New Faculty

DEPARTMENT NEWS NEW FACULTY

Ran An, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance. She earned her Ph.D. in communicative disorders from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Prior to her work at The University of Scranton, she taught courses for undergraduate students in communicative disorders at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette as a graduate assistant, and she researched languages and distance education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for two years as a visiting researcher. She was a full-time faculty member at a university in China for 16 years and was named an associate professor in 2013. Dr. An has taught English, Japanese and Chinese to diverse populations in academic, industrial and community settings since 2002. Her current research interests include multiculturalism and multilingualism, child language disorders, fluency disorders, speech sound disorders and autism spectrum disorders, focusing on underrepresented populations such as women and bilingual and multilingual populations.

Michele Boland, MSN, RN, was appointed lecturer in the Department of Nursing. She earned a master’s degree in nursing education from the University of Phoenix and graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She is currently pursuing a certification in nursing education and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau. Her positions held in the broad field of nursing since 1990 include most recently working in nursing education, as faculty both in the classroom and simulation laboratory settings and acute care clinical sites for the past 15 years with the Career Technology Center Practical Nursing program in Scranton and the Delaware County Practical Nursing program in suburban Philadelphia. She held critical care staff nursing and administrative positions at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, where she also assisted in the development of diagnosis-related clinical pathways. She also held supervisory and administrative duties at the Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia, and did home hospice care in the suburban Philadelphia area.

Laura Chavez, Ph.D., RN, was named assistant professor in the Nursing department. She earned a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a master’s degree in nursing education from Georgetown University, and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from The University of Scranton. Laura returns to The University of Scranton as a faculty member after working as an assistant professor of nursing at Wilkes University and, prior to that, as a nursing laboratory educator here at The University of Scranton. Clinically, her specialty areas include the emergency department and the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Dr. Chavez has received several research grants, has presented at numerous regional and national conferences and has coauthored several peer-reviewed journal articles. She is also currently working as a registered nurse in the PACU at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center.

Stephanie DeNaples MS, OTR/L, was named faculty specialist in the Occupational Therapy department. She is a graduate of The University of Scranton’s Master’s of Occupational Therapy program. She is currently enrolled at Rocky Mountain University of Health Profession’s Post Professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy specializing in wellness and coaching. She is a licensed and currently practicing occupational therapist specializing in pediatric therapy. She has practiced occupational therapy in many settings including outpatient hand therapy, acute care and early intervention. She most recently served as the occupational therapist for the Dunmore School District. She also works with NeighborWorks NEPA assisting with aging in place home evaluations for seniors in Lackawanna County.

Julie L. Murphy, Ph.D., RN, was named assistant professor in the Department of Nursing. Dr. Murphy earned her doctoral degree in 2019 from The Pennsylvania State University, focusing her research on family communication patterns. She was awarded a university graduate fellowship in the Penn State College of Nursing upon enrollment in her doctoral program. She also holds a master’s degree in nursing, with a focus on nursing education and the faculty role from Drexel University, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Penn State University, and an associate’s degree from Luzerne County Community College. She recently completed a post master’s certificate in psychiatric and mental health nursing. She has been a nurse educator for several years and, prior to that, she worked in local hospitals as a registered nurse in telemetry and medical surgical units.

Michael Nytz, MA, NCC, LPC, was named lecturer in the Counseling and Human Services Department. He graduated from Warner Southern College in 1990 with a BA in psychology. After spending three years on active duty in the Army, Michael earned his MA in counseling from The College of New Jersey in 1996. Michael is currently working on his Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision at the University of the Cumberlands. He has worked in the counseling field since 1993 in a variety of settings. For the past 26 years, he has worked as a school counselor. Michael also works part-time as a licensed professional counselor.

Jason Phillips, MSN, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, was named faculty specialist in the Department of Nursing. Jason holds a Master of Science in nursing from Thomas Jefferson University, a Bachelor of Arts in international studies from Wright State University, a Bachelor of Science in nursing from The Pennsylvania State University, and an Associate of Applied Science from Luzerne County Community College. He was awarded the Ruth A. Seeherman Memorial Scholarship and holds an Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certification. Professor Phillips practiced nursing in the emergency department, operating room and post-anesthesia care unit for 13 years, and most recently as an acute care nurse practitioner in cardiovascular medicine. His areas of interest include the nurse-to-provider role transition as well as a continued interest in cardiovascular medicine and heart failure. He currently serves as a medical-surgical clinical instructor for senior nursing students.

Timothy M. Powers, MS, MSW, was appointed to a one-year position as lecturer in the Counseling and Human Services department. He has a graduate certificate in theological studies from the Washington Theological Union and a master’s degree in social work from New York University. Tim is a 1997 graduate of the University and a 2000 graduate of the counseling program. Since the early 2000s, he has worked in education as well as social services as a classroom teacher, counselor, adjunct professor, campus minister and coordinator of family social services. He is licensed in New York state as both a mental health counselor and a master social worker and is a NYS-certified K-12 school social worker.

Rebecca Sullivan, MPhil, was appointed lecturer in the Department of Education. She earned a Master of Arts in philosophy of education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and is currently completing her Ph.D. in philosophy and education. She has recent experience teaching undergraduate and graduate classes at Fordham, Columbia, NYU, Queens College and SUNY New Paltz. Her research and teaching focus on education as holistic personal formation.

Laura M. Zagacki, MS, OTR/L, was named assistant professor in the Occupational Therapy department. Laura is currently completing her Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) in rehabilitation science from Drexel University in Philadelphia. Her dissertation studies occupational therapy and sibling participation in play in families with a child who has a physical disability. She earned a master’s degree in occupational therapy from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and a bachelor’s degree in behavioral neuroscience from Lafayette College in Easton. She has been a licensed occupational therapist since 2005, working with children and adults in home-based, school-based and hospital settings. Most recently, she was the therapy department manager at the Good Shepherd Specialty Hospital in Bethlehem, where she held leadership and management roles. Laura has presented at several state and national conferences and has contributed to writing hospital policies, procedures, educational materials and published articles.