6 minute read
ALUMNI NOTES
Rachel Harris
Rachel Harris, BSN ’94, has been named the senior vice president and chief nurse executive for Erlanger Health System. Her nursing experience includes serving as administrator and assistant chief nursing officer of Erlanger East and North hospitals. Her previous responsibilities also included being house supervisor and nurse manager for several of Erlanger's key medical areas, including Heart Failure, Dialysis, Stroke and Surgical Intensive Care Units.
Rhonda Hatfield
Rhonda Hatfield, BSN ’96, MBA ’00, is the division chief nurse executive for CHI Memorial. In addition to the responsibilities she has for CHI Memorial, she is enrolled in the Doctorate of Business Administration concentration at Trevecca University and anticipates graduating in 2023.
Taylor Theobold
Taylor Theobold, BSN ’18, was set to get married June 6, but life had other plans. She and her fiancé are now planning for a May 2021 event. One week after officially postponing the wedding, she lost her home in the April tornadoes. Not deterred, she will graduate from Lee University in December 2021, earning her doctor of nursing practice. Working in Erlanger’s Cardiac Step-Down Unit and seeing a tremendous need, she “opened” the Compassion Closet to be used to meet the needs of Erlanger patients who have no clothes appropriate for discharge. To date, the Closet has been able to serve more than 600 people. Taylor earned the Pay-It-Forward Award from WTVC/Channel 9 and received $500 to purchase more clothes.
newschannel9.com/features/pay-it-forward/ cardiology-nurse-creates-compassion-closet
Cody Harvey, MBA, BSN RN ’15, executive director at Morning Pointe Assisted Living in Chattanooga, found himself in an interesting position. The facility was devastated by the tornadoes that hit East Brainerd in April, forcing the evacuation of a building full of seniors to a safe place in the middle of the night. Morning Pointe is set to reopen in November 2020. Harvey also is working as a nurse at the new Kennedy Outpatient Center at Erlanger Hospital, where he is a gastroenterology nurse in pediatrics.
Rebecca Beebe
Rebecca Beebe, BSN ’19, is an Army nurse officer and lives with her husband in El Paso, Texas. She works on a surgical unit at the military hospital and rotates through the COVID-19 unit. They have adopted another fur baby, a golden retriever puppy named Finley after Finley Stadium where the Mocs football team plays.
Laura Williams and Madison Williams, both BSN '14, were in New York City in the spring, working with COVID-19 response. Madison worked in a COVID Intensive Care Unit, and Laura was the House Supervisor in a COVID-19 field hospital. Laura is currently a clinical instructor for the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Nursing.
Mikaela Jobe, BSN ’20, is working at Maury Regional Medical Center on the Intensive Care Unit Step-down floor, which is primarily the COVID unit at this point.
Erin Seyer, MSN/FNP ’19, Since her graduation, she has worked in the Intensive Care Unit at Erlanger Hospital, helping with COVID-19 patients. In June 2020, she joined Physicians Care in East Ridge, working as a family nurse practitioner. She also earned her certification as a medical examiner for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Morgan Thompson, MSN/FNP ’20. After her graduation in May, she has worked in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at CHI Memorial. Having passed her certification exam to be fully credentialed as a nurse practitioner, she is now employed as a hospitalist at CHI Memorial.
Nurse Nee Nee
Katina Currin MSN ’10. In 2019, Dr. Currin debuted the Nurse Nee Nee book series to provide a comforting read for children and parents facing common childhood illnesses that may require surgical intervention. Her love for storytelling makes her books fun for all early readers. Undoubtedly, eyes will be opened to exciting adventures experienced by the characters in her stories. Laced with terminology and insight that will help lessen anxiety and fear surrounding hospital and doctor visits, she guarantees that readers will build vocabulary and literary skills all at the same time.
She has practiced as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) for over 10 years and has taken great delight in caring for pediatric patients.
Even in her past career as a respiratory therapist and critical care nurse, she strived to put children and parents at ease when facing healthcare challenges. Currently, she is working as a CRNA in the metro Atlanta area. When not writing or putting patients to sleep, she enjoys reading, gardening, biking, traveling and spending time with family. She and her husband Joseph live in Smyrna. Georgia.
nurseneeneeseries.com/about-dr-currin/
Emily Robinson McKamey, BSN ’17, is currently enrolled at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she is working on her Master of Science in Nursing in the Family Nurse Practitioner program. She plans to graduate in August 2021.
Weddings
Amber Brayer, BSN ’20, was married in September with a small group of family and friends on top of a mountain in Asheville, North Carolina.
Hannah Gentry Hockman
Hannah Gentry Hockman, BSN ’19, was married in May 2020.
Peyton Spies Jackson, BSN ’17, was married and is now in school at University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, earning a doctor of nurse practice with dual focus on adult gerontology acute care and family degrees.
Lauren Sullivan Vosika, BSN ’17, married in April 2020 to her college sweetheart. A pediatric nurse at the Hamilton County Health Department, when COVID-19 began, she started serving as the lead administrator to establish and manage temperature monitoring stations, the homeless clinic and the county courthouse. She also has worked at several COVID-19 testing sites since May. In addition, she has been involved with Hepatitis A efforts, including vaccine and IG administration in the Hamilton County Jail and at the county health department.
Leandra Young Gobbell
Leandra Young Gobbell, BSN ’20, married on Aug. 8, 2020 in Savannah, Tennessee.
Births
Kat Brewer Cole and her husband Tyler, both BSN ’15, welcomed a son, Liam, on Aug. 13, 2020. Both currently are working Washington in Neuro/Trauma Intensive Care Unit at Tacoma General Hospital.
Tyler, Kat and baby Liam Cole
STARTING DECEMBER 1 » VIRTUAL NIGHTINGALA 2020
The School of Nursing thanks all our alumni, faculty, staff, corporate sponsors and friends for a very successful NightinGala 2019. Because of COVID-19, we have postponed our event and will be having a virtual event. Until the days when we can safely gather, we hope you’ll consider supporting the School of Nursing during our digital fundraiser. With the continued need for simulation and nursing education, monetary support for the Anne P. Y. Ch’ien Learning Resource Center is as important as ever when it comes to properly preparing our future graduates. Because of your generous gifts, our students continue to excel in the clinic and in the classroom.
