COLLEGE OF NURSING A N N U A L R E P O R T 2020
CONTENTS 2.
YEAR IN REVIEW
4. COVID-19 10. FACULTY 18. STUDENTS 22. ACADEMICS 23. SPECIAL PROJECTS 27. ALUMNI 28. MAKING A DIFFERENCE 30. 75TH ANNIVERSARY
WHO WE ARE Mission To prepare nurses to excel as outstanding and compassionate clinicians, scholars and leaders who will enhance the health and health care of individuals, families, communities and populations locally and globally.
Vision The University of Rhode Island College of Nursing is a dynamic catalyst for improving health and transforming health care through innovation and excellence in education, knowledge development, discovery and professional practice to meet the needs of a global society.
Values • Social justice, diversity, inclusivity and civic engagement • Respectful, ethical, humanistic and compassionate care • Intellectual curiosity, innovation and scholarly inquiry • Leadership, lifelong learning and excellence in practice
URI COLLEGE OF NURSING
DEAN’S MESSAGE This year, the health care community has faced perhaps its most monumental challenge in decades. Nurses, doctors, pharmacists and clinicians of all disciplines have come together for the battle of their careers. Individuals on the front line have persevered in attending to the human condition, and continue to fight on until the coronavirus pandemic is eradicated. That commitment extends to the College of Nursing, which has seen its faculty, staff and students jump into the fray. Faculty members have volunteered, including as contact tracers with the Department of Health. Staff and students collected critical supplies like N-95 masks. Several undergraduate students secured emergency CNA licenses to join the dozens of direct patient care nurses among the College’s faculty, students and alumni. Such efforts reinforce and remind us of the overwhelming strength of our community and the commitment to service of our profession. Our values are the pillars of our strength. Yes, they are posted on our website, but more importantly, our values as a college are lived, breathed and intricately woven into our daily work. They have served us well in the COVID crisis and will guide us as we work to address the social injustices that presently confront our nation. It is this commitment to upholding our values that has endured over the last seven decades and propelled us to a better future. This year, the College is celebrating its 75th anniversary — 75 years strong! Thousands of professional nurses have walked through the halls of URI. Alumni have made extraordinary and impactful differences in the lives of countless individuals, communities and populations. These efforts, along with those of the faculty, provide an inspiring legacy of the college. For opportunities to hear about these stories and the 75th celebratory events, please check out the website at uri.edu/nursing/75th. I hope you will join me in congratulating our students, faculty members, staff and alumni for their tremendous work not only in the face of COVID-19, but throughout the past 75 years. Continuing with the URI tradition, our community continues to cultivate nurses with impact, leaders in the health care world. It is inspiring to think about what’s to come from the College over the next 75 years. —Dean Barbara Wolfe
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YEAR IN REVIEW Masterful Master’s program The College of Nursing’s Master’s program has been ranked among the top 11 percent of Nursing colleges nationwide
_________________________________________________________________ Fellowships in AAN Rise Another College faculty member has earned a Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing. Ten College professors have now attained the honor, up from 2 five years ago.
_________________________________________________________________ Record Enrollment The College of Nursing has seen a record number of first-year student deposits.
_________________________________________________________________ 75 Years of Excellence The URI College of Nursing celebrates its 75th anniversary throughout the 2020-2021 academic year. Read on for more and visit uri.edu/nursing/75th to keep up to date on the goings-on.
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BY THE NUMBERS
1 304
7,102
Inaugural Sculco Scholar named
Number of CON alumni
66
44
85
MS Program national ranking for nursing programs by U.S. News & World Report
CON national ranking for NIH funding among nursing programs (2nd in New England) by Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research
DNP Program national ranking for nursing programs by U.S. News & World Report
Number of incoming undergraduate students for 2020
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uri.edu/nursing/75th ANNUAL REPORT 2020/ 3
COVID-19 College jumps into the fight
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College of Nursing Clinical Assistant Professor Wylie Dassie served on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis in New York City, caring for patients in the hot spot with his Army Reserves unit.
Professor Serves in Coronavirus Hot Zone URI College of Nursing Clinical Assistant Professor Wylie Dassie left the classroom for the hot zone this spring, traveling to New York City to serve on the front lines of the pandemic, caring for COVID-positive patients, and counseling soldiers and family members who lost loved ones to the virus. At the beginning of the outbreak in the spring, Major Wylie Dassie was deployed along with his Army Reserve unit out of Brockton, Mass., to New York City, where the worst of the outbreak was spreading. “Operation Gotham” saw him and his unit faced with a convention center full of sick patients and orders to nurse as many as possible back to health.
“When we arrived, there were about 550 patients there, and some were very sick,” Dassie said of the city’s Javitz Center, where the team worked 12-hour shifts with no days off. “They said we would be done as soon as the patient load dropped below 100. We were done in about six weeks.” The convention center was divided into pods of 20 patients, cared for by Dassie and his fellow nurses. Most of his patients were between 40 and 70 years old, and the seriousness of their symptoms varied wildly. “One of the first patients I had was a woman who was just slumped over on a stretcher and was just shaking like she was having a seizure,” Dassie said. “That’s what sticks in my head the hardest. She didn’t die, but I had another patient who was the opposite. Came in walking and talking fine, and died about two days later. It was just crazy.” As a member of a Combat Operational Stress Unit, Dassie had the additional duty of accompanying New York City police officers and medical
Wylie Dassie cared for patients with COVID-19 at the Javitz Center in. New York City during the height of the virus there.
workers to retrieve deceased patients who had died in their homes. He counseled family members in their homes, and fellow soldiers in the unit’s Behavioral Health Center.
“We helped the families and the soldiers dealing with death, talking to them about resources available and helping them get through it all,” Dassie said. “When you come off a 12-hour shift, you can talk to some people, destress, talk about some of your concerns, pick up some coffee. Just stuff that you wouldn’t think is a big deal, but it’s a huge deal.” Dassie also served as a public relations officer for Urban Augmentation Medical Taskforce 3 of the 804th Medical Brigade, granting interviews to media members and serving as a liaison between the Army and the press. His multifaceted experience gave him a unique perspective on the scope of the fight against COVID-19. ANNUAL REPORT 2020/ 5
“Nursing is a calling,” he said. “We all just jump in and do what needs to be done” — Wylie Dassie Soldiers from Major Wylie Dassie’s Army Reserve unit line up outside the Javitz Center in New York City, where they cared for patients with COVID-19 last a time when the city was the epicenter of the virus.
“This is a problem in America,” Dassie said of those who don’t take the pandemic seriously. “Some people take it as a joke or a political hoax. It’s not. If people followed the rules and did what they were supposed to, it wouldn’t be as bad as it is now. If more people were responsible, it would be a lot better.” After six weeks caring for hundreds of ill patients, Dassie spent two weeks in quarantined isolation before being allowed to travel back to Rhode Island. But his work may not yet be done. After a regularly scheduled two-week training drill in August, Dassie was anticipating a call back to New York in the fall. “The mission was an experiment to see how we would do it the next time,” Dassie said. “They
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said, ‘the mission was successful; you did the job. Be prepared to come back in September.’ That’s what we were told when we left. So I might be back.” While battling an unknown enemy like the coronavirus is “terrifying,” Dassie said he wouldn’t hesitate to serve, and neither would most health care professionals. “Nursing is a calling,” he said. “We all just jump in and do what needs to be done. We had people coming in from private practice and now all of a sudden they’re changing bedpans. It was a real change for a lot of the folks coming in because we needed bodies. It’s all for country.”
Student Collects Thousands of N-95 Masks for front-line healthcare workers
Faculty Member Helps Fill Key Role in COVID Fight
A URI nursing student has made an extraordinary effort to help during the COVID-19 crisis, collecting more than 5,000 medical grade masks from companies around Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and delivering them directly to front-line medical workers who need them most.
A URI Nursing professor helped fill a key role in the COVID-19 fight, working with the Rhode Island Department of Health to inform residents who have tested positive for the disease, advise them what to do next, and trace any and all contacts the patient has had with other people.
Meredith Arden, a student in the College’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program, recognized early on in the coronavirus outbreak that personal protective equipment could be in short supply for frontline medical workers like her and her fellow nurses at Eleanor Slater Hospital in Cranston. So when she saw an opportunity to help, she jumped at it. An anonymous donation of N-95 masks led to matching donations from multiple companies. Arden spent the next couple weeks driving around the two states, filling her car with more than 5,000 masks, which she donated directly to doctors and nurses at a time when PPE was hard to come by. “If you see a need and you can meet that need, that’s what humanity is all about,” Arden said. “If there’s a way we can help and be humans, we have to find it in ourselves to make the biggest impact we can. I was glad I was able to help. Everyone really stepped up. It instills hope that even in these tenuous times, there are a lot of really wonderful people out there.”
Clinical Assistant Professor Mary Cloud, who has a specialty in community health nursing, notified by phone patients who test positive, and discussed Professor Mary Cloud what they should do to keep themselves and family members safe. She reviewed the symptoms they were experiencing and their medical history, noting any chronic conditions that could worsen COVID-19. Cloud also collected demographic information and went through all of the patient’s close contacts. “It’s important to understand what symptoms the person is experiencing now,” Cloud said. Cloud also served as a counselor of sorts when speaking to people feeling isolated and emotional. Through these calls, she was able to reach out and tell people that they’re not alone. “This was someone from the Department of Health reaching out and saying ‘We care about you, and we want to help you,” she said. “And I think that’s a very powerful message to give to every patient that we contact.” Left, URI nurse practitioner student Meredith Arden collected thousands of N-95 masks for frontline health workers. ANNUAL REPORT 2020/ 7
COVID-beds, COVID-IV poles URI College of Nursing personnel pitched in to get beds and IV poles ready for hospitals around the state.
Education in the age of COVID-19 URI’s nursing students are successfully navigating the new “COVID normal.” “With the support from professors, clinical instructors, family, friends, and colleagues, the transition to online learning was very manageable,” said Carly McNulty ’21. “We went from in-person lectures, clinical rotations, and face-to-face meetings to online lectures, demonstration videos, modules, Webex meetings, and emailing teachers and classmates. “I completed different clinical modules for my psychiatric nursing clinical and family clinical rotations, as well as the courseCarly McNulty work. Although I wasn’t in person talking to patients and caring for them, I was still learning and progressing through the semester with ease.”
“My scholarship definitely helped with tuition and supplies and decreased my need for college loans.”
Having just completed her third year, McNulty has taken full advantage of the opportunities at URI. She works part time as a College of Nursing student assistant, is a Nursing Ambassador, a member of the Student Advisory Committee, a Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society member, and a URI 101 mentor. In addition, McNulty is a certified nursing assistant working on the front lines in an assisted living facility in her hometown. 8 / URI COLLEGE OF NURSING
Faculty Volunteer at Health Department Call Center A Rhode Island resident tested for coronavirus hadn’t yet received results, but felt she needed to go to work. Another spotted an operating dog groomer while taking a walk and wanted to know if they should be open. Still another was told to get tested but was scared by what a positive result could mean. “I think she just needed someone to talk to, to support her,” said Clinical Associate Professor Patricia Stout about the worried caller. “That can be sort of our role, as well — being a support person. Sometimes, people just need someone to engage with.” Stout is among a group of nursing faculty members from URI who volunteered with the RI Department of Health during the initial response to the coronavirus pandemic. Along with Professor Diane Martins and Assistant Professor Dahianna Lopez, Stout worked in the call center, fielding questions from concerned residents looking for critical information to help keep them safe during the pandemic. The volunteers answered the questions they could, referred callers to other resources they needed, or sometimes just lent an ear to residents worried about themselves and their families. “For most people, I hadn’t sensed panic. I sensed more that they just didn’t know where to go to get answers,” Stout said. “That’s what we were there for. We weren’t trying to engage in any kind of consultation or anything. We were there to field calls, answer questions and give people the resources they need.”
In the Fight: Students Jump In Several URI Nursing students have dedicated themselves to helping during the COVID-19 health crisis we are all facing. Here, two of them relay some of their experience, in their own words: Samantha Falkowski ‘21 My name is Samantha Falkowski and I am currently in my second to last semester at URI. I am working two frontline jobs, one as a patient care technician at South County Hospital in the Emergency Department, and the other as a customer service representative and cashier at Dave’s Marketplace in Coventry. I started working at South County Hospital a year ago, and it has been so crazy seeing all of the new safety protocols in place and adapting to these scary times, especially in a setting that is already always highstress to begin with. I am very proud as a nursing student to be able to assist nurses and health care providers in the ED to continue to provide the best care and support. I have worked for Dave’s Marketplace for almost 6 years, and it is shocking seeing all the new changes implemented to help the safety of the employees and customers. Dave’s has installed spit guards, added senior shopping hours and reduced store hours since the start of the pandemic. I am proud to serve the state of Rhode Island in two aspects of an essential employee, one in the medical field and the other as a grocery store employee.
Bridget Montle ‘20 My name is Bridget Montle and I graduated from URI in May. Throughout the school year, I worked as a patient care technician in the Emergency Department at South County Hospital and as an EMT at Charlestown Ambulance Rescue Service. Since the start of the pandemic, I have been picking up extra shifts to help out where I can on the front lines. Whether it is on the ambulance or in the ED, we are the first point of contact for many COVID-19 patients. This has definitely changed our day-to-day operations and how we go about patient care to ensure staff safety. On the ambulance, I’ve helped to make sure we have enough PPE in stock so that if we have a surge, we have enough to get us through. At the ED, I have been spending some time as a COVID-19 screener in triage, making sure patients who are symptomatic or at-risk flow through the ED properly. I wasn’t planning on having my senior year cut short by a pandemic. But I’ve never been so proud to be on the front lines, making a difference every day. I have the most amazing coworkers at both South County Hospital and Charlestown Ambulance Rescue Service. The teamwork and resiliency my coworkers show lets me know we’re going to come out stronger on the other end of this. Stay safe!
Despite an economic downturn, alumni and friends remained loyal to the College of Nursing Annual Fund, contributing resources to move courses on-line, providing emergency support for displaced students and underwriting essential PPE for nurses and other frontline responders. Per capita generosity from our community has never been higher.
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FACULTY Shaping the next leaders in nursing and nurse science 10 / URI COLLEGE OF NURSING
College Welcomes New Faculty Members As the URI College of Nursing continues to grow and expand, the college has welcomed several new faculty members over the last year, including Kimberly Arcoleo, Elizabeth Hutson, Dahianna Lopez, Kristin Corey Magan and Susan Desanto-Madeya, who fills the Miriam Weyker Chair. Read on for more about the newest professors
Kimberly Arcoleo, Research Professor Education: Ph.D. in Health Services Research, Master’s degree in Public Health, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; Bachelor’s degree in Biology, University of Buffalo. Recent Experience: Principal Investigator, Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital; Associate Dean for Research, Associate Professor, University of Rochester School of Nursing; Associate Dean for Research, Ohio State University College of Nursing; Director of Master’s in Clinical Research Management Program, Arizona State University. Research focus: Dr. Arcoleo’s focus is on closing the health disparity gap for low-income children with asthma. She comes to URI with a $2.77 million NIH grant to evaluate a program she’s been working on for several years with her clinical collaborators at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Read more about the SchoolBased Asthma Therapy (SBAT) program at uri.edu/ nursing/news
Arcoleo Serves on NIH Scientific Review Group In July, URI Research Professor Kim Arcoleo began a two-year term as a standing member of the National Institutes of Health’s Health Disparities & Equity Promotion study section. This panel reviews project applications with the aim to “address, reduce or eliminate health disparities and improve equity related to access to care, treatment, or healthcare outcomes.” Arcoleo served as an ad hoc reviewer for four years before becoming a standing member of the important review panel this year. “As the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the health disparities for under-served individuals and families, I feel that my work on this panel is one important contribution I can make as a health services researcher focusing on health disparities for underserved children with asthma,” Arcoleo said. “Serving on an NIH study section also benefits the College because we gain insights into key aspects reviewers are focusing on, helping strengthen our applications, hopefully leading to a fundable score.”
As a public health and statistics expert, Arcoleo expects to teach classes around research design and ethics, and statistics. Future plans: “Lots of grant writing,” Arcoleo said.
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Weyker Chair Filled by Associate Professor Susan Desanto-Madeya
Talented faculty are in high demand, and philanthropy is now essential to recruit and retain noteworthy faculty like Dr. Desanto-Madeya, who benefits from the Miriam Weyker Chair, and Dr. Rambur, whose work is supported by the Routhier Chair for Nursing Practice.
Iam thrilled to join the URI College of Nursing as the Miriam Weyker Chair. This position provides me with an opportunity to build an interdisciplinary palliative care program and expand my research to improve the quality of life for persons, families, and communities living with serious illness. — Dr. Susan DeSanto-Madeyar
Education: Ph.D. and M.S. in Nursing, Widener University, Chester, Penn.; B.S. in Nursing, East Stroudsburg University. Recent Experience: Clinical Associate Professor, Boston College Connell School of Nursing; Nurse Scientist, Beth Israel Susan Desanto-Madeya Deaconess Medical Center; Sojourn Leader Scholar, Cambia Health Foundation. Research focus: Dr. Desanto-Madeya’s research focuses on palliative and end-of-life care, with the goal of improving quality of life and quality of care. She studies inequities in health care, especially toward the end of life, and improving a patient’s final days by changing or eliminating prescriptions. “Unnecessary medications to treat a condition may not be necessary anymore, and can impact quality of life. The idea is for the patient to concentrate on what’s important instead of managing medications,” she said. Teaching focus: Desanto-Madeya teaches courses in thanatology and palliative care. Future plans: Desanto-Madeya hopes to develop a palliative care minor curriculum that is inclusive of living with a serious illness and improving quality of life, along with the study of end of life.
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Kristen Corey Magan, Assistant Professor Education: Ph.D. in Nursing, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; M.S. in Nursing with a concentration in adult gerontology primary care, University of Pennsylvania; B.S. in Nursing, St. Anselm College, Manchester, NH. Recent Experience: Post-doctoral research fellow, University of Pennsylvania; Nurse Practitioner, MedOptions, Old Lyme, CT; Beacon Hospice, Fall River, MA; Genesis Physician Services in Kennett Square, PA. Staff nurse at Miriam Hospital in Providence, Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Research focus: Magan is focused on looking at the experience of family caregivers of people with dementia, especially after the death of the care recipient. Magan’s research is partially supported by a grant from Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Read more about her study at uri.edu/ nursing/news. Teaching focus: Magan is teaching Thanatology 270, “Loss Across the Lifespan,” which focuses on how human beings experience and cope with loss. She plans to teach more courses in the College’s Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner program, while continuing to focus on her research.
Dahianna Lopez, Assistant Professor Education: Ph.D. in Health Policy, Harvard University; M.S.N., University of California, Los Angeles; M.P.H in Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles; B.A. in Psychology, University of California, Berkeley. Recent Experience: Senior Public Health Epidemiologist, RI Department of Health; Data and Evaluation Manager, Health Communities Office, City of Providence. Research focus: Lopez’s research focus is on injury prevention, especially unintentional injuries sustained in transportation accidents, including car and bicycle crashes, and those from accidental poisonings. She examines injury prevention at the macro-public health level, looking at all aspects of an injury-causing event, not just the injury outcome. Read more about her research at uri.edu/nursing/news. Teaching focus: Lopez will be teaching undergraduate community health nursing. Future plans: Continue her research into injury prevention and possibly work toward creating a course on the subject of her research.
Future plans at URI: Magan plans to continue developing and expanding her research, which will likely present opportunities for students to assist on the project.
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Elizabeth Hutson, Clinical Assistant Professor Education: Ph.D. in Nursing, Ohio State University; M.S.N (Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner), Ohio State; B.S. in Nursing, Kent State University; B.A. in Psychology, Ohio State. Recent Experience: Faculty member, Ohio State University College of Nursing; Nurse Practitioner, Columbus Springs Adolescent Partial Hospital Program, Dublin, OH, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH; Research Associate, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Center for Innovations in Pediatric Practice. Research focus: Hutson focuses on adolescent and young adult mental health, stress and anxiety, including bullying intervention. She plans to bring to URI her Mindstrong to Combat Bullying Program, a 7-session cognitive-behavioral skills building program adapted from the COPE intervention for adolescents, ages 12-17, who have experienced bullying with mental health symptoms. She is also interested in studying innovative online teaching methods, which can be particularly helpful in the era of COVID-19. Teaching focus: Hutson will teach Neuro-psychopharmacology, child and adolescent psychotherapy and clinical NP classes in the Psychiatric Mental Health NP program. In the spring 2021 semester, she will begin teaching psychotherapy to undergrad students. Future plans: Implement the Mindstrong program in Rhode Island, and help “create the number one psychiatric mental health NP program in the country.”
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Professor appointed to Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Dr. Betty Rambur will help analyze key issues affecting Medicare Nursing Professor Dr. Betty Rambur has been appointed as a commissioner on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, which holds a powerful role in advising Congress on Medicare policy. Dr. Rambur, the College’s Routhier Chair for Practice and Professor of Nursing, joins Harvard Medical School Professor of Health Care Policy Michael Chernew, and State University of New York President Wayne Riley on the commission, which analyzes and advises Congress on access to care, cost and quality of care, and other key issues affecting Medicare. Rambur has been a national leader in health policy and health reform for 25 years. She is a recognized leader in the area of workforce redesign within alternative payment models and a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. She served as the only nurse on Vermont’s Green Mountain Care Board, which regulates health care in Vermont and provides oversight of the transition from fee-for-service to value-based care. Her focus is population health, reducing disparities and overtreatment, cost containment and reconceptualized models of care, including primary care nursing and e-connected/virtual care.
Dr. Coppa is Latest AAN Fellow
Dr. Marcella Thompson Retirement
Associate Professor Denise Coppa has been selected to receive one of the greatest recognitions of accomplishment in the nursing profession, induction as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. Coppa is the latest College professor to achieve the honor, joining nine others.
The College wishes bon voyage to Research Assistant Professor Marcella Thompson, who announced her retirement after 16 years with the College of Nursing.
Coppa’s interests are focused on the care of medically underserved clients. Her research interests have been in the areas of homebased primary care and social determinants of health. Among her many projects is the Advanced Nursing Education Workforce Program, which places nurse practitioner students in community health centers to provide primary care and behavioral health services, under the supervision of professionals in the centers. It is federally funded by a $2.7 million HRSA grant. Invitation to fellowship recognizes a nursing leader’s accomplishments in the profession. It is bestowed upon only about 2,400 nursing leaders in education, administration, practice and research. Coppa will be inducted during a virtual ceremony in October. “This is an important acknowledgment of her outstanding contributions and impact on nursing and health,” Dean Barbara Wolfe said. “Dr. Coppa has had an enormous influence in shaping the full scope of practice for nurse practitioners in R.I., and transforming the state’s APRN workforce to enhance education in primary care for the medically underserved.”
During her time at URI, Dr. Thompson was known for mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in public health, leadership and environmental health research. Her research has focused on environment health, including chemical exposures to lead, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls among childbearing-aged women. Among her most impactful projects involves her work with the Narragansett Indian Tribe helping identify contaminated fish in local ponds. In 2015, she launched a multi-year, multi-phased study of environmental contamination in fish called The Namaus (All Things Fish) Project, along with co-investigators Dr. Elizabeth Hoover, assistant professor of American Studies at Brown University, and Dr. Dinalyn Spears, director of Community Planning and Natural Resources for the Narragansett Indian Tribe. Thompson also created the Thompson Endowed Scholarship for Native Students, which, when fully funded, will award about $1,000 annually to a Narragansett Tribe member who majors in nursing at URI. She remains an adjunct faculty member for URI and an environmental health consultant with the tribe.
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Selected Nursing Faculty Publications 2019-2020 Dowell, J., Arcoleo, K., Ruiz, Z., & Halula, R. (2020). Children with asthma and communication with healthcare provider: instrument development. J Pediatr Nurs, 50, 81-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. pedn.2019.11.003 Burkholder, G.J., & Burbank, P.M. (2020). Philosophical foundations and the role of theory in research. In G.J. Burkholder, K.A. Cox, L.M. Crawford, & J. Hitchcock (Eds.), Research design and methods: A guide for scholar-practitioners (pp. 13-34). Sage. Coppa, D., Barcelos Winchester, S. (2020). Content evaluation of social determinants of health and cultural fluency to measure nurse practitioner application in clinical situations. Int J Health Promot Educ, 58(3), 124-136. https://doi.org10.1080/146352 40.2020.1719863 Starr, L.T., Ulrich, C.M., Corey, K.L., & Meghani, S.H. (2019). Associations among end-of-life discussions, health-care utilization, and costs in persons with advanced cancer: A systematic review. Am J Hosp Palliat Care, 36, 913–926. https://doi. org/10.1177/1049909119848148 Corey Magan, K., McCurry, M.K., Sethares, K.A., Bourbonniere, M., Meghani, S.H., & Hirschman, K.B. (2020). The post-caregiving health model: A theoretical framework for understanding the health of former family caregivers of persons with dementia. Adv Nurs Sci. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/ANS.0000000000000316 Demiris, G., Corey Magan, K.L., Parker Oliver, D., Washington, K.T., Chadwick, C., Voigt, J.D., Brotherton, S., & Naylor, M.D. (2020). Spoken words as biomarkers: using machine learning to gain insight into communication as a predictor of anxiety. J Am Med Inform Assoc, 27, 929–933. https://doi. org/10.1093/jamia/ocaa049 Ludwick, A., Corey, K., & Meghani, S. (2020). Racial and socioeconomic factors associated with the use of complementary and alternative modalities for pain in cancer outpatients: An integrative review. Pain Manag Nurs, 21, 142–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. pmn.2019.08.005 Starr, L.T. & Corey Magan, K. (2020). Model of empathic pain assessment and treatment in persons with dementia. Res Gerontol Nurs, 1–13. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.3928/1940492120200402-01
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Groer, M.W., Miller, E.M., D’Agata, A., Ho, T., Dutra, S.V., Yoo, J.Y., Yee, A.L., Gilbert, J.A., & Dishaw, L.J. (2020). Contributors to dysbiosis in very-lowbirth-weight infants. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs, 49, 232–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jogn.2020.02.003 D’Agata, A.L. & Coughlin, M. (2019). Touch a life, impact a lifetime: Trauma informed care. In C. Kenner, M. Boykova, & L. Altimier (Eds.), Comprehensive neonatal nursing care (6th ed., Chapter 34). Springer Publishing. Bartels, R., DiTomasso, D., & Macht, G. (2020) A mother-centered evaluation of breast pumps. Appl Ergon, 88. https//doi.org/10.1016/j. apergo.2020.103123 DiTomasso, D. & Cloud, M. (2019). Systematic review of expected weight changes after birth for full-term, breastfed newborns. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs, 48, 593–603. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jogn.2019.09.004 Katheria, A., Erickson-Owens, D., & Mercer, J. (2019). Delayed cord clamping and cord milking. In M.D. MacDonald, J. Ramaseth, & R.-B. Khodayer (Eds.), MacDonald’s atlas of procedures in neonatology (6ed.). Wolters Kluwer. Wen, S., Belviso, N., Lebeau, R., Bratberg, J., Cotton, B., Ward, K., Erickson-Owens, D. & Kogut, S. (2019). Prescription opioid use among pregnant women enrolled in Rhode Island Medicaid. R I Med J, 102, 35-40. Hensman, A.M., Erickson-Owens, D.A., Sullivan, M.C., & Quilliam, B.J. (2020). Determinants of neonatal readmission in healthy term infants: Results from a nested case-control study. Am J Perinatol. Advance online publication. https://doi. org/10.1055/s-0040-1702936 Leslie, M., Erickson-Owens, D., & Park, J. (2020). Umbilical cord practices of members of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. J Midwifery Womens Health. Advance online publication. https:// doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.13071 Yusufov, M., Grebstein, L., Rossi, J.S., Redding, C.A., Ferszt, G.G., & Prochaska, J.O. (2020). Development and implementation of a psychological service for patients with cancer. Cogn Behav Pract. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. cbpra.2020.05.001
Jennings, K.M., Bodell, L.P., Crosby, R.D., Haynos, A.F., & Wildes, J.E. (2019). Mixture modeling to characterize anorexia nervosa: Integrating personality and eating disorder psychopathology. J Am Psychiatri Nurses Assoc, 1-9. https://doi. org/10.1177/1078390319862029 Jennings Mathis, K., Anaya, C., Rambur, B., Bodell, L.P., Graham, A.K., Forney, K.J., Anam, S., & Wildes, J.E. (2020). Workforce diversity in the field of eating disorders: A multi-methods study. West J Nurs Res, 1-10. https://doi. org/10.1177/0193945920912396 Hutchinson, M.K. & Sutherland, M.A. (2019). Conducting surveys with multidisciplinary health care providers: Current challenges and creative approaches to sampling, recruitment, and data collection. Res Nurs Health, 42, 458-466. https://doi. org/10.1002/nur.21976 Sutherland, M.A. & Hutchinson, M.K. (2019). Organizational influences of college health care providers’ IPV/SV screening practices. Res Nurs Health, 42, 284-295. https://doi.org/ 10.1002/ nur.21950
Mathis, K.J., Costa, C.B., & Xandre, P.E. (2020). Treating individuals with eating disorders: Part 1. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv, 58(3), 7–13. https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20200217-02 Costa, C.B., Xandre, P.E., & Mathis, K.J. (2020). Treating individuals with eating disorders: Part 2. J Psychosocl Nurs Ment Health Serv, 58(4), 9–15. https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20200310-01 Mercadante, A.K. & Rambur, B. (2020). Facilitating health policy civic engagement among undergraduate students with collaborative social technology. J Nurs Educ, 59(3), 163–165. https://doi. org/10.3928/01484834-20200220-08 Rambur, B. (2020). Medicare access and CHIPS reauthorization act, merit-based incentive payment system and alternative payment models: Why they matter. Nurs Outlook. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2020.03.004 Chambers, M., Bliss, K., & Rambur, B. (2020). Recruiting research participants via traditional snowball vs facebook advertisements and a website. West J Nurs Res. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945920904445
Lavin, M. D., & Carley, R. J. (2019). Putting caring into practice: caring for self. In L.M. Dunphy, J.E. Winland-Brown, B.O. Porter, & D.J. Thomas (Eds.), Primary care: the art and science of advanced practice nursing (5th ed.; Chapter 82). F.A. Davis.
Pulcini, J. & Rambur, B. (2021). Health care finance and payment reform. D. Mason, A. Perez, M.R. McLemore, & E.L.Dickson, (Eds.), Policy and politics in nursing and health care (8th ed.). Elsevier.
Liu, T., Lee, J.E., Wang, J., Ge, S., & Li, C. (2020). Cognitive dysfunction in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A concept analysis. Clin Nurs Res, 29, 339–351. https://doi. org/10.1177/1054773819862973
Petronio-Coia, B.J. & Schwartz-Barcott, D. (2020). A description of approachable nurses: An exploratory study, the voice of the hospitalized child. J Pediatr Nurs, 54, 18–23. Advance online publication. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2020.05.011
Mammen, J.R. & Arcoleo, K. (2019). Understanding the genetics of asthma and implications for clinical practice. J Am Assoc Nurs Pract, 31, 384-387. https://doi.org/10.1097/ JXX.0000000000000246
Sullivan, M.C., Lynch, E., & Msall, M.E. (2020). Late adolescent & young adult functioning and participation outcomes after prematurity. Semin Fetal Neonat M. Advance online publication. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.siny.2020.101118
Mammen, J.R., Java, J.J., Halterman, J.S., Berliant, M.N., Crowley, A., Frey, S.M., Reznick, M., Feldman, J. M., Schoonmaker, J.D., & Arcoleo, K. J. (2019). Development and preliminary results of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR)-integrated smartphone telemedicine program to deliver asthma care remotely. J Telemed Telecare. Advance online publication. https://doi. org/10.1177/1357633X19870025
Dunne, J P., Shindul-Rothschild, J., White, L., Lee, C.S., & Wolfe, B.E. (2019). Mindfulness in persons with anorexia nervosa and the relationships between eating disorder symptomology, anxiety, and pain. Eat Disord. Advance online publication. https://doi.or g/10.1080/10640266.2019.1688009
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URI nursing students got a lesson in global health during a J-Term trip to Indonesia, where they collaborated with their counterparts from Universitas Islam Indonesia, and helped lead a lecture series on social health.
Students spend J-Term in‘Global Health Indonesia’ Nursing students traveled in January to Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to take part in “Global Health Indonesia,” an interdisciplinary program in association with Universitas Islam Indonesia and Politeknik Kesehatan Yogyakarta. As part of the J-term program, the URI students teamed with Indonesian university students to help spread awareness about healthy living and chronic disease to the local community. They created public presentations promoting the prevention of heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and the dangers of smoking. The students also asisted in community health services including a blood pressure drive. The students attended two guest lecture series about Indonesian diseases and traditional medicine, and participated in an interprofessional workgroup. They also toured the museum and temple located at the Indonesian university and visited a public hospital and stroke unit.
During a the trip to Indonesia in January, College of Nursing students and faculty members helped conduct the J-Term Indonesia Global Health Program 2020 lecture program along with the Health Polytechnic of Yogyakarta and Universitas Islam Indonesia. With the theme of “Interdisciplinary Exploration of Key Health Issues and Determinants of Social Health Related to the World Development Organization’s Sustainable Development Goals in Indonesia,” students and professors conducted a series of lectures, including: » Overview of Indonesia Public Health & Non-Communicable Diseases in Java » Diabetes in Indonesia » Stroke and Hypertension (delivered by URI Nursing Faculty Member Dr. Kerri Ellis) » Psychosocial Interventions for Patients with Stroke and Hypertension
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» Lifestyle Choices and Recommendations
In addition to the lectures, the participants also took part in a series of activities in the J-Term Indonesia Global Health Program, including visits to the Center for Innovation Excellence (PUI).
College of Nursing faculty members welcomed the Class of 2022 during a White Coat Ceremony on campus in January.
White Coat Ceremony Welcomes New Nursing Students Dean Barbara Wolfe and the faculty of the URI College of Nursing welcomed the Class of 2022 into the nursing profession during the semi-annual White Coat Ceremony at the beginning of the spring semester in January. Guest speaker Kerin Da Cruz, vice president of operations at Westerly Hospital - Yale New Haven Health, greeted the student nurses, urging them to not be deterred by fear of making mistakes but
to fight through any insecurities, understanding that many others before them felt the same and overcame. Associate Dean Mary Leveillee and Assistant Professor Jungeun Lee also delivered greetings before the students walked the stage to receive their white lab coats. They then recited a pledge to uphold the ethics and principles of the nursing profession.
Learning is not limited to the classroom, but professional growth often requires prohibitively expensive travel. In addition to the Indonesia experience, Dr. Patricia Stout led eight URI nursing students to conduct home-visits, staff a clinic and organize healtheducation in El Cercado, Dominican Republic. Funded in-part through a gift by Elaine Riley,’68, Founder and CEO of Homecare Advantage, one student reflected:
“…doing my best to understand the whole picture of my patients in such a short time, I was able to appreciate our differences, but most importantly, recognize our shared humanity. As I continue to grow as an individual and a nurse, I will carry forward much more than the skills I practiced…” ANNUAL REPORT 2020/ 19
Sculco Scholar Emily Haynes to Research Nurse Health One of the newest students in the College’s Ph.D. Program will have the opportunity to focus exclusively on her research and studies, as she is the first recipient of the Sculco Graduate Nursing Research Scholarship. Haynes completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing at URI, and works for Fatima Hospital and Roger Williams Medical Center, where she handles medical needs for new hires. During the coronavirus pandemic, she has been tracking any symptoms employees show, arranging for testing and clearing them to return to work.
“Nurses have knowledge of what they need to be healthy, and the expectation is that they are healthier,” she said. “But that’s usually not the case. The workplace does not always support health – long working hours, rotating shifts, workplace stress. So there’s this campaign to encourage nurses to be healthier. The idea is they’re going to be better health coaches and encourage their patients to be healthier, but there is really no good answer about does that really happen.”
Emily Haynes is the URI College of Nursing’s inaugural Sculco Scholar.
Emily Haynes will move from her role as an employee health nurse for CharterCare Health Partners to full-time Ph.D. student studying the health of nurses and the impact their own health care can have on their patients.
Haynes intends to find out and will be helped with the Sculco scholarship, which allows her to focus on her research, and not have to worry about working full-time to make ends meet.
“The idea is that we won’t have to keep working full-time and can concentrate on research and completing the Ph.D.,” Haynes said.
Sophisticated scientific research requires full-time graduate students to assist and enhance discovery, often inspiring excellence among peers and faculty alike. The Sculco Fellowship supplements limited state funding to recruit exceptional students like Emily, providing a catalyst to expanded research and the advancement of future Nursing leaders.
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NP students learn by doing at RI Free Clinic Nurse practitioner students at the University of Rhode Island get hands-on training while providing services to patients at the Rhode Island Free Clinic, helping provide professional care to low-income and uninsured adults in Rhode Island. Clinical Associate Professor Rebecca Carley leads a group of students who deliver care to patients while building professional skills. Students are able to perform comprehensive exams, discuss options for treatment and refer patients to other clinicians at the clinic for treatment, if necessary. The ability to work directly with patients, with backup from Dr. Carley and clinic personnel, is a great learning opportunity that helps prepare nurse practitioner students to treat patients independently, according to Carly Masse, a graduate student in the Adult Gerontological NP Program.
“That’s how I learn. I know it by doing it as opposed to just watching,” Masse said. “I feel like I’m seeing everything, every side of everything you could see.” The Free Clinic provides care to thousands of patients, hosting about 11,000 appointments a year, and providing more than 25 different specialties and services, according to Assistant Director Marvin Ronning.
Sigma Honor Society Inductions In spring of 2020, 77 URI students were inducted into the Delta Upsilon at-large chapter of Sigma, one of the world’s largest nursing organizations. The organization is dedicated to advancing world health and celebrating nursing excellence in scholarship, leadership and service. Membership is by invitation to baccalaureate and graduate students, and community nurse leaders who demonstrate excellence in scholarship. The URI inductees include: Meredith L Arden Allison Mae Benson Skylar Danielle Betzold Caroline Marie Blackstead Alexandria Bolduc Pamela L Brewer Adrianna Cafarella Abby Marlena Canning Riley Collette Makenna Dacey Brianna DeLand David J Demers Veronica Dinneen Savannah Donahue Rachel Drake Dominique Marlena Dufour Yagna Myna Echevarria Caroline Moore Farrow Julia Marie French Megan Elizabeth Getter
Jillian Gonsalves Zoe Gunning Deanna Heine Lori Kasher Shaunna Knight Lauren Marie Kristol Kelly Jeanne Labossiere Susan Lanza Courtney Leff Mary Kate Lewis Hannah Marie Licarie Ashlee Elizabeth Mason Carly Anne McNulty Emily Montalto Fiona Naples Jessica Marie Newbury Mary Catherine Niederman Jennifer Claudia Pasquariello Mili Patel Jennifer O’Connell Patrusevich
Maryellen Powell CherylAnn B Rigby Angela Grace Rizzo Heidi Leigh Sakovits Carly Silva Giavanna Rose Spadafore Britni C Turano Rachel Vetelino Bailey Vogt Jill Asmar Brianna Alexandra Brown Christine Buryiak Paige Chippendale Nayda Cruz Kimberly G Decoteaux Keri Dimascio Maureen Elizabeth Flanagan Tara Stephanie Flanders Dominique Franco Brigid Pailin Gallego
Amanda Hazel Amber Giselle July Donna M KAba Phoebe Kashmanian Mary Lagosz Kristen Maher Jesmel Maria Ocasio Lina Orozco Tina Parker Lauren R Schiappa Ibrahim A Shode Preston Kara Stachelek Danielle Milagros Sto Domingo Lauren Thorne Tammy Lynn Tirillo Jessica Maria Vinciguerra Emma Walas
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Graduate programs ranked among nation’s best Master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice listed among top programs in country
Project boosts student experience, enhances primary care $2.7 million HRSA grant fuels Advanced Nursing Workforce Program Nurse practitioner students will get more hands-on experience, and patients at two community health centers will benefit from their expertise, thanks to a $2.7 million, four-year grant aimed at enhancing the nursing workforce and strengthening health care in the community. The Advanced Nursing Education Workforce program, funded by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), enhances the academic clinical partnerships among the College, Thundermist Health Center and Providence Community Health Center. Students in the Adult Gerontological, Psychiatric Mental Health and Family Nurse Practitioner programs will be placed in the health centers to provide primary care and behavioral health services, under the supervision of professionals in the centers. “This program will give experience to these nurse practitioner students so they are prepared to work in community health centers when they graduate,” Associate Professor Denise Coppa said. “The project builds upon an established commitment to support academic and practice achievements of students and community-based preceptors both in community health centers and in patients’ homes.” For more details on the project, visit uri.edu/nursing/news.
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Two URI College of Nursing graduate programs have soared in national ranks, jumping into the top 11 percent among master’s programs in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report. The College’s Master’s Program ranked 66th in the nation, tied with the University of St. Louis and the University of Massachusetts Boston, placing it in the top 11 percent that responded to the survey. Additionally, the College’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program ranked 85th in the nation, placing it in the top 26% .
Study on infant birth weight, breastfeeding wins national award Dr. Diane DiTomasso’s groundbreaking study could change newborn recommendations A URI Nursing professor has won the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses’ premier award for an article based on her groundbreaking study in which she challenges expected patterns of infant weight loss after birth. The national association awarded Diane DiTomasso the 2020 Best of JOGNN Award for or her article on weight changes in newborns, which she co-wrote with Clinical Assistant Professor Mary Cloud. DiTomasso also won the Suzanne Feetham Nurse Scientist Family Research Award. Pediatrics organizations have advised that infants should not lose more than 7% of weight after birth. Often, when weight loss is greater, formula is given to breastfed infants. However, DiTomasso has found it is common for newborns to lose up to 10% and still regain weight adequately. In most cases, there is no need to incorporate formula, which can interfere with breastfeeding, potentially depriving infant and mother of the tremendous health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.
“The longer you breastfeed, the more benefits you have for both mom and baby,” DiTomasso said. “If the baby is otherwise healthy and breastfeeding well, we shouldn’t be supplementing with formula.” For more on DiTomasso’s groundbreaking study, visit uri.edu/nursing/news.
SPECIAL PROJECTS Making an impact on health and health care ANNUAL REPORT 2020/ 23
$1M grant fuels opioid outreach program in rural areas
Dr. Nancy L. VanDevanter
Professors, students and health professionals from URI aim to stem the ongoing opioid crisis in rural communities around the state, thanks to a $1 million grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The “Community First Responders Program” seeks to educate rural communities about substance use disorder and opioid misuse, and provide resources to help address the opioid crisis, according to Professor Diane Martins, who is working on the College of Nursing project with Pharmacy Professor Anita Jacobson. The program involves outreach to rural areas, teaching members of the community to recognize signs of overdose and how to respond — including administering naloxone. They will distribute naloxone kits, allowing members of the community to be true first responders. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the programs are available online. Representatives distribute and teach residents how to use nasal spray naloxone for victims displaying signs of an overdose. They will also provide testing strips to check for fentanyl, as well as HIV/hepatitis testing, referrals to recovery programs, and information on methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone treatments.
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Fall Distinguished Lecture The latest installment of the URI College of Nursing Distinguished Lecture Series this fall will feature Dr. Nancy L. VanDevanter, a professor with New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing. Since the 1990s, VanDevanter has conducted behavioral intervention research integrating a community-based participatory research approach into the development and testing of theory-driven interventions to promote health and reduce disease in populations with significant health disparities in HIV, STDs and tobacco-related disease. She has also worked with state and local health departments to develop programs to improve community-level health and public health practice. She has been involved in numerous interdisciplinary collaborative studies with the NYU School of Medicine, Dentistry and Public Health Program. VanDevanter received a Ph.D. from Columbia University School of Public Health, M.P.H from Harvard School of Public Health, and Ed.M from Boston University. The lecture is scheduled for Oct. 21, 2020. Follow the URI College of Nursing on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
College Promotes Mental Health Awareness Assistant Professor Karen Jennings led the College’s involvement in promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention during two events last October – The Be 5K, and Fresh Check Day. The Be 5K, URI’s race/walk for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, has raised tens of thousands of dollars since it was launched nine years ago. All proceeds remain at URI to increase attention and support for mental health issues, via the Heather Fund, which supports services of the URI Counseling Center. Fresh Check Day is a fair-like event that includes interactive booths, food, information and resources in an approachable atmosphere where students are encouraged to engage in dialogue about mental health. Jennings, along with other professors and student volunteers, organized outreach booths at both events to reach out to students on mental health issues.
Assistant Professor Karen Jennings, top left, led the College’s efforts to promote mental health awareness.
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Assistant Professor Jung Eun Lee (center) works with her student research assistants on multiple projects, including her funded study on health care for older adults living with HIV.
Health Care for Older Adults with HIV Fatigue and sleep disturbance are prevalent symptoms among older people living with HIV, who also often experience impairments in medication adherence, physical activity, cognitive function, psychological health and overall quality of life. The associations between sleeping problems and quality of life have been inconsistent, so URI Assistant Professor Jung Eun Lee seeks to better understand the connection in her study, “Fatigue, sleep disturbance, and quality of life for older adults living with HIV,” which is funded by the Rhode Island Foundation. “Understanding these associations will enhance the development of interventions to reduce symptom distress and improve quality of life tailored for older people living with HIV,” Lee wrote in a project summary. “This study proposes a much-needed approach to a considerable issue of public health given the rising numbers of older people living with HIV.” Specifically, the study aims to describe the interrelationship between fatigue and sleep disturbance
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on quality of life among the subject group; and explore narrative contexts of the relationship between fatigue and sleep disturbances, with quality of life and coping strategies to improve quality of life, including their acceptance of potential non-pharmacological interventions. The findings from the study will inform the development and testing of personalized programs to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life for older people living with HIV. “The long-term goal of this study is to improve quality of life and decrease morbidity associated with HIV and aging,” Lee said.
Behavioral health advocate wins Distinguished Achievement Award The URI College of Nursing honored the career of an alumna who has made a tremendous impact on health care with one of the College’s highest honors during the Distinguished Achievement Awards ceremony.
URI College of Nursing graduate Barbara Patterson Dean Barbara Wolfe (left) presented Deborah O’Brien with the College’s Distinguished Achievement Award.
Deborah M. O’Brien, BS, RN, MPA is President and Chief Operating Officer of Community Resources for Justice, a non-profit organization in Boston dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk individuals through social justice. She is the former President and Chief Operating Officer of The Providence Center. O’Brien began working in health care as a staff nurse at Rhode Island Hospital, and started in the behavioral health field at South Shore Mental Health Center in Charlestown, R.I. There, she went on to hold management roles in various departments, including psychiatric services, rehab services and the emergency and assessment service team. During her full-time employment at South Shore, she also worked part-time for Hospice care. O’Brien has also been involved with a number of boards and professional affiliations, including URI’s Nursing Advisory Council and About Families, Inc. She has both a nursing degree and a master’s degree in public administration from URI.
ALUMNI
College alum named editor of NLN journal Alumnus Barbara Patterson has expanded her role in nursing education, having recently been named editor of the National League for Nursing Journal, Nursing Education Perspectives. Patterson, a graduate of the College’s Ph.D. in nursing science program, takes the helm of the Washington D.C.-based National League of Nursing journal after having served as editor of the research brief section of the NLN journal or about five years. In her new position, Patterson will be better able to promote NLN’s mission to advance excellence in nursing education and research.
Representing the College in the community ANNUAL REPORT 2020/ 27
Looking to the Future – a conversation with Dean Wolfe: As URI and the College of Nursing enter the most ambitious comprehensive campaign in our history, the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement (URIFAE) team met with Dean Wolfe to learn her vision for the college’s future.
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URIFAE – The College has thrived in recent years, rising in national ranking, expanding its research agenda, and becoming one of the most competitive undergraduate majors at URI. What is the basis of your success, and how will that be sustained? Dean Wolfe – Advances in technology and a changing healthcare landscape require us to adapt. To meet today’s needs, we focused attention on the curriculum, expanded academic scholarship, reaffirmed our role in a global community and committed to a culture of continuous improvement. Our world is evolving, so we are preparing our students to be lifelong learners and collaborative leaders as well as excellent clinicians and scientists.
PREPARING FOR A NEW GENERATION OF FACULTY: At URI, nearly 50 percent of the nursing faculty are eligible to retire in the next five years, presenting a pressing need to recruit talented faculty who will need to stand on the shoulders of these legends. We need to continue to recruit the best and the brightest to assure the future national and international stature of our faculty. Exceptional faculty are in high demand, so endowed chairs, professorships and faculty development funds will be needed to recruit and retain the most promising talent. URIFAE – So investing in people is your priority?
URIFAE – That has been effective thus far, but has the COVID-19 pandemic changed your vision of the College?
Dean Wolfe – Not exclusively. You can’t invest in people without providing a stimulating environment and opportunities for personal growth. That is the URI learning experience that I mentioned earlier.
Dean Wolfe – The COVID crisis presents logistical challenges to teaching and clinical learning, as well as the conduct of research, but it has reinforced awareness that nurses are indispensable providers and innovators of care. If anything, the public now knows that our work is critical for the public’s health, and for economic stability. We can’t afford not to invest in the College.
As an undergraduate nursing program, we move impressionable young adults from a comfortable campus to healthcare settings where they confront frailty of life and human suffering. To facilitate this transition, we need an endowed Sophomore Retreat to introduce students to the importance of the nurse/ patient relationships, cultural fluency, and professional practice.
URIFAE – How can alumni and friends sustain our current success and advance the College’s mission?
We must continue to fund J-term Scholarships to enhance student exposure to underdeveloped healthcare environments. Not only will this serve the community where they visit, but studies show that cross-cultural international learning elevates clinical skills.
Dean Wolfe - Looking to the future, we must invest in our students, our faculty and the URI learning experience:
STUDENTS ARE THE FUTURE: Our profession must represent the society it serves. To achieve greater diversity, we must be affordable and provide a supportive infrastructure for first-generation families through our successful Pathways program. This means increased investment in both need-based and merit scholarships. Furthermore, we have elevated our standing as a national research college and that must continue. This means recruiting future nurse-leaders through full-time graduate student fellowships and research funds.
Nursing is highly sophisticated and best practices will change. Our students must develop judgment, clinical-reasoning skills and methods for retrieving knowledge. Exposing students to a research experience will help create this culture of inquiry and continuous learning, but it needs funding through Undergraduate Research Fellowships. URIFAE – Is there anything else you want to share? Dean Wolfe - Don’t forget the College of Nursing Annual Fund. That is the most important source of money to address short term needs and emergency expenses. It was essential for us to meet the COVID challenge, and I am so grateful to alumni and friends for their support!
For more information about supporting the College of Nursing, contact: Eric Schonewald, Managing Director of Development, at eschonewald@uri.edu or 401-874-9017 Tim Babcock, Director of Development, at tbabcock@uri.edu or 401-874-4909. ANNUAL REPORT 2020/ 29
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College Launches 75th Anniversary Celebration The URI College of Nursing will be recognizing excellence in health care and education over three quarters of a century during a year-long celebration of the College’s 75th anniversary. The celebration begins this fall and continues 2010 with a series of events through the 2020-2021 academic year. Stay tuned for more information and a schedule of exciting events.
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75 for 75 The URI College of Nursing 75th Anniversary Committee will be unveiling 75 College luminaries in celebration of the College’s 75th anniversary. The committee sought nominees Louisa White who have excelled in contributions to professional practice, education, research and/or the advancement of the College. The “Luminaries” demonstrate an interest and commitment to the mission and vision of the College, and have made impactful contributions to the profession of nursing and/or the College of Nursing. Nominees include alumni, faculty members or individuals who have championed advancement of the URI College of Nursing. The Luminaries, including the College’s first dean, Louisa White (pictured here) will be identified this fall when the 75th anniversary celebration begins. It is expected to continue throughout the 2020-2021 academic year. Log onto uri.edu/nursing/75th to read about the luminaries and keep up-to-date on all planned activities during the year-long celebration. Log onto uri.edu/nursing/75th to keep up to date on all the goings-on.
The College has educated more than 7,000 nurses, serving millions of patients over 75 years. It has grown and prospered through a combination of vision, talent, hard work and financial investment. The 75th Anniversary presents a unique opportunity for our community to invest in the next 75 years, through philanthropic support that recognizes the College’s role in launching careers and serving our community.
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History of URI College of Nursing To commemorate 75 years of nursing education excellence, the URI College of Nursing 75th Anniversary Committee takes a look back at some of the most significant accomplishments over the years. Below is a decade-by-decade excerpt of the full history, which is available in a printed edition and posted on uri.edu/nuring/75th.
1940s: A meeting was held on July 9, 1943, involving the former URI president and a number of prominent women of the college community at that time like Louisa White, who would become the College’s first 1950s dean. This was the humble beginnings of what is today a prestigious, nationally recognized program of nursing at the University of Rhode Island. 1950s: The College graduates its first Bachelor of Science class, consisting of nine generic students and three registered nurses. The class also designed the URI nursing pin still utilized at today at the Pinning Ceremony for graduating baccalaureate students.
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1960s: The College of Nursing gets its own space in the Fogarty Life Science Building after having been housed in a variety of buildings throughout the campus.
1970s: The College receives its first accreditation from the National League of Nursing accreditation in 1971. The College graduated its first cohort from the MS program. White Hall is built to provide a new home for the College.
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1980: The URI College of Nursing Student Nurse Association was established in 1980, along with the local chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. The Ph.D. program is launched. 1990s: Nursing theory development conferences begin. The first Ph.D. student graduates from the program. The Weyker Chair is established.
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2000s: The first program for nursing students to travel internationally is initiated. The College launches the on-site RN to BS Program. Multiple NIH funded grants were obtained during this time. The Routhier Chair for Practice is established.
2010s: The Pathways Program is established in 2010. The DNP Program is launched. The White Coat Ceremony is introduced as a rite of passage in the College. The Nursing Education Center opens in the fall of 2017. 2020s: The College continues its mission to prepare nurses to excel as outstanding clinicians, scholars and leaders who will enhance the health and health care of individuals, families, communities and populations — both locally and globally.
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uri.edu/nursing How to Give: Gifts to the University of Rhode Island should be made payable to the URI Foundation and can be made online at urifoundation.org/giveonline.
URI is an equal opportunity employer committed to the principles of affirmative action. 9/2020 1470/NUR PHOTOS: JOE GIBLIN; NORA LEWIS; PATRICK LUCE; MIKE SALERNO
