julie Gamino, Nu’12; Dacey Stratton, Nu’11, GNu’13; Graham Stratton, Nu’11; and Julie Vernon, Nu’12 joined in festivities, along with

a number of Penn alumni from other schools. Margaret and Annie currently live in Philadelphia, where Margaret is working at HUP while pursuing her master’s degree in the Midwifery program at Penn and Annie works for Richardson in financial planning & analysis.

Ellen Hansen Nathanson, GNu’12, is a family

nurse practitioner and certified HIV specialist at Greater Philadelphia Health Action, Inc. Eryn E. Battey, Nu’13, GNu’18, has joined the

team at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. as a registered nurse. Susan M. Beidler, Nu’13, GR’19, is a clinical nurse II at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Daphna J. Blank, Nu’13, GNu’16, has joined the staff of Advocate Children’s Hospital in Evanston, IL, as a pediatric nurse practitioner. Bridget L. Ercole, Nu’13, GNu’16, is a

graduate student at Columbia University. Madelyne Z. Greene, Nu’13, GR’19, is a

clinical nurse II at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Isaira Leonor, Nu’13, GNu’16, is a registered

nurse at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Patrice Lin, Nu’13, W’13, GNu’16, works at

Kaiser Permanente. Emily R. Lortie, Nu’13, works at Lehigh Valley

Health Network. Megan Kathleen Mullin, GNu’13, is a nurse practitioner at Thomas Jefferson Hospital. Dedra Danielle Sally, GNu’13, is a certified nurse midwife at WakeMed in Raleigh, NC. Roxanne Sebeny, Nu’13, GNu’14, is a nurse

practitioner at Delaware Valley Community Health. Emily N. Watts, Nu’13, works at Johns

Hopkins University. Hannah D. Berry, Nu’14, GNu’17, is a

graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. Katherine L. Caneba, Nu’14, GNu’18, is a

contractor in Palo Alto, CA. Rebecca J. Carroll, Nu’14, GNu’17, joined the staff of the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA, as a nurse. Mansara I. Hassan, Nu’14, GNu’18, is a nurse

at Christiana Hospital. Amanda Jill Berman, Nu’15, GNu’18, has

joined the staff at New York University as a registered nurse. Rachel B. Bernard, Nu’15, has joined the

staff of NYU Langone Medical Center as a registered nurse.

Mary Suzanne Welsh Bostick, GED’11, Nu’15, GNu’19, has joined the staff of Einstein

Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA, as a nurse. Hannah Cho, GNu ’15, has joined Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice as a nurse practitioner. Catherine Chun, Nu’15, GNu’18, has joined the staff of

VA San Diego in West Covina, CA, as a registered nurse on the medical telemetry unit. She began this labor of love in September, and is so proud to be working with veterans. Jane L. Kovacs, GNu’15, Nu’15, is a registered nurse at Northwell Health. Katherine M. Lerardi, Nu’15, GNu’17, now

works at NYU Langone Medical Center. Iris Mayoral, Nu’15, completed her first year as

a clinical nurse II at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital UCLA Health in January 2016. Catherine E. Wildenberg, GNu’15, is the associate

program director for the Nursing and Healthcare Administration and Health Leadership programs at the University of Pennsylvania. Jennifer Monika Baciu, GNu’16, has begun

travel nursing in California. Julianne Bautista, GNu’16,

begun an administrative fellowship at UCSF Medical Center. She shares with us, “It has been a great opportunity for development and mentorship – I feel like I have a lot of opportunity to learn and grow. While the fellowship has helped me develop my business, analytical, strategic, and operational skills – it goes beyond that. I’ve shadowed a surgery, volunteered at a celebrity golfing event, and Fellows also had opportunities to attend sporting events and see U2 perform at the Silicon Valley Dreamforce conference. My first project was working directly with the CFO and Chief of Physicians conducting an analysis of our payor mix – particularly looking at our institutions influx of Medicaid patients, which in California is referred to as Medi-Cal. Recommendations included a strategic multi-year approach that harmonizes the ability to maintain our institutional mission and vision with overall fiscal viability. I spent three month working hand-in-hand with executives, leading

meetings, utilizing lean methodology (learned in courses at Penn Nursing) to build a strategic A3 that I presented with the CFO and Chief of Physicians to our CEO and Dean of the Medical School. Another project I am working on is with the interim Chief Information Officer co-developing an app with our digital IT team for our institution’s new ACO/health plan enrollees. UCSF also offers an entrepreneurship class. I’m working on building a pharma start-up that will help supplement Cart-19 treatments. Cart-19 is a blockbuster chemo drug that has boasted promising cure rates for leukemia.” Kristin Clarkson, GNu’16, is joining the Children’s Specialized Hospital as an APN Fellow in the physiatrist section. Kristin gave birth to a daughter in January. See Penn Nursing Babies on p. 34. Angie Gonsalez, Nu’16, is a teacher in the

Miami School District. Sierra L. Levin, Nu’16, works as a nurse in

Owing Mills, MD. Caroline Prince McDonald, Nu’16, GNu’19,

is a registered nurse at Virginia Hospital Center. Emily Pell, GNu’16, recently wrote the article

“Healthcare Innovation that Upends Traditional Attitudes” for the Mack Institute at the Wharton School. The article is available online at: https://mackinstitute.wharton. upenn.edu/2016/healthcare-innovationupends-traditional-attitudes/. Ingred Prince, Nu’16, GNu’18, is a registered

nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Helen Pun, Nu’16, W’16, GNu’20, started a six-month trauma/emergency nursing residency program this October at Christiana Hospital in Newark, DE. The only Level I Trauma Center between Philadelphia and Baltimore, Christiana’s emergency room treats both children and adults, and ranks 13th for emergency visits on the East Coast by volume Jaya Samrite Sondhi, Nu’16, GNu’18, is a registered nurse at NYU Langone Medical Center. Feiyan Su, GNu’16, is a women’s health nurse

practitioner at Downtown Women OBGYN in Bayonne, NJ.

www.nursing.upenn.edu

PE NN N URSING BAB I ES ! Do you have a new baby or did you recently adopt? We want to celebrate with you! Send us an image of your little one and your story to NursingAlumni@nursing.upenn.edu or call us at 215.746.8812. If requested, we’ll send you a Penn Nursing onesie (6 month size). Photos are encouraged!

Bridget Babcock, Nu’10, gave birth to her

daughter, Iona Grace, on August 7, 2016 at 1:41 PM. Iona was 7 lbs, 4 oz, and 18.75” long. The Babcocks were planning on having a home birth with a midwife, but Iona was so eager to arrive that the midwife wasn’t able to make it in time. After only one hour of labor, Mr. Babcock delivered Iona on their bathroom floor. The midwife arrived shortly after, and Bridget was able to cut the cord herself. In the words of Bridget, “I feel fortunate that things went so quickly and smoothly!” Congratulations on your little miracle, Bridget! Welcome to the Penn Nursing family, Iona Grace.

Holly Rodgers, GNu’14, gave birth at

Kaci Kapczynski Davis, Nu’10, GNu’14,

Melissa Garcia, Nu’09, GNu’13, and

Kristin Clarkson, GNu’16, a recent

Pennsylvania Hospital to her first daughter, Grace Joy Rodgers, December 9, 2016 at 3:49 AM. Grace was 7 lbs, 6 oz, 21” long, and very happy to be wrapped in her Penn swaddle blanket. Congratulations on your lovely baby girl, Holly! Welcome to the Penn Nursing family, Grace Joy.

gave birth to daughter Margot Davis on November 21, 2016. According to her mother, “Margot is so excited to hopefully be a Penn nurse one day!” In that case, welcome to the Penn Nursing Class of 2039, Margot! Congratulations, Kaci!

husband Douglass Stewart, ENG’08, WG’16, are proud to welcome their first child, Julian Manuel Garcia Stewart. Julian was born at Bryn Mawr Birth Center on October 21, 2016, weighed 6 lbs and measured 19” long. Congratulations, Melissa and Douglass! Welcome to the Penn family, Julian.

graduate from the pediatric acute/ chronic nurse practitioner program, recently gave birth to a baby girl named Camryn on January 12th, 2017.

You can influence the future… Penn Nursing prepares students by providing excellent resources and experiences: a state-of-the-art simulation center featuring high-fidelity mannequins, student research opportunities across all levels of scholarship, classrooms with the latest hospital-based electronic medical records (EMR) technology, and rigorous clinical experiences. Your support of the Penn Nursing Annual Fund is critical to ensuring students have those resources to learn to be tomorrow’s health care leaders and practitioners.

Your gift today allows us to focus on the future – our students.

upFront | Spring 2017

Make a gift to the Penn Nursing Annual Fund with the enclosed envelope or at www.nursing.upenn.edu/giving.

For more information on how you can support students, contact Leah Kelsen at 215.573.8975 or lkelsen@nursing.upenn.edu.

IN MEMORIAM 1940s Roberta Grieder, HUP’43, passed away on

September 6, 2016. Carlette S. Vance, HUP’43, passed away on

May 25, 2016. Lois Keiter, HUP’44, passed away on August 17, 2016. Lois worked as a substitute school nurse in Lebanon Country and was involved in the Lebanon County Medical Auxiliary, the Lebanon Valley Art Association, and Lebanon Valley Forum. She enjoyed teaching English to Vietnamese refugees in a church-sponsored program and kept in lifelong contact with some of her students. She enjoyed gardening, traveling, golfing, skiing, and playing tennis. She was also creative and enjoyed floral design, pottery art, music, and language. Deborah L. Weinstein, HUP’45, passed away

on November 2nd, 2016. Sylvia Ettinger, HUP’46, passed

away on June 18, 2016. Sylvia trained as a nurse at the University of Pennsylvania as part of the Cadet Nurse Corps, and worked most of her career as a school nurse in Southern Lehigh School District. She loved reading, animals, a good joke, and eating ice cream! Mary Williams, HUP’46, passed away on

October 13, 2015. Ruby H. Evans, HUP’47, passed away on January 16, 2016. She worked as a medical/surgical nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh for 20 years. Helen J. Brady, HUP’48, passed away on

August 16, 2016 in Annapolis surrounded by her family. She married Robert E. Brady in 1955, raised two children, and enjoyed the challenging and rewarding lifestyle of a Navy family, travelling, and relocating frequently, and meeting new friends. She resumed her nursing career in 1973, serving at the Anne Arundel Medical Center until retirement in 1988. She is survived by her husband; her son and daughter-in-law, Michael and May Brady; her daughter Patricia Brady, and her grandchildren, Matthew, Sarah, and Kaitlyn. Helen genuinely enjoyed people and she had a gift for making

others feel welcome and at ease around her. The essence of her life was caring for others. She did this professionally as a nurse, but moreover, with family and friends, and most especially as a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. She will be remembered as a bright shining light by her family, the various hospitals and communities in which she served and by the countless lives she touched and improved.

1950s Mary Jean Bitner, HUP’50, passed

away on December 29, 2015. Mary Jean worked as a nurse for Pennridge Pediatrics in Sellersville, PA for 25 years until retiring in 2001. She was a member of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ and as an avid quilter and knitter, and belonged to the Church Quilt Group. She was also fond of nature and gardening. Martha Callahan, HUP’50, passed away on

October 12, 2016. Mildred Laird, HUP’50, passed away on

August 30, 2015. Helen R. Paxton, Nu’51, passed

away on September 21, 2016. During her career, Helen was a certified public health nurse in Philadelphia and St. Lawrence County. She also worked as a school nurse at Lisbon Central, later transferring to St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center in Ogdensburg until 1983 when she retired. Helen enjoyed sewing and doing word find puzzles. She was also a member of DAV Auxiliary and American Legion Auxiliary. Jane Linton Heck, Nu’52, passed away on

August 4, 2016. Rachel Giovannozzi Gallo, Nu’53,

passed away on August 15, 2016. A dedicated nurse, Rachel graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in both nursing and education. She was known for caring for others from family members, friends, and strangers alike. Rachel was active in the church and throughout her life supported many faith-based organizations, missions, and charities.

Sigrid Richter Hoffman, HUP’53, Nu’53, passed away on October 15,

2016. The daughter of German immigrants, she grew up in Reading and graduated from Albright College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She worked as a nurse and later a counselor, and raised four children. Sigrid was an avid gardener, a world traveler, a lover of cats, a gourmet cook, and woman of exceptional style, poise, and beauty. June R. Terrey, Nu’53, passed away on

June 6, 2016. Mary M. Wills, HUP’53, Nu’53, GED’60, a

retired operating room nurse at HUP, passed away on September 25, 2016. Louise Kannapel, HUP’54, passed away on

October 13, 2016. Margaret Rhein Williams, Nu’55, passed

away on September 16, 2016. Margaret engaged herself in various aspects of nursing during her life, starting with using dog sleds and mission boats to reach patients at the Labrador-Grenfell Mission Hospital in Newfoundland, Canada. Along the way, Rita experienced the emergency room, public health, general duty and geriatric care, as well as tending to her family and her farm. Shirley Kleist Burch, HUP’56, Nu’56, passed away on August 23, 2015. Shirley served as a pediatric nurse at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of PA and Washington, D.C. She served in many volunteer and leadership positions at Glenmont United Methodist Church, Rockville’s historic Glenview Mansion, and beyond. She traveled to almost every U.S. state and adventured to more than a dozen countries. Carol Hosfeld, GED’56, passed away on December 4, 2016. Carol was a retired patient care coordinator at Keswick Multi-Care Center. She graduated from the University of Maryland School of Nursing in 1950 then obtained a master’s degree from Penn Nursing. Her specialty was the care of elder patients. She was the author of numerous academic articles and was a contributor to the Journal of Gerontological Nursing. Carol enjoyed reading about current events and playing piano and was a fan of the folk singer Odetta, who was known as the Voice of the Civil Rights Movement.

www.nursing.upenn.edu

I N M E MORI A M

( C O N TI N U ED )

Beth (Grauheding) Helwig HUP’58, passed

Joyce M. Federlein, GNu’64, passed away on

away on January 9, 2017 at Meadowood Senior Living at Worcester and formerly of Glenside. She was the wife of the late John Jr., MD; and mother of Mark, Robert, Betsy, and the late John (survived by his wife Maureen). Also survived by 8 grandchildren and her loving partner David Haines.

April 13, 2016.

Jane Hansell Butera, Nu’59, passed away on August 16, 2016. Jane graduated from Haverford High School in 1954 and attended Wilson College. She received her BSN from the University of Pennsylvania in 1959. She worked at the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital and was involved in the Valley Forge Historical Society where she volunteered for many years.

1960s

July 17, 2016. Judith Gallagher Winterhalter, HUP’68, Nu’71, GNu’75, GRN’89, passed away on

January 22, 2017. She was a retired nursing professor at Gwynedd Mercy University.

1970s Glenda F. Delozier, GNu’70, passed away on

January 8, 2016. Diane J. Agrell, Nu’71, passed

away on January 25, 2013.

1980s Beverly (White) Ejsing, HUP’60, CGS’81, died in Philadelphia on

Saturday, March 4, 2017. She was a HUP Nursing Alumni Board member and had volunteered to serve as the next president of the Board. Bev was a volunteer at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. A friend shared, “She loved to sing, had a great sense of humor, and had the ability to talk to anyone about anything.”

Elsie Skvir Nierle, GNu’68, passed away on

upFront | Spring 2017

Jodi T. Peikes, GNu’88, passed

away on November 4, 2016. Jodi grew up in Scardsdale, NY and received her undergraduate degree in nursing in 1980 from Skidmore College and her master‘s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988. Jodi began her career as a nurse in 1980 at NYU Medical Center, as well as positions at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, the Manhattan VA, St. Francis

Hospital, and the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts in Hartford, CT. Jodi had a deep love for her work and patients. She was known for her love of life, unflagging energy, generosity, and dedication to her family and friends.

2000s Jean C. Whelan, GR’00, GR’02,

passed away on March 7, 2017. Jean was a member of the Penn Nursing community for more than 30 years. She held a variety of positions at the School of Nursing including a Post-Doctoral Fellow, Lecturer, Adjunct Associate Professor, and most recently the Assistant Director of the Barbara Bates Center for Nursing History. Jean also held positions at a national level including as the President of the American Association of the History of Nursing. In 2013, Jean received the Penn Nursing Alumni Legacy Award for her contributions in helping to preserve the study of nursing history at the School of Nursing.

MA RK YO U R C A LEN DA R S

Please join us for these upcoming events:

Spring 2017 April 12-13

Quaker Days A university-wide event for admitted high school seniors and their families. April 19

On the Road: Dean Villarruel presents Leading to a Healthier Future in Boston Open to alumni, parents, and friends in the greater Boston area. April 20

Webinar: Wendy Grube on Leading the Center for Global Women’s Health Presenting a look at the Center’s renewed focus, accomplishments, and challenges. May 12-14

Alumni Weekend 2017 (see page 29) May 13

Adult Gero Acute Care Program Reunion A reunion for alumni, faculty, and students of Penn Nursing’s Adult Gero Acute Care Programs. May 15

Penn Nursing Commencement

Fall 2017 September 19

Webinar: Regina Cunningham presents Leadership Skills for Nurses Our first in a web series bringing boardroom skills to Nursing alumni. September 11

Back to School Welcome Event September 22

Doctoral Open House October 21

Graduate Open House October 25

Norma M. Lang Distinguished Award for Scholarly Practice and Policy November 4-5

Homecoming Weekend Featuring the Annual Nurse Networking Event during Saturday’s QuakerNet tailgate. November 10

Administration and Leadership Programs Reunion A reunion for alumni, faculty, students, and friends of the Nursing Administration (NADM) and Health Leadership Master’s Programs (HLMP). November date TBD

Anesthesia Program Reunion A reunion for alumni, faculty, and students of the Penn Nursing Anesthesia Program and graduates of the Pennsylvania Hospital legacy program.

For more information, please visit our events calendar at www.nursing.upenn.edu or call the Nursing Alumni Office at 215.746.8812

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage P A I D Permit #2563 Phila., PA

Claire M. Fagin Hall 418 Curie Boulevard Philadelphia, PA 19104-4217 www.nursing.upenn.edu