UAB School of Nursing Magazine - Fall 2017 by UAB School of Nursing

BUILDING OUR

Interprofessional

TEAMS

S T O R Y

4 12 34 38

The Assessment

Innovative Alumni Leading Nationally

In Their Own Words

Research Roundup Five Questions With... Gifts That Will Change Everything

C O V E R

D E PA R T M E N T S

BUILDING OUR INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAMS: School is purposefully building interprofessional teams to educate future nurse leaders and generate new nursing knowledge to impact the quadruple aim.

RESEARCH

page 22

Battling HIV's aging issues................................ 14 Improving military nursing outcomes............... 16 Leading HIV research in southern women............ 18 Legacy of nursing leaders................................. 19

EXPANDING OUR GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

Battling HIV's aging issues

PARTNERSHIPS

page 14

The Nurse Family Partnership® has the potential to significantly improve birth outcomes in Jefferson County.” -Dr. Cynthia Selleck page 20

$1.4M Bessemer Neighborhood Health Center, led by UAB SON nurse practitioner, receives a twoyear HRSA grant

School rises in rankings

page 4

to become a New

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

Nursing faculty award roundup........................ 26 Nurse Anesthesia: Blazing the trail................... 28 Pharmily Pheud................................................. 29 Honors students improve dementia care......... 30 Real life-lessons about the underserved.......... 31 $1.3M HRSA grant............................................ 32 Leading clinical innovations............................. 33 DONORS

Federally Qualified

Honoring visionary nursing pioneers................ 36

Health Center.

EDITOR Jennifer Lollar CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jessica Huffstutler

ACADEMICS

Access Point

page 23 UAB NURSING MAGAZINE STAFF:

Nurse Family Partnership................................. 20 Expanding our global footprint........................ 22 Expanding access for the underserved............ 23 Advancing interprofessional education................. 24

ALUMNI

Nursing is a family affair................................... 42 WRITERS Jennifer Lollar, Jimmy Creed, Laura Hornsby Lesley, Katherine Stephen

PHOTOGRAPHERS Frank Couch, Jimmy Creed, Rob Culpepper, Catie Etka

“

e live in interesting times”… this infamous quote from Robert Kennedy is so apropos in today’s world.

Our health care system is increasingly complex and in constant flux driven by changing federal policy, challenging catastrophic events, and increasing demands from growing diverse, aging and chronically ill populations. With these challenges comes the expectation to do more with less. We know that health care costs account for one of every five dollars in this country and the pressure to reduce costs and improve quality and health outcomes continues to rise. So what solutions can nursing, the largest of all health professions, offer for these vexing problems? Nursing stands at the nexus of the health care team and is integral to health and the delivery of health care. According to Eduardo Salas and colleagues (2005) people who work in complex organizations must use five core components of teamwork to achieve effective outcomes: team orientation, facilitative leadership, performance monitoring, adaptability and back-up behaviors. These core components impact team communication and performance. Likewise for nursing to reach better solutions for the care of patients and populations, teamwork becomes our mantra. Academic nursing at UAB, with our interprofessional and clinical partners, teams up to lead the way to better health and educational outcomes.

Our solutions involve learning and working in high performing teams that impact health and education outcomes. Our interprofessional teams of faculty, staff and students are advancing our mission across our innovative programs, research and sustainable scholarship, excellence in global leadership and resources, and collaborative partnerships, while concurrently improving the quadruple aim—cost, quality, access, and patient and provider experience. I hope you will enjoy reading about UAB School of Nursing’s interprofessional teamwork ventures into research, teaching and practice that are resulting in better education and health outcomes, as we become part of the solution! Sincerely,

Letter from the Dean

Dean Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing

This issue of UAB Nursing describes how UAB School of Nursing faculty, staff and students are teaching and modeling coordinated care solutions and teamwork to benefit patients, their families, our communities and the health care system.

“Academic nursing at UAB, with our interprofessional and clinical partners, teams up to lead the way to better health and educational outcomes.” Salas, E., Sims, D. E. & Burke, C. S. (2005) Is there a “Big Five” in Teamwork? Small Group Research, 36(5).

FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

the assessment

A historical look back... In 1994 the west addition

to the UAB School of Nursing Building was completed and included a major renovation to the Learning Resource Center and the Center for Nursing Research (now the Office of Research and Scholarship).

School rises in rankings U.S. News & World Report has ranked the School 13th nationally in its survey of the 2018 Best Graduate Nursing Schools. This represents a rise from 15th in 2017. This places the School in the top 5 percent of all schools of nursing and in the top five public schools of nursing nationally. Additionally, two specialties are ranked on reputation – Nursing Administration is 6th and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner is 18th. The School’s new independent Doctor of Nursing Practice program is ranked 23rd.

NURSING ADMINISTRATION

# 23

DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE

In online graduate program rankings, the School is 16th overall and 7th for online graduate programs for Veterans. “The metrics we have achieved that are used by U.S. News & World Report to rank our school are a reflection of the dedication of our faculty, staff, alumni, donors, partners and friends to ensure our School continues its legacy of leadership in nursing and health care,” said Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN. “It is gratifying to know that the incredible work they all do every day has been recognized by this national ranking system.”

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

GRADUATE PROGRAM RANKING AMONG NURSING SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE

U.S. News & World Report 2018

# # 18

ADULT ACUTE NURSE PRACTITIONER

ONLINE GRADUATE PROGRAMS

ONLINE GRADUATE PROGRAMS FOR VETERANS

“Achieving top tier national rankings yearly for the School’s Master’s and DNP programs is a reflection of the excellence of the full complement of our undergraduate and graduate programs.” — Dean Doreen C. Harper

For leadership in fostering diversity and inclusivity in the School, University, nursing profession and community, the American Organization of Nurse Executives has named Assistant Professor Martha Dawson, DNP, RN, FACHE, recipient of its 2017 Prism Diversity Award. “She actively seeks ways to improve health for all Americans, particularly those underserved, underrepresented and uninsured by trying to eliminate health care disparities,” said Eric J. Williams, DNP, RN, CNE, president of the National Black Nurses Association, in one of her nomination letters. In the School, Dawson has been principal investigator for a Health Resources & Services Administration grant to help students from diverse and under-represented backgrounds earn their BSN, and she has served on AONE’s national and international diversity committees. “I have always believed in respecting others for what they can bring to the table, and looked at each individual, not by position or title, but by what I can learn from them,” Dawson said. “It is humbling to be recognized by your peers. This is one of AONE’s highest honors.”

Dr. Martha Dawson was presented the 2017 Prism Diversity Award at AONE's Annual Meeting in Baltimore.

the assessment

Dawson receives 2017 AONE Prism Diversity Award

New VA residency launched To further prepare nurses to care for our nation’s Veterans, the Birmingham VA Medical Center (BVAMC) and UAB School of Nursing have been awarded a Post-Baccalaureate Nurse Residency by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Academic Affiliations. The three-year award is one of three given in 2017 and one of 17 nationwide. It will fund up to six

residents per year at the BVAMC. The residency lasts one year and will assist in the transitioning of new baccalaureate-prepared nurses to highly trained and experienced professionals in the VA system. The residency is open to graduates of all accredited baccalaureate programs. “Development of this residency is the perfect next step for the partnership between the UAB School of Nursing and the BVAMC,” said Residency Director and Assistant Professor Randy Moore, DNP, RN, CCRN. “Residency programs ensure a supervised transition to competent clinical practice and we are thrilled to have even more opportunities to use this innovative model of nursing education as one of the building blocks for our future nursing workforce.” Since 2009, the School and the BVAMC have been designated as one of 15 VA Nursing Academic Partnership (VANAP) sites in the U.S., which includes the VANAP-Undergraduate initiative, the VANAPGraduate Education initiative and VANAP-Mental Health NP Residency.

FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

BUILDING OUR

Interprofessional

TEAMS

Purposefully built interprofessional teams are helping educate future nurse leaders and generate new nursing knowledge to impact the quadruple aim.

WRITTEN BY JENNIFER LOLLAR // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH, ROB CULPEPPER & STEVE WOOD // ILLUSTRATIONS BY ERNIE ELDREDGE

he UAB School of Nursing prepares nurses for the future by working to help answer the call for 1.2 million more nurses by 2020, producing the best and the brightest graduates, from its baccalaureate through postdoctoral programs. The School also has spent the better part of the past decade building impactful interprofessional teams of researchers, faculty and clinicians who are teaching and creating new models of care to improve the quadruple aim – cost, quality, access, and patient and provider experience – and discovering new knowledge to enhance both practice and education. “Interdisciplinary teams are the hallmark of how we work in our School and at UAB to make a difference in the lives our patients and their families,” said UAB School of Nursing Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN. “This philosophy is embedded in our School. It also distinguishes us from other schools of nursing as most

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

are primarily made up of nursing faculty, whereas we have pharmacists, physicians, psychologists, statisticians and other doctorally prepared professionals with primary appointments in the School of Nursing. Today’s health care is dependent on teams, so how we learn and work in teams determines the quality of care patients receive. There is no question with the complexity of care, teams consisting of multiple disciplines are often needed to formulate the best solutions for persons in our health care system and society.” Harper said the UAB School of Nursing also is making longterm impacts on education, research and practice in relation to The Institute of Medicine’s The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health through its interprofessional, research scientists, teaching faculty practices and model development. “The creation of these high performing teams answers the IOM’s call to action but our work goes beyond that,” she said. “Our teams are equipped for diversity of thinking, diversity of

opinion and diversity of knowledge, enhancing nursing and team knowledge that builds on the expertise of multiple disciplines,” Harper said. “We have been purposeful in our hiring over the past 10 years to create these interdisciplinary teams and strategic decisions have been made based upon the scientific background of these hires. There are many disciplines, particularly in clinical

GROWTH IN RESEARCH FUNDING

research, that impact nursing and this is a way to partner with those other disciplines to generate new nursing knowledge. Having the depth and breadth of multiple disciplines working side by side with nursing faculty, students and clinical partners expands nursing’s scope for the good of us all, especially the patients and families we serve.”

research

One area interdisciplinary teams have had tremendous impact is in the generation of new knowledge. UAB School of Nursing faculty have more than 80 appointments in UAB University-wide Interdisciplinary Research Centers, including the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Center for AIDS Research, and Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center. They team with faculty from across the Academic Health Science Center seeking answers to some of Alabama’s and the world’s top health issues, including chronic illness, health disparities, intervention research, and quality and safety.

“Interprofessional teams provide a broader understanding of interdisciplinary team science and can increase opportunities for grant submissions and funding," said Associate Dean for Research and Professor Karen Meneses, PhD, RN, FAAN. “The impact results in stronger collaborative partnerships that help to mentor young scientists and in discoveries that improve care for patients and their families.”

Meneses mentors an interprofessional research team on cancer survivorship. She collaborates with Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, Webb Endowed Chair of Nutrition Sciences in the UAB School of Health Building teams around HIV/AIDS Professions and associate director for care, palliative care and cancer surcancer prevention and control in the vivorship, among others, has helped UAB Comprehensive Cancer Cenincrease the School’s annual research ter, in cancer survivorship research revenues from less than $100,000 in and in support of leaders in the UAB 2005 to more than $11 million today. Comprehensive Cancer Center. There It also has helped increase the annual also are multiple principal NIH research dolinvestigators (MPIs) for an lars to more than R25 training grant for pre$4 million. NIH research dollars and post-doctoral students at have grown to more UAB and leads the Susan G. than $4 million from the Komen Graduate Training in collaborative teamwork Disparities Research project. happening at the UAB Meneses’ pre-doctoral fellow School of Nursing. and mentee, Jennifer Bail,

Dr. Karen Meneses mentors a number of doctoral students, post-docs, and faculty, including PhD student Jacqueline Vo and recent graduate Dr. Jennifer Bail.

Dr. David Vance leads an interprofessional team seeking answers to improving quality of life and other issues for those living with HIV/AIDS.

PhD, RN, earned her PhD from the School in June 2017 and is now doing her post-doctoral fellowship with Demark-Wahnefried. Meneses also mentors early career faculty fellows from the UAB School of Medicine and the School of Public Health. Professor David Vance, PhD, MGS, MS mentors an interdisciplinary team working to impact HIV/AIDS care. Vance is in the midst of a five-year, $2.86 million R01 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health looking at speed of process training for middle-aged and older adults living with HIV and a two-year, $404,250 R21 grant from the National Institutes of Nursing Research (NINR) for his project “Individualized-Targeted Training in Older Adults with HAND” to develop cognitive training interventions to improve everyday functioning and quality of life of those with HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder. Vance’s research is based on the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study, a project funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Nursing Research and conducted, in part, at UAB’s Edward R. Roybal Center for Transitional Research in Aging and Mobility by Roybal Center Director and Chair of the UAB Psychology Department Karlene Ball, PhD. (see related story p. 14) Some of the School’s team works directly with Vance. This includes UAB School of Nursing Assistant Professor Pariya Fazeli Wheeler, PhD, a cognitive psychologist with a three-year, $747,000 K99/R00 grant FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

examining ways to improve cognitive health outcomes in older adults living with HIV. Others in the School are team members as well, including Professor Mirjam-Colette Kempf, PhD, MPH, principal investigator of the UAB Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) site, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (see story p. 18) and Assistant Professor Crystal Chapman-Lambert, PhD, CRNP-C, FNP-BC, ACRN, AAHIVS, who is working with Michael Mugavero, MD, MHSc, professor in the UAB School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases on a minority supplement to his five-year, $3.5-million “Integrating ENGagement and Adherence Goals upon Entry (iENGAGE) to Control HIV” grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. She is looking at factors that impact adherence to medication routines and appointment schedules in people with a new HIV diagnosis and developing interventions to try to get these individuals into care quicker and taking their medications as directed. Another area of significant research team success has been in palliative care. Professor and Marie L. O’Koren Endowed Chair Marie Bakitas, DNSc, APRN, NP-C, AOCN, ACHPN, FAAN, joined the School’s faculty in 2012 and has become the cornerstone of the interdisciplinary palliative care research team. In addition to grants from the National Institute of Nursing Research, National Palliative Care Society and American Center Society to improve quality of life for cancer patients and their caregivers, Bakitas also is Associate Director of the UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care and works with an interdisciplinary team including physicians, nurses, psychologists and others to create care plans that meet the holistic need of patients and families. Mentoring young scientists also is a cornerstone of the school’s research teams. For example, Bakitas’ Postdoctoral Fellow J. Nicholas Dionne-Odom,

Dr. Marie Bakitas (L) teams with Dr. Rodney Tucker (R) and others in palliative care research and in clinical care in the UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care.

Dr. Bakitas works with the UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care interdisciplinary team to create care plans to meet the holistic need of patients and families. 8

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

Dr. Crystal Chapman-Lambert collaborates with Dr. Michael Mugavero in the School of Medicine on HIV/AIDS Research

Dr. Wendy Landier

PhD, RN, ACHPN, has received a five-year, $935,000 K99/ R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) to develop a palliative care health coaching program for family caregivers of persons with advanced cancer. And Postdoctoral Scholar Deborah Ejem, PhD, is exploring how significant a factor spirituality is in the relationships among patients with chronic illnesses, such as heart failure, their caregivers and their clinicians through a study funded by a two-year, $187,293 diversity supplement award from the NINR to Bakitas’ “ENABLE: CHF-PC (Comprehensive Heartcare for Patients and Caregivers)” a five-year, $3.5-million NINR R01 grant. Associate Professor Wendy Landier, PhD, RN, FAAN, is part of the UAB Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship (ICOS), a multi-disciplinary group working to help cancer survivors thrive through interdisciplinary research, health promotion and education. She has a dual appointment in the UAB School of Medicine and the UAB School of Nursing, and collaborates with Smita Bhatia, MD, MPH, director of the Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship on survivorship research projects. She also currently has two RO1 studies in progress. She and Bhatia are co-investigators on a study to improve oral chemotherapy adherence in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Landier also is collaborating with James Klosky, PhD, at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on administration of the HPV vaccine in young cancer survivors. Rachel Z. Booth Endowed Chair in Nursing and Professor Pat Patrician, PhD, RN, FAAN, is mentor for a team focused on quality and safety, specifically the safety and quality of nursing care, nursing staffing, nursing burnout and practice environment for our nation’s military nurses. Funded with a two-year, $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s TriService Nursing Research Program (TSNRP), she is currently principal investigator on a study of mortality, readmissions and failure-to-rescue in military hospitals and, prior to that, was a co-investigator on a program evaluation of the U.S. Army’s Patient CaringTouch System. Patrician also is a Senior Nurse Faculty/Scholar in the Veteran’s Administration Quality Scholars fellowship program at the Birmingham VA Medical Center, which she coordinates with Carlos

Estrada, MD, MSPH, Professor and Division Director of General Internal Medicine in the UAB School of Medicine. The program promotes leadership in quality improvement research, for which Patrician is nationally known. Team member and Associate Professor Suzie Miltner, PhD, RN, CNL, NEA-BC, a U.S. Army Veteran, is also Director of Educationally Focused Partnerships in the School. She is a Nurse Scientist at the Birmingham VA Medical Center and was a VA Quality Scholar before joining the School’s faculty. She has extensive clinical and leadership experience in military, private, and VA acute care settings as well as experience in nursing education in both academic and organizational settings. She is a leader in driving quality improvement efforts in several health

care organizations, including ongoing work as a facilitator for VA improvement teams and as a key member of the UAB Nursing Partnership research team. Additionally, Patrician’s mentee and recent graduate Lt. Col. Pauline Swiger, PhD, RN, CMSRN, CNL, received a twoyear, $14,193 award for her study “What Practice Environment Features are Related to Particular Patient Outcomes?” examining factors relating to the nursing practice environment and patient outcomes to determine if the quality of the nursing practice environment in military hospitals is associated with patient outcomes in the same way it is in civilian hospitals.

clinical

IMPACTING CLINICAL PRACTICE, AND THE BOTTOM LINE Research is just one area interprofessional teams are making a substantial impact. Since 2011, the School has worked to develop innovative interprofessional practice models to help care for some of Alabama’s most vulnerable patients through the PATH (Providing Access to Health Care) and HRTSA Heart Failure Clinics. These pioneering nurse-managed transitional care clinics not only care for patients across the health care continuum, they also are forming policy to guide national health care practice, creating innovations to improve care practices nationally, conducting novel research to reach rural populations facing the greatest effects from chronic or pre– Dean Doreen C. Harper ventable conditions, and finding new and creative ways to educate students to be the future leaders who will shape coordinated, proactive and superior patient care.

“Building these interprofessional clinical teams has helped us move toward practice models where teams may be nurse-led or led by another discipline. What is important is that the entire team understands the contributions nursing and all of the other professionals can make to patient outcomes.”

When the UAB School of Nursing opened the PATH Clinic in 2011, its goal was to utilize nurse practitioner (NP) faculty to provide care to

uninsured patients, many of whom were homeless. The clinic grew in 2012 when the School, under the leadDr. Carla Turner and first semester BSN student Chunhong Xiao ership of Cynthia Selleck, meet with a patient at the HRSA Heart Failure Clinic.. PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN, Professor and Associate Dean with Connie White-Williams, PhD, for Clinical and Global Partnerships, RN, FAAN, Director of the Center for received a three-year $1.4 million Nurse Nursing Excellence at UAB Hospital as Education Practice Quality Retenpart of the UAB Nursing Partnership, tion (NEPQR) grant from the Health to open a nurse-managed, interprofesResources and Services Administration sional transitional care clinic for heart (HRSA) to support an interprofessional failure patients recently discharged from collaborative health-care transition UAB Hospital. The goal is to reduce clinic at the PATH Clinic for under30-day readmission rates and improve served patients with diabetes recently access to care for the underinsured and discharged from UAB Hospital. It, medically underserved. along with supplemental funding from For these patients, transitional care the UAB Hospital and Health System, coordination begins in the hospital. brought together a team that included A clinical nurse leader serves as case nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, manager, coordinating care across the dietitians, social workers and more, to health care continuum. Nurse practiprovide follow-up and continuing care, tioners and other providers, including along with access to testing supplies and physicians, social workers, dietitians medications, for these patients. and more see patients in clinic once With the success of the PATH Clinic, they are discharged. other faculty have used the model as a “Building these interprofessional clinstarting point for other nurse-managed ical teams has helped us move toward interprofessional transitional care clinics practice models where teams may be for other conditions and populations. nurse-led or led by another discipline,” Chair of the Department of Acute, Harper said. “What is important is that Chronic and Continuing Care and the entire team understands the conProfessor Maria Shirey, PhD, MBA, tributions nursing and all of the other MSN, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, professionals can make to improving FACHE, FAAN, has collaborated patient outcomes.” FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

Mary Lee (L, Captain, US Army Reserve) recently graduated from the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Residency, part of the VA Nursing Academy for Graduate Education. Faculty in the program include (from L to R) Dr. Susanne Fogger, (VANAP-GE co-director), Chance Nicholson (instructor in the VANAPGE) and Dr. Teena McGuinness (VANAPGE Residency co-director).

“Anytime we can add additional services to meet the needs of Veterans, it’s a good thing.”

Since engaging in developing these interprofessional practice models and receiving the first – Dr. Teena McGuinness HRSA grant to support the PATH Clinic, the School has received more than $2.9 million from HRSA to help fund these clinics. And because of the success of both clinics, UAB Hospital and Health System are sustaining them. Both the PATH and HRTSA Heart Failure Clinics have been able to demonstrate improved health as well as decreased health care costs for patients who participate in the clinics. Because of improved health, these medically complex patients are not re-hospitalized as frequently. In fact, many don’t return to the hospital at all. And when they do, they don’t stay as long. This improved health translates into a tremendous annual cost savings to the health system as well. “As part of the UAB Nursing Partnership, we are infusing research and innovative practice models into our hospital so that we can get to better outcomes,” Harper said. “And we are analyzing data in a just in time way—along with integrating

ENHANCING EDUCATION

clinic data—in a way to make a difference in both cost savings and improving care for our most vulnerable patients.” The School also is engaged in interprofessional clinical partnerships with the Birmingham VA Medical Center through its VA Nursing Academic Partnership. The VA Mental Health Residency Continuity Clinic, opened in May 2015, offers appointments for those recently discharged from the Birmingham VA Medical Center or Veterans and their families in acute need, and those who want to avoid emergency department services. Led by Instructor Chance Nicholson, MSN, BS, CRNP, PMHNP-BC, RN-BC, the clinic offers follow-ups, walk-in appointments, intakes, assessments, medications, psychotherapy and referrals. In addition to Nicholson, staffing the clinic are three mental health nurse practitioner residents. The Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency Program was created by a five-year pilot program

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

Now in its fifth year, 12 psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) have already completed the one-year full-time residency program; five of the 12 have been hired by Birmingham VAMC or other VAMCs, adding to the numbers of providers caring for the mental health needs of Veterans. The fifth cohort of three residents just began in October 2017. All are learning to address the unique needs of our Veterans and their families. “Nursing becomes part of the solution for quality patient care, contributing to the quadruple aim,” Harper said. “With our interprofessional clinical partnerships and research we are working together for common goals—improving care, access cost savings—improving the patient and provider experience.”

education

Quality of care and patient outcomes are not just impacted by the interprofessional care teams, they also are directly related to nurse education. One of the strategies of building interprofessional teams within the School has been to make sure that nursing faculty leverage the expertise of their interprofessional colleagues to maximize faculty capacity in educating new nurses.

Dr. William Somerall

grant from the Veterans Health Administration Office of Academic Affiliation to the Birmingham VAMC and UAB School of Nursing.

For example, Assistant Professor William Somerall, MD, a retired OB/

GYN joined the faculty in 2014 and teaches in the graduate clinical program. “Knowledge of clinical medicine is foundational to the work of nursing and understanding how nurses interact and communicate with physicians and other health professionals is crucial to safe patient care,” Harper said. Students also learn to work with community-based partners, including social workers, psychologists and others professionals to help prepare future nurses with the competence to care for different populations whose culture and life experiences are different than their own and to collaborate with other professionals in and out of health care to better care for patients. Students in the undergraduate community and public health nursing class taught by Assistant Professor Sallie Shipman, EdD, MSN, RN, CNL, participate in real-world projects, including a homeless population census that puts into practice the School’s mantra of “think globally, act

School named NLN Center of Excellence THE UAB SCHOOL OF NURSING has been designated as an NLN Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing, which recognizes schools that have demonstrated a commitment to excellence and invested resources over a sustained period of time to distinguish themselves in a specific area related to nursing education. The School was cited for its continuous efforts to “Enhance Student Learning and Professional Development.” “This designation is an external confirmation of the School’s commitment to preparing future nursing leaders, and aligns with our strategic goals of maintaining excellence in teaching and learning, and provides acknowledgment of faculty efforts in continual quality improvement,” said Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN. “I am especially pleased to have been explicitly recognized for our focus on innovative and flexible academic programs, promotion of student engagement through creative teaching strategies, and student and faculty involvement in the community.” Rhonda McLain, PhD, RN, Assistant Dean for Evaluation, headed the task force for NLN Center of Excellence designation, which included: Associate Dean for Technology and Innovation and Professor Jackie Moss, PhD, RN, FAAN; Assistant Professor Michele Talley, PhD, CRNP, ACNP-BC; Assistant Professor Summer Powers, DNP, CRNP, ACNP-BC, AACC; Associate Professor Jennan Phillips, PhD, RN;

locally,” and challenge students’ preconceived notions (see related story p. 31). Interprofessional education also extends from students to professional development for faculty and staff in the University. Professor Allison Shorten, PhD, RN, RM, FACM, is Director of the Office of Interprofessional Curriculum (OIPC) in the UAB Center for Interprofessional Education and Simulation (CIPES). CIPES connects students and other learners from across campus with faculty and staff from UAB and the UAB Health System in a cohesive, integrated system of interprofessional education and training. Shorten’s role in the OIPC is to guide the design and implementation of curricula for these interprofessional educational experiences. (see story p. 24) A culmination of these efforts is the School’s recent designation as an NLN Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing, specifically citing its sustained efforts in enhancing student learning and professional development (see sidebar).

Assistant Professor Tedra Smith, DNP, CRNP, CPNP-PC; Instructor Connie Hataway, PhD, RN, CNE; Assistant Professor Nancy Wingo, PhD, MA; Professor Linda Roussel, PhD, RN, CNL, CCRN, NEA-BC, FAAN; Assistant Professor Sallie Shipman, EdD, MSN, RN, CNL; Marketing Specialist Jimmy Creed, BA; DNP graduate Eileen Meyer, DNP, ALNP-BC; and BSN graduate Susan Darby, BSN, RN. “This designation is additional confirmation of the excellence of our School,” said Linda Moneyham, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who is currently serving a two-year term on the NLN Board of Governors. “Excellence is a core value of our culture. We have great academic program outcomes because of the high standards and commitment of our faculty to excellence.”

Linda Moneyham, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, notes how changes in the approach to educating student nurses is impacting the quality of patient care and outcomes. “Strategies such as interprofessional education align well with our current pedagogy of teaching and learning that promotes innovation and high student and faculty engagement. Extensive research supports the value of innovative teaching strategies that engage students in the teaching/learning process and which are grounded in the context of real world clinical situations. When compared to passive teaching/ learning strategies such as lectures, active strategies that engage students and faculty have been shown to increase students’ depth of understanding, mastery, retention, and application of content. We work every day to find teaching approaches that will best prepare students for the practice of nursing in today’s health care systems.”

LESSONS LEARNED, THE FUTURE While building interprofessional teams has had its own learning curve, Harper said she is encouraged by the outcomes the School has seen so far. “Teamwork requires effort, execution and shared resources,” she said. “These teams must have mutual respect, share goals and be willing to share their knowledge. When they do this, they can’t help but be successful.” Harper said she also anticipates the number of interprofessional teams within the UAB School of Nursing, as well as within the nursing profession, will to continue to grow as the success of the already established teams continues to grow. “We need the faculty of the future to be looking at how we, together with others, continue to expand and develop the role of nurses at the front line, and how we continue to generate and translate the knowledge nurses need in today’s and tomorrow’s health care system,” she said. FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

2016

2015

RESEARCH ROUNDUP

BLUE RIDGE

INSTITUTE RANKING Nursing Schools

With $2.196 million 2006 in National Institutes of Health research funding YEAR for fiscal year 2016, the School jumped 11 spots to 23rd nationally in rankings published by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, which lists by year NIH funding for U.S. nursing schools. The School has an overall total of more than $9.7 million in current NIH research grants. Blue Ridge breaks down annually what those grants bring in. Associate Dean for Research and Professor Karen Meneses, PhD, RN, FAAN, said in the past year several of the School’s senior scientists, as well as junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows and doctoral students, received grants that helped make the jump.

“We hit with two major R01s for Professor David Vance, who also received an R21, and Professor Marie Bakitas. One of her post docs, Nick Dionne-Odom, received a R00/K99, and Assistant Professor Pariya Wheeler came on board with a R00/K99. Along with those we have an R25 that was funded.” Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN, said the rankings also reflect the School’s grant funding from other sources across all of missions – teaching, research, and service – including more than $5.15 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration and more than $700,000 from other organizations and foundations. “Our rankings have also improved because we have benefited from other grants and funding that have helped build and support the infrastructure and scholarship of our faculty, both within the NIH and within the philanthropic foundation areas.”

2016

2015

2010

2006

YEAR

2010

School ranks 23rd nationally in NIH funding

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

RANKINGS

Meneses named UAB Distinguished Faculty Lecturer

96 RA N KI N G S

In recognition of more than 40 years as a nurse, educator, researcher and advocate focused on cancer survivorship, Associate Dean for Research and Professor Karen Meneses PhD, RN, FAAN, was named the 2016 UAB Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, the academic health center’s most prestigious faculty award.

Meneses’ nomination was led by Edward E. Partridge, MD, recently-retired director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. It also was supported by Jay R. Harris, MD, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, distinguished professor at Harvard Medical School and her long-time mentor. “She exemplifies the characteristics of the distinguished lecturer through her sustained contributions to science, significant contributions to improving health and quality of life, reducing suffering, and consistent outstanding contributions through education, research and public service,” Harris said. Meneses’ work has included developing the Breast Cancer Education Intervention (BCEi), recognized as a national model of cancer survivorship education, and adapting it for underserved older and rural breast cancer survivors. “Above all, Dr. Meneses is a consummate integrated scholar whose work has touched thousands of women and their families,” Partridge said. “She has also made significant investments in the lives and educations of UAB students and faculty who are striving to impact health for people, as well and her commitment to advancing the frontier of science is unsurpassable.”

Turner-Henson earns EPA award The United States Environmental Protection Agency has named Professor Anne Turner-Henson, PhD, RN, FAAN, as one of its 25 Children’s Environmental Health Heroes in the Southeast. Turner-Henson was honored for providing visionary leadership in protecting children from harmful exposures where they live, learn and play. The EPA noted that she

PhD students are third group of RWJF scholars

For the third consecutive year, UAB School of Nursing doctoral students are receiving Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Future of Nursing Scholars program funding. The program helps develop a new generation of nurse leaders to transform America’s health care system. PhD students Colleen Anusiewicz, BSN, RN, and Jessica Corcoran, MSN, RN, each will receive a total of $75,000 in RWJF funding over the next three years and a dollar-for-dollar match from the School to pursue their doctoral studies.

Colleen Anusiewicz

“The commitment Dean Doreen Harper and the UAB School of Nursing have made to the RWJF Future Scholars program is truly phenomenal,” said Associate Dean for Research and Professor Karen Meneses, PhD, RN, FAAN. “We are using money available for scholarships within the School and leveraging that with great success as part of one of the country’s premier initiatives focused on increasing the number of PhD-prepared nurses nationally.”

Anusiewicz and Corcoran are the School’s fourth and fifth RWJF Scholars, joining Brooke Cherven, MPH, RN, CPON, Jacqueline B. Vo, BSN, RN, and Rachel Wells, MSN, RN, CNL. Vo is a member of the 2015 cohort, and Cherven and Wells the 2016 cohort.

Jessica Corcoran

Anusiewicz is mentored by PhD Program Coordinator and Associate Professor Karen Heaton, PhD, CRNP, FNP-BC, FAAOHN, FAAN. Corcoran is mentored by Associate Professor Gwendolyn Childs, PhD, RN.

“has established collaborative partnerships between local, state and national agencies and community organizations to improve children’s health.” Turner-Henson has served on multiple state and national committees as a child health advocate and worked to empower communities through grassroots initiatives to reduce children’s environmental risks and promote healthy communities. She served as principal investigator on a project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to teach children how to talk to adults about not smoking around them, and has worked on policy development for children’s environmental health.

Examining palliative care for seriously ill infants Assistant Professor Erin Currie, PhD, RN, has received a two-year, $154,000 National Palliative Care Research Center Junior Faculty Career Development Award to examine the pediatric palliative care needs of infants in neonatal intensive care units and their parents in the Deep South. She is the only nurse among this year's five recipients. Currie’s study “Do Health Disparities in the Deep South Impact Neonatal Palliative Care? Parents Perspectives” will provide the basis to develop an intervention to help parents of seriously ill children during and following an infant's death in a neonatal intensive care unit. She is mentored by Marie L. O’Koren Endowed Chair and Professor Marie Bakitas, DNSc, APRN, NP-C, AOCN, ACHPN, FAAN. Currie says that of the 23,446 infants who died in the United States in 2013 — 86 percent were in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units. As the number of seriously ill infants has increased since then, so has the need for pediatric palliative care. “I have seen parents at the bedside suffering to make heartbreaking decisions and watching the last days of their infant’s life unfold without adequate support,” Currie said. “I want my study to enhance quality of life for seriously ill infants and ease the pain and suffering of their parents by improving and encouraging early access to pediatric palliative care.”

The majority of her local work has been with the Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity Head Start Program, assisting with developing a text messaging system to communicate daily local air quality so children’s outdoor activities could be adjusted accordingly. Turner-Henson said it was gratifying to be saluted by her peers. “Doing environmental health work has been a major thread in my research program for the past 20 years,” she said. “Working to promote healthy environments ensures children can grow up healthy and safe, from an environmental perspective.” FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

research

IMPROVING EVERYDAY FUNCTIONING, QUALITY OF LIFE

WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

As medicines to control HIV have improved over the years, so has the life expectancy of those living with it. But with increased longevity has come other health issues, including dementia and other cognition-related problems that are occurring at much earlier ages, creating a growing population experiencing the onset of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND).

“...there is no health without mental health, and that is certainly true in this case." -Dr. David Vance

Jim Raper, PhD, CRNP, JD, FAANP, FAAN, director of UAB’s 1917 HIV Outpatient, Dental and Research Clinic, has heard the questions, seen the confusion, and been frustrated by his inability to provide much concrete information to his patients about HAND.

of people living with HIV experience HAND.

One is an attorney, and though his HIV is well controlled, yet increasing problems staying mentally sharp and focused in the fast-paced legal world have led him to consider drastic measures.

Vance is testing previous speed of processing interventions developed to help older adults with dementia and other cognitive issues who are not HIV positive to see if they will also work with older patients living with HIV.

“When he’s preparing for court he just doesn’t feel as confident as he used to,” Raper said. “He has actually considered closing down his law practice for fear that he is not providing clients with the level of expertise he has provided them before.

Professor David Vance, PhD, MGS, MS, is looking for those answers. He has received a two-year, $404,250 R21 grant from the National Institutes of Nursing Research for his project “Individualized-Targeted Training in Older Adults with HAND” to develop cognitive training interventions to improve everyday functioning and quality of life of those with HAND. Fifty percent

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“When I talk to physicians and other clinicians they want to know what they can do about their patients who are experiencing cognitive problems,” Vance said. “Right now there are few options for these patients.”

“Past studies have put older adults with cognition problems in driving simulators to see if their driving safety could be improved through training,” Vance said. “We know from those studies that some people do experience improvement. So, if something like that works for older adults without HIV, why can’t it work in older adults with HIV?” Vance says speed of processing is the rate in which a person processes information from start to finish. When we are young our speed of processing is lightning quick, like the function of a computer.

As part of the normal aging process our cognitive efficiency lessens and we take longer to memorize information or perform tasks. For someone with HIV, this process often happens at an earlier age due, in part, to low-grade inflammation triggered by their HIV. “The inflammation causes the brain to not be as productive as it used to be, which contributes to memory lapses, forgetfulness and the general fogginess many older patients living with HIV experience,” Vance said. “We know that if they have this disorder, it is more than likely impacting their medication adherence, financial management, mood and much more.” For the study, Vance is enrolling 146 people — 73 who will receive the interventions and 73 for the control group. All patients will receive neuropsychological tests to determine if they are experiencing HAND and what their individual cognitive deficits are. Vance and his team will then provide individualized training to those who are in the group receiving the intervention in hopes of helping improve their individual deficit areas. “If someone has an issue with attention for example, we will focus on improving their cognitive ability in that area,” Vance said. “We will work with them with the hope that the next time they are assessed they will have shown significant improvement or perhaps will no longer have the problem at all.” Raper is excited about working with Vance on this project. “It is critical to have someone like him who has been in this field for so long and understands its nuances in developing potential innovative interventions,” Raper said. Vance’s experience includes a five-year, $2.86-million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health that also focuses on

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Transforming

ONCOLOGY CURRICULUM in Nursing Through its Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Center, the School is transforming nursing practice and advancing health care worldwide by strengthening nursing education in oncology and palliative care through collaborative projects in Honduras, Turkey and Jamaica to help address the growing global cancer burden and inequities. Assistant Professor Richard Taylor, DNP, CRNP, ANP-BC and Assistant Professor Rebecca Edwards, DNP, APRN, ACNP, AOCNP, ACHPN, Oncology and Palliative Subspecialty co-directors, and their mentor, Marie L. O’Koren Endowed Chair Marie Bakitas, DNSc, CRNP, NP-C, AOCN, ACHPN, FAAN, are among those laying the foundation for change.

Dr. Richard Taylor and Dr. Rebecca Edwards

These faculty have leveraged local experiences to develop knowledge and skill-based palliative care collaborative research projects in Honduras and Turkey. Collaborations with Jamaican stakeholders to increase oncology and palliative care knowledge, access and use are in development. “The efforts to optimize our Oncology and Palliative Care Sub-Specialty programs have been positive and our graduates will be positioned to address the current oncology and palliative care workforce gaps,” Taylor said. “A planned future residency or fellowship program would enhance that effort.” From a global perspective, Edwards said, “Curriculum and programmatic changes to the specialty programs will enhance our ability to impact oncology and palliative care locally and globally, particularly through building international collaborations in lower resource regions.”

enhancing cognitive functioning of older HIV patients through speed of process training. He is examining the amount of training needed to improve a patient’s cognitive ability. Early this decade, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that by 2015 nearly half of those living with HIV in the United States would be over the age of 50. The United States Senate Special Committee on Aging now estimates that by 2020 the figure will be nearly 70 percent. As the overall numbers rise, so does the urgency to find ways to help with HAND.

“We know that if they have this disorder, it is more than likely impacting their medication adherence, financial management, mood and much more.” -Dr. David Vance

“If we can prevent, or even slow down cognitive problems in our patients, we help them remain healthy and independent with a higher quality of life,” Vance said. “We must always remember that there is no health without mental health, and that is certainly true in this case.” FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

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IMPROVING

MILITARY NURSING OUTCOMES Faculty, doctoral students and alumni are helping define the future of U.S. Army Nurse Corps’ Patient CaringTouch System U.S. Army Nurse Corps Chief Maj. Gen. Barbara R. Holcomb, Associate Professor Lori Loan, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Assistant Professor Dheeraj Raju, PhD, were also part of that team. The team found that within two years after PCTS was implemented, military treatment facilities experienced a 42-percent drop in voluntary turnover of nurses, 6 percent less absenteeism and a 60-percent drop in patient falls.

WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB CULPEPPER AND STEVE WOOD

achel Z. Booth Endowed Chair in Nursing Pat Patrician, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Adjunct Professor and recent doctoral graduate Lt. Col. Pauline Swiger, PhD, MSN, RN, CNL, CMSRN, along with others in the School, are playing an active role in providing key research data to help lead the implementation of refinements to the U.S. Army Nurse Corps’ Patient CaringTouch System (PCTS). The PCTS is a care delivery framework implemented throughout U.S. Army medical treatment facilities in 2011 to improve patient outcomes and decrease nursing practice variation through team communication, healthy work environments, evidence-based practice, patient advocacy and building leader capability.

Patrician, Swiger and U.S. Army Nurse Corps Lt. Col. Julie Freeman, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, CWON, a DNP student in the School, were part of an evaluation team that conducted site visits at 10 military hospitals to assess the effectiveness of PCTS and made numerous recommendations to 16

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“In health care, we generally see a lag of about 17 years to move evidence into practice,” Swiger said. “With the PCTS, we are marrying the evidence from previous work, the evidence generated by our program evaluation and the expertise of those using PCTS to make it much easier to adopt and more effective for those delivering care. In comparison to the previous lag time, this new evidence is being incorporated into the military health care system quickly, which for a nurse researcher, is very exciting.” For nurses, the PCTS’s central elements of enhanced communication, increased patient advocacy, leadership capability building, evidence-based practices and healthier work environments are reflected in increased peer feedback, standardized documentation, skill building, shared accountability, the development of care teams and more. The results are even more tangible for patients. With PCTS in practice, patients sense more teamwork and collaboration among their health care team. They see their pain levels re-evaluated at more regular intervals after a medication is given. Their families see more attentiveness to their hospitalized loved one and more surveillance to prevent incidents such as slips, trips and falls. Overall, they see nurses who have more of a voice in their practice and in improving the care delivered in their respective unit and who are more supported by hospital leadership.

research “If there is a great nursing practice environment, patients can expect their care to be better,” Patrician said. Patrician, Freeman, and Swiger are participating in PCTS Decision Science Camp, a week-long, highlevel gathering of a select group of stakeholders working to define the future scope of PCTS. “We are focusing on determining priorities for the program and how to implement them within the resource structure the military has,” said Patrician, a retired U.S. Army colonel and 26-year veteran of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. “They want to take the information we gave them, further revise the program and make it even better.” At the PCTS Decision Science Camp, Patrician also is sharing her insights on civilian nursing models, Freeman is detailing study results, and Swiger is serving as an evidence-based practice facilitator. “Just as in civilian health care, we want to improve the health of our patients to the fullest extent we can, and we want our nurses and our hospital systems to be healthy, too,” Swiger said. “I believe our work, from the generation of evidence to the rapid use of that evidence, will have a tremendous positive effect on military patient care and its nursing workforce.” Patrician and Swiger also are continuing their research on PCTS. Patrician received a two-year, $400,000 TriService Nursing Research Program (TSNRP) award in 2016 for her study “Impact of Nursing on Readmissions, Failure to Rescue & Mortality in DoD Hospitals.” Swiger received a two-year, $14,193 TSNRP graduate award in 2016 for her study “What Practice Environment Features are Related to Particular Patient Outcomes?” Patrician says it is an honor to maintain her military connections through this important work, calling it “research come full circle.” She also relishes the platform she has to tell some of the military’s finest about the School of Nursing. “I meet a lot of the fast-rising stars in the military every year, and I make sure they take note of the tremendous work we do here to support the military and our Veterans,” Patrician said. “I do it in hopes of bringing more military students into the UAB School of Nursing. As word continues to spread about the opportunities here, I believe they will want to join our ranks.”

PATRICIAN

named to Booth Endowed Chair Patricia Patrician, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been appointed the School’s second holder of the Rachel Z. Booth Endowed Chair in Nursing. She is a nationally recognized leader in the areas of patient safety, quality care and nursing practice environments and also has an on-going program of funded research focused on improving nursing workforce experiences and practice within our nation’s military hospitals. The Booth Endowed Chair was named in honor of Rachel Z. Booth, PhD, the School’s third dean, upon her retirement in 2005. Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Linda Moneyham, PhD, RN, FAAN, was the first holder from 2007 to 2011. Patrician previously held the School’s Donna Brown Banton Endowed Professorship. “It is a dream come true to be named to this chair, which honors one of nursing's pioneers and an architect of one of the nation’s top nursing schools,” Patrician said. “I have been engaged in the quality and safety aspects of nursing for a large part of my career. I will rely heavily on that background as I strive to maintain the high standards Dr. Booth set for us.” Patrician is a retired United States Army Colonel and 26-year veteran of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. She is one of two senior scholars for the VA National Quality Scholars Program site at the Birmingham VA Medical Center and one of only six people nationwide to serve on the Strategic Advisory Panel of the national Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Institute. “Pat Patrician exemplifies all of the requirements for the Rachel Z. Booth Endowed Chair, including a distinguished record of extramural funding, evidence of research and scholarly achievement, consistent record of publication, experience in mentoring, exemplary professional and academic leadership, documentation of outstanding teaching performance and national professional recognition,” said Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing. “Our School is fortunate to have an individual with Pat’s experience and leadership as a faculty member and researcher, and we are thrilled she has been named the second holder of the Rachel Z. Booth Endowed Chair in Nursing.” FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

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2013 in collaboration with the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson, Mississippi, as part of a five-year, $8.15 million grant to focus more attention on HIV-infected women where it was needed most.

LEADING HIV RESEARCH in Southern Women WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTO PROVIDED BY UAB MAGAZINE

Professor Mirjam-Colette Kempf, PhD, MPH, has been named principal investigator of the UAB Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) site, and has received $2.8 million in additional National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to continue impacting health care for women with HIV in the Deep South, and nationwide.

“This is a strong indication of the success we have had impacting the lives of

HIV-infected women locally and across the nation through this grant.” -Dr. Mirjam-Colette Kempf

“

his is a strong indication of the success we have had impacting the lives of HIV-infected women locally and across the nation through this grant,” Kempf said. “It has been a unique opportunity, especially in the South, and one for which we are grateful. We continue to provide a strong voice for this underserved population of women who had no one to speak for them before.” The grant was initially funded through December 31, 2017. The NIH is extending the study for an additional year prior to an anticipated five-year renewal in 2019. The WIHS cohort, the country’s largest and longest ongoing study of women living with HIV and those at risk for HIV infection, was developed by the NIH in 1993. UAB joined the study in

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the rate of adult and adolescent females living with diagnosed HIV infection in Alabama through the end of 2013 was 160 per 100,000 people. In nearby states, including Florida, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi the rate was even higher. “Though the majority of women infected with HIV live in the South, there were none enrolled in the cohort up to 2013,” Kempf said. “The Women’s Interagency HIV Study needed to better address the problem at its epicenter, and it did so by adding four Southern study sites.” The UAB-UMMC site was the fastest among the Southern sites to complete its enrollment and was subsequently asked to enroll more women into the study. And, the team’s work has strongly impacted HIV outcomes nationally through research, data sharing and collaboration. It also has raised the visibility of the UAB School of Nursing in the HIV research community. “Researchers and students at the UAB School of Nursing are getting tremendous exposure to data and a vast network of investigators they otherwise wouldn’t have access to,” Kempf said. “We are also currently receiving NIH funding supplements, that will allow us to study cardiovascular and pulmonary disease outcomes. This has greatly increased interest from investigators outside the HIV field in joining our project. “What we have done with this grant in terms of collaborating across sites and the region truly reflects UAB’s overall mission to drive the national research agenda.” Kempf replaces UAB Center for AIDS Research Director Michael Saag, MD, who will remain a co-investigator on the grant.

Leaders

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Legacy of

Nursing

AB School of Nursing PhD students have the privilege each year during the annual PhD intensive to engage with nursing legends.

Former faculty Jean A. Kelley, EdD, RN, FAAN, and Marguerite Kinney Handlin, DNSc, RN, national nursing leaders, interact with all of the School’s doctoral students that week. Doctoral students also learn from nursing leaders from across the country who come to the school during the intensive to give The Jean A. Kelley Endowed Lectureship, established in 1989 and honoring the enduring legacy of her tenure as Associate Dean for the Graduate Program. The 2017 lecture featured keynote Jean McSweeney, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN, Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, presenting “Developing a Prediction Model of CHD in Women: Emerging Risk Factors and Symptoms.” Students say it was made even more impactful by the presence of both Kelley and Professor Emerita Kinney Handlin. “Hearing the lecture from Dr. McSweeney, along with the many accomplishments of Dr. Jean Kelley and Dr. Marguerite Kinney Handlin, instilled a greater understanding of our nursing history and the many strides we have made in the profession,” PhD student Markie Sneed, MSN, CRNP,

WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

FNP-BC, said. “The lecture not only heightened my determination to excel in my doctoral studies, it inspired me to forge my own nursing legacy as well.”

PhD student Jessica Bahorski, MSN, RN, PPCNP-BC, WHNP-BC, reflected on the historical significance of the lecture and interaction with Drs. Kelley and Kinney Handlin.

“It reminds us of the vital role Drs. Kelley and Kinney Handlin had in the evolution of nursing, not only at UAB but across the state of Alabama and the nation,” Bahorski said. “The opportunities we have today would not be possible without their hard work, determination and tremendous contributions to nursing, especially in the advancement of doctoral education and nursing science. “I am proud to be part of a program with such a rich history that includes these two champions for doctoral education of nurses in our country.”

“In every profession, there are those

greats who inspire you to achieve beyond what you thought possible. Dr.

“If we have legendary leaders always willing to

Kelley and Dr.

continue their impact on nursing as Dr. Kelley

Kinney Handlin

and Dr. Kinney Handlin are, our

are two of those

students can be legends as well.”

–Associate Professor Cheryl Robinson, DNS, CRNP/Faculty, NNP-BC

greats.” –PhD Student and Instructor Jeremy Jordan, MSN

FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

PARTNERSHIP FOR A HEALTHY FUTURE School, community partners launch Nurse-Family Partnership ®, providing helping hand for vulnerable first-time mothers

WRITTEN BY JENNIFER LOLLAR // PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE NURSE-FAMILY PARTNERSHIP®

he UAB School of Nursing has been focused for a number of years on improving the health and quality of life for all Alabamians by partnering with community organizations to create innovative, targeted clinical programs to increase access to quality health care for vulnerable patient groups.

Leveraging these existing clinical partnerships along with resources from its education and research initiatives, the School is teaming with a group of dedicated community partners to bring a NurseFamily Partnership® program to Jefferson County, empowering the In an average week in Jefferson most vulnerable low-income mothers County: pregnant with their first child to successfully change their lives and the n 172 babies are born lives of their children. More than $1.7 million in philanthropic grants has been n 20 are born premature pledged from participating community n 19 are low birthweight partners to support the program. n

2 die before reaching their first birthday

Source: March of Dimes, 2014

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The Nurse-Family Partnership® is an evidenced-based community health program that has specially trained registered nurses regularly visit low-

income, first-time mothers-to-be at home, ideally starting in the first trimester of pregnancy, and continuing through the child’s second birthday, allowing for any critical behavioral changes needed to improve the health and welfare of the mother and child. The program is designed so that the nurse and mother develop a strong relationship over the course of up to 64 in-home visits over the more than two-year period that focus on the first-time mother’s personal health, quality of care giving, and life course development, inspiring long-lasting change that benefits both the mother and child. It’s been used around the country for nearly 40 years, including in Montgomery and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with great success. “This program has the potential to significantly improve birth outcomes in Jefferson County,” said Associate Dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships and Professor Cynthia Selleck, PhD, RN, FAAN. “As the most populous county in the state, and with pockets of infant mortality rates greater than 15 per 1,000 live births, this will fill a tremendous need for maternal health and early childhood intervention in Jefferson County.” According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, Alabama’s infant mortality rate is the second highest in the nation and is almost 40 percent higher

partnerships for Medicaid births. Alabama has the third highest percentage of low weight births among all 50 states and nearly a quarter of Alabama mothers receive inconsistent prenatal care.

a priority in our new strategic plan. The Nurse-Family Partnership® can have positive impacts not only on these short-term outcomes, but on the long-term trajectory for babies and their families.”

Jefferson County’s preterm birthrate is 11.4 percent. In 2015, Jefferson County births included: 3,724 babies born to lowincome mothers; 14.1 percent of those were born to girls between the ages of 10 and 19; and 12.3 percent of those were born preterm.

The UAB School of Nursing leads a number of successful clinical partnerships already in place that address the needs of the vulnerable populations, including day and after-hours clinics providing primary care for the medically underserved in partnership with the new federally qualified Bessemer Neighborhood Health Center, two nursemanaged clinics in partnership with UAB Hospital, the HRTSA Heart Failure Clinic and the PATH Diabetes Clinic, which provide transitional care for uninsured heart failure and diabetes patients. In addition, the Young Breast Cancer Survivors Network consists of 30+ organizations that provide resources to young breast cancer survivors and their families. The Nurse-Family Partnership® program is a natural fit in the School’s clinical partnerships and logical next step in improving the health of all Alabamians.

“The Nurse-Family Partnership® focuses on first-time mothers because it is during a first pregnancy that the best chance exists to promote and teach positive and enduring behaviors between a mother and her baby,” said Assistant Professor Candace Knight, PhD, RN, Nurse-Family Partnership® Nurse Supervisor. “With the partnership, we hope to see positive impact that ranges from healthy term babies and children who excel in school, to families who thrive and are economically self-sufficient. All of this begins with a relationship forged between a new mom and her nurse.” Knight said the Partnership hopes to improve outcomes by helping women engage in preventive health practices, including accessing adequate prenatal care and reducing their use of tobacco, alcohol and illegal substances. They also hope to improve child health and development by helping parents provide responsible and competent care, and improve the economic self-sufficiency of the family by helping parents develop a vision for their own future, plan future pregnancies, continue their education, and prepare to find work. “I am really excited that the Jefferson County Department of Health has been able to play a major role in bringing this program to our county, and this is a wonderful example of how we can accomplish more through partnerships,” said Mark E. Wilson, MD, Health Officer and Chief Executive of the Jefferson County Department of Health. “Concern about the high infant mortality rate, especially in certain parts of our county, led us to make ‘improving birth outcomes and fostering optimal infant development’

“The School has worked with new and existing community partners over the past two years, including The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Jefferson County Department of Health, the Mike & Gillian Goodrich Foundation, The Daniel Foundation and Blue Cross Blue Shield, to make the Nurse-Family Partnership® a reality,” Selleck said. “These partners are all interested in improving access to health care and optimizing birth outcomes, so coming together to bring NFP to Jefferson County made a lot of sense.”

Over the next three years, the program has the potential to serve 200 families, or approximately 750 mothers, babies and family/social network members. Knight said with nearly 40 years of research showing Nurse-Family Partnership® programs improve health outcomes, the partnership has the potential to produce lasting benefits for families. “We anticipate positive outcomes, both immediate and long-term,” Knight said. “If we can promote and teach positive and enduring behaviors between a mother and her baby, help these young women address concerns related to their health, environment, economic status, stability, and stress, and help them find available services in our community that will fill these needs and are accessible, affordable and supportive, then I firmly believe we will be successful in creating marked improvements in prenatal health, birth outcomes, child development, school readiness, academic achievement, and maternal employment, as well as reductions in child abuse and neglect, early childhood injuries, mental health problems, drug abuse, and crime for Jefferson County’s most vulnerable citizens.”

“This program has the potential to significantly improve

mother and child outcomes in Jefferson County.” -Dr. Cynthia Selleck

“I am confident that UAB School of Nursing, under the leadership of Cindy Selleck, will make this gold standard of home visitation programs successful in Jefferson County,” said Carol Butler, Executive Director of the Mike & Gillian Goodrich Foundation. “I am also pleased with the support garnered from other community partners, particularly the Jefferson County Department of Health. I look forward to 2020 when we will be able to fully realize the life-changing impact that the Nurse-Family Partnership® will have on women and children in Birmingham.” FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

“I was greatly impressed at how the priorities

of our Task Force are linked to universal health care and are in line with what ICN and other professional nursing organizations worldwide are discussing.” -Dr. Ada Markaki

he UAB School of Nursing is a leader in nursing education, research and practice, and the transformation of health care globally. Associate Professor Ada Markaki, PhD, Deputy Director of the School’s Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for International Nursing, is working to build on the School’s internationally focused strengths to leverage where the School is now and where it is moving toward in the future. Over the past year, Markaki has led a process to expand the School's global footprint and the formation of a 16-member Global Health Task Force of faculty and staff to identify growth opportunities. Markaki has recently represented the School at the quadrennial International Council of Nurses (ICN) Congress in Barcelona, Spain, as well as the meeting of the Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centers (GNWHOCC). She came away reassured that the School and its PAHO/WHOCC, one of only 43 worldwide and 10 in the United States, are well positioned for future global endeavors. “I was greatly impressed at how the priorities of our Task Force are linked to universal health care and are in line with what ICN and other professional nursing organizations worldwide are discussing,” Markaki said. “It was also very reassuring to hear how relevant some of the topics discussed on this international stage are to activities we are already undertaking here at the School.”

“Our Task Force agreed well before the ICN Congress that our operational definition of global health would focus on those SDGs,” Markaki said. “I was thrilled to see that we are already ahead in our thinking on how nursing will develop internationally in the coming decade.” Markaki also was excited to see the School’s next generation of nurse leaders take the stage internationally. Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) student Aoyjai Prapanjaroensin, BSN, RN, presented her research poster at the ICN Congress, “Does Chronotype Make a Difference Among NightShift Working Nurses in Feeling Unsafe Traveling From Work?” “Prapanjaroensin, a graduate of Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand, is an excellent example of the impact of the school’s successful international memoranda of understanding with other universities is having on health care globally,” Markaki said. Earlier this year the School and University renewed the memorandum of understanding with Thammasat. As part of this, the School will host two PhD students from Thammasat for up to six weeks of intense mentorship by a UABSON faculty member each year through 2022. The two institutions also will collaborate on research projects and publications.

Of particular note is a focus on the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for health care all UN members have agreed to try to implement by 2030.

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MOU renewal with Thammasat University

partnerships

EXPANDING ACCESS for the Underserved

WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

The UAB School of Nursing has grown its nurse-managed clinic footprint in the Birmingham area and is now providing staffing and medical services at the Bessemer Neighborhood Health Center in its continuing effort to provide access to primary health care services to medically underserved populations.

arlier this year the Bessemer Neighborhood Health Center received a two-year, $1.4-million Health Resources & Service Administration (HRSA) grant to become a New Access Point Federally Qualified Health Center. This grant enabled the center to expand its health care services and partner with the School on a nurse-managed clinic.

“This is wonderful news, particularly for our area’s homeless population, as it is the primary focus of the New Access Point funding,” said Associate Dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships and Professor Cynthia Selleck, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN. Since 2013, the School’s nurse practitioners have partnered with The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center in Bessemer, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, to provide medical care to The Foundry’s residents and the surrounding community. To better coordinate medical services in the area, the partnership has expanded to include

Cooper Green Mercy Health Services and Aletheia House, which operate the Bessemer Neighborhood Health Center. UAB School of Nursing nurse practitioners and other staff from The Foundry have relocated to the center and residents from the Foundry Clinic are now seen there. “Aletheia House, a longstanding community-based organization, has been working with medically underserved populations in the Bessemer area providing essential services including substance abuse treatment and prevention, housing and transportation,” said Melanie Baucom, MSN, CRNP, the School’s lead health care provider at the Bessemer Neighborhood Health Center. “Now we are expanding primary care access to include a full range of services including blood pressure management, diabetes management, treatment of acute illnesses, etc. Patients also have access to lab facilities and can receive help in having prescriptions filled at local pharmacies.”

Nurse Practitioner Melanie Baucom (in blue) leads an interprofessional team breaking down barriers to health care access.

“We are excited about teaming with the UAB School of Nursing because it has allowed us to bring experienced providers into the clinic who truly understand the needs of the patients they are working with,” said Chris Retan, CEO of Aletheia House. “If we had to work with another group that didn’t have this knowledge, they would not understand the needs of the kinds of populations we are serving and might not provide the outstanding care that the UAB School of Nursing does.” Retan added that having access to quality health care providers and facilities such as the Bessemer Neighborhood Health Clinic and The Foundry Clinic greatly increases the likelihood Bessemer-area residents will seek and receive the care they need. “If people with chronic conditions can’t get to where they need to be in a convenient way they will often skip getting care and get sicker and end up needing more extensive care down the road,” Retan said. “This partnership allows us to provide the people in the greatest need access to comprehensive medical care, behavioral health care, transportation and case management. “The people who have the greatest barriers to health care are the ones who benefit most from this partnership.” FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

C CIIP PE ES S ADVANCING

INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION Professor Allison Shorten is building interprofessional coalitions to advance health care education and research in Alabama and beyond WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

n her first visit more than three years ago, Professor Allison Shorten, PhD, RN, RM, FACM, found the UAB School of Nursing to be a place where people can think big, be creative and make a difference, and felt that someday she would call it home.

“I knew I would come back to the UAB School of Nursing,” Shorten said. “It was very clear that Dean Doreen Harper is a transformational leader surrounded by an exceptional team of people. It is the perfect environment for my research and the next phase of my career.” Dr. Allison Shorten

CIPES connects students and other learners from across campus with faculty and staff from UAB and the UAB Health System in a cohesive, integrated system of interprofessional education and training. 24

In December 2016, Shorten, a native of Kiama, Australia, joined the school's faculty and the UAB Center for Interprofessional Education and Simulation (CIPES) as Director of the Office of Interprofessional Curriculum (OIPC). She is internationally recognized for her expertise in evidence-based curriculum design. CIPES connects students and other learners from across campus with faculty and staff from UAB and the UAB Health System in a cohesive, integrated system of interprofessional education and training. Shorten’s role in the OIPC is to guide the design and implementation of curricula for these interprofessional educational experiences.

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

The opportunity to play a leadership role in shaping the development of interprofessional curriculum across UAB, and to prepare students to be health care’s leaders of the future, is what attracted her to the OIPC position. Under the CIPES umbrella, which also includes the Office of Standardized Patient Education and the Office of Interprofessional Simulation for Innovative Clinical Practice, students become familiar with the knowledge and skills of other health care professions and work in teams that model realworld interprofessional collaborative practice. “If we want health care professionals to work together, it is important that they learn about each other’s professions and about how to work together effectively,” Shorten said. “The opportunity to help create and develop programs that serve a wide range of professions, and to allow students to see firsthand how they can improve patient outcomes, was an opportunity too good to let pass.” As an example of the innovative interprofessional education experiences Shorten will oversee, OIPC hosts Interprofessional Team Training twice a year, bringing together more than 400 students from medicine, nursing, dentistry, and other health professions, to learn about patient care planning. In these sessions, faculty from nine health care professions interview a patient before the whole group to identify areas where the patient’s health

partnerships could be improved. Students are then divided into small, interprofessional groups to work together with a faculty member to create a care plan for that patient. “These sessions provide wonderful insight for students into the various roles of other health care professions, and how each can contribute to improving patient care,” Shorten said. “They highly value the experience of learning with an interprofessional team and planning patient care under the guidance of a clinical expert.” Shorten’s work will not only focus on interprofessional education. She also is an internationally recognized expert in pregnancy and health, and is a fellow of the Australian College of Midwives. She brings to UAB her program of research on pregnancy decision making, with the goal of positively impacting Alabama mothers and babies. An Associate Professor at the Yale University School of Nursing from 2010-16, Shorten's work focused on improving pregnancy care experiences for women. She has identified important determinants of birth outcomes through an examination of models of care, health insurance systems and interventions, which has resulted in the development of tools such as the Birth Choices decision aid, which supports shared decision making in pregnancy, particularly for women making delivery choices after a previous cesarean. “My work is currently focused on putting the tools we are developing into practice,” Shorten said. “I am particularly interested in contributing to the pregnancy care experiences of the women of Alabama and believe there are great opportunities for us to improve the overall health of women and their families, both locally and globally.” “Dr. Shorten is known for her dynamic and innovative approaches to support student learning and her dedication to teaching excellence and mentorship,” said Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing Doreen C. Harper, Drs. Terri Poe PhD, RN, FAAN. “She has made and Doreen C. significant contributions to the Harper midwifery profession and international research supporting decision making in pregnancy. She is an outstanding addition to our faculty and will be a tremendous asset to the School and CIPES in the future.”

PARTNERING TO HONOR NURSES More than 1,000 nurses and their families from around central Alabama joined UAB Nursing Partnership cohosts, the UAB School of Nursing and UAB Medicine, May 12 at Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham for the first Bham Nurses Night Out, honoring nurses and marking the end of Nurses Week. The event, featuring live music, giveaways, local food trucks, a cornhole tournament and children’s activities, was so successful plans are to make it an annual affair. “We were thrilled to co-host this event with our partner, UAB Medicine, as a way to show our support for all nurses,” said Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN. “We put on an outstanding event showing nurses from across our state, their families and the community how much we care for them and appreciate what they do every day to impact health care locally and globally.” Since May 2016, the School and UAB Medicine have formally worked together through the UAB Nursing Partnership to align critical resources to provide outstanding patient care, invest in teaching and training for interprofessional collaboration, and partner in research and scholarship. The goal is to produce nurses who know how to deliver the best quality nursing care, create innovative models of care, and enable nursing faculty to be more deeply engaged in clinical practice. The family-friendly atmosphere of Bham Nurses Night Out allowed nurses to take a break, relax and have fun together, said UAB Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Terri Poe, DNP, RN, NE-BC. “We wanted to reward them for the hard work and dedication they have to patients, the health care facilities in which they serve and the community,” Poe said. The UAB School of Nursing, UAB Hospital and the Birmingham VA Medical Center also highlighted outstanding nurse leaders within their organizations. “Not only did we have fun, we recognized nurses for the leadership they provide in Birmingham, the state of Alabama and beyond as the front line of health care,” Harper said. “Particularly gratifying was seeing so many graduates of our School honored for the impact they are making.” FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

L T Y A WA

NURSING RO

UND

Selleck

HONORED BY NPAA Associate Dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships and Professor Cynthia Selleck, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN, has received the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama’s highest honor, the Power of One Award, given annually to a person who is a change agent for the nurse practitioner profession. Throughout her career, Selleck has led more than 45 grant-funded projects to expand the number of health professionals, in particular nurse practitioners, to provide primary care, particularly in rural and underserved areas. She is the architect behind the School’s rural nurse practitioner workforce development initiative, the Graduate Nursing Education Primary Care Scholars, and laid the groundwork for the development of its nurse-managed clinics, including the PATH Clinic. “While I haven’t been a practicing nurse practitioner for about 10 years, being recognized for what I am able to do now to impact the nurse practitioner profession and health care locally and globally through my work at UAB is very special,” Selleck said.

Gakumo

IS DIVERSITY CHAMPION Associate Professor C. Ann Gakumo, PhD, RN, is one of four individuals and one student organization honored with a 2017 UAB President’s Diversity Champion Award. This annual award recognizes employees, students and organizations that have helped create a more culturally diverse, inclusive university community through their achievements. Gakumo was the faculty category honoree for a number of diversity initiatives she has been or continues to be involved in across several different arenas, including her research which is focused on promoting health literacy and medication adherence in older African American adults living with HIV; and serving as program faculty

Dr. Ann Gakumo, with Dr. Maria Shirey, Chair of the Department of Acute, Chronic and Continuing Care, and Dr. Karen Meneses, Associate Dean for Research, who were on hand for her award presentation.

for the School’s Enrichment Academy for Nursing Services program, which is designed to increase the number of BSN-prepared nurses from disadvantaged and historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds. “I am very fortunate to be in a place that is nurturing and supportive of diversity initiatives and the work I’m able to do,” Gakumo said.

Shirey HONORED BY CGEAN Chair of the Department of Acute, Chronic and Continuing Care and Professor Maria Shirey, PhD, MBA, MS, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FACHE, FAAN, is the recipient of the inaugural Suzanne Smith Memorial Award for Scholarly Writing Excellence presented by the Council on Graduate Education for Administration in Nursing. It recognizes scholarly writing that advances the knowledge of administration and leadership in nursing, and is named for the late Dr. Suzanne Smith, longtime editor of the Journal of Nursing Administration and Nurse Educator. Being the award’s first recipient is a special honor for Shirey, who counted Smith as a trusted mentor. “She was someone who gave me the opportunity to write a column in her journal and who, when I submitted manuscripts, always gave me honest feedback,” Shirey said. “She was a generous person in terms of writing, editing and cultivating the careers of others.” Shirey’s column on strategic leadership appeared in the Journal of Nursing Administration for five years until she became editor-in-chief of the Journal for Healthcare Quality in 2016.

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

academics

WORKING TO end violence AGAINST WOMEN Professor Patricia M. Speck, DNSc, CRNP, FNP-BC, DF-IAFN, FAAFS, FAAN, received the 2017 Professional Impact Award from End Violence Against Women International for her work as a boardcertified family nurse practitioner and advanced practice forensic nurse. Speck is the first nurse to receive the honor, recognizing professionals whose work significantly influences their community’s response to violence against women. Her research, specifically, was singled out for its focus on the relationship between victimization and health, and the evaluation of system-wide therapeutic interventions to improve victim recovery, as were her interprofessional collaborations to create lasting systemic change. In saluting Speck, EVAWI noted, “because of [her] work, victims in their communities are more likely to receive the compassionate support and competent services they deserve, and perpetrators are more likely to be held accountable for their crimes.”

Two earn Fellow DESIGNATIONS

FROM PROFESSIONAL GROUPS

Two faculty are in the 2017 Fellows classes of their respective professional associations. Associate Professor Karen Heaton, PhD, CRNP, FNP-BC, FAAN, FAAOHN, coordinator of the School’s PhD Program, is in the 2017 class of American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) Fellows. She is the National Institute of Occupational and Safety-funded occupational health-nursing director for the UAB Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety and also has oversight for all occupational health nursing curriculum offerings, clinical placements, and serves as the primary research mentor for PhD students focusing on occupational health nursing research. Instructor Melanie Gibbons Hallman, DNP, CRNP, CEN, FNPBC, ACNP-BC, FAEN has been named a Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Nursing. She was instrumental in the development of the School’s graduate Emergency Nurse Practitioner Subspecialty Courses and currently serves as Subspecialty Course Coordinator.

Karen Heaton

Melanie Gibbons Hallman

TWO FACULTY RECOGNIZED AS

outstanding nurse educators Assistant Professor Candace Knight, PhD, RN, has received the Alabama League for Nursing Excellence in Teaching Award and Assistant Dean for Graduate Clinical Programs and Associate Professor Ashley Hodges, PhD, CRNP, WHNP-BC, has received the group’s Lamplighter Award. Knight was recognized for her leadership in education, specifically for creating a multidisciplinary obstetric simulation that provided her students a real-life scenario caring for a family that has experienced an intrauterine fetal demise. Hodges was honored for her steadfast, innovative leadership of the School’s graduate education programs.

Dr. Ashley Hodges (L) and Dr. Candace Knight (R) FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

academics but it is a good one, and we are experiencing a seamless transition,” McMullan said. “One of the things that really propelled us to establish the BSN to DNP Pathway was our Nurse Anesthesia Specialty Track,” said Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN. “We needed to be sure our Nurse Anesthesia pathway, the state’s only publicly funded program of its kind, could be accredited in the future, and to do that we had to establish the BSN to DNP Pathway. What Dr. McMullan and her team have done to propel our Nurse Anesthesia DNP Pathway forward in such a short time period is commendable.”

Blazing the Trail Nurse Anesthesia leading the BSN to DNP transition, achieving exceptional pass rates

he School’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Anesthesia Pathway continues to be a leader, first as the impetus for establishing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to DNP degree program in the School, and continuing with its impressive first-time board pass rate.

WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY DR. SUSAN MCMULLAN

Associate Professor and Nurse Anesthesia Pathway Coordinator Susan McMullan, PhD, CRNA, said the transition to the BSN to DNP is going well for the Nurse Anesthesia Pathway. The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthetists (COA) approved the School’s application for recognition of its BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia Pathway in November 2016.

McMullan and Assistant Professor Todd Hicks, DNP, MNA, CRNA, developed the new curriculum for the BSN to DNP Nurse Anesthesia Pathway. The first cohort began May 8. “It’s always a challenge starting a new curriculum,

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

The School’s Nurse Anesthesia graduates also are seeing great success in national certification scores. The first-time pass rate among those students taking the National Board of Certification & Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) exam is 93 percent, well above the national average of 84.5 percent. The overall pass rate for the 2016 graduating class is 100 percent; the employment rate within three months of graduation for the class is 100 percent as well. McMullan, who joined the faculty in early 2015, and her nurse anesthesia colleagues in the School, including Hicks, Assistant Professor Bryan Wilbanks, DNP, CRNA, and Instructor Kaitlen Woodfin, MSN, CRNA, took a multi-pronged approach to improving certification test scores. They worked to enhance the rigor of the existing curriculum and instituted a novel board review course for seniors. McMullan is quite pleased with the results. “It is very impressive how hard the students worked to achieve those scores,” McMullan said. “We provided the opportunities for learning, and they are the ones who did the work. I am very proud of them.” Exciting things are happening within the Nurse Anesthesia Pathway and more are to come, McMullan said. “We have been working hard to provide highquality professionals locally and globally to improve patient care and accessibility to nurse anesthesia services, and will continue to do so,” she said. “Things are really sailing along smoothly for us, and we believe there will be even more opportunities for success ahead.”

PHEUD “An d

VERSION OF TV GAME SHOW HELPS PSYCH MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER STUDENTS LEARN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY CONTENT

the sur vey says

s a way to improve students’ knowledge of psychopharmacology, faculty in the School’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Specialty Track have freshened their onsite intensive review sessions using a gameshow format to not only provide an innovative way to review content but also as a way to simultaneously evaluate the students’ understanding of psychopharmacology.

“Pharmily Pheud” developed by Instructor Simone Durand, MSN, MS, CRNP, LPT, PMHNP-BC—who also is moderator— teams four students in the question-andanswer game based on the long-running TV game show “Family Feud.” “Typically, a review session consists of a lecturer revisiting information that was presented previously,” Durand said. “Students passively receive a fresh version of older material, but the faculty are not able to gauge whether or not the content has been digested. ‘Pharmily Pheud’ allows us to gain insight into what the students really know while still providing a valuable review of information to the whole class.” Contestants for each team face off over a bell that serves as a buzzer and answer survey questions like, “We surveyed 100 psychiatric nurse practitioners and asked them how neurotransmitters function...”

... ” WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

among others. The student who buzzes in first and answers correctly earns the right for their team to pass or play and supply the top five answers to another survey question while other students in the “audience,” listen and learn as well. The competition is spirited. A student from each team is named “Most Outstanding Performer.” “I really enjoyed it,” said student Jaenelle Grace, BSN, RNBC, who played during the Spring 2017 intensive. “I think it is a creative concept, and when I found out we were going to be playing, I was excited because I watched that show at home. “I was nervous at first because you have to get up in front of the class to play, but after a while I felt confident, and I found out I knew a lot more than I thought I did. “I also realized that ‘thinking fast’ about pharmacological actions and side effects mimics real-word clinical situations with patients.” Each member of the PMHNP faculty contributed questions for the game, and reviewed them as a group to ensure critical content areas were covered.

“Feedback from the students indicates the activity helps them identify areas for further study,” Durand said. “The students in the cohort that participated in Spring 2017 are quickly approaching graduation, so their focus is shifting towards studying for the certification exam. Our ultimate goal is to prepare students to practice safely, make appropriate clinical decisions, and to pass their boards on their first attempt. “We found this activity allowed us to meet those objectives. We will improve on the concept before the next onsite intensive, perhaps with proper buzzers and theme music, and try to make it the most beneficial learning experience it can be for our students.” FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

academics

Honors students team to improve

DEMENTIA CARE

or undergraduate honors students Cecily Buchanan, Melanie Edwards, Karissa Krause and Hannah McClellan, the opportunity to learn as members of a team with world-renowned aging expert and Professor Rita Jablonski, PhD, CRNP, ANP-BC, FGSA, FAAN, has been career changing. As honors nursing students, the four were selected to mentor with Jablonski for their honors project.

WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

"[Undergraduates]

can see a cross section of Alzheimer’s research literally from bench to bedside, and that is rare.” -Dr. Rita Jablonski

“She has planted a seed,” said Krause, a senior from Calera, Alabama. “I’ve always thought I wanted to work in cardiac intensive care and then go into nurse anesthesia. But watching her in the clinic has inspired me to think about changing my whole specialty track, getting my PhD and conducting research in the areas of dementia and cognition.” The four students joined Jablonski as she presented “Dementia Boot Camp: Getting to the Heart of the Behaviors” in conjunction with the Alabama Coalition for Cultural Change. The event drew caregivers and administrators, directors of nursing and other team members from nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Dementia Boot Camp was a good practical lesson for the students. “She speaks to people, she doesn’t talk at them,” said McClellan, a senior from Libertyville, Illinois. “She puts things in a simplistic way and puts some humor in there which keeps people alert and focused. To get to see firsthand what a researcher and a teacher does has influenced my curiosity. I think it is a great motivator for my future career aspirations.”

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

It is these opportunities in the Nursing Honors Program that sets the UAB School of Nursing apart and makes her glad she chose to come here, Edwards said. In addition to participating in Dementia Boot Camp, the students have also shadowed other world-class researchers and been exposed to research projects, unique experiences that might not have been available had they gone elsewhere. “The UAB School of Nursing does a great job of looking at the various aspects of patient care and giving us such a well-rounded education,” said Edwards, a senior from Argo, Alabama. “They include us in so many different parts of the process. I really appreciate the knowledge base the UAB School of Nursing has already given me.” Jablonski is proud that the students feel she and the School are giving them the most realistic experiences possible to prepare them for their nursing careers. “I believe that what we offer our undergraduates and the access they have to senior researchers is unique,” Jablonski said. “They didn’t just get that at the Dementia Boot Camp, either. I have them follow me and my team in all different venues so they can see a cross section of Alzheimer’s research, literally from bench to bedside, and that is rare.” It is the kind of background and training the students believe they will need if they are to help calm the growing issue of dementia. “Dementia is such a common disease and people don’t really talk about it. There is a real gap in education, especially for caregivers,” said Buchanan, a senior from Guntersville, Alabama. “Dr. Jablonski really explains this condition so we can understand, relate to and understand our patients. “The Honors Nursing Program offers experiences that provide us with future career options and teaches us how to be the best nurses we can be.”

academics

WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

t first glance, there was nothing unusual about the young woman who responded to the shout of a greeting.

Her clothes were neat. Her hair was well groomed. Her smile was beautiful. She looked like an upwardly mobile business professional headed home from the office or out for a night on the town. In reality, she had just emerged from a sky-blue pup tent pitched beneath an overpass on the city’s north side—a small, flimsy shelter that she called home. As she talked with her visitors, the young woman—one of approximately 1,200 homeless individuals who regularly live on Birmingham’s streets—served as a stark reminder of a societal problem that many see yet don’t truly realize its scope or effect. For students in the undergraduate Concepts of Community and Public Health Nursing class, that reality was driven home as they participated in the

Point in Time homeless community mini census. “If you would have seen this young woman on the street walking by in daylight, you would have never known she was homeless,” fourth-semester nursing student Dylan Yaeger said. “There was just no way you would have ever known how she lives. It would be like seeing me at school and never realizing I was homeless.” Point in Time is an annual canvas of metro Birmingham, partnering community volunteers with experienced street outreach workers to gather demographics, track trends, identify gaps in community services, and plan future work in the homeless community. The students who participate learn lessons about an underserved population that are hard to come by in a classroom

Assistant Professor Sallie Shipman, EdD, MSN, RN, CNL, said the course puts into practice the School’s mantra of “think globally, act locally,” and is opening the eyes and shaping the minds of her students.

“I cannot put into words the difference I have seen in my students since I was given the opportunity to teach in this course,” Shipman said. “The way the curriculum changes their perceptions, their ideas and, in many cases, their entire approach to the health care profession truly has to be seen to be believed.” “It is good for the students to see and grasp the stark realities of life on the streets first-hand,” said Melvin Harris, an employee of the Firehouse Shelter, a men’s homeless shelter in Birmingham. “You can tell someone what’s going on, but it’s a whole lot better when you can bring them out and let them see it for themselves,” Harris said. “The people the students met on the streets and under the bridges are the same ones that will come into the hospitals and clinics when they move onto their careers, and these students will understand them much better. My heart is filled with joy because I realize I am not out here by myself, and I’ve got some help on the way.”

FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

academics

Growing Alabama's Health Care Safety Net New two-year, $1.3 million HRSA grant preparing advanced practice nurses, providing behavioral health care and training WRITTEN BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

Assistant Dean for Graduate Clinical Programs and Associate Professor Ashley Hodges, PhD, CRNP, WHNP-BC, who serves as the ANEW Grant’s program director, is excited about the continued emphasis on increasing the number of nurse practitioners educated in rural and underserved settings, and increasing access to behavioral health care.

A “...we always welcome more rural students and more rural providers and clinics who want to partner with us to continue

making a difference in rural Alabama.” -Dr. Cynthia Selleck

new two-year, $1.3 million Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) grant from Health Resources and Services Administration is allowing the School to enhance and expand its commitment to increasing primary care for rural and medically underserved populations across Alabama by integrating behavioral health care training into three existing and two new academic practice partnerships. Building on a three-year, $1.9 million Advanced Nursing Education grant received in 2016 from HRSA, and leveraging financial support from The Daniel Foundation of Alabama for its successful Graduate Nursing Education Primary Care Scholars (GNEPCS) initiative, the School is expanding its clinical and educational partnerships with the Federally Qualified Health Centers Quality of Life Health Services Inc., Christ Health Center in Birmingham, and Aletheia House Inc., which operates the new Bessemer Neighborhood Health Center, and establishing new partnerships with Cahaba Medical Care and Capstone Rural Health Center. The goal is to educate the next generation of primary care nurse practitioners to be culturally competent providers prepared to deliver safety net health care. Over the two years of the new award, 57 family nurse practitioner students will receive the bulk of their clinical training at these partner sites.

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

“Behavioral health care services integrated in primary care for medically underserved populations is very important because, in many instances, patients and families are not receiving treatment for these issues,” Hodges said. “By strengthening our commitment to these populations and enhancing these academic practice partnerships, we continue to truly reflect the School’s mission to provide patient-centered health care to those in need locally and globally.” Preceptors at the ANEW Grant practice partnership sites will benefit from the grant—they will receive onsite training provided by the School’s faculty, monthly webinars focusing on integrating behavioral health services into primary care, and access to psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners to consult as needed. “This new funding builds on our Advanced Nursing Education grant and on our Primary Care Scholars initiative funded by The Daniel Foundation and leveraging those resources to prepare even more primary care nurse practitioners for rural and underserved areas.” Associate Dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships and Professor Cynthia Selleck, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN, said that through support from HRSA and organizations like The Daniel Foundation, the School is helping reduce health disparities in Alabama. “We are excited to see an increased number of nurse practitioner graduates in primary care who want to go back to serve in their hometowns and other rural communities,” Selleck said. “We also see increased interest from preceptors in rural areas and more clinics that want to help us create this sustainable pipeline of primary care providers. And we always welcome more rural students, providers and clinics who want to partner with us to continue making a difference in rural Alabama.”

academics

Leading Clinical Innovations WRITTEN BY KATHERINE STEPHEN // PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE WOOD AND FRANK COUCH

he UAB School of Nursing is playing a leading role in a new interprofessional partnership that brings together undergraduate students from across the university, graduate nursing students and clinicians to translate ideas into improved patient care and outcomes. UAB Solution Studios™, which started in Fall 2016, is designed to accelerate the translation of clinical innovation by training clinicians and STEM students —those studying science, technology, engineering and math—to collaborate and think creatively around solutions to clinical problems. The School’s other partners include the UAB Honors College Science and Technology Honors Program, UAB Medicine and UAB School of Engineering. Solution Studios™ is the brainchild of Assistant Professor Nancy Wingo, PhD, MA, UAB Hospital Nurse Manager Kristen Noles, RN, MSN, CNL, and School of Engineering Research Associate Professor Joel Berry, PhD. The idea is straightforward. Nurses and clinicians devote their lives to patient care. Sometimes they come across a clinical problem or device that could be improved. While nurses have little time to move a solution forward, their daily experience with patients makes them adept at identifying these opportunities for improving care at the bedside. That is where the teams of innovators from UAB’s Solution Studios™ come in. The clinician creates a PowerPoint or makes a video explaining the patient-centered problem. Then students log on to the

Solution Studios™ site and select a problem they would like to address.

UAB President Dr. Ray Watts

Currently there are two teams of students working with clinical partners and a local industrial design firm to address the identified patient-centered problems. One is working to create an improved mechanism for attaching wires to a patient. The second is working to improve ostomy bags —medical devices that give the body an avenue to expel waste when it is unable to do so on its own.

Tracie White

According to clinician partner and UAB School of Nursing Instructor Tracie White, MSN, CRNP, ACNP-BC, CNOR, CRNFA, whose faculty practice is in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, there are critical issues with the current standard of care when it comes to ostomy bags. “Many patients have a disease process that results in either a temporary or permanent ostomy,” White said. “These patients have already had a tough time, medically speaking, and now they have to live with a pretty unpleasant device attached to them.” White heard about the UAB Solution Studios™ concept, and raised ostomy bags as a potential idea for which innovation could play a big role in improving the quality of life for patients. Five Science and Technology Honors Program students have been working

with White—Brody DeSilva, Allaire Doussan, Ali El-Husari, Hira Munir and Paige Severino—and received UAB Presidential Innovation Summer Fellowships to continue the work they started earlier in the year. For teammates El-Husari and Severino, the ostomy bag issue was one they desired to tackle. “For me, when I learned about ostomy bags and the potential problems they present to patients, I knew it was something I wanted to help solve,” Severino said. “The bag may cause patients embarrassment, and I was drawn toward helping them. “It’s a great experience to get in an actual clinical setting as an undergraduate student,” Severino said. “I don’t know of any other university that gives its students such innovative opportunities so early on in their careers. UAB opens this innovation opportunity for us, and I couldn’t be more excited.” FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

BIO

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH

{ Jackie Moss } ”Through our efforts, our students will be in the forefront of using technology to develop partnerships with patients, families and other health care professionals.“ INTERVIEW BY JIMMY CREED // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

hospital—the IV pump, the patient monitors, the electronic health record—everything is connected wirelessly to an integrated system. We collect data regarding a patient’s labs, their vital signs and medications, and use this data to make clinical decisions. In the home, we do remote patient monitoring and perform virtual visits through telehealth. Nurses need to know how to manage these technologies to enhance care for their patients. For this reason, it is important to have someone who stays abreast of emerging technology to lead the design of curriculum and implement practice opportunities to take advantage of these technologies and innovations to impact patient care now and in the future.

and simulation in the School. I see my major responsibilities as supporting nursing education, research and practice by ensuring that we implement and use high-tech tools in the most innovative ways possible. Innovation also involves using existing things in new ways. Our students are already high-volume users of technology and our faculty must meet students where they are virtually. We must connect with them through technology and ensure that they are engaged and actively learning. To do this, we use high-fidelity manikins in clinical practice situations. We stream lab simulations to the classroom to enhance experiential learning. We provide educational content when and where students are ready to learn. It is my job to ensure that we do all this to the highest possible standards.

Q: What are your primary responsibilities as associate dean for technology and innovation?

Q: How will your work impact future generations of nurses?

A: I manage and drive educational technology, informatics

A: Through our efforts, our students will be in

Q: Why is it important for the UAB School of Nursing to have someone specifically focused on technology and innovation? A: Technology is part of everything we do as nurses. In a

Jacqueline Moss, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Dean for Technology and Innovation and Professor, UAB School of Nursing. Named Associate Dean in April 2017, Moss previously served as the School’s Assistant Dean for Clinical Simulation and Technology and Chair of the Department of Acute, Chronic and Continuing Care. She earned her PhD from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and her master’s and bachelor’s in nursing from Georgia State University in Atlanta. Her area of focus is nursing informatics, and she holds the position of senior scientist, UAB Informatics Institute.

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

academics the forefront of using technology to develop partnerships with patients, families and other health care professionals. They will also be prepared to lead the way in creating new uses for existing technologies that increase access to care and education. We will equip them to comfortably use the latest technologies in new and innovative ways to provide patient-centered care wherever the patient may be.

Q: What technological skills do you believe will be absolute musts for nursing graduates in five years? A: The ability to collect, organize and analyze data to track

patient responses and to use technology to connect and communicate with patients where they are located and with other health care professionals are absolute necessities. We must prepare our graduates to treat patients where they live and not just in the spaces of our hospitals and clinics. We must engage with patients where they are so that care becomes patientcentered physically as well as philosophically. We must use technology and innovation to help our patients build a culture of health and to track the impact we are having on their lives. And

it is imperative our students graduate with these skills now, not five years down the road.

Q: How will the UAB School of Nursing be positioned to meet the educational needs of those students? A: The expanded space in our new building will have leading-

edge nursing competency labs with audiovisual technology that will let us simulate traditional clinical experiences, telehealth, patient tracking and much more. There will be a simulated apartment to teach students how to care for patients in a home health setting. The technology in the building expansion will also let us bring experiential learning more easily to classrooms and stream educational offerings to distance students, to other schools of nursing and to nurses in rural hospitals and clinics to enhance their level of knowledge regarding safe and effective patient care. With our new facilities, we will be well positioned as an innovative leader in technological nursing education to continue building the future of nursing locally and globally.

BUILDING COMPETENCY LABS FROM SCRATCH To educate the nurse leaders of the future on the high-tech tools impacting health care, the UAB School of Nursing is incorporating state-of-the-art nursing competency and skills labs into its building expansion. Planning these areas, including numerous high-fidelity labs outfitted as inpatient, outpatient and home health settings, is a top priority for Moss in her new role as Associate Dean for Technology and Innovation. From deciding where electrical outlets are placed and what furniture is needed, to choosing the right manikins and finalizing plans for a groundbreaking automated video system, Moss has plenty to focus on as progress is made on the School’s $32 million, more than 72,000-squarefoot expansion. “In 2016, we had approximately 37,000 student visits to our simulation labs, as we continue to increase our

use of technology,” Moss said. “We have been very successful at raising the level of technological education for our students. To continue this success we must focus even more intently on our use of innovation and technology in educational practice.”

Moss and Director of Clinical Simulation and Assistant Professor Dr. Penni Watts consult with UAB Facilities Project Manager Lamar Zuiderhoek on plans for the new Nursing Competency Labs.

Moss is particularly excited about a system she believes is revolutionary called AVA (Automated Video Application), developed by the School’s Instructional Design and Support office. AVA allows a student to schedule practice lab time through an online Microsoft Outlook calendar, sign in on an iPad mounted on the wall inside the lab and record themselves in a simulated clinical practice situation. They can then email themselves a

link to the video to evaluate their performance. “It engages students in their own learning and promotes an early appreciation for reflective practice we hope they will take with them throughout their nursing careers,” Moss said. “I am pleased to have this opportunity to provide leadership and input at this critical time in the building of our future at the UAB School of Nursing.”

FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

Honoring

VISIONARY NURSING PIONEERS

Clifford, Kelley and Kinney Handlin laid incredible foundation, will be immortalized in building expansion WRITTEN BY JENNIFER LOLLAR

nsuring that the legacies of three esteemed UAB School of Nursing alumnae—Joyce Clifford, PhD, RN, FAAN, Jean Kelley, EdD, RN, FAAN, and Marguerite Kinney Handlin, DNSc, RN,—are preserved at their alma mater for generations to come, the School is creating living legacy walls to honor these UAB School of Nursing leaders who have made a lasting impact on its future, and the future of nursing. Clifford, Kelley and Kinney Handlin are each significant in their own way, with visionary efforts that continue today to influence the practice of professional nursing in Alabama, across the nation, and around the world. “These three legacy leaders have left an indelible imprint on our school, its faculty and many students—guiding the next generation of nursing faculty, scientists and executive leaders now and into the future,” said Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN. Dr. Clifford (MSN 1969), who passed away in 2011, is remembered internationally as the architect of nursing’s professional practice model, and devoted her entire life to the nursing profession as an exceptional mentor, and dedicated advocate for patient-centered nursing. Dr. Clifford served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. She opened and racially integrated the first coronary care unit in partnership with her medical colleagues at UAB, and later served as Senior Vice President and Nurse-in-Chief at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston for more than 25 years before establishing The Institute for Nursing Healthcare Leadership Inc., where she served as president and chief executive officer until her death. She was a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), a former president of the American Organization of Nurse Executives, and was a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association. Her awards and honors included Sigma Theta Tau’s Founder’s

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

Gifts that will change everything

Award for Promoting High Professional Standards, the Award of Honor from the American Hospital Association, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Organization of Nurse Executives, the Marguerite Rodgers Kinney Award for a Distinguished Career from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, a Living Legend Award from the AAN, and the Living Legend in Massachusetts Nursing Award. She was named a UAB School of Nursing Visionary Leader in 2010 and received the School’s inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award in 1989. “I view it as a gift that for almost 20 years I worked at Beth Israel under Joyce’s mentorship,” said Karen Meneses, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Dean for Research and Professor in the UAB School of Nursing. “She worked, lived, ate and slept the values of patient-centered nursing.” Dr. Kelley (BSN 1956) dedicated her entire academic career at the UAB School of Nursing to the growth and development of nurse leaders and is recognized as a pioneer of graduate nursing. The UAB School of Nursing was fortunate to count her as a faculty leader from 1959 until her appointment as Professor Emeritus in 1990. Her curricular innovations at the master’s and doctoral levels were remarkable, and her commitment to student mentorship is unsurpassable. Dr. Kelley helped found and establish the first doctoral nursing program at UAB and in the Southeast, one of only 12 nationwide at the time. She is an inductee of the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame, the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame, and a Fellow of the AAN. She was named a UAB School of Nursing Visionary Leader in 2010 and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1992. “Dr. Kelley’s tremendous leadership in so many advances in nursing education is her pioneering legacy,” said Phyllis Horns (PhD 1980), PhD, RN, FAAN, Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences at East Carolina University. “I’m so fortunate to have had the privilege of her mentorship, guidance and wisdom. Her influence has shaped my career in very positive and meaningful ways over the years, for which I’m truly indebted.” Dr. Kinney Handlin (BSN 1961, MSN 1967) is known as a transformational leader in cardiovascular nursing and was instrumental in showcasing better patient outcomes when nurses and physicians worked together as colleagues. Dr. Kinney Handlin is renowned for her exceptional role as an educator, clinician, scientist and mentor. Prior to her appointment by the UAB School of Nursing as Professor Emerita in 1997, she served as a faculty member in the School from 1973-1997, Coordinator for Cardiovascular Nursing, and later, as Associate Director for the UAB School of Nursing Center for Nursing Research (now the Office of Research and Scholarship). Dr. Kinney

“These three legacy leaders have left an indelible imprint on our school, its faculty and many students — guiding the next generation of nursing faculty, scientists and executive leaders now and into the future.” -Dean Doreen C. Harper

Handlin has served as president of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, and the organization has since established an award bearing her name. She has also been honored by the American Heart Association as one of four Pillars in the Field of Cardiovascular Nursing and was inducted as a Fellow of the AAN. She also has been named to the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame. Dr. Kinney Handlin was named a UAB School of Nursing Visionary Leader in 2010 and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000. “Margie Kinney has been a friend, valued colleague and mentor to not only me for 40 years, but virtually everyone in our cohort [MSN, CV, 1976], ” said Joanne M. Disch, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor ad Honorem, University of Minnesota School of Nursing. “She has a unique style of influence that combines Southern graciousness, shrewd insight, tenacity, humor and wisdom.” Three distinct named spaces are planned throughout the transformative building expansion, scheduled to be complete in Fall 2018, to honor these incredible women for the influence they have had on the nursing education and career of so many professional nurses throughout the world. The School currently is working to raise a total of $150,000 for these legacy walls. There are several recognized levels of giving available. Donors giving at least $1,000 will have the option to be listed on the legacy wall of their choosing.

For more information on how to donate in honor of one, two, or all of these pioneers, contact Emily Craig, UAB School of Nursing Director of Alumni Relations, 205-975-9419 or ecraig1@uab.edu.

FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

Gifts

that will change everything

Service

GIVING BACK THROUGH

Leveraging exceptional experience with its NAC, School launching ambassador program

In 2015, UAB School of Nursing Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN,

FAAN, established a National Advisory Council — a group

of thought leaders, most alumni of the School or UAB, who have a record of transforming health care and outcomes within their own education research and practice areas. The National Advisory Council serves in an advisory role to Dean Harper, charged with examining and facilitating innovative and practical strategies with the goal of promoting the UAB School of Nursing as the premier educational institution that prepares students at all levels.

WRITTEN BY JENNIFER LOLLAR // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

he members are: Velinda J. Block, DNP, RN, NEA-BC – 2010 DNP graduate of the UAB School of Nursing, Chief Nursing Executive for TriStar Health/HCA TriStar Division in Nashville, Tennessee; Joanne M. Disch, PhD, RN, FAAN—a 1976 MSN graduate, professor ad honorem at University of Minnesota School of Nursing; Nancy Dunlap, MD, Professor Emerita of Medicine and Scholar, Lister Hill Center for Health Policy at UAB; Delois S. Guy, DSN — a 1980 DSN graduate, Professor Emerita of Nursing at UAB who was the first AfricanAmerican faculty member in the School of Nursing in 1969; Madeline G. Harris, MSN, RN, a 1975 BSN and 1990 MSN graduate, Director of the Women’s Breast Health Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham;

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Larry G. Hornsby, BSN, CRNA, a 1981 BSN and 1985 BS graduate, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Diversified Professionals Inc.; Martha G. Lavender, PhD, RN, FAAN, a 1984 MSN and 1988 PhD graduate, President of Gadsden State Community College; Sue Ellen Lucas, MSN, a 1979 MSN graduate, chair of the School’s Board of Visitors from 2009 to 2013, and the fourth nurse to work in the pioneering medical genetics program launched in Alabama at UAB in the late 1970s headed by Wayne Finley, MD, PhD, and Sara Finley, MD; Terri L. Poe, DNP, RN, NE-BC, a 1986 BSN and 2013 DNP graduate, Chief Nursing Officer, UAB Hospital; Cynthia S. Selleck, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN, a 1987 PhD graduate, Professor and Associate Dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships, in the School; Cathy R. Ward, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, a 1977 BSN graduate, former Director of Nursing for the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California and Assistant Clinical Professor in the UCLA School of Nursing; and Connie H. Yarbro, MS, RN, FAAN, honorary alumna, Editor, Seminars in Oncology Nursing. “This distinguished group helps our School keep our fingers on the pulse of the nursing profession nationally, across academia, practice and the community,” Harper said. “Each brings diverse, unique insight that illuminates and clarifies future trends to sustain the educational excellence and leadership momentum of the School through identifying the challenges facing nursing education and formulating strategic solutions that translate the School’s missions into innovative programs.”

The group has proved so successful, they are now working with Harper, and the School’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations, to identify fellow alumni to be inaugural members of the School’s Ambassadors Program, which is designed to promote the UAB School of Nursing nationally and internationally as the premier educational institution preparing students at all levels to practice in the most complex health care environments. “It’s especially important for us as alumni and nursing professionals to give back to our School with our time, talents and treasures,” said Lavender. “Our School continues to be a driving force in nursing education, patient care and translational science throughout Alabama, and across the globe. As graduates, it is our responsibility to stay connected with our School, and each other, so that we can remain at the forefront of lifelong learning. There are more than 16,000 UAB SON alumni - located in every state in our country and in 13 countries around the world. Think of the collective impact we could make if every one of us made an annual gift or participated in a class gift to the building. UAB SON Ambassadors are serving their fellow graduates by helping to build and maintain meaningful relationships between our accomplished alumni and our impressive School.” Ambassadors will serve as local representatives for the School in their respective geographical areas, hosting or co-hosting gatherings for alumni and friends, encouraging other alumni to attend alumni events and other School events, and organizing class giving to the School’s current $32 million, more than 72,000-square-foot building expansion. “Nurses are essential to the delivery of primary care and to filling gaps in the health care system,” said Dunlap. “To address the growing health care demands of the 21st Century, we must prepare more highly educated nurses. It is essential, then, that the UAB SON expand its building to accommodate the number of

students needed to produce the faculty and practitioners that our state and country need. Johnny ( Johns, Executive Chairman of Protective Life Corp.) and I are proud to support the new building expansion by making a gift in honor of Dean Harper and the many unsung nursing heroes that have been associated with this wonderful school.” “I couldn’t be more excited to officially launch the Ambassadors Program,” said Harper. “This program establishes a formal role and recognition for a group of

dedicated alumni who have already been helping us connect with other graduates, raise money for special projects, and engage in strategic partnerships. We are grateful for their support and look forward to growing the program, and its impact.” For anyone interested in becoming an ambassador for the School, contact Emily Craig, Director of Alumni Relations, 205-975-9419 or ecraig1@uab.edu.

Velinda J. Block, DNP, RN, NEA-BC

Joanne M. Disch, PhD, RN, FAAN

Nancy Dunlap, MD

Delois S. Guy, DSN

Madeline G. Harris, MSN, RN

Larry G. Hornsby, BSN, CRNA

Martha G. Lavender, PhD, RN, FAAN

Sue Ellen Lucas, MSN

Terri L. Poe, DNP, RN, NE-BC

Cynthia S. Selleck, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN

Cathy R. Ward, PhD, RN, NEA-BC

Connie H. Yarbro, MS, RN, FAAN

FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

Gifts

that will change everything

Madeline Harris is a two-time graduate of the School and a member of its National Advisory Council

INVESTING IN WRITTEN BY LAURA LESLEY // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

“My family and I are honored to have played a small part of a beautiful building transformation that will move

nursing forward...” -Madeline Harris

Family

or Madeline Harris, MSN, RN, OCN, investing in the UAB School of Nursing Building Fund was all about family—her own, and her School of Nursing family. “I come from a family of medical professionals,” she said. Harris’s mother, daughter, sister-in-law and daughter-in-law are nurses, and her niece and nephew are UAB School of Health Professions graduates. “For us, it was a no brainer.” Harris, an oncology nurse and two-time graduate of the UAB School of Nursing, together with her family, made a generous gift to name the dean’s suite reception area in the School’s building expansion. The light-filled area will be named The Callans’ Legacy Luke 14:11 Suite in honor of Harris' parents and family. As Director of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham’s Women’s Breast Health Fund, Harris has collaborated on breast cancer research and survivorship initiatives with the UAB School of Nursing for years. She also is an inaugural member of the School’s National Advisory Council. “The UAB School of Nursing is a huge part of my life,” she said. “I’ve grown up—and grown old—with the professors who were there with me during my time as a student. They’re fabulous. They

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

nurtured me and brought me to where I am today,” she said. “We were a family, and I still feel that today when working with students or being involved with programs in the School.” Harris cherishes many fond memories of her time as an undergraduate and graduate student in the School, and she is eager to see the building transformation process completed. “A building is just bricks and mortar if there’s not commitment and passion inside of it,” she said. “For me, I look at the building transformation and feel like we’re simply getting a new home—because the same great people and programs are still there and moving forward. “My family and I are honored to have played a small part of a beautiful building transformation that will move nursing forward, so that when I need a very good nurse I’ll know who I want at my bedside.” Harris earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 1975 and her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in 1990. Her daughter, Kristen Noles, earned her MSN from the UAB School of Nursing in 2011 and is currently a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student and an adjunct faculty member in the School.

ALUMNI ESTABLISH INAUGURAL

Nurse Anesthesia Scholarship Thirty-nine years ago, Larry Hornsby and Carol Cochran met on campus at UAB. In 1982 they married as UAB School of Nursing graduates. WRITTEN BY LAURA LESLEY // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

“

give a tremendous amount of credit to the UAB School of Nursing— without my education, I would not have entered the greatest profession there ever was. But most importantly, I would not have met my beautiful wife,” Larry Hornsby (BSN 1981, BS 1985) said. While Larry attended UAB’s nurse anesthesia program, Carol (BSN 1981) worked as a registered nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at UAB Hospital. “Those times were hard. We know the struggles nurse anesthesia students go through, since they cannot work due to the rigors of the program,” Carol said. “We wanted to do something to help.” The couple established the Larry G. and Carol C. Hornsby Family Endowed Scholarship in Nurse Anesthesia—the first scholarship in the UAB School of Nursing designated solely for nurse anesthesia students. “Being a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) has afforded me an incredible career and unbelievable opportunities. Now, I want to pay it forward by investing in the next generation of nurse anesthetists and giving back to the School that prepared me,” Larry said. After founding the first CRNA-owned anesthesia management company in Alabama, Hornsby grew his business to eventually become one of the largest in the nation, and he is the only CRNA

“Our family’s ties to the UAB School of Nursing are strong.

Establishing this scholarship made a lot of sense for us.” -Carol C. Hornsby

The UAB School of Nursing brought Larry and Carol Hornsby together and they are now giving back to help nurse anesthesia students.

from Alabama to ever serve as president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. In 2013, he received the organization’s highest honor, the Agatha Hodgins Award for Outstanding Accomplishment.

“Our family’s ties to the School are strong,” Carol said. “Establishing this scholarship made a lot of sense for us. We hope other UAB School of Nursing families like us will come forward to support the future of nursing, too.”

“My service to the nurse anesthesia profession has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life—next to raising our children,” Larry Hornsby said. The couple’s son, Drew Hornsby, is now a CRNA and a UAB School of Nursing graduate. Their daughter, Laura Hornsby Lesley, is a UAB College of Arts & Sciences graduate who currently works for the UAB School of Nursing.

Carol serves on the board for the Nursing Chapter of the UAB National Alumni Society and Larry serves as an inaugural member of the School’s National Advisory Council. He was named as one of 60 Visionary Leaders of the School in 2010 and in 2016, he received the School’s Distinguished Alumni Award. FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

alumni

NURSING IS A

FAMILY AFFAIR Legacy of leadership in nursing transcends generations

Hodges currently is Assistant Dean for Graduate Clinical Programs in the School, overseeing both the MSN and DNP programs, which account for more than 1,500 of the School’s more than 2,000 students.

Dr. Ashley Hodges with son Colton Segars and daughter Amanda Segars.

But to Amanda Segars, BSN, RN, Hodges’ daughter, “superhero” is a more fitting title.

Segars, a 2016 BSN graduate of the School, currently works in the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit at UAB Hospital.

“My mom really is my superhero,” she said. “She always supported my journey to become a nurse, and continuously encourages me to create my own career path.”

WRITTEN BY LAURA LESLEY // PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK COUCH

enetics determine a person’s eye color, height and blood type. At the UAB School of Nursing, it seems that a passion for nursing may also be hereditary.

“The School has a rich legacy of preparing innovative leaders to transform health, and when this legacy can be traced among families through generations of our graduates, it is truly special,” said Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN.

“This year, our alumni base grew to more than 16,000,” said Emily Craig, MPA, Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund. “Of those graduates, there are several instances of what we call ‘alumni legacies’ among our faculty.”

Associate Professor Ashley Hodges, PhD, CRNP, WHNP-BC, a 1997 MSN and 2008 PhD graduate, has served in many leadership roles over the course of her 27-year nursing career. Her titles have ranged from staff nurse to charge nurse, instructor to associate professor, and committee member to board chair—to name a few. 42

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

Hodges’ son, Colton Segars, is also pursuing a nursing career. He is a pre-nursing student at UAB and aspires to start nursing school in the fall of 2018.

“I’ve wanted to go into health care since I was a kid,” he said. “As I’ve grown older, I’ve seen the passion my mother and sister have for nursing. When I came to college, I decided to keep the family tradition going.” For Assistant Professor and Director of Community Engagement Joy P. Deupree, PhD, MSN, RN, WHNP-BC, who earned her BSN in 1994 and MSN in 1997 from the School, it was an unforgettable moment when her daughter, Jenna Deupree Anderson, decided to attend the UAB School of Nursing. She earned her BSN in 2011. “I always knew Jenna had the qualities of a great nurse—even as a child, she was always compassionate and tenacious,” she said.

“Being able to pass down my nursing insights and tips to my daughter has been a highlight of my career,” Deupree added. “While nursing science and technology have evolved over the years, nursing’s essence is evergreen. You care for others at the highest

alumni D'Ann Somerall with son Adam Wilson.

“Shock was my first feeling when Adam told me he was considering nursing school; pride

was

the second feeling.” -Dr. D'Ann Somerall

level and you work to improve outcomes for your patients and their families.”

Nursing tradition also is found in the family of D’Ann Somerall, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC, a BSN (1995), MSN (1999) and DNP (2011) graduate, and recently retired Assistant Professor and Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track Coordinator. Her son Adam Wilson is currently enrolled in the BSN program.

“Shock was my first feeling when Adam told me he was considering nursing school; pride was the second feeling,” Somerall said. “None of my other kids have ever shown an interest in health care—they hated the stories I told at the dinner table.” She credits his interest in nursing to his tenure as a U.S. Marine. “He thoroughly enjoyed the medic training and taking care of fellow Marines while in the field.” Wilson said he also is inspired by his mother.

“Every day that I walk the halls of the UAB School of Nursing, I see my mom’s graduating class photo and it pushes me to achieve what she has done,” he said. “I am honored to attend the same school where it all started for my mom, and I hope that when I graduate I am able to care for my patients like my mom has for hers.” During the Lamp of Learning Ceremony, Somerall had the pleasure of pinning Wilson. “My heart was filled with pride and joy,” she said. Alumni legacies are not just found in parent-child relationships. Karmie Johnson, DNP, CRNP, PMHNP-BC, a

2011 MSN and 2016 DNP graduate, is an instructor in mental health nursing. Her sister, Karla Johnson Thomas, BSN, RN, is a 2004 BSN graduate and works at UAB Hospital. “Our mother earned her BSN from the University of the Philippines in Manila,” Johnson said. “She encouraged Karla and her twin, Kim, to pursue nursing, but thought my personality was better suited for medicine. In hindsight, I see that from her perspective of nursing, she was right about me— she just didn’t realize how much the profession of nursing had changed.

Candace Knight with mother Pamela Ritchey.

graduate, teaches obstetric nursing to undergraduate and accelerated master’s students in the School. Her mother, Pamela Ritchey, MSN, ACNP-BC, is a 2003 MSN graduate.

“We seemed to take turns in nursing school at UAB,” Knight said. “When I exited the master’s program because Dr. Karmie Johnson with sister I had my first child, my “My personality is wholly Karla Johnson Thomas. mother decided to return to suited for advanced school.” Ritchey completed her master’s practice nursing, especially nursing degree, and soon thereafter, Knight returned education,” Johnson said. once more to enter the BSN to PhD When Johnson is together with her program, which she completed in 2013. mother and sister, their conversations usually lead to nursing. “When we talk about health care, we understand the opportunities and frustrations of being a nurse,” she said. “Our dinner table talk is not for the faint of heart—we have no problem describing in rich detail any number of medical conditions or injuries.

“But the truth is, working in the emergency department and mental health, I have the best stories, hands-down. Karla works in the operating room, so her patients are all asleep!” Assistant Professor Candace Knight, PhD, RN, a 1997 BSN and 2013 PhD

“When I was a child, I remember visiting my mother at work in a medical intensive care unit and thinking, ‘I will never be a nurse—this is gross!’” Knight said. “But during college at Baylor University as a business major, I took a job as a patient care assistant because the hours worked with my class schedule. I soon understood why my mother loved nursing. Caring for patients so that they can live their lives to the fullest is a deeply rewarding career.”

To see more “Alumni Legacies” or to submit your alumni legacy, go to uab.edu/nursing/home/alumni-legacies FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

alumni

ALUMNI making a

DIFFERENCE Deborah Grimes, BSN 1986 As the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System, Deborah Grimes, RN, JD, CHC, CPHQ, uses her nursing degree every day. “As CDO, I am focused on enhancing our diversity efforts while creating equity and inclusion within the health system,” she said. “You can’t have equity and inclusion without a strategy, so this role was developed so that we could enhance our diversity efforts and create equity and inclusion within the health system. “Of course my work will be focused on our employee base, but more importantly, it will also focus on our patient base. The reason for this is clear— there are disparities in health care, and if you are committed to excellent clinical outcomes you have to be committed to doing the work of diversity.” In addition to her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), earned from the UAB School of Nursing in 1986, Grimes holds a Juris Doctorate and a Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety.

“There's more credibility when you're working in health care administration and you've actually

been a caregiver.” -Deborah Grimes

“I use my nursing degree more than any degree I have,” said Grimes. “Even in law school, so much of preparing a case is using nursing practice—you have to plan, implement, and re-evaluate. No matter what role I’ve been in, I always go back to that blueprint for how I run any business operation I am managing.” After working for 10 years in Women’s Services at UAB as a staff nurse, charge nurse, interim manager, and even one of the first OBGYN research nurses, Grimes enrolled in law school. “All I knew was that I wanted to combine nursing with law somehow—I had no idea that health care would become the regulated industry it is today,” she said. “It happened to be the perfect combination of degrees at the perfect time and opened the doors for a diverse career.” Grimes believes her nursing experience has contributed significantly to her successes in health care compliance and risk management. “There’s more credibility when you’re working in health care administration and you’ve actually been a caregiver,” she said. “Nursing can take many forms—such as being a nurse practitioner or a nurse anesthetist—but a four-year nursing degree can open even more doors.” Prior to being named Chief Diversity Officer for UAB Health System in April 2017, Grimes held positions at UAB Hospital as Director of Joint Commission/Quality Resources, AVP of Quality/Regulatory Affairs, and Chief Compliance Officer/AVP.

UAB NURSING / FALL 2017

DR. SUSAN GE

INNOVATIVE ALUMNI LEADING NATIONALLY

NN AR O

Susan Gennaro, PhD, RN, FAAN Susan Gennaro, PhD, RN, FAAN, is dean and professor at the William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College. An internationally known perinatal nurse researcher, her work on the antecedents and consequences of stress in families with preterm infants has made major impacts on perinatal nursing practice. “Every baby and every mother—everywhere in the world— deserves the very best support and care,” Gennaro said. “My passion is not only being the best nurse I can be, but also helping to build excellence through teaching and research.” Her work, funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research, the Office of Women’s Health Research and Sigma Theta Tau International, has been conducted in Malawi, Uganda and the United States. Focusing on increasing the number of nurse scientists from minority backgrounds who are trained to work with vulnerable populations, Gennaro has successfully created innovative programs to accomplish this. “The best advice I can give to young nurses is to give your all. We are called to use the skills and talent we are blessed with for others,” Gennaro said. “In the beginning, it’s hard

to understand how volunteering for a committee or agreeing to do something extra is going to make a difference—but there is not one ‘yes’ I regret in my life. I have enjoyed so many opportunities because of my willingness to get out of my comfort zone. “Being a nurse leader takes perseverance, caring and curiosity. Constantly scanning the horizon to see where our profession is heading and how to best ensure excellent care for patients is an honor.” Gennaro earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) from the UAB School of Nursing in 1983. She received the School’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2002 and was named one of its 60 Visionary Leaders in 2010.

Gregory S. Eagerton, DNP, RN, NEA-BC

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Gregory S. Eagerton, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, is chief nursing officer at the Durham VA Health Care System, a role he has held since 2013. He also is an adjunct faculty at Duke University School of Nursing. Prior to this, he was chief nursing officer at the Birmingham VA Medical Center from 2001 to 2013, and during this time he played an important role in the development of an innovative program to support nursing students, faculty and Veterans’ health care.

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“I worked collaboratively with Dean Harper to establish a VA Nursing Academy for undergraduate nursing education—a VA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) funded program that provided support for additional BSN students, school faculty and VA-based faculty to enhance nursing students’ knowledge of the unique health care needs of Veterans,” Eagerton said. “Additionally, nurse recruitment and retention was a major goal of this program.”

As part of the program, new didactic and clinical coursework was developed that focused on the special health care needs of veterans and their families. “Faculty development was a priority for the program, too,” Eagerton said. “VA nurses were hired as VA-based faculty and special emphasis was placed on their training as future faculty.” This program was the first of future OAA-funded training programs—specifically, the Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency Program and the VA Nursing Academic Partnership for Graduate Education, which Eagerton was instrumental in implementing at Duke University to establish a strong academic practice partnership with the Durham VA Health Care System. “These partnerships between VAs and our academic partners have been valuable in enhancing knowledge about the unique health care needs of Veterans. These programs have increased the overall number of undergraduate and graduate nursing students, trained new faculty and enhanced the recruitment and retention of highly skilled nurses,” said Eagerton. Eagerton earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the UAB School of Nursing in 1985 and 1991, respectively.

FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

INNOVATIVE HEALTH CARE LEADERS + 70 JOINING

2017

FACULTY & ALUMNI FAANs

FAAN INDUCTEES

(Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing)

Associate Professor Comfort Enah, PhD, RN

13 2018

Among the top 5 percent of nursing schools, 13th nationally, Nursing Administration ranked 6th, according to U.S. News & World Report 2018 Best Graduate Schools

2017 FAANP INDUCTEES

Elizabeth A. Downes, DNP, MPH, MSN, RN, CNE, FAANP, ANEF

(Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners)

(DNP 2013)

Sheila D. Melander, PhD, APRN, ACNP-BC, FCCM, FAANP (PhD 1990)

Natalie Baker, DNP, CRNP, GNP-BC, ANP-BC

(BSN 1985, MSN 1990, DNP, 2010)

Aimee Holland, DNP, CRNP, WHNP-BC, FNRC (DNP 2012)

Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, FNP-C, ARNP, MSN (DNP 2011)

Brian Widmar, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, CCRN (BSN 2003, MSN 2005)

Louise Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Keefe, PhD, CRNP (PhD 2013)

2017

Living Legend (American Academy of Nursing)

Connie Yarbro, MS, RN, FAAN (Honoary Alumni)

2017

AAOHN Fellow Inductee

(American Association of Occupational Health Nurses)

2017 AEN Fellow Inductees

(Academy of Emergency Nursing)

Melanie Gibbons Hallman, DNP, CRNP, CEN, FNP-BC, ACNP-BC (BSN 1983, MSN 1990, MSN 1995, DNP 2012)

Alicia Roy Dean, MSN, APRN, RN, CNS Karen Heaton, PhD, CRNP, FNP-BC, FAAN, FAAOHN (BSN 1981)

(MSN 1991)

IN THEIR OWN WORDS AS TOLD BY KRISTEN NOLES, MSN, RN, CNL, NURSE MANAGER, UAB HOSPITAL, UAB SCHOOL OF NURSING ALUMNA, MSN 2011

I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer on my 35th birthday in 2011. I had multiple tumors, including one

on my chest wall my doctor had to shrink before doing my first surgery. I had six months of chemotherapy

before my surgery. I had 33 radiation treatments. I had a postoperative complication when an artery in my

chest ruptured while I was at my godchild’s birthday

party in Montgomery, and I was airlifted back to UAB Hospital where another surgery saved my life.

hrough it all, I received excellent care from my oncologist, surgeons and the hospital nursing staff which got me to where I am today – a sixyear survivor. But as I was fighting so hard to live another day and beat breast cancer, who was caring for the needs of my loved ones? Sadly, the answer was almost no one. When I was diagnosed, there wasn’t a community partnership or group to counsel or provide support to young women and their families rocked by this devastating diagnosis. There was very little help for my husband, three children, parents and friends as they dealt with the fears, anxieties and loss of control that comes when a loved one has cancer. Some kids play with their mother’s hair to go to sleep – my daughter did that while I was nursing her. Bedtime was her on my chest with her hands in my hair, and then all of a sudden I had none. What do you say to your children? I am a nurse and I work at UAB and I was faced with trying to figure it out on my own. There is not a playbook for surviving cancer. But today I’m happy to say there is now a structure for survivors and the outlook is much brighter. As a family we attend the Young Breast Cancer Survivors Network (YBCSN) Annual Workshop. It was started in 2012 by Dr. Karen Meneses and her team to improve the quality of life, support and networking for

young women with breast cancer in the Birmingham, Alabama area. They have created a critical infrastructure to address the survivorship needs of breast cancer patients and those around them impacted by the diagnosis. They are providing resources and information to patients and their families that was sorely lacking six years ago. They are helping them learn who to talk to and where to go for answers. They are reaching out to comfort and encourage everyone who needs it. For those of us who have lived through breast cancer, our focus is now as much on those around us who were touched by the disease as on the disease itself. To have people and organizations like Dr. Meneses and the YBCSN so intent on impacting breast cancer patients and their loved ones at such a low point in their lives is truly special and means the world to me and my family. I don’t want the memories of cancer to overshadow who I am and what I have to offer. We have work to do as young survivors, to make it known that it’s not just about the disease. It’s about everyone who is touched by the disease. We have to remember those who were with us in the fight have their own scars. As a nurse, I always want to be an innovative leader. As a breast cancer survivor, I believe those who helped build the YBCSN have certainly hit that mark.

FALL 2017 / UAB NURSING

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Tomorrow's nurse leaders are at UAB today. C

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