32 minute read
STUDENT STORIES
CURRENT STUDENT A Student on a Mission
Mikara Palacious BS Clinical Biology with Specialization in Medical Technology Class of 2020
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Undergraduate student Mikara Palacious discovered her passion for medical technology early. “I have been working in a medical lab since 2008,” she says. “I fell in love with this field, and from that point I knew I wanted to pursue it.” Originally from Freeport, Bahamas, Palacious feels driven to bring her skills back home, where she plans to open her own private lab. But only after she accomplishes a few more goals. Upon completing her bachelor’s degree, she aims to earn her certification as a medical technologist before pursuing her master’s.
Establishing firm short- and long-term objectives has been critical to Palacious’s success in Barry’s exacting program. She also prioritizes her tasks and manages her time in a way that allows her to get involved in Barry life while dedicating herself to her studies and her family. “Pursuing a degree is a lot of sacrifice,” she says. “My husband has been my biggest supporter, and any time I felt weary or overwhelmed, he was there to encourage and push me.” Her other greatest cheerleaders? Her professors. “I encourage students to always go to the professor to ensure they understand everything they are being taught,” she says. She knows that her mastery of classroom theory will come in handy during the six-month internship phase of the program, which in turn will aid her preparation for her board exam. This is a standard way of thinking for Palacious: She is always looking several steps ahead, mapping the path to her dream career by accomplishing small and large goals along the way.
Kelly Nickell, RN MS, Anesthesiology Class of 2020
After she earns her Master of Science in Anesthesiology this May, Kelly Nickell has no plans to rest on her laurels. “My ideal path after completing my program is to continue to practice in a place that will make me the most well-rounded and indispensable practitioner possible,” she says. Nickell entered Barry after working as a nurse in progressive- and intensive-care units at Florida Hospital Altamonte. Her passion for surgery inspired her to advance her career by becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, and Barry was the perfect fit. “I chose Barry’s program specifically because of its renowned reputation,” she says. “I knew that I wanted to be the best CRNA I could possibly become.”
Nickell’s motivation has been met with strong support from her Barry professors and peers. She is currently a Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist, a demanding role that continues to build her clinical skills as she prepares for her role as a CRNA. “Barry has bestowed a wealth of knowledge on me,” she says. Enthusiasm and determination have helped her transform that knowledge into mastery and are critical ingredients in her personal recipe for success. “Don’t lose faith when you get tired,” she says. “Just keep pushing on and dedicate yourself to being the best you can be.”
CURRENT STUDENT A Student Reaching for the Top
Joy Cameron-Lawson, DNP, RN Ph.D., Nursing Class of 2020
Neonatal nurse practitioner Joy Cameron-Lawson already holds five degrees in her field, and she is set to earn her sixth from Barry’s Ph.D. program. Since childhood, Cameron-Lawson has known her passion for nursing and considers earning her terminal degree in the field a kind of destiny. “My personality cannot be just satisfied with leaving things as I found them,” she says. In her youth, she cared for orphaned animals and emulated the nurses who supplied vaccinations at her elementary school in her native Jamaica by pretending to vaccinate her young cousins and siblings. Motivation and support from her parents, particularly her determined and hardworking mother, inspired her to transform her childhood dreams into an impressive career.
Now, with 25 years of nursing experience behind her, Cameron-Lawson has become a master at balancing the rigors of her job with family life and higher professional pursuits. She credits her partnership with her husband— who holds a Ph.D. and Post-Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry—with helping her adapt to the demands of her career without missing out on time with her children and extended family.
True to her ambitious nature, Cameron-Lawson has not only advanced her career through continued education but also established herself as an innovator. “I developed a method to treat excoriated diaper dermatitis,” she says. She is working to patent the method, which “has the future potential to manage babies who are drug addicted or who are on chemotherapy or [who have] short-gut syndrome.” Identifying the need for such treatment in infant populations inspired her to earn her post-master’s in Wound Ostomy, which supplied her with the skills and knowledge to pursue a solution. As she proceeds through the patenting process and devotes attention to both her Ph.D. program and her full-time role at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Cameron-Lawson finds additional support through her Barry professors and colleagues. “My experience at Barry has left a lasting mark on me and will be carried over to my new career as an innovator, nursing professor, nursing scientist, and future alumni,” she says.
RECENT GRAD A Grad Who Prioritizes Teamwork
Monica Nichols, DNP, APRN, FNP-C Ph.D., Nursing BS, Nursing DNP Nursing Class of 2016
Ask Monica Nichols’s colleagues to describe her and you’ll hear words like “approachable,” “organized,” “thorough,” and “team player.” “She exemplifies what we hope all graduating nurse practitioner students should aspire to be,” says one colleague in Barry’s MSN program, where Nichols serves as clinical faculty. As a teacher, she brings a wealth of realworld experience to the classroom. Nichols is a family nurse practitioner with ECC Pediatrics, a position for which she felt particularly equipped after earning both her BSN and DNP from Barry. “Barry not only reinforced the importance of a good clinical and scientific foundation,” she says, “but also focused on the heart of nursing as a career of healing and holistic wellness.”
Nichols’s well-rounded approach aided her success in Barry’s doctoral program, during which she grew her own family and pursued a demanding full-time job as an RN. “I scheduled time for school, time for work, and time for leisure to maximize the very short 24 hours in the day,” she says. She also maintained a clear focus on her professional goals, emphasizing clinical competency and learning to navigate today’s complex healthcare system. She views teamwork as an integral aspect of her role, which involves active communication with doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and insurance providers. “Most importantly,” Nichols says, “I am on the patient’s team, helping to put all of the pieces together between multiple specialties and helping them reach their goals.”
Whether she is teaching at Barry or caring for patients, Nichols prioritizes communication and collaboration. “My absolute passion is in treating adolescents,” she says. “Being able to sit with my teenage patients and counsel them on depression, anxiety, safety concerns, and being able to offer them community resources or just be a shoulder for them to cry on and help them navigate this difficult time in their life is incredibly rewarding.” As an integral part of Barry’s MSN program, she plays a similarly proactive role, advising students to work hard, set clear goals, and leverage the abundance of resources available to them. “Join the NP student union, network in the clinical settings, join a board you are passionate about,” she says. “Get out there and interface with the community, in order to further educate the public on not just what nurse practitioners do but what Barry nurse practitioners do.”
A Grad with Entreprenurial Drive RECENT GRAD
Kevin Masson BS, Exercise Physiology MS, Movement Exercises Class of 2018
The start of 2020 marked a major milestone for Kevin Masson, whose new business, BioFit Performance, opened in Orlando in January. The strength and conditioning coach earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Barry’s Sport & Exercise Sciences program, completing his master’s in 2018. Launching the full-service exercise training facility—which is staffed by coaches and nutritionists with advanced degrees—has been years in the making. “I began researching during undergrad,” he says.
Originally from the U.K., Masson arrived at Barry knowing he wanted to start a business that would bring high caliber training and conditioning services from the upper echelons of elite athletes to the general population. Both his undergraduate and graduate programs provided him with the comprehensive knowledge and supportive community he needed to bring his plan to fruition. “I had a one-on-one relationship with my professors,” he says. Masson has continued to nurture the professional relationships he formed at Barry through his founding of BioFit Performance. “A lot of my team are Barry alums, too,” he says.
In addition to his rigorous training in the SES program, Masson credits his internships with preparing him to succeed in the professional world. “The most important choice I made was to get an internship every single semester,” he says. By supplementing his coursework with internships in the athletic training departments at Barry, FIU, and other places, Masson found himself gaining confidence in his abilities and earning the trust of D1 athletes. “The trust needs to be established,” he says. “Then the fun stuff starts to happen.”
A Recent Grad Who Leads RECENT GRAD
Mathew Murray Physician Assistant Program Class of 2019
Matthew Murray is a people person. In Barry’s PA program, he consistently coordinated study groups with his peers and honed his skills across a variety of clinical practices. Not only did he enjoy fostering collegial relationships with his fellow students and professors, he felt that doing so was crucial to his education. “Getting to work with so many different people was really cool,” he says. “Learning from each other was invaluable.” The feeling was mutual. During his time at Barry, his class elected him as their representative for the student arm of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, a leadership role that enabled Murray to network at regional and national levels and gain exposure to PA advocacy.
Since graduating with a Master of Clinical Medical Science and Physician Assistant Certificate, Murray has been pursuing his dream career path. He joined Trinity Health of New England and is now working as a PA on an in-patient heart failure unit. Murray has long aspired to a PA position in critical care, so his new role is a perfect match. Ultimately, he says, he wants to grow his career toward PA leadership within a hospital. Characteristically, Murray’s strategy for success incorporates a healthy dose of comradery, and he advises students just beginning Barry’s PA program to engage openly with each other. “Rely on your classmates when you need help, and be a resource for your classmates when you can help them,” he says. It’s safe to say, many of his peers are following his lead.
Fulfilling a Dream in Med School RECENT GRAD
After earning her master’s from Barry’s BMS program in 2018, Nadira Lilman entered the most challenging phase of her academic career— medical school at the University of Miami. But despite the rigors of her new environment, she was well prepared. “So far, about 60-70% of the material that I have seen in medical school is familiar to me because of Barry,” she says. “Med school is tough; the amount of material you get in so little time is very overwhelming, so being familiar and having already learned some of the information definitely comes in handy!”
A Miami native, Lilman began exploring master’s programs shortly after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida in 2016. “I didn’t know much about Barry at first,” she says. “When I decided to do my research on different master’s programs that were offered, I found that Barry was one of the top programs in the nation.” Her decision to begin the BMS Medical Track launched her onto an academic and career path that’s been both demanding and rewarding. “I think my biggest challenge was trying to balance working as a full-time social worker and school,” she says. But Barry’s students, faculty, and staff supported her throughout. “Everyone at Barry wants to see you win, and it really makes overcoming hardship so much easier,” she says. (For the record, Lilman won big during her time at Barry, earning awards for Academic Excellence as well as Exceptional Achievement in both Immunology and Anatomy.)
Now at UM, Lilman incorporates the tools and skills she gained at Barry into her routine, studying every day, ensuring she makes every effort to understand the material (“trying to memorize things won’t be beneficial in the long run”), and surrounding herself with positive, supportive people. Ultimately, she knows she wants to work with children, but she is keeping her career options open. “One thing I really love about UM is that the opportunities are endless.”
A Recent Grad Who Tackles Challenges RECENT GRAD
There was never a doubt in John Park’s mind that he wanted to pursue dentistry, which is why he sought a program that would make him a competitive applicant to his target dental schools. He researched several programs before applying to Barry’s. “From what I read online,” he says, “Barry had a superb reputation for helping people get into dental school.” The BMS graduate student completed his degree in December of 2019 and now intends to pursue his studies in general dentistry.
Park feels well prepared for the challenges he will meet in dental school, thanks to Barry’s dynamic curriculum and an abundance of academic and professional resources. Among his favorite courses was Oral Pathology. “While I found the class difficult at times, I also found it rewarding to learn about conditions I may encounter as a dentist,” he says. “The class served as a reminder for my passion for dentistry and what I have to look forward to in dental school.”
Outside the classroom, Park found academic support through study groups, open lab periods, and visits with his professors. He also practiced the time management skills he’s glad to have acquired prior to entering dental school. “I’m the type of person that wants to be involved and participate in activities,” he says. “But I also tend to spread myself too thin. Thankfully, I have overcome this by learning to better prioritize my time.” Park also took advantage of Barry’s visits from various dental schools, which he considers great opportunities for students to network and explore their future options.
His determination and positive attitude were instrumental to his success in the BMS program, which he viewed as his second chance to achieve his dream. “All of us in this program had our own personal reasons for not getting where we wanted to right away, whether it was lack of extracurricular activities, grades, or needing a good transition to professional school,” Park says. “Barry put those reasons aside and helped us focus on the present, on how we can build ourselves up to become more competitive for admission while preparing us to succeed in the future.”
A Recent Grad Who Gets Hands-On RECENT GRAD
As an arboviral epidemiologist with the Miami-Dade branch of the Florida Department of Health, Erica Anderson participates in all aspects of monitoring mosquito-borne viruses. “I interview and re-interview case patients to learn about their experience with feeling sick, identify others at risk for the disease, provide prevention control measures, and perform case analysis (such as determining risks of exposure),” she says. “I also participate in enhanced arboviral surveillance projects and work with other state agencies, including our state labs, during each investigation.”
It’s a big responsibility, but Anderson loves the direct impact she has on each phase of protecting the public. “My job allows me to have a complete, hands-on role from start to finish,” she says.
In August 2019, Anderson earned dual master’s degrees in Public Health and Health Services Administration, but she was already well on her way to her dream career in epidemiology. She began interning with the Department of Health while still a Barry student. Her performance impressed her supervisors and prepared her to step into her current, full-time position. She says Barry’s Health Management programs nurtured her passion for public health and helped support her academic and professional success. Small class sizes fostered her relationships with her professors and mentors and allowed her opportunities to network within her field. In the future, she aims to advance her career in public health without sacrificing her direct connection with the public she serves. “My patient is my community,” Anderson says. As of now, she doesn’t want it any other way.
Going Above and Beyond RECENT GRAD
While pursuing his dual master’s degrees in Health Services Administration and Public Health, Oladapo Durojaiye was working as a full-time service manager at Wells Fargo. He had earned the promotion just three years after starting his career at the bank as a teller, an entrylevel position that informed his long-term ambition of becoming the chief financial officer of a healthcare organization.
Marrying his business knowledge with the intricate understanding of the health services industry he gained at Barry, Durojaiye is well on his way to achieving his lifelong goal. After completing his dual degree program in 2019, he finally made the leap to the healthcare industry, accepting a patient access team lead position at Plantation General Hospital in Plantation, Florida. “What I love most about my job,” says Durojaiye, “is the opportunity to work with a team that is diligently focused on improving patient experience through educating patients on their medical benefits and actively reducing patient wait time.” He credits Barry with preparing him for the role by providing him with the skills and knowledge to propel his future in healthcare, as well as testing his determination and drive. “Going above and beyond, consistently creating time to research and network with healthcare practitioners to get a real-life understanding of the industry are some of the strategies that helped me succeed,” he says. “It is very important to leverage resources within and outside of the academic environment to foster personal and career development.”
Durojaiye’s efforts are paying off in major ways. Recently, he was accepted into the two-year Administrative Fellowship Program at Mount Sinai Health Systems in New York City. The highly competitive fellowship is granted to a select few among hundreds of applicants. Durojaiye considers the award the top moment of his career to date. He attributes his success to his own hard work and the encouragement of his Barry University family. “I believe that the level of support I received from my professors, program advisor (Dr. Ritter), program director (Dr. Velis), the South Florida Healthcare Executive Forum (a local chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives), and mentors in the health industry helped distinguish me among the pool of candidates.”
When he begins his fellowship in July, Durojaiye aims to develop his core competencies and leadership skills and leverage the opportunity to explore a 360-degree business view of the hospital system. He also intends to pay it forward by mentoring others as he continues to advance in his career. “I am super excited to begin this next phase,” he says.
A Grad Who Gives Back SUCCESSFUL GRADS
Elisabeth Londono, DPM MS, Biomedical Sceiences Class of 2000
Dr. Elisabeth Londono knows how to stay busy. She is a mom, a practicing foot and ankle specialist in Miami, and a professor in Barry’s Biomedical Sciences graduate program, where she also earned her degree in 2000. Returning to Barry’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences has been a rewarding experience for Londono. The BMS program was her first exposure to podiatric medicine and the impetus toward earning her doctorate from Barry in 2006. To her, it feels right to serve the program that helped shape her career. As a former BMS student, she relates to the aspiring doctors she teaches and positions herself as both a mentor and role model. “They are me 20 years ago, and I am them in the future,” she says. “I find a lot of symbolism, humility, and pride in being with these students.”
Giving back has always been important to Londono. Originally from Dakar, Senegal, she attended high school in the U.S. as an exchange student, then remained to pursue her higher education. She returns to Senegal twice per year, both to visit family and participate in medical missions with the pediatric oncology department at the hospital where her father once served as a pediatrician. She has also worked with the Yucatan Crippled Children’s Project. But sharing her expertise with a future generation of medical doctors has been particularly gratifying. After all, she has a lot of experience to share. Once she earned her doctorate from Barry, she went on to pursue a demanding surgical residency at Miami’s Mercy Hospital and practice with KG Health Partners, a leading podiatric medical group serving Miami’s elder community. In that role, she found particular pleasure in working with seniors. “It was fantastic developing those bonds since I grew up so close to my grandparents,” she says.
Londono considers Barry’s BMS program as integral to her own success and that of anyone who intends to enter medical school. Not only does the program prepare students for the challenges of medical school, it also introduces them early to critical content and skills. “Once in medical school, lots of the information my cohort was being exposed to for the first time I was reviewing or relearning,” she says. “So, my mastery of the information was at a different level.” She encourages anyone considering applying to the program to go for it. “It’s extra time to mature, settle, develop, before things get really serious.”
A Grad with a Global Platform SUCCESSFUL GRADS
Ramses Principe BS, Exercise Physiology Class of 2013
With nearly 300,000 Instagram followers, Ramses Principe has elevated his fitness and lifestyle brand to a global level. The Sport and Exercise Sciences alum launched MIA Fitness—an online training service and veritable storehouse for all things healthy living—in 2011, while still an undergraduate. But his path to becoming one of Miami’s top fitness entrepreneurs was not easy.
An athlete throughout his life, Principe had dreams of playing football in the NFL. He excelled on his Miami high school team and earned a scholarship to play for the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY; but after two years, a shoulder injury forced him out of the sport. He returned to Miami and had surgery to repair his shoulder, but his recovery prevented him from exercising at his usual intensity. He gained weight and felt demoralized as he struggled to imagine his life without football at its center. On his popular YouTube channel, the Venezuelan-born Principe describes his emergence from his depression as something of an epiphany. “One day I just made a choice,” he says. “It’s either today or never.” Through hard work and healthy living, he got in shape and earned his certification as a personal trainer. He applied equal determination to his Exercise Physiology program at Barry, knowing the combination of his experience as an elite athlete and academic success would make him unstoppable in his new chosen venture: trainer and lifestyle coach.
Now, Principe is an influencer, the author of multiple e-books, and an online trainer to countless people of all fitness levels. He’s also a source of inspiration in his Miami community, donating both his time and healthy food to at-risk youth and cleaning trash from local waterways. A visit to his social media pages and his MIA Fitness site reveals his holistic approach to a healthy and fit lifestyle. Not only does he offer training packages, he also created his own line of supplements as well as cookbooks and a guide to mindful meditation. Recently, he added to his busy career by launching MIA Fitness Management, a training management firm. Principe credits Barry’s SES program with exposing him to a wealth of information he incorporates in his training philosophy. “Barry gave me the knowledge I needed in my field,” he says. “There are millions of other trainers on social media, but my experience at Barry sets me apart.”
A Grad Who Guides Others SUCCESSFUL GRADS
Courtney Novello, CCP, FPP BS, Cardiovascular Perfusion Class of 2003
As a South Florida clinical manager for Specialty Care, Courtney Novello oversees cardiovascular perfusion at three hospitals and manages a team of fourteen. “I have many hats that I have to wear,” she says. Among her favorites is mentor. “I love teaching my passion and seeing the moment when it clicks in the mentee’s mind.”
Since graduating from Barry’s Cardiovascular Perfusion program in 2003, Novello has steered her career with the same determination that helped her succeed in her undergraduate studies. She was 19 when she entered Barry, intent on academic excellence even as she maintained a fulltime job. “I knew I was young,” she says, “but I also knew what I wanted. I would bring my books and study while at my job and any time I could.” Her hard work caught the attention of her professors and clinical mentors at area hospitals, who helped launch a career that includes a distinguished Fellowship in Pediatric Perfusion at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Novello was previously co-chief of the department. In 2010, she returned to teach in Barry’s CVP program before being recruited, a year later, to open a pediatric heart program in West Palm Beach. She remained with pediatrics for three years before switching to adult perfusion. “By this point, I had a child who was one and a half years old, and I needed a change,” she says.
Change, to Novello, has never meant slowing down. Now, as a regional clinical manager and mother of two small children, she returns to Barry each spring to teach a course. Her love of her career is palpable, and her students tend to seek out her guidance. “I offer any advice I can and also give out my personal cell number and email address,” she says. Integrating the role of mentor into her career has been a continuous and evolving process, as Novello has advanced to the top of her field. “I have mentored Barry students, new-graduates, new chiefs, experienced perfusionists,” she says. It’s challenging, she acknowledges. But sharing the rewards and struggles of working in a life-saving career is a hat she’s proud to wear. hat she’s proud to wear.
A Grad Who See's Every Patient's Potential SUCCESSFUL GRADS
Alicia Morgado, OT MS, Occupational Therapy Class of 2010
When she describes occupational therapy to new patients and their families, Alicia Morgado invokes a philosophy of the late physician and educator Maria Montessori: “Help me to do it myself.” Morgado has always been drawn to helping others discover their capabilities. After earning her BS in Pre-K and Elementary Education from Barry, she worked as a special education teacher, assisting students from kindergarten through ninth grade as they navigated a range of challenges. “I was very content being a teacher,” she says. “But I felt an innate calling to be an OT.”
Morgado answered that calling with her typical positivity and determination. Less than a week after the birth of her second child, she was back on Barry’s campus, interviewing for a spot in the Occupational Therapy graduate program. Returning to Barry was an easy decision. “I thought, Of course I’m going back,” she says. “I think I was born to be an OT, and I want Barry to give me the tools to meet that goal.” Barry’s flexible program allowed Morgado to continue working as an educator while she pursued her master’s, affording her the chance to practice her newfound skills in a real-world environment. “I was incorporating what I learned into the classroom,” she says. By the time she earned her degree, in 2010, she was well equipped to launch Optimized Today’s Wellness Center Therapy Solutions—or OT Wellness—her occupational therapy practice that now serves pediatric patients in three locations across Miami-Dade County.
Morgado’s services are as varied as her patients, whom she assists with everything from social development to problem solving to stroke recovery. She views her role as a facilitator of each patient’s potential. “Our job is to allow the individual to be as independent as possible and live a meaningful and purposeful life.” She has extended this mindset beyond her clinical practice and into the Miami community, as well, co-founding the We Coach Foundation, which caters to local families with special needs. The nonprofit organization offers fun, inclusive activities—including a bi-weekly running club and a hangout social club—for individuals with special needs (ages five to adults) and their family members.
In the years since she embraced her life’s mission, Morgado has raised her young children into teenagers. Her son, just two when she began her graduate work at Barry, is now 15, and her daughter is 13. Her plate is full, but she is adept at managing stress and heavy workloads. In fact, her strategy for personal success employs the same self-acceptance she fosters in her patients. “It’s really about knowing who you are and what works best for you and using it,” she says.
The Trauma Guy SUCCESSFUL GRADS
Luis DeRosa, RN, EMT BS, Nursing Class of 2009
There are moments when Luis DeRosa feels made for his job as a Level 1 Trauma Nurse at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. A former patient will recognize him on the street and say, “Hey, you took care of me!” Or a family member of a critical patient will accept his small acts of compassion—change for the soda machine or one of the many varieties of cell phone chargers he stores in his locker in case someone needs one. Most often, it’s during the adrenalin-filled instant when he and his team step in to stabilize a patient with life-threatening injuries.
Today, he sees many such patients working as part of Ryder’s Trauma Resuscitation Unit. But DeRosa was not always certain of his career path. He still recalls his first day in the ER, thirteen years ago, when he found himself questioning his fitness for emergency medicine. While still an undergraduate nursing student at Barry, DeRosa earned his EMT license (also with Barry), which allowed him to serve as a patient-care technician. On day one of the job, he witnessed a surgeon performing an abdominal washout, an invasive procedure that stunned DeRosa. “I almost passed out,” he said. He finished his shift but went home feeling demoralized. “I told my mom, ‘I don’t think this is for me.’”
Now a leader at one of the nation’s top trauma centers, DeRosa recalls his initial trepidation with empathy for his younger self. He recognizes that early experience as a test of his passion and fortitude. “I don’t like to give up,” he says. Determination runs in his family. DeRosa’s older sister, who died in 2017 after a long battle with congenital muscular dystrophy, used to tell him, “Never give up. Always know where you’re going.” He took her motto to heart, continued working as a patient-care technician, and quickly realized his talent for critical-care nursing. “Everything I was learning at Barry was exciting, and I was able to apply that knowledge to real patients as a tech,” he says.
Essentially, he never looked back. After graduating from Barry in 2009, he continued to hone his skills as a trauma nurse, working in the Ryder Trauma Center’s ICU and specializing in burn care. He also joined the Southern Unit of the National Disaster Response Team, deploying to sites of natural and manmade disasters whenever he is called. As a key member of the trauma team at Ryder, the facility chosen by the U.S. Army as pre-deployment training grounds for all Forward Surgical Teams, he instructs Army personnel in trauma response.
As he built his career, DeRosa began sharing his experiences as a trauma nurse via social media. His Instagram handle, @thetraumaguy, has more than 136K followers, a number that surprises him. “My main goal is to reach the person who is outside looking in,” he says. “I want to give a snapshot of what it’s like.” Part catharsis and part inspiration, DeRosa’s social media presence illustrates the qualities that serve him well as a trauma nurse—quick thinking, a team-oriented focus, a sense of humor and humility, and compassion. He calls himself and his fellow team members “Trauma Ninjas,” a term that tends to motivate future trauma nurses when he speaks at colleges and universities, but he is committed to depicting the realities of his profession. “It’s a weird dichotomy,” he says. “In a way my job is fun. At the same time, I’m meeting people in the worst days of their lives.”
For all his accomplishments and all the patients he’s treated, DeRosa has not stopped exploring the ways he can help others in critical situations. He considers his time at Barry among his most informative years and aims to return for graduate school. He is particularly interested in the research arm of nursing and public health. “All nurses who advance in their experience begin to notice patterns,” he says. “For example, why are there always accidents on this one corner?” Learning how to analyze data that could help prevent traumatic injury is just one aspect of research that excites him. “Deep inside,” he says, “I want to make an impact.”
(Above L-R) Courtney Novello, Dr. John Murray, Cindy Cervantes and Mark Martin share a moment at the Cardiovascular Perfusion Scholarship event in August.
Cardiovascular Perfusion raised $6,500 Cardiovascular Perfusion offers merit scholarships to incoming students based on GPA. Additionally, Specialty Car sponsors a annual scholarship, the Brown-Brukardt Perfusion Education Scholarship Program, and the Florida Perfusion Society sponsors the Debra Ann Pacheco Memorial Scholarship. There are also scholarships available through other state perfusion societies and AmSECT sponsors perfusion students through the Perfusion Without Borders Program.
UNDERGRADUATE NURSING Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation = $2,812 Heather J. Milne Rohan Nursing Endowed Scholarship = $1670
Ph.D. NURSING Nurse Faculty Loan Program = $1,749,024
ANESTHESIOLOGY Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Scholarship = $3,000 North Dade Medical Scholarship = $5,000
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY The AOTA/AOTF foundation offers competitive scholarships for occupational therapy students who meet specific criteria.
HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION Health Services Administration R.A. Ritter Foundation Scholarship = $1450
SPORT & EXERCISE SCIENCES Sport & Exercise Science offers generous scholarships to incoming students based on their GPA.
SUPPORT A BARRY STUDENT with limited financial means and unlimited potential. DONATE NOW to the Barry Opportunity Fund | 305.899.8182 | barry.edu/opportunity-fund
