Announcements

2023 AANP Grants and Scholarships Program Funding Cycle Announced NPs apply for funding from AANP! Applications are open for the 2023 AANP Grants and Scholarships program with $147,000 in total awards. Learn more about the program and apply today: http://bit.ly/3kY0xWi

Pulse–voices from the heart of medicine is pleased to announce a writing contest open to health and mental health professionals, to patients and caregivers, and to students in the health and mental health professions.

The purpose of this contest is to heighten awareness and deepen understanding of differences among us as we learn from one another, work together on a team or receive care from one another. Our goal is to foster more sensitive and compassionate communication, teaching, teamwork and care.

Entries are due by March 31, 2023. The first place winner will be awarded $1,000. Runner-up awards totaling $2,000 will be distributed to other noteworthy submissions. More info here: 2023 Writing Contest – Call for Entries – Pulse (pulsevoices.org)

Refocus your nursing career with a master's in nursing and interprofessional leadership.

Five students make up the inaugural cohort of the Master of Science in nursing and interprofessional leadership in the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing. This new program offers professional nurses the chance to advance their leadership skills within the health care system: https://bit.ly/3kyy1e3

Apply to UMass Chan's program today and the application fee will be waived.

Visit our website for more information: https://www.umassmed.edu/gsn/academics/masters-program/

The below communication is part of our ongoing strategy to educate our community on cultures and the multifaith sharing of holidays and events that hold meaning with members of our community.

January 1

Civilizations around the world have been celebrating the start of each new year for at least four millennia. Today, most New Year’s festivities begin on December 31 (New Year’s Eve), the last day of the Gregorian calendar, and continue into the early hours of January 1 (New Year’s Day). Common traditions include attending parties, eating special New Year’s foods, making resolutions for the new year and watching fireworks displays. In the United States, the most iconic New Year’s tradition is the dropping of a giant ball in New York City’s Times Square at the stroke of midnight.

January 6

In Mexico and many other Latin American countries, Santa Claus isn’t as popular as he is in the United States. Rather, it is the Three Wise Men who are the bearers of gifts and leave presents in or near the shoes of small children. The holiday is also known by the name Epiphany and dates back to the 4th century. A grand feast would be held on this day to honor the occasion of Jesus’ baptism and to pay homage to the Three Wise Men. Many believe mysterious events preceded Jesus’ birth with perhaps the most notable being the appearance of the star in Bethlehem.

January 6

Christmas In Armenia:

When 'Light from The Church' Brightens the Darkest Days

As the world’s oldest Christian nation, the spirit of Christmas runs deep in Armenian culture, even if the festive season took a bit of a battering under decades of secular Soviet orthodoxy. Like much of the former U.S.S.R., New Year was the main winter celebration for most of the 20th century, despite the fact that January 6 the date on which the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas had previously been the focal point of festivities.

January 16

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. He was a Baptist minister and leader of the civil rights movement, championing justice and equality from the mid -1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. As he said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Dr. King was also a strong advocate of change through nonviolent civil actions based on his Christian values. He was a great speaker, and his powerful words still resonate with us today.

January 22

Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations of the year among East and Southeast Asian cultures, including Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean communities, among others. China’s Lunar New Year is known as the Spring Festival or Chūnjié in Mandarin, while Koreans call it Seollal and Vietnamese refer to it as Tết. Tied to the lunar calendar, the holiday began as a time for feasting and to honor household and heavenly deities, as well as ancestors.

The below communication is part of our ongoing strategy to educate our community on cultures and the multifaith sharing of holidays and events that hold meaning with members of our community.

Month of February

Black history is American history and it’s a varied and rich history. A wise nation honors and learns from its past. It refuses to let the most important facts about our shared and collective memory disappear into the depths of forgotten history. What happened in the past shapes and informs where we are heading in the future, and it’s of paramount importance to set aside a month for learning as much as we can about Black history.

Evening of February 5 to evening of February 6

According to the Jewish Law (Halachah), the 'New Year for trees' defines the beginning of the year for separating tithes for the poor and Levite. Tithes are 10% portions of a product, which are allocated as charity to either the Levites or the poor. Torah Law requires, that when the Holy Temple was standing, these tithes would be removed from the produce, before it was 'fit for consumption'.

February 14

Across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and where did these traditions come from? Find out about the meaning and history of Valentine’s Day, from the ancient Roman ritual of Lupercalia that welcomed spring to the card-giving customs of Victorian England. Saint Valentine, who according to some sources is actually two distinct historical characters who were said to have healed a child while imprisoned and executed by decapitation

February 18

Lailat al Miraj is a Muslim holiday that commemorates the Prophet Muhammad's nighttime journey from Mecca to the 'Farthest Mosque' in Jerusalem where he ascended to heaven, was purified, and given the instruction for Muslims to pray five times daily. On the Islamic calendar, Lailat al Miraj (also known as Isra and Mi'raj, Al Isra'wal Miraj or Laylat al Miraj) is generally observed on the 27th day of the month of Rajab.

February 20

Although the holiday is most often referred to as “Presidents’ Day,” the observed federal holiday is officially called “Washington’s Birthday.” Neither Congress nor the President has ever stipulated that the name of the holiday observed as Washington’s Birthday be changed to Presidents’ Day. Additionally, Congress has never declared a national holiday that is binding in all states; each state has the freedom to determine its own legal holidays. This is why there are some calendar discrepancies when it comes to this holiday’s date.

This year, February 22

If you are giving up something for Lent, then you need to know about Ash Wednesday - the day that marks the official beginning of this repentant period in the Christian calendar. Ash Wednesday is observed by many sectors of Western Christianity - including Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Methodists - and the traditions associated with the day span back centuries.