USC College of Nursing Fall 2022 Magazine

Gamecock Nursing Nation

DEAR COLLEAGUES, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS,

s I reflect on the College of Nursing at the end of 2022, I continue to be inspired by the achievements from our resilient team, along with the generous and impactful support of our partners, alumni, donors and friends. South Carolina continues to face one of the most devastating nursing workforce shortages in the nation while demand for health care access and delivery of care continues to expand.

Over the past 10 years, we have implemented a “measured” growth plan while attending to quality and inclusive excellence in all that we do. However, the 2022 investments in the college, will be transformative for our future. The addition of a new building planned for 2024, in a private public partnership with Lexington Medical Center, along with the investment from the state legislature and our governor to address faculty shortages in the state, are big “wins” for our college and the nursing profession in the state. Not only are we inspired by our future, but major stakeholders in our state and beyond are inspired by our successes, partnering with us to invest in our future.

In this issue, you will read further about these stakeholder investments, as well as our internal creativity to meet with workforce demands with a nurse-faculty pipeline program. Our journey for excellence continues, and this past year our esteemed faculty led the successful application for our second National League of Nursing Center for Excellence in Nursing Education designation. Our college continues to hold our No. 1 ranking from U.S. News & World Report and excellent NCLEX and nurse practitioner first-time pass rates on their respective board exams. You will also learn more about the successes and achievements of our faculty with national fellowships, as well as our talented new endowed professors, faculty and staff we welcomed to our team.

Our research is thriving and continues to impact individuals, families and communities in our region and around the globe. We experienced a record year in research funding from the National Institutes of Health and other funders, as well as the largest single grant in our history, a $13.2 million grant to grow additional diverse tenure track faculty in our college.

We continue to be inspired by our students and alumni, who are excelling in practice, policy and all aspects of nursing leadership. Our donors continue to generously support our college and our mission, and I want to extend my gratitude for your loyal and ongoing support and contributions.

This has been a transformative year for the college, but our best is still ahead of us. We encourage you to stay connected – follow @uofscnursing on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. We look forward to your interaction and feedback!

In the Gamecock Nursing Nation spirit,

Jeannette O. Andrews Ph.D., RN, FAAN Dean & Helen Gurley Wolford Professor of Nursing

DEAN JEANNETTE O. ANDREWS

FALL 2022

Director of Communications and Marketing

Nicole Meares

Communications Manager

Mya Singleton

Senior Director of Development Monica Cromer

Associate Director of Development and Alumni Relations

Mollie Roe

Administrative Assistant Erica Neet

Contributing Writers

Erin Bluvas Kyndel Lee Emily Miles Carol Ward

Contributing Photographers

Jason Ayer

Bonnie Smith

Designer Helena Walters

College of Nursing University of South Carolina 1601 Greene Street Columbia, SC 29208 sc.edu/nursing

Phone: 803-777-7412

@UofSCNursing

The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities on the basis of race, sex, gender, gender identity, transgender status, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, genetics, protected veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.

INSIDE THE ISSUE

4 / Shared Commitment

UofSC, Lexington Medical partnership to improve health care in S.C. and address nursing shortage

6 / Excellence in Nursing Education

College of Nursing has been recognized for the second time as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education

10 / Student Awards

We congratulate these students who received awards for their commitment to leadership, scholarship and service

12 / Donor Spotlight

Passionate Alumnae Receive 2022 Donor Awards

15 / Research

New pediatric research center improves health outcomes

First-Class Faculty Stellar Students and Programs Donors and Friends

By the Numbers Amazing Alumni

SHARED COMMITMENT

UofSC, Lexington Medical partnership to improve health care in S.C. and address nursing shortage.

By Kyndel Lee

A new phase in the growing partnership between the University of South Carolina and Lexington Medical Center will address the state’s mounting health care provider needs.

The expanded public-private relationship will establish a new state-of-the-art facility for the use of the university’s nursing program on the hospital’s campus and create 13 new residencies in family practice as part of a new graduate medical education program.

“This exciting new chapter in the partnership between the University of South Carolina and the Lexington Medical Center makes a strong statement of our

shared commitment to building the future of health care in the Midlands and across South Carolina,” says university President Michael Amiridis. “I applaud the vision and innovative spirit, and I’m looking forward to the implementation of our ambitious plans.”

The plans, which were announced by the university’s Board of Trustees in July, include building a 50,000-square-foot nursing simulation center and teaching space. The center will provide clinical training for the university’s growing nursing student population. Lexington Medical Center will fund the estimated $20 million project, which will be on the hospital’s campus.

"Lexington Medical Center is excited to expand our relationship with the University of South Carolina to creatively solve the nursing shortage,” says Tod Augsburger, LMC president and CEO. "As leaders in the Midlands, our organizations share a responsibility and a vision to enhance services, create opportunities and support growth in our region. This endeavor marks the beginning of a strong partnership that will improve the health of our communities for generations.”

This exciting new chapter in the partnership between the University of South Carolina and the Lexington Medical Center makes a strong statement of our shared commitment to building the future of health care in the Midlands and across South Carolina.

MICHAEL AMIRIDIS

TARGETING THE NURSING SHORTAGE

The new training center is expected to open for the first cohort of nursing students in spring 2023 with a groundbreaking expected this fall. In May, the College of Nursing graduated 220 nurses from the Columbia campus. With the new space at Lexington Medical Center, the university will be able to graduate 400 pre-licensure nurses per year in the Midlands — an 80 percent increase annually.

The new training center will be used primarily for clinical training of the university’s third- and fourth-year nursing bachelor’s students as well as master’s program students.

The medical center will build the new nursing facility and provide clinical instructors while the university will fund equipment needed for the simulation center as well as equipment and furnishings for classroom spaces.

College of Nursing Dean Jeannette Andrews says the innovative partnership is great news for South Carolina residents, who will directly benefit from the training provided to future nurses.

“The new teaching and learning space will provide both our organizations with a win-win opportunity to help solve South Carolina’s nursing shortage,” Andrews says. “We are gratified to help lead this charge for nursing workforce development and thrilled that Lexington Medical Center is

investing in the future of nursing education for our state.”

Melissa Taylor, Lexington Medical Center’s vice president and chief nursing officer says South Carolina is projected to have the fourth-highest nursing shortage in the country by 2030. She believes the impact of the partnership will grow the pipeline of skilled nurses for the hospital and the state by giving individuals more opportunity to enter the nursing profession.

The university founded the College of Nursing to help meet the state’s needs for skilled health care professionals, a focus that continues to be central to their missions.

Recognized for EXCELLENCE

The University of South Carolina College of Nursing has been recognized for the second time as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education.

The College of Nursing was the only college in South Carolina and one of only 16 schools nationwide to receive the honor from the National League for Nursing. The effort was led by Alicia Ribar, associate dean of academics, and Kathy Bradshaw, professor and executive academic strategist.

The prestigious designation is awarded to schools of nursing and health care organizations to acknowledge outstanding innovations, commitment and sustainability of excellence in a specific area. For the 2022–2026 term, the college was recognized for its ability to create environments that promote the teaching expertise of faculty. In 2020, the college received its first Center of Excellence in Nursing Education designation for creating environments that enhance student learning and professional development (2020–2024 term).

Faculty exemplify excellence in the College of Nursing

The faculty’s commitment to excellence and innovation in teaching, research and practice is critical to the role the College of Nursing serves in South Carolina and has been recognized by their peers in the profession.

Crystal Murillo, assistant dean, Center for Simulation and Experiential Learning and assistant professor, was recently accepted into the 2022 class of the Academy of Nursing Education Fellows. Fellows are expected to support the vision of the National League for Nursing and provide leadership in nursing education.

Rhonda Johnson, assistant professor, was inducted as a Fellow in the Fellows of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. This honor is bestowed on midwives whose demonstrated leadership, clinical excellence, scholarship and professional achievement merit special recognition.

Robin Dail, associate dean for Faculty Affairs and Health Sciences Endowed Professor, was inducted into Sigma Nursing Honor Society of Nursing International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. The honor recognizes Sigma members who have achieved significant and sustained national and/ or international recognition for their work and research that has impacted the profession and people it serves. Dail's research aims to reduce morbidity and mortality in premature infants. It is funded by the National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, GE Healthcare and other foundations, such as March of Dimes and the American Nurses Foundation.

30%

of College of Nursing faculty hold distinguished national fellowships

Robin Dawson, associate professor, and Murillo were inducted into the American Academy of Nursing 2022 Class of Fellows. Through a competitive and rigorous application process, the Fellow Selection Committee reviewed a record number of applications, representing a 30 percent increase from the previous year. The 2022 fellows were selected based on their contributions to advance the public’s health.

Bernie Pinto, associate dean for Research, Health Sciences Endowed Professor, and co-director Cancer Survivorship Center was selected as a American Psychological Association Fellow. Fellow status is awarded to members who have shown evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in the field of psychology. This status requires that a person's work has had a national impact on the field of psychology beyond a local, state or regional level.

Michael Wirth, assistant professor was accepted as a Fellow into the American College of Epidemiology. Fellows are distinguished by their significant and sustained contributions to the profession of epidemiology through research and/or through their leadership role in the practice of epidemiology.

CRYSTAL MURILLO

RHONDA JOHNSON

ROBIN DAIL

ROBIN DAWSON

BERNIE PINTO

MICHAEL WIRTH

Family experience motivates efforts to prevent suicide

Governor awards Order of the Silver Crescent to nursing alumnus, Bradley Quarles

By Mollie Roe and Emily Miles

During his sophomore year, nursing student Bradley Quarles lost a family member to suicide. That experience, combined with the medical knowledge he learned in his studies, spurred Quarles to look for ways to prevent suicide and promote mental health on campus.

Because of his efforts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number was added to the back of all University of South Carolina identification cards.

“Every student and employee receives a Carolina Card when they begin UofSC. I thought adding the hotline number to something so prominent on campus would provide an easy access tool for members of the Carolina community,” Quarles said at the time. His work also was the catalyst for legislation at the state level with the Student Identification Card Suicide Prevention Act. This bill, signed in 2021, requires public schools in South Carolina serving grades seven through twelve and public and private colleges and universities to provide the lifeline phone number and an additional crisis resource of their choosing on school-issued student identification cards.

In May 2022, Gov. Henry McMaster awarded Quarles the Order of the Silver Crescent, the state’s most prestigious service award, for his efforts in adding the lifeline number to the back of Carolina Cards. He is believed to be the first College of Nursing and School of Medicine Columbia student to receive the award.

Quarles, a College of Nursing alumnus, is studying to be a certified registered nurse anesthetist at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia. Since choosing the path of health care as a freshman in college, he has been interested in how health care and politics intersect to improve community health and patient outcomes. He spent the summer of 2017 working as a mayor's fellow for former Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin. "The fellowship working in the mayor's office showed me how nurses can impact the political landscape and why policy is so vital," Quarles said.

When Quarles received the Order of the Silver Crescent with his wife Gaby and their families in attendance, the governor recognized his outstanding service work to the university and the state. "What today means to me, it shows the power of the individual to make an impact. It really highlights the core of who we are, and our core values as health care professionals, as nurses and as a future CRNA. To represent the University of South Carolina, the College of Nursing and the anesthesia program at the School of Medicine Columbia is really important to me,” Quarles said.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255) provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A national network of over 200 local crisis centers combines local care and resources with national standards and best practices.

State supports initiative to address nursing shortage with $10 million in funding

The College of Nursing, in partnership with other state institutions, worked with the governor and legislators to include $10 million in the state budget to address South Carolina’s critical nursing shortage.

The funding for fiscal year 2022–2023 will come from lottery revenue to address the nursing faculty and instructor pipeline, which has been identified as a key factor contributing to the shortage of nurses.

THE BIG PICTURE

National and state data show that inadequate funding to hire and compensate nursing faculty is an impediment to recruitment and retention.

Nursing faculty can earn more working in health care practice than in teaching due to market competition.

Doctoral prepared nurses and nurses with specialty training can earn substantially more than they would in a faculty position.

WHY IT MATTERS

“We are thrilled that Gov. McMaster and legislators have partnered with the state’s public colleges of nursing to address South Carolina’s nursing workforce and faculty shortage. This is a great win for South Carolina. These funds are a great step in our journey to tackle this complex challenge and will further expand public nursing programs across the state,” says University of South Carolina College of Nursing Dean Jeannette O. Andrews.

WHAT’S NEXT

The financial support for current and future faculty recruitment and retention will help mitigate further reduction in preparing and graduating new nurses to enter the workforce.

Half of the funding will be used by nursing colleges to improve pay for clinical nurse faculty in South Carolina’s public colleges, universities and technical colleges.

Nine new faculty members will join the University of South Carolina College of Nursing in fall 2022.

The balance will provide scholarships or tuition reimbursement for graduate-level students to support specialty training and prepare nurses for advanced practice roles to serve citizens across South Carolina.

Doctor of Nursing Practice or nursingrelated Ph.D. candidates who agree to accept a faculty role in an in-state nursing program upon completion of their studies will also qualify.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“Nursing is vital to the health care system, so the benefit of this support will be significant in improving health and health care for South Carolina. It is exciting to anticipate next steps and the opportunity to collaborate with peers, develop strategies, and leverage the funding to address faculty and nursing workforce shortages,” says Shirleatha Lee, dean of the USC Upstate Mary Black College of Nursing.

Students recognized for personal and academic excellence

REBECCA

SOPHIA GILLIAM

RODNEY

SYDNEY

BRIANA WOODBURY

LINDSEY LIPMAN

DAISY NOYOLA

ENDOWED PROFESSORS

Gayenell Magwood

Myrtle Irene Brown Endowed Professor of Nursing

Appointed August 2022

From 1970 until her retirement in 1980, Myrtle Irene Brown was a professor and the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing. She was instrumental in creating graduate level programs that were the first in the state of South Carolina and among the first in the nation to be developed. The master's degree programs in nursing and the Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner programs were established during her tenure as dean.

The endowed chair will lead/expand development of health equity research in the College of Nursing. The chair has significant endowment support and will have the opportunity to collaborate with other researchers in the established centers in the university and our partners.

Lorie Donelle

Emily Myrtle Smith Endowed Professor of Nursing

Appointed August 2022

Emily Myrtle Smith was an innovative leader in community and occupational health nursing, serving as an officer of the U.S. Public Health Services from 1945 to 1965. She was also a pioneer in international nursing education initiatives in Taiwan and Japan. In recognition of her many close ties to the UofSC College of Nursing, in 1974, Smith was awarded an Honorary Alumni Membership to the College.

In 1965, Smith and her family created this endowed professorship fund with the goal of supporting nursing initiatives that promote community health and wellness.

Gayenell Magwood received her Ph.D. in nursing science from the Medical University of South Carolina, a master of science in advanced clinical nursing from George Mason University, a bachelor of science in nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina, a bachelor of arts from Winthrop University, completed postgraduate work in public health and is a registered nurse.

Magwood is a fellow of the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Nursing.

Areas of Focus:

Community based participatory research and community engagement Cardiometabolic risk and prevention; cancer control and prevention Health equity; health disparities; biobehavioral research

Donelle’s research addresses issues of health literacy, social justice and digital health. Her research investigates technology enabled models of home care and the relationships between health information technologies and client/clinician health practices. Donelle sits on international and national advisory committees for health literacy and digital health.

Areas of Focus:

Digital health

• Technology enabled models of health care

• Impact on clients, clinicians and organizations

Health and digital health literacy Health promotion

PASSIONATE ALUMNAE RECEIVE 2022 DONOR AWARDS

Dean Jeannette Andrews and the Office of Development at the College of Nursing thank all donors for their generosity. We are honored to present the 2022 Donor Awards to three passionate donors.

Sue Heiney

’79 B.S., NURSING; ’81 MASTER’S, NURSING; ’88 Ph.D.

Sue Heiney retired in May 2022 after practicing for 50 years. About 40 of those years were spent caring for patients with cancer and their families – both children and adults – and conducting research on their behalf.

In her retirement, Heiney remains committed to giving back to her profession by mentoring students and faculty and is currently the Dunn-Shealy Professor Emerita of Nursing. After leaving Prisma Health, she continued to volunteer for Good Grieving, a program she founded while working there.

Parallel to her work, she has volunteered extensively for professional nursing organizations, including serving as president of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses and treasurer for the South Carolina Nurses Association. She also volunteered for research activities in the Oncology Nursing Society and was presented the Mara Mogensen Flaherty Memorial Lectureship Award for speaking and writing on “The Healing Power of Story.” She volunteered for the American Cancer Society, served as the first nurse to chair the S.C. Board of Directors and co-authored the book Cancer in Our Family: Helping Children Cope with a Parent’s Illness.

RUTH AND RALLIE SEIGLER SPIRIT OF GIVING AWARD

Patricia Boike

’69 B.S., NURSING; ’93 MBA

After graduating from the University of South Carolina in 1969 with a bachelor’s in nursing, Boike obtained an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1993, graduating summa cum laude. She spent 40 years working as a registered nurse in areas including adult medicalsurgical, cardiology and management with Novant Health.

The latter half of her career was spent as a clinical risk manager at Carolinas HealthCare (now Atrium), from which she retired in 2014. She was among the first in her department to earn certification as a professional risk manager.

Boike has had a strong calling to give back to her community over her lifetime. She has volunteered in many different areas, including participating in PTA school activities, teaching adult and children’s religious programs, holding multiple officer positions in a nonprofit learning disability organization, regularly donating blood, and serving as a deacon and on numerous committees in her church.

Boike credits her alma mater with leading her to a wonderful career. Recognizing the need for student financial assistance in the College of Nursing, she established the Patrician Endowed Scholarship to help other aspiring nurses achieve their dreams.

Marlene Mackey

’64 B.S. NURSING; MASTER’S, NURSING; Ph.D. Marlene Mackey earned her nursing diploma in 1960 from the Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital School of Nursing. She continued her education to receive her B.S. in nursing in 1964 and worked at the Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, where she specialized in labor and delivery.

After traveling and working abroad for a few years, Mackey returned to the United States and earned a master’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh. She then pursued a Ph.D. in nursing sciences at the University of Illinois, focusing on premature labor. In 1984, she accepted a teaching position at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing, where she taught until she retired in 2006.

While at South Carolina, Mackey traveled abroad to participate in two exchange programs, one at Shanxi University in Taiyuan, China, to study childbirth and one in Colombia to study pregnancy. She has received many honors throughout her career, including an official commendation from the U.S. Department of the Army for Outstanding Performance as a Clinical Nurse, Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award from the UofSC College of Nursing, and numerous awards for her research. Mackey also was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 1995.

In honor of the scholarships and other opportunities she was given to help achieve her remarkable career, Mackey, along with her sister Alberta and brother Gregory, established The Mackey-Wanska Finnish Family Women’s Health Fellowship at the University of South Carolina.

LEGACY OF CARING AWARD

RESEARCH EXCELLENCE

Pediatric research center improves health outcomes

In August 2022, the Perinatal, Pediatrics, & Family Research Center (PPFRC) was formed after a group of multidisciplinary faculty and perinatal, pediatric, and family health researchers facilitated collaboration at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing and nationwide.

REALITY CHECK

The

CASE IN POINT

PPFRC will improve the health and wellbeing for families through research and innovation, and leadership and excellence through collaborative, interdisciplinary research.

• Decrease morbidity and mortality for women in S.C. and beyond, before and after childbirth.

• Decrease morbidity and mortality for premature infants and children born in S.C. from birth to two years old.

• Facilitate the health and wellbeing of families in S.C. during childbearing years with increased access to equitable, quality health care through research.

New PPFRC Director Dr. Robin Dail serves as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and was recently appointed as Health Sciences Endowed Professor.

“I created the center to bring together maternal-child researchers at the College of Nursing with faculty across the UofSC campus and nation. This will enable networking and extended collaborations, growing research productivity at the university, while making a difference to improve health outcomes for families in South Carolina and beyond,” says Dail.

This is the only center amongst peer institutions conducting this research.

Nursing and Public Health unite to fast-track faculty diversity using $13 million grant

NIH funding will support diversity initiative

By Erin Bluvas

After several years of forward momentum in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), UofSC’s DEI efforts have reached a new level. Thanks to a $13.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Common Fund, public health/epidemiology professor Angela Liese and nursing professor Coretta Jenerette will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team* to launch the Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program at UofSC.

“UofSC’s FIRST program is designed to recruit diverse early-stage faculty who are committed to inclusive excellence and whose work focuses on health disparities and equity,” Liese says. “We will support these individuals through mentorship,

training and professional development activities tailored to meet their needs while also addressing institutional-level systems and barriers to ensure their success and well-being.”

It started with a conversation. Then a series of conversations. From department meetings to the highest levels of leadership, faculty and staff across the university were talking about DEI – strategizing how to best improve the culture and support required to advance these areas.

Then changes started to happen. UofSC elevated the position of Chief Diversity Officer to Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and hired Julian Williams to take on the role.

Williams and other stakeholders established new positions, committees,

training programs and courses. They conducted campus climate surveys and collected data. And they created action plans, including the UofSC Strategic Plan 2020, with two of its eight priorities incorporating DEI (assemble and cultivate a world-class faculty and staff; cultivate a more diverse, equitable and inclusive campus culture).

“This transformative award is the culmination of intentional effort by our leaders to embed inclusive excellence into our institutional fabric,” Williams says. “Achieving this goal will require a diverse faculty that bring unique perspectives, lived experiences and ideas to their teaching and research.”

Now in its second year at NIH, FIRST funding has been awarded to only a handful of academic institutions. The program is unique because it goes beyond traditional methods (e.g., training/mentor programs, intensified minority recruitment) that generally function in isolation and fall short in addressing DEI-related challenges. Instead, FIRST works to transform academic communities into settings that embrace and expect DEI and where faculty can thrive and contribute to these efforts. The FIRST program promises to be a game changer for not only nursing and public health but also the broader university.

“We are using this initiative to enhance the infrastructure and create an environment that offers inclusive support and a sense of belonging that will improve everyone’s experience at UofSC,” Jenerette says. “Our hope is to expand the program beyond this initial cohort of public health and nursing faculty so that it becomes a sustained part of our university – both philosophically and culturally.”

UofSC’s successful selection to receive this grant can be credited to two important factors. The first is the complementary skill sets and overlapping commitment to DEI that Jenerette and Liese bring to the table. Jenerette is the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity at the College of Nursing, where she also conducts research to enhance self-care and family management among vulnerable populations. Liese specializes in diabetes epidemiology and public health nutrition, often with a focus on racial/ethnic disparities.

The second factor? Unwavering and wholehearted support from UofSC leadership, from chairs/deans to the president. Their considerable efforts to improve DEI over the past few years extend to their immediate and long-term commitment to FIRST.

“Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of South Carolina is a central value for me, President Amiridis and our university’s larger leadership team,” says Donna Arnett, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “I am

appreciative of Professor Liese and Professor Jenerette’s leadership in bringing about change, and I am excited to see the tremendous impact this grant will have on increasing diversity in our university’s faculty ranks.”

*Additional team members include Susan Steck (Epidemiology; Faculty Development Co-Lead), Lucy Ingram (Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior), Pamela Gillam (Center for Applied Research and Evaluation; Evaluation Co-Lead), Tisha Felder (Nursing; Faculty Development Co-Lead), Gloria Boutte (Education; Associate Dean of Diversity Equity Inclusion), and Michelle Bryan (Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Education; Evaluation Co-Lead).

The NIH Common Fund’s Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program aims to implement and sustain cultures of inclusive excellence in the biomedical research community. “Inclusive excellence” refers to cultures that establish and sustain scientific environments that cultivate and benefit from a full range of talent and has the potential to be transformational for biomedical research at the awardee institutions and beyond. The UofSC FIRST program is supported by grant #U54CA272171.

NOW HIRING

NEW FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM ADDRESSES SOUTH CAROLINA’S NURSING SHORTAGE

A new faculty pipeline program launched this summer will assist the College of Nursing in increasing student enrollment and addressing critical staff shortages in our state and beyond.

South Carolina can expect a 24 percent nursing staff shortage over the next few years, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While South Carolina faces challenges, the College of Nursing is rising to meet them. Learning from UofSC faculty recognized nationally and internationally for innovative research, our students become agile nurses who can thrive in a wide range of patient care settings.

- Dean Jeannette Andrews

Also, according to the federal Bureau of Health Workforce, the state has the lowest nurse-to-population ratio in the U.S. The new Nursing Faculty Fellows Pipeline Program, which is funded by a grant from the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation, will enable new faculty to be hired over the next three years. Seven to ten doctoral students will be accepted into the fellowship program and hired as faculty clinical “instructors.” They will receive mentorship, teaching and research preparation to increase their readiness to become future faculty. After completion, the fellow is eligible to apply to be an assistant professor in the College of Nursing.

I am thankful for the pipeline program because it allows me to manage my time throughout the week, completing my research and fulfilling my teacher assistant role. I feel called to teach entry level courses and build students confidence levels after graduation.

- Jennifer Beecroft, Research Associate

The Nursing Faculty Fellows Pipeline Program adds to the vital initiatives already underway at the university to address the future nursing workforce challenge in South Carolina. The number of patients and families across the state impacted from this pilot program’s additional workforce is projected in the thousands.

PROGRAMS EXCEL

College of Nursing students are in the top 1 percent of NCLEX pass rates in the country and have had 100 percent pass rates on nurse practitioner board exams. The college is ranked No. 1 in graduate online nursing programs by U.S. News & World Report. The college also has increased its pre-licensure junior class Bachelor of Science in nursing enrollment by 40 percent over the past six years. At the graduate level, overall enrollment has increased by 130 percent.

“Because of our statewide and national reputation for excellence, there is a huge demand for our nursing program, with more applications at both the undergraduate and graduate level than we can admit,” Andrews says. “Our health system partners favor our expertly trained graduates, and we have a strong history of partnering on nursing workforce issues.”

With more than 11,000 alumni, partners, faculty and staff, the College of Nursing will continue to lead the way in improving health outcomes and equity and solving the nursing shortage.

GETTING PHYSICAL

$3.7 million grant aims to promote greater physical activity and well-being among inactive African American women in South Carolina

Allison Sweeney believes that making physical activity a part of everyday life will foster greater health equity for South Carolina’s population – particularly among African American communities.

To help reach that goal, Sweeney, an assistant professor in the College of Nursing, is leading a clinical trial to promote daily exercise and greater cardiovascular health among African American women. Funded by a five-year $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the Together Everyone Achieves More Physical Activity (TEAM) project is partnering with community organizations to make physical activity programs social, accessible and easy for people to participate.

We asked Sweeney about her research, the TEAM trial, and her passion for helping people find ways to be more active by making exercise part of their daily routine.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE TRIAL AND ITS IMPACT?

We are focusing on African American women because in South Carolina they have some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, all of which can be prevented (or some of the symptoms can be reduced) by regular physical activity. At a national level, despite having high rates of chronic disease, racial minorities are underrepresented in clinical trials. Historically, researchers have not done a good job at tailoring programs to meet the needs, interests and values of minority communities. My hope is that by partnering with community organizations and integrating core values related to social support, this grant will help to identify best practices for reducing barriers to participation, facilitate positive changes in health and well-being and promote greater health equity in South Carolina.

WHO IS PARTICIPATING IN TEAM AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

The program is implemented in small groups, 10–15 people, recruited in collaboration with community partners. We want to help women who are currently inactive (getting less than an hour of exercise a week) learn how to make physical activity part of their everyday life in a way that is enjoyable and sustainable.

We are comparing two types of group programs: one that focuses on group competition and social connectedness and one that focuses on self-efficacy and one-on-one support from a group facilitator. Both programs involve weekly group sessions for 12 weeks and participants receive a complementary FitBit fitness tracker, which we use for weekly goal-setting. We launched our first groups of participants in September and are excited to continue to offer these programs over the next few years.

WHO ARE YOUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO WORK WITH THEM?

We’re working with Parks and Recreation in Columbia, the Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands and the city of Sumter HOPE Centers. It’s important to make these programs accessible, and they all have locations where we can run the 12-week group sessions. We try to target community sites that people are already visiting on a regular basis or live nearby. For example, one of our programs is at a Boys and Girls Club after-school site at a local elementary school. We've been able to recruit parents whose children are in the program. They're already at the school to pick up their kids, so they don’t have to travel somewhere extra. We want to make it easy for people to participate and integrate it into their daily routines.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

The grant is for five years, so as one group completes the 12week program, we recruit another group. We hope to see a positive change in physical activity (as well as other outcomes like blood pressure and motivation) from the beginning to the end of the program. We also will follow up with participants six

months later to see if they've been able to maintain changes. We're not able to look at the primary outcome until the trial is complete, but along the way, we can track things like attendance and retention and monitor the program to make sure we're hitting our benchmarks for the sessions.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO FOCUS YOUR RESEARCH ON HEALTH BEHAVIOR, SPECIFICALLY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG INACTIVE AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN?

As a post-doctoral fellow, I worked with Dawn Wilson (from the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina) to develop behavioral lifestyle interventions for racial minority families. This work was extremely rewarding and eye-opening. I have found that there are a lot of misconceptions about exercising. Many people don’t realize that even adding 10 minutes of brisk walking a day has major implications for reducing risk for premature death and chronic disease. This work also instilled in me the importance of academic institutions/researchers partnering directly with communities to work together to overcome barriers. By developing behavioral lifestyle programs that meet the needs of diverse communities, we can make progress toward eliminating health disparities in chronic disease in South Carolina. I am excited to continue research that promotes sustainable and meaningful changes in health and well-being, especially among underrepresented minority communities.

2022 ALUMNI AWARDS WINNERS

Alumni award winners exemplify College of Nursing’s values and mission

Two alumni committed to service and nursing excellence were recognized with 2022 Outstanding Alumni Awards.

To recognize excellence in its graduates, the college presents the awards each fall. For 2022, Lauren Booth (2016 master’s nursing) received the Outstanding Nurse Alumni Award. The award is given to a graduate whose first degree from the college was earned before 2010 or who has more than 10 years’ experience.

Xavier Pollard (2018 bachelor’s nursing) received the Outstanding Young Nurse Alumni Award (given to a graduate whose first degree from the college was earned between 2010 and present and who has 10 years or less experience).

At the awards ceremony, College of Nursing Dean Jeannette Andrews said, "Our alumni are care providers, educators,

administrators, lawmakers and game-changers. A true testament to the College of Nursing is the success of our alumni. This evening we honor two alumni who embody the values of the college and the profession of nursing."

OUTSTANDING NURSE ALUMNI AWARD

Lauren Booth (advanced practice registered nurse; FNP-BC)

Booth is passionate about providing opportunities for growth, development and mentorship for nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner students. She is active in several professional organizations that promote the role of nurse practitioners and, since 2018, has been an active member of the University of South Carolina College of Nursing Alumni Council.

Booth is a diabetes/endocrinology specialty family nurse practitioner at S.C. House Call with a background in critical care, cardiology, ortho/neuro, psychiatry and home health. During her 20-year career in health care, she spent 10 years as a registered nurse holding positions of staff nurse, charge nurse and house supervisor and has spent the past six years practicing as a nurse practitioner.

Booth is the president of the Capitol Nurse Practitioner Group in Columbia, South Carolina, one of the largest growing organizations to advance, support and promote the role of nurse practitioners in the state and nationally through virtual communications. She also has been an active member of Sigma Theta Tau Alpha Xi and Pi Lambda chapters, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American Nurses Association, South Carolina Nurses Association and the American Association of Psychiatric Nurses.

She is currently enrolled in the Amy V. Cockcroft Leadership Fellowship program at the College of Nursing's Center for Nursing Leadership. She has been the recipient of the June Boggs Scholarship and Daisy Award at Palmetto Richland Hospital and was recognized for her outstanding leadership of Capitol Nurse Practitioner Group.

OUTSTANDING YOUNG NURSE ALUMNI AWARD

Capt. Xavier Pollard (registered nurse)

After high school, Pollard completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. While serving, Pollard enrolled in the University of South Carolina College of Nursing's Bachelor of Science program and prepared for his Army ROTC commission.

Following his commissioning in 2018 as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, Pollard attended the Medical Center of Excellence Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. He served as a staff nurse at Fort Lewis Madigan Army Medical Center's medical-surgical unit in Washington before moving to inpatient pediatrics. He then transitioned to head nurse of the Madigan Army Medical Center's Family Medicine Clinic at the Brigade level, covering 1,200 service members. During the pandemic, Pollard was part of Joint Task Force 51, providing COVID relief at Northern Navajo Medical Center in New Mexico.

Pollard won the Madigan Army Medical Center Registered Nurse of the Year in 2021. Currently, he is attending Uniform Services University School of Medicine with the hope of specializing in otorhinolaryngology.

THREE GENERATIONS OF GAMECOCK NURSES

The calling and tradition of nursing is often passed down among families. Our "Tradition of Nursing" spotlights nurse relatives who have earned their degree from UofSC College of Nursing.

Junior Mckenna Wiggins was inspired by generations of Gamecock nurses in her family to attend UofSC and major in nursing. Even the smallest details align with this nursing family. Mckenna's mother and grandmother coincidentally lived in the same dorm and room while at the university- many years apart.

"I have always been told that nursing is in my blood. Watching my grandmother and mom as excellent nurses was a huge influence. I hope one day to be just as good as they are," said Mckenna.

The tradition of Gamecock nursing began with her grandmother, Donah Cooper. She found her love of serving the community by assisting her OB-GYN father and later marrying Mckenna's grandfather, who is a general surgeon. Mckenna's mother, Wendy Wiggins, watched her father and mother go the extra mile for patients and the community and also became a nurse.

Today, Wendy is a nurse manager in the Wound, Ostomy and Continence department at Piedmont Hospital in Augusta, Georgia. All three generations have helped with a high school physicals clinic (founded by a family member) for over 60 years.

Wendy and Donah both attended Mckenna's stethoscope ceremony in May as she entered upper division. The experienced nurses support Mckenna from the sidelines as she navigates her nursing school experience.

When Mckenna had an important nursing exam on wound care, I was able to study with her over the phone and help her prepare. It was a special experience.

DONNA COOPER

DEAN'S CIRCLE | Makes direct impact on nursing

As a Dean's Circle donor, you have an immediate and substantial impact on our ability to change the future of nursing for the better.

The Dean's Circle recognizes donors who annually (July 1 – June 30) give gifts of $1,000 or more to the College of Nursing.

2022 NEW HIRES

Faculty

Stephanie Schaller, Assistant Professor

Jewel Scott, Assistant Professor

Gayenell Magwood, Myrtle Irene Brown Endowed Professor of Nursing

Janet Kubas, Assistant Professor

Malissa Mulkey, Assistant Professor

Teresa Bowers, Assistant Professor

Carolyn Sue-Ling, Associate Professor

Nikki Smith, Assistant Professor

Lorie Donelle, Emily Myrtle Smith Endowed Professor of Nursing

Kristen Weaver-Toedtman, Assistant Professor

Staff

Kristy Bailey, Dean’s Assistant

Makayla Mansfield, Recruitment Program Coordinator

Shalama Jackson, Research Associate

Cynthia Ekman, Research Associate

Jasmine Gant, Program Assistant

Shantise Byrd, Research Nurse

Cierra Pinckney, Undergraduate Academic Advisor

Mya Singleton, Communications Manager

Nicole Meares, Director of Communications and Marketing

Anna Tompkins, Undergraduate Academic Advisor

Carmelita Wise, Program Coordinator

Paris Davis, Undergraduate Academic Advisor

Maya Wright, Program Assistant

Margaret Prentice, Program Manager

Stephanie Raley, Simulation Educator

Jennifer Beecroft, Research Associate

Neely Cathcart, Clinical Placement Coordinator

Rene Hamer, Director of Graduate Student Recruitment

MEPN GRADUATES

The Master’s Entry to Practice Nursing (MEPN) first cohort graduated August 2022. This program prepares non-nurse baccalaureate-prepared individuals to enter the nursing profession as master’s degree graduates.

This unique program provides the opportunity to gain education and experience as a direct-care provider of nursing in a variety of settings. Graduates will be eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX).

Eleanore Anderson

Savannah Asbill

Jocelyn Bennett

Sabrina Denson

Tamarra Fils Allyson Gilbert Yolanda Green

Regan Gregory Tamala Hammond Nicole Hoffner

Maranda Jebens-Plumb Katelyn Koluch Sara Kosnosky

Peyton Leach

Tre'Linda Little Michael Lynch

Majaka Mentar Max Palmer Haley Pitzer Amber Rabon Sydney Saunders

Colby Sharpe Katie Smith

Latoya Stewart

Sloane Taylor Jasmine White-Snell