• Faculty Research Profile: Kaitlyn Rechenberg

JULY 2021-JUNE 2022

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BURGEONING PARTNERSHIPS IN ITALY

USF Health College of Nursing is creating new innovative courses and nursing education that promotes the delivery of quality care to patients across the globe, with an emphasized focus on areas experiencing high levels of poverty. To prepare our future nurses for delivering care to patient populations in these areas, USF College of Nursing is cultivating partnerships that promote nursing education and quality care in Sicily, Italy. Our partnership with Kore University of Enna, located in the center of Sicily, creates innovation at the academic level through the development of courses and curriculum that aim to prepare future health care providers to improve patient health outcomes and access locally and globally, while also providing students an eye-opening perspective of health care in Italy.

In Fall 2022, an esteemed group including USF President Rhea Law, Health Senior Vice President and Morsani College of Medicine Dean Charles Lockwood, Health Senior Associate Vice President and College of Nursing Dean Usha Menon and registered nurse and community health advocate Rosemary Ferdinand plans to travel to Italy to celebrate the partnerships already developed and foster new ones.

USF College of Nursing offered its first jointly-developed course content to medical students in January 2022, and is currently looking to provide opportunities for students and faculty from nursing and medicine to visit Sicily and work and learn onsite and vice versa. Fall 2022 courses include patient-provider communication; scientific writing; and lifestyle and behavior, which will discuss the difference in lifestyle behavior between individuals residing in the United States and Italy.

College of Nursing Associate Professor Jennifer Kue has taken on the lead communication between USF and Kore University of Enna faculty to create courses and coordinate scheduling and will lead the trip with the group in Fall 2022. Barbara Smith, RN, PhD, FACSM, FAAN, and Laura Szalacha, EdD, will also provide support as course instructors.

FACULTY RESEARCH PROFILE: KAITLYN RECHENBERG

At USF Health College of Nursing, we take pride in and celebrate the successes of our faculty who are contributing to vital research within the nursing community. Our faculty members are continuously taking strides to further our understanding of disease and patient care. USF Health College of Nursing’s DR. KAITLYN RECHENBERG, PHD, MPH, APRN, received the Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award, also known as the K23 grant, from the National Institute of Nursing Research. The grant will further her research into mindfulness-based stress reduction in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes.

The K23 grant is awarded to individuals who have a clinical doctoral degree and are focusing on development of patient-oriented research. Dr. Rechenberg’s research indicates that adolescents with Type 1 diabetes, one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in adolescents in the United States, are at risk for acute and long-term complications, including anxiety. Maintaining adequate glycemic control can reduce the risk of complications, and targeted interventions to reduce anxiety symptoms can contribute to improved quality of life and improved self-management of Type 1 diabetes, thus improving disease outcomes.

Dr. Rechenberg’s proposal uses a systemic approach to adapt an evidence-based intervention for anxiety symptoms, called mindfulnessbased stress reduction, to meet the developmental and lifestyle needs of this patient population. With the K23 grant, Dr. Rechenberg’s goal is to acquire the knowledge and research experience necessary to become an independent clinical investigator focused on developing, implementing and testing behavioral interventions and improving disease outcomes in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Rechenberg will interview adolescents diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and key stakeholders to learn more about challenges, needs and perceptions pertaining to anxiety management and mindfulness-based interventions. Resulting information will be used to develop an adapted mindfulness-based stress reduction mHealth application for adolescents with Type 1 diabetes that provides information on anxiety symptoms, quality of life, self-management and glycemic control.

MEET OUR ADVISORY BOARD

Susan Perry

I WANT TO CONTINUE THE DREAM OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

Dr. Susan Perry graduated in 1989 from Florida International University with a BSN and entered the United States Air Force later that year. During her military service in the Nurse Corps, Dr. Perry practiced in various nursing capacities. These included special care oncology, medical surgical nursing, critical care and infection control. In 1996, Susan was selected to attend the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda Maryland where she received her MSN in Anesthesia Nursing. After passing her boards she served as a Nurse Anesthesiologist in the Air Force with two operational deployments to Saudi Arabia and Qatar and eventually obtained the rank of Colonel.

In 2005, she was selected by the Chief of the Nurse Corps to move to the Uniformed Services University where she served as the Director of Clinical Education/Associate Program Director for the Department of Defense Nurse Anesthesia Program. Susan obtained her PhD in Nursing Science from the Uniformed Services University while working full time as an Air Force Officer. Her research focused on a previously unrecognized link between the autonomic nervous system and intracellular calcium release in b-lymphocytes from malignant hyperthermia susceptible patients. After obtaining her PhD and being promoted to Colonel, Susan served as the Senior Air Force Faculty for Graduate Programs, Consultant to the USAF Surgeon General for Anesthesia Education and faculty in the PhD and Anesthesia Programs.

After her retirement from the Air Force, Dr. Perry transitioned to civilian life at USF and lead the revision of the CRNA Program and was eventually promoted the Vice Dean for Faculty and Community Affairs. At USF, Susan brought in over 20 community partners, founded the multiple programs to address social determinants of health and promoted the utilization of advance practice providers across Florida. Dr. Perry was selected as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and a Fellow in the inaugural class for the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiologist. Sue Blanshan

I JOINED THE COLLEGE'S BOARD OF ADVISORS BECAUSE HEALTH CARE AND NURSING ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO GOOD LIVING, HEALTH, AND HEALING.

Dr. Sue Blanshan currently consults on higher education matters, including administrative change and innovation, student success strategies and goal setting, accreditation, and community outreach and engagement. She previously served as the Senior Advisor to the Provost at Michigan State University. In this role, she was responsible for the assessment of the student success programs and institutional accreditation.

She went to Michigan State University from the Maryland Higher Education Commission where she served as the Director of Academic Affairs. Her other previous positions include Executive Officer for Human Relations at The Ohio State University; Vice President for Academic Affairs at Trinity (Washington) University, Washington, D.C.; Assistant Provost, Dean and Professor of Sociology at Hartford College for Women, University of Hartford; Chief Operating Officer, AIDS Alabama, and Director of Business & Graduate Programs and Associate Professor of Management at Birmingham-Southern College. She has taught sociology, higher education administration, and management.

Carl Goff

I WANTED TO GIVE BACK TO A PROGRAM THAT HELPED ME ALONG THE WAY AND I CHOSE USF AS IT GAVE ME A SOLID FOUNDATION IN WHICH TO BUILD MY CAREER.

Carl Goff currently lives in Jacksonville Beach, FL with his wife Rebecca. They have lived here for over 30 years and have raised two children. He currently works for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in Washington, DC as a Senior Manager/ Analyst, part-time for the Mayo Clinic and am an adjunct professor for graduate programs. I have been with the Blue Cross Blue Shield system and the Mayo Clinic for 30 years.

I DECIDED TO BE A NURSE WHEN I WAS 5 YEARS OLD AND HAVE NEVER WAVERED FROM THAT PATH. I LOVE THE FACT THAT WE APPLY SCIENCE TO SUPPORT AND HELP PATIENTS. THE “CARING” IS THE BEST PART.

Between 1973 and 1984, Susan McMillan earned four more degrees, topping out with her PhD. She taught freshmen nursing students 1970-73 at GA Baptist. She taught seniors (oncology nursing) at FSU from 1974-78 while her husband earned his law degree. After finishing her doctoral degree, she immediately went to work at USF and remained there for almost 40 years. During my time at USF, she developed the Oncology Nursing graduate program that existed until a year after my retirement. She supervised more than 100 MS theses and many doctoral dissertations. She brought in more than $12 million in research funding, mostly from NIH and has a long list of refereed publications. She retired in January of 2018 and is enjoying it very much. Her current activities mostly center around teaching English pronunciation to Chinese graduate students at USF. To support that she has published two books for those focusing on English as a second language.

Janet Fansler

MY PERSONAL MISSION HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO CARE FOR OTHERS AND THE COMMUNITY. BY SERVING ON THE COLLEGE’S BOARD OF ADVISORS, I FEEL LIKE IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A BROADER INFLUENCE TO IMPACT QUALITY HEALTHCARE.

As Chief Nurse Executive and Executive Vice President of the Lakeland Regional Health System, Janet Fansler was responsible for integrating Medical Center objectives within the LRH strategic plan, overseeing the efficient operation of LRHMC, ensuring delivery of high-quality patient care and setting exceptional standards that supported high-quality patient care. Dr. Fansler’s passionate vision for nursing and deep commitment to exceptional patient care led to the adoption of Dr. Joanne Duffy’s evidence-based Quality Caring Model to identify and leverage the links between caring concepts and patient outcomes. In addition, she provided executive sponsorship for LRHMC’s, major emergency department reengineering that garnered international attention for reduced patient wait times while improving the quality of care. Dr. Fansler received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Eastern Kentucky University. She went on to earn her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of South Florida and her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Her clinical background includes emergency and critical care nursing Practice. She is a past President of the Florida Organization of Nurse Executives as well as the recipient of the Leadership award for outstanding contributions in Nursing Administration.

Dr. Fansler has retired from LRHS and serves as a Community Member on their Executive Quality and Safety Committee. She also serves as an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Lakeland and is Chair for the Pandemic task force and the Human Resources Council.

Pamela Orlosky

TODAY’S NURSING STUDENTS HAVE SO MANY CHOICES! I WANT THEM TO KNOW IT’S OKAY TO TRY AS MANY FIELDS AS THEY WANT, DON’T FEEL CONFINED OR CONSTRAINED.

As a licensed RN since 1974, Palmela Orlosky has been fortunate to work exclusively in the Tampa area, and in multiple settings. Her career began after graduating from Gordon Keller, and receiving her AS from HCC, as they had taken over the program from Tampa General Hospital. Her first experience came in Labor and Delivery, and she became certified as a Nurse Midwife. In search of better working hours, as she had two young children, she transitioned to ICU. She was then recruited to join the first HMO in Florida, Av-Med Heath is, and was only the second RN to be hired. It was an exciting, new world in Managed Care! She worked with the University of Miami computer sciences department to develop their first computer-based authorization and case management tool. For the next 20 years, she would provide catastrophic case management for multiple providers. The final 10 years of her career she spent as a Team Manager for LifePath Hospice. She truly did provide cradle to grave care during her career. She retired in 2019, but continues to keep her license updated and ready, just in case.

In 2016, she married Michael J. Orlosky, M.D. who is an alumnus of the USF Medical School, and currently sits on the advisory board for the College of Public Health. Together, they have set up the Sisk Orlosky Scholarship (SOS) for the USF College of Nursing.

She is honored to be included in the advisory board and looks forward to providing today’s students with perspective from her almost 50 years of nursing experience.

Christine Schlesinger

AS A RETIRED NURSE AND NOW AS A MORE FREQUENT CONSUMER OF HEALTH CARE, I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE TO SOCIETY OF NURSES WELL EDUCATED IN NURSING THEORY AND CRITICAL THINKING. NURSES ARE THE FRONT LINE OF HEALTH CARE. THE PANDEMIC HAS CERTAINLY ILLUMINATED THAT FACT.

Christine Schlesinger (aka Christine Peterson APRN, CDE) practiced nursing for over 43 years; 20 of those years, as a geriatric NP. She is the author of numerous peer reviewed articles and is a compelling and passionate speaker. A strong believer in the chronic disease care model, she developed “Shared Medical Appointments” (SMA) with a multidisciplinary team at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center and was advisor to Governor Edward Rendell’s (PA) “Chronic Disease Care Commission”. With Gail Prater, she is co-author of a book: “Mindful Eating: how to eat your way out of obesity and diabetes.”

Ms. Schlesinger has served on the boards of Visible Men Academy in Bradenton, FL, and the Friendship Centers in Sarasota, FL and surrounding counties. Ms. Schlesinger was the founder and president of SOLOs (Single Orchestra Lovers of the Philadelphia Orchestra), a part of the Orchestra Volunteer Committees.

She has two married sons and a granddaughter, Lilly, living in Denver. She and life partner David Kotok live in Sarasota, FL.

Diana Rao

DURING THE 36 YEARS I WORKED IN NURSING I ALWAYS FOUND THE ROLE OF NURSES MARGINALIZED NOT ONLY BY THE MEDICAL PROFESSION BUT BY THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. THERE SEEMED TO BE VERY LITTLE RECOGNITION THAT NURSES PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN KEEPING THE WHEELS OF HEALTHCARE TURNING WHETHER IN A HOSPITAL SETTING OR A COMMUNITY SETTING. IT TOOK THE TRAGEDY AND SHOCK OF THE COVID PANDEMIC FOR THE REALIZATION THAT WITHOUT AN ADEQUATE, HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONAL.

This 69+ year old woman has been married to the love of her life for the past 48 years, has two amazing children, a boy and a girl both physicians and is blessed with two grandchildren a boy and a girl aged 11 (girl) and 14 (boy) who keep me on my toes and smiling. She is a retired registered nurse who since her retirement has found herself involved in a variety of local volunteer organizations that have no relation to her medical background such as Big Cat Rescue which rescues and houses exotic cats and rehabilitates injured or orphaned native wild cats. In addition, she has served in many roles on the board of the Tampa Bay Snow Skiers with a membership of 1500 people culminating with being the president in 1995. She currently serves on the WUSF Advisory Board on the community relations committee. She is also on the homeowner’s association of her 1,500 home community.

Her philosophy in life is not to be a part of the problems she finds in life but to be actively participating in being the solution to them.

Rosemary Ferdinand

BY DESIGN, NURSING’S CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND PRACTICE UNIQUELY INTEGRATE DISPARATE RESOURCES TO OPTIMIZE HEALTH OUTCOMES. PATTERNS OF NURSING INTEGRATION CAN TRANSFORM HEALTHCARE DELIVERY, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AT ANY POINT ON THE LOCAL / GLOBAL CONTINUUM.

With a career spanning more than 30 years, Dr. Ferdinand has delivered care in a variety of clinical settings and has held Nursing leadership and faculty positions. She provided global healthcare information systems and management consulting for eleven years with Deloitte Consulting.

In 2013, and again in 2016, she received the gift of life, twice, in the form of two double lung transplants at USF/ TGH. Finding new energy from a consciousness of gratitude, she is currently focused on synergistic innovation to improve well-being.

Dr. Ferdinand graduated summa cum laude from Seton Hall University, received a Master of Science degree in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing from Columbia University, and was in the first PhD class in Biomedical Informatics at Rutgers School of Health Professions.

Her research interests include defining patterns of semantic and spatiotemporal integration in healthcare information. Her work has been implemented in international healthcare information standards, forming the basis for global healthcare systems development and integration to this day.

Dr. Ferdinand has held adjunct faculty appointments at Columbia and Rutgers Universities. She lives with husband Doug, Purrtrick their cat and Boo their Cocker Spaniel in Lakewood Ranch, FL. Her heart resides in Sicily.