valpo.edu/conhp
GRADUATE NURSING FACULTY JAMIE BUMP, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, CSSBB, CPHQ, DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE
CHRISTINA CAVINDER, DNP, RN, CPNP-PC
Professor Bump is the doctor of nursing practice program director and currently teaches in the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs and the graduate healthcare administration program. She earned both her bachelor of science and doctorate of nursing practice at Valparaiso University and recently completed her adultgero acute care certificate from Duke University. She is dual-certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a family nurse practitioner and an adult-gero acute care nurse practitioner. Professor Bump also holds certification as an American Society of Quality six sigma black belt and is a certified practitioner of healthcare quality. She has extensive experience in leading performance improvement teams to improve safety, quality, and efficiency of care, most recently within a large, tertiary, academic medical center in Chicago. She is a member of the American Society for Quality, AANP, CAPNI, American College of Cardiology, and Sigma Theta Tau. Professor Bump has had poster presentations at three of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s national forums, was a multiple-session speaker at the 2009 Society for Health Systems National Conference, and has co-authored and led case studies for Lean Six Sigma.
Professor Cavinder teaches in the nursing graduate program. Her area of expertise is pediatrics especially newborns and infants. She has worked as a biology technician in a cellular biology research laboratory. She has also worked as a staff nurse in a newborn intensive care unit and a pediatric intensive care unit. As a nurse practitioner, she is currently employed in a newborn intensive care unit doing daily patient management and transports for critical infants. Her research is related to low stress environment in the newborn intensive care unit. She has worked in redesigning the NICU to provide circadian lighting and sound modification to decrease the premature infants’ stress expose that alters their DNA. She is a member of NAPNAP, ANA, NANN, AWHONN, ANN, NLN, NONPF, AACN, and Sigma Theta Tau serving as president currently.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
GRADUATE NURSING ASSISTANT DEAN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF NURSING
For more information, contact Professor Cavinder at Christina.Cavinder@valpo.edu.
For more information, contact Professor Bump at Jamie.Bump@valpo.edu.
Continued on reverse... Valparaiso University admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or religion. (For a full statement, see valpo.edu.)
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN 46383 phone: 219.464.5000 web: valpo.edu/grad email: grad@valpo.edu
JULIE BRANDY, Ph.D., RN, FNP-BC, CNE Professor Brandy teaches in both the graduate and undergraduate nursing programs, specializing in spirituality and mental health research. She is certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and as a nurse educator by the National League for Nursing. Her extensive clinical background includes critical care, surgery, acute and residential psychiatric care, hospice, and family practice. Professor Brandy’s work has been published in the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, and Jacob's Journal of Gerontology. She is a member of several professional nursing organizations including Sigma Theta Tau, American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), Midwest Nursing Research Society, and the Child/Adolescent Steering Committee for the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.
THERESA KESSLER, Ph.D., RN, ACNS-BC, CNE, FAAN Professor Kessler teaches in both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs and the graduate public health program. She serves as the Kreft Endowed Chair for the Advancement of Nursing Science, as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, as a certified nurse educator through the National League for Nursing, as a site evaluator for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, and is board-certified as an adult health clinical nurse specialist through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). At ANCC, she advanced credentialing science through her leadership as chair of the Commissions on Certification. As an experienced academician and researcher, Professor Kessler has created programs of care that are cost-effective and provide access to health promotion interventions for vulnerable, at-risk populations. Her funded research, collaboration with other scientists, and publications led to advances in the method of measuring cognitive appraisal and its impact on improving quality of life in multiple populations. She has sustained a student-faculty collaborative model, mentoring undergraduate nursing students in research, leading to improved health behaviors of college students through campus-wide policy initiatives. Professor Kessler is widely published in a variety of journals and has presented her work nationally and internationally.
ZHENG LI, Ph.D., MPH, CPH Professor Li teaches in both the undergraduate and graduate public health programs. She is certified in public health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Her research focuses on the epidemiology of chronic diseases, health disparities, and health services. Professor Li's work involves collaborating with children suffering from respiratory diseases in economically disadvantaged families. Her research delves into the intricate dynamics of how social and environmental factors influence outcomes related to asthma, sleep, school performance, and overall quality of life. Professor Li's contributions extend to reputable peer-reviewed journals such as Sleep Medicine, Clinical and Experimental Allergy, and Academic Pediatrics, where she has published several noteworthy articles. Additionally, she is an active member of esteemed professional organizations, including the American Public Health Association, the Society for Epidemiologic Research, the Association of Public Health Nurses, and the International Society for Quality of Life Research.
KIM MINICH, DNP, FNP-BC Professor Minich is a clinical assistant professor in the College of Nursing and Health Professions, teaching in both the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. She also serves as clinical coordinator for the nursing division. She obtained her DNP from Purdue University and has been a board-certified family nurse practitioner for 14 years. Professor Minich has a passion for pediatric patients as well as addiction medicine. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau as well as AANP.
CHRISTINE PAQUIN, DNP, RN, PMHCNS-BC Professor Paquin teaches in the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs and maintains a part-time practice at Parkdale Center for Professionals, which provides addiction treatment for nurses and other professionals. Inspired by her passion for helping healthcare professionals improve their own wellness and happiness to better care for others and enjoy their life and career, Professor Paquin created a course entitled Wellness and Resilience for the Health Professional, which she has taught since the fall of 2021. She has a special interest in experiential learning and has published articles in Nursing Education Perspectives, Nurse Educator, and the Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, while also serving as a member of Sigma Theta Tau and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.
Valparaiso University admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or religion. (For a full statement, see valpo.edu.)
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN 46383 phone: 219.464.5000 web: valpo.edu/grad email: grad@valpo.edu