UTHSC College of Nursing Magazine - Fall 2022

NURSING THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER FALL 2022

Expanding Our Impact

The Dr. Melody Waller Endowed Scholarship The Dr. Melody Waller Endowed Scholarship was established in February 2022, to honor the memory of a faculty member and rising nurse leader, who made a significant impact on the College of Nursing before her death on Feb. 6, 2022.

Dr. Waller joined the College of Nursing faculty in 2009 and earned her PhD in Nursing Science at UTHSC in 2016. She led the college’s task force charged with seeking National League for Nursing (NLN) Center of Excellence status. The college achieved that goal, receiving NLN Center of Excellence status in the category of Enhancing Student Learning and Professional Development. Dr. Waller was also appointed as director of the college’s Dr. Margaret A. Newman Center for Nursing Theory in 2021.

Dr. Waller was an excellent educator known for mentoring students during the nursing program and after graduation. Her honors included receiving the Student Government Association Executive Council Excellence in Teaching Award in 2011 and 2013 and the Johnson & Johnson/American Association of Colleges of Nursing Minority Nurse Faculty Scholarship Award in 2013 and 2014.

The scholarship in Dr. Waller’s name will benefit a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN). The link to contribute to the Dr. Melody Waller Endowed Scholarship fund is http://giving.uthsc.edu/ waller.

LEADERSHIP

< Both Nurse and Vet

UTHSC Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operations Officer Ken Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE Dean of the College of Nursing Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, FAANP Executive Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Charleen McNeill, PhD, MSN, RN

Student follows unique career path

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Associate Dean of Research Ansley Grimes Stanfill, PhD, RN, FAAN Assistant Dean Community and Global Partnerships Sara Day, PhD, RN, FAAN Assistant Dean Student Affairs Glynis Blackard, PhD, MSN, RN

Expanding our Reach > Grant funds vital training in West Tennessee

Chair, Department of Acute and Tertiary Care Sherry Webb, DNSc, RN, CNL, NEA-BC

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Chair, Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Mona Newsome Wicks, PhD, RN, FAAN Chair, Department of Community and Population Health Sarah J. Rhoads, PhD, DNP, WHNP-BC, RNCOB, APRN, FAAN Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Affairs Love Collins, III, MBA

<O n the Front Line

Nursing boot camp offers sickle cell training

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Affairs Chandra A. Tuggle Director of Development, College of Nursing Michelle Stubbs

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Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing Sally Badoud Editor Leigh Ann Roman Designer Adam Gaines Writers Janay Jeans Peggy Reisser Leigh Ann Roman Photographers Jay Adkins Adam Gaines Ann-Margaret Hedges Danny Klimetz Leigh Ann Roman On the Cover: These students are recent graduates from our accelerated BSN program who are participating in the Methodist Le Bonheur Scholars program. Story on page 5.

Persistence > Amidst Tragedy

Support pushes student toward goal

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All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admissions without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status.

Eligibility and other terms and conditions of employment benefits at The University of Tennessee are governed by laws and regulations of the State of Tennessee, and this non-discrimination statement is intended to be consistent with those laws and regulations.

In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, The University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the University.

Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color, national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), ADA (disability), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED), 910 Madison Avenue, Suite 826, Memphis, Tennessee 38163, telephone 901-448-7382 (V/TTY available). Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the Office of Equity and Diversity. E073801(013-230357)

From the Dean It is so gratifying to look back at the last year and see how the College of Nursing has built on our tradition of excellence to expand our impact in the Mid-South and on the nursing profession.

Through a partnership with Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, we are helping to build the nursing pipeline to local hospitals. In the agreement, Methodist covers the tuition and fees for any accelerated BSN student in our college who commits to work for the system for at least two years. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that nursing is truly the backbone of health care, and we are so grateful that this opportunity benefits our students and the hospitals and patients in our region.

The College of Nursing is also expanding its outreach to the rural counties of West Tennessee. A $3.9 million grant will allow us to increase health care access in Lake and Lauderdale counties and to offer a greater rural clinical experience to our BSN and DNP students. The college is also increasing the number of advanced practice nurses educated as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) through a three-year, $1.5 million grant. In just one year, the program has added 20 more SANE-educated nurses in West Tennessee. Additional grants have enabled our students and faculty to go into rural counties with COVID-19 education and vaccination opportunities.

On a national level, the college helped launch the first-of-its-kind, pilot Sickle Cell Disease Boot Camp for Nursing Excellence to provide specialized knowledge and skills for nurses to improve care for these patients. Our goal is for the program to become self-sustaining and to be offered twice annually.

In all of these efforts, we are fulfilling our mission of preparing exceptional nurse leaders to meet the health needs of the people of Tennessee, the nation, and beyond. In fiscal year 2022, 104 BSN students and 88 DNP students graduated from the college, armed with an excellent education and a vision for improving the lives they touch every day.

I am so proud of our students for their determination and resilience. You will read about some of them in this magazine, including Alison Doyle who continued her DNP in Nurse Midwifery this year after a fire destroyed her family home. You will also read about the ambitious Stephanie Yopp, who is pursuing a dual goal of becoming a registered nurse and a veterinarian.

It is an honor to lead a college that is doing so much to improve health care, increase health care access, and build nurse leaders for a better tomorrow. I credit our wonderful faculty and staff for their unstinting commitment to our students and to excellence. And I offer sincere thanks to our alumni for their unwavering devotion to our mission and their support for our future. I look forward to continuing this trajectory of growth as the college continues to expand its impact.

Sincerely,

Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, FAANP Dean of the College of Nursing The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

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UTHSC COLLEGE OF NURSING | FALL 2022

From the Chancellor In my short time at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, I have been amazed at the dedication I have seen across the university toward improving the health and the lives of all Tennesseans.

You can be proud that the College of Nursing is a leader in this effort. Dean Wendy Likes and her outstanding team have been successful in securing major national grants that stand to improve access to health care, particularly in underserved rural areas of the state.

A $3.9 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration will allow the college to provide health care via a mobile unit to individuals in Lake and Lauderdale counties in West Tennessee, which are designated as underserved.

The college has received federal funding to offer COVID-19 vaccination education to six rural Tennessee counties. Additionally, the college and has been designated a telehealth training center for students to learn the skills that will allow them to be telehealth providers, further improving the access to health care across Tennessee.

At the same time, the college has continued its outstanding record of graduating nurses with degrees ranging from BSN to DNP, who will be the backbone of health care for the state and beyond. These graduates achieve excellent pass rates, board certification rates, and job placements after graduation.

The College of Nursing definitely is among the stars in the UTHSC portfolio, and we are grateful for your support to keep that star shining. As alumni, you are providing care to those in need wherever you live. You are mentoring younger nurses with whom you work, and you are engaged and active in your alma mater.

While we encourage you to feel pride in your College of Nursing, we also want you to know that your college is proud of you and your care for those who need it.

Thank you for all you do for the College of Nursing and for your contributions to the noble profession of nursing.

Sincerely,

Peter Buckley, MD Chancellor The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

From the Alumni Board President I am thrilled to begin my term as the Alumni Board president for the UTHSC College of Nursing. Along with our board of directors it is my pleasure to represent you – the more than 7,000 alumni who currently serve or have served as nurses improving the health of our communities.

As alums, our focus is to support the College of Nursing in the recruitment of students, the advancement of programs through financial support, and to build positive relationships across the nation in support of nursing at UTHSC. Being a member of the UTHSC College of Nursing alumni comes with an overwhelming sense of pride for our alma mater. The college has been tremendously successful during the past two years, despite unprecedented challenges. As I look back on that time, I am grateful for the leadership and wonderful example of encouragement from Susan Sanders, DNP, alumni board past president, who kept us informed and focused on support for our students, faculty, and staff during the pandemic.

Planning ahead, we look forward to recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments of alumni, faculty, and students at our College of Nursing. As a new cohort of students begins class this fall, current students are preparing for graduation and the beginning of careers as registered nurses, doctors of nursing practice, and nurse scientists. If you do not follow the college’s Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram feeds, I encourage you to do so as the information given for current activities and college awards is exciting to see.

Additionally, if you are able, I encourage you to plan to attend our February 2023 scholarship reception and the May 2023 NightinGala. Both events are being planned as in-person celebrations of students, donors, and nurses throughout our communities, who are rising to the challenges of exceptional health care.

In the spirit of supporting the aspirations of our future alumni, I challenge you to support or create a scholarship for students in need. This aid will allow growth in the number of students gaining their nursing licensure, so that our communities can receive nursing care that will help eliminate health disparities and improve outcomes. Contact Michelle Stubbs, development director, at mstubbs@utfi.org if you have questions about this opportunity.

I invite you to come along with us for the exciting year we have ahead.

Whether you attend an alumni event, volunteer your time, or support students through financial means, we hope you will be engaged and stay connected.

Thank you and take care.

Kimberly Zilske, DNP, MSN ’07

Partnership Supports Students, Builds Nursing Pipeline

By Leigh Ann Roman More than half of the students who graduated from the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program in August benefited from the Methodist Le Bonheur Scholars program – a unique opportunity that matches the need for nursing staff at local hospitals with financial assistance for nursing students.

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare offered to cover the tuition and fees for every ABSN student entering the college in August 2021, in return for a commitment to work for two years for the hospital system upon graduation in August 2022. Twenty-five of the 43 students who graduated in August walked into guaranteed jobs to which they are committed for two years.

Even before graduation, Anne Marie Van Cleve of Covington, Tennessee, knew she would go to work for the Methodist University Cardiovascular Step-Down Unit.

“It was extremely helpful to be a part of the MLH Scholars program, because it allowed me to focus on school instead of worrying about how I was going to pay for school,” she said. “I was excited to join the MLH Scholars program because it meant I had a guaranteed job at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, which was where I wanted to work after finishing nursing school.”

Methodist has extended the program to the ABSN classes for the next three years. . The ABSN is a 12-month program for students who have already earned a bachelor’s degree in another field.

“The MLH Scholars initiative is an example of our commitment to developing the next generation of health care professionals,” said Nikki Polis, PhD, RN, senior vice president and chief nurse executive for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. “The program covers tuition costs so nursing students can focus on their education. After graduation, program participants are employed within our nationally recognized health care system, with the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our patients and families as well the prospect of fulfilling career growth.”

Dean Wendy Likes said, “This is a wonderful collaboration that allows our college to help fill the need for registered nurses in our community and enables our students to pursue their BSN degree without the burden of financial worry or debt. I am grateful to MLH Chief Nurse Executive Nikki Polis for her efforts in making this possible.”

The program was a godsend for ABSN student Abbey Johnson, who said, “I already have a bunch of loans” from her previous bachelor’s degree at UT-Chattanooga. “This is a significant help.” Through the MLH Scholars Program, she secured a job in the pulmonary department of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital prior to graduation.

ABSN student Jendaya Scales also was very excited to go to work for Le Bonheur in the pediatric intensive care unit.

She said the tuition program provided “big financial relief” for her as the only child of a single parent.

The partnership has been so successful that other health care partners in the Mid-South are considering similar efforts.

UTHSC COLLEGE OF NURSING | FALL 2022

5

BY THE NUMBERS

$2,494,648

422

$601,825

120

TOTAL GRANT FUNDING FOR FY22

IN TOTAL NIH FUNDING

TOTAL CoN ENROLLMENT

NURSING STUDENTS RECEIVED 186 SCHOLARSHIPS

164

FACULTY PRESENTATIONS

$437,419

75

18

100%

AWARDED IN SCHOLARSHIPS

FACULTY GRANT SUBMISSIONS 10 FEDERAL, 6 FOUNDATION/INDUSTRY, 2 INTERNAL

FACULTY JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS

OF UTHSC CoN GRADUATES EMPLOYED WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF GRADUATION

Student Plans Career Combining Nursing, Veterinary Degrees What felt like a career setback at first has turned into an opportunity for Stephanie Yopp, who graduated with her Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree in August.

While earning her first bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, Yopp began applying to veterinary schools to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a veterinarian.

Unfortunately, she was not accepted to veterinary school.

Yopp then considered her options and thought about the stories her mother had told her about being a nurse. She remembered helping to care for her grandfather when he had esophageal cancer. So, she applied to the 12-month accelerated BSN program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and was accepted.

“The experience has definitely made me think I enjoy medicine and want to be able to care for people and make changes in their lives,” she said of the nursing program. “It solidified this idea that I want to be in medicine.”

While in nursing school, Yopp continued to apply to veterinary schools, and was accepted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Then, she was faced with a conundrum: Quit nursing school or continue? She decided to pursue both programs and become a nurse and a veterinarian.

She completed two of the three semesters of the nursing program, and the College of Nursing arranged for Yopp to take her final semester of nursing during the summer after her first year of veterinary school. And she has found a way to combine her love of the health care field in both humans and animals.

Yopp is interested in pursuing a career with One Health, which works at the local, regional, national, and global levels to achieve optimal health outcomes through recognizing the connection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. The Centers for Disease Control’s One Health Office leads the organization’s efforts in the United States and abroad.

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UTHSC COLLEGE OF NURSING | FALL 2022

The One Health approach emphasizes that the health of people is closely connected to animals and the environment.

As the population expands, more people live in close contact with animals, leading to a spread of zoonotic diseases – illnesses that can spread between animals and people. Examples include ringworm, salmonella, and anthrax.

That is the heart of Yopp’s interest. “I would like to work in One Health and look at zoonotic diseases and how they transfer to humans and other animals and what we can do to prevent those things from happening,” she said.

She is excited about how her degrees in nursing and veterinary medicine will complement each other. “There are not a lot of people who will have the knowledge and experience I will have. I may be in a situation where I have to create my own pathway,” she said, adding that an ideal role would be half research and half clinical.

Yopp acknowledges that it wasn’t easy to go from nursing school to veterinary school and back to nursing school. “It has been challenging and difficult coming back after not really looking at nursing for a year,” she said. “I’m proud of myself for how much I remembered.”

She is also very busy with student organizations in veterinary school, and her responsibilities continued over the summer while she was finishing nursing school. She serves as the corresponding secretary of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association for her school.

She is the social media coordinator for two other student veterinary organizations and is the secretary for the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association for students. She will be in veterinary school for three more years, because it is a four-year program.

Yopp, who was adopted from China, has always been an animal lover and has never had fewer than two dogs at a time, she said. Her interest in being a vet started with her interest in the human-animal bond.

Her mother, Melissa Yopp, also has had a dual career, because she has degrees in both nursing and law. She looks forward to how Stephanie will use her education to make a difference in the world.

“Stephanie has always been a humble heroic warrior for the goodness of man and animal,” Melissa Yopp said. “Her kind heart and soul coupled with her keen intelligence keep her motivated and encouraged. She has and will continue to change our world for the better.”

Assistant Professor Alexia Williams, PhD, RN, said she has no doubt that Yopp will achieve her goals. “Stephanie is an excellent student. What I recall most about her is the

genuine compassion she displayed. She stands out in my mind as one of the two most-caring students that I have been privileged to work with during my teaching career.

Thus, I was not surprised to learn that she wanted to provide care as a veterinarian also.”

Yopp knows that no matter where her career leads her, nursing will play an important role. “Through nursing, I have better communication skills,” she said. “Being in the care coordination course, you learn how important communication is between different disciplines, so proper care is given.”

UTHSC COLLEGE OF NURSING | FALL 2022

9

CoN Enrollment

422

(as of August 2022)

CoN TOTAL FOR FY2022 (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022)

211 DNP

10

Grad Certificates

CoN New Student Enrollment 2022

192

BSN

9

RN–BSN

227 Total

20 PMH

66 ABSN

2 PhD*

27 TBSN

8 RNFA

8 DNP NMW

7 PNP-PC

24 DNP CRNA

5 FNC

20 FNP

9 AG-ACNP/FNP

12 AG-ACNP

6 PMH/FNP

5 PNP-AC

5 PNP-AC

4 NNP *PhD students in Nursing Science are enrolled in the College of Graduate Health Sciences and are taught by Nursing faculty members.

Photo credit: Nick McGinn

Diana Dedmon, DNP, FNP-BC

Christie Manasco, PhD, RN

College to Expand Rural Outreach with Mobile Unit The College of Nursing has received a $3.9 million, four-year grant that will enable the college to provide health care to two rural counties using a mobile health unit. The grant will also allow the college to integrate rural health education into its undergraduate and graduate programs.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant is called Student Training and Education through Partnerships with Underserved Populations for Health Equity and Lifestyle Promotion (STEP UP and HELP). It focuses on outreach to Lake and Lauderdale counties in West Tennessee, which are designated by HRSA as underserved.

“There is a population in Lake and Lauderdale counties who have poorer health care outcomes due to difficulty accessing care,” said Assistant Professor Diana Dedmon, DNP, FNP-BC, who is the principal investigator for the grant. “It’s exciting to know that these two communities will benefit from this grant.”

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UTHSC COLLEGE OF NURSING | FALL 2022

Lake and Lauderdale counties have the second and 13th highest poverty rates among the 95 Tennessee counties, respectively, according to the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute Report on Tennessee for 2021.

Lake County has the highest incidence of low birth weight and smoking. Lauderdale County has the second highest rates of diabetes and adult obesity and the fourth highest adult smoking rate. Life expectancy in both counties is below state and national averages.

“This is such an exciting grant that can create real-world changes to improve the health and quality of life in these communities,” Dean Wendy Likes said. “The work through this grant will also expose students to the unique needs of rural communities, with the goal of sparking a desire to work in rural communities.”

The first six months of the grant will be focused on developing partnerships and meeting with community advisory boards in the counties to determine the needs and creating a plan to meet those needs, Dr. Dedmon said.

this program will complete 50 percent of their clinical hours on the mobile health unit and will focus their DNP scholarly project on a health care challenge in the rural community.

Assistant Professor Christie Manasco, PhD, RN, who is a co-investigator for the grant, will lead the rural education segment for the BSN program. “As a first of its kind in West Tennessee, the mobile health unit will help address specific needs of the populations in Lake and Lauderdale counties, while developing a nursing workforce prepared to improve health outcomes in underserved populations,” she said.

Lisa Beasley, DNP, APRN, NP-C, RN

During the first year, the grant team will also work to purchase and retrofit a vehicle to serve as a mobile health unit.

A primary goal of the grant is to establish the mobile health unit to provide care to vulnerable populations that do not have health care access. “There are rural health care providers who have dedicated their careers to making a difference in these counties. This project does not intend to compete with those providers, but rather to work with them to offer greater access to care,” Dr. Dedmon said. Some of the care will be offered directly on the mobile health unit, and some can be offered through telehealth. The mobile health unit will be staffed with an advanced practice nurse and a medical assistant.

Another major goal of the grant is to expand the nursing workforce and to increase the cultural competency of nurses serving patients in rural areas. Students in the college’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program will have the opportunity to earn micro-credentials in selected concepts that prepare nurse graduates to improve health equity, access, and outcomes for vulnerable populations. A Rural Scholars Program will be implemented in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program for the following concentrations: family nurse practitioner, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, and nurse-midwifery. Students in

Assistant Professor Lisa Beasley, DNP, APRN, NP-C, RN, is also a co-investigator for the grant and will lead the DNP Rural Scholars Program. “The opportunity to have nurses lead a community-based, mobile health unit to serve the socioeconomic needs related to health care access of those citizens in Lake and Lauderdale Counties will not only benefit these vulnerable populations but will help strengthen the rural health workforce. Both undergraduate and graduate students will be able to enhance their critical-thinking skills to become more culturally aware and understand how the social determinants of health affect patient and population health outcomes.”

Dr. Dedmon, who grew up in Lauderdale County and worked there as a nurse practitioner, said she hopes the education portion of the grant will expose nursing students to the intrinsic benefits of serving rural communities. “It is so rewarding to serve in rural communities, where you are able to connect with patients and their families on such a personal level,” she said.

In addition to the grant investigator and co-investigators, the team includes: Assistant Professor Crystal Walker, PhD, DNP, FNP-C, infectious disease expert; Assistant Professor Jackie Sharp, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, psychiatric mental health expert; Professor Sarah Rhoads, PhD, DNP, WHNPBC, RNC-OB, APRN, FAAN, telehealth expert; Associate Dean of Research Ansley G. Stanfill, PhD, RN, FAAN, social determinants of health expert; Professor Anne Alexandrov, PhD, AG-ACNP-BC, RN, CCRN, ANVP-BC, NVRN-BC, FAAN, mobile health unit expert; and Dean Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, FAANP, women’s health expert.

UTHSC COLLEGE OF NURSING | FALL 2022

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SANE Training Makes a Difference in West Tennessee When Assistant Professor Andrea Sebastian, DNP, PNP, SANE-P, was a young nurse at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, she saw the same infant admitted to the hospital twice for abusive trauma.

“I thought, ‘This is where I can help’,” she said. “It was so heartbreaking to me that he was admitted two times for abusive injuries.” Dr. Sebastian, who is now an assistant professor in the UTHSC College of Nursing, began to do clinical work with the child abuse pediatrician at Le Bonheur and became part of the CARES (Child Advocacy and Resource Evaluation Services) team for the hospital. She went on to do postgraduate work as a pediatric forensic nurse examiner and attained her pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) certification in 2020.

Thanks to Dr. Sebastian and the $1.5 million grant she leads for the college, many more children and adults who have suffered abuse will receive appropriate care in West Tennessee in the coming years. The three-year Health Resource Services Administration (HRSA) grant funds a much-needed expansion of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner 14

UTHSC COLLEGE OF NURSING | FALL 2022

(SANE) training in the region, where there is little access to such services. The training enables nurses to provide appropriate and sensitive care and evidence collection for patients who have suffered sexual assault. Once the nurses receive the training, they must accumulate 300 clinical hours before they can take the certification exam.

In the grant’s first year, 20 nurses from the 21-county West Tennessee area received training developed by the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN), Dr. Sebastian said. That is a great improvement over the numbers prior to the grant, when there were just five certified SANE nurses in West Tennessee.

Dr. Sebastian estimates that 25 more nurses will receive training during the grant’s second year. The college also is establishing an Advanced Practice Forensic Nursing Certificate program that prepares licensed advanced practice nurses to provide forensic nursing care for assault survivors of all ages. In its first year, the certificate program will educate six nurses, with the goal of educating six to eight more by the second year.

James Fountain, RN, MBA, executive director of emergency services for West Tennessee Healthcare (WTH), is certain that the HRSA grant will make a difference in the counties covered by West Tennessee Healthcare. That system received a $198,260 subaward through the HRSA grant that will allow him to place appropriate equipment for the assault exams in emergency departments throughout the system over the next two years. This includes two hospitals in Jackson-Madison County, as well as the hospitals in Dyer County, Martin, Milan, Camden, and Bolivar, Fountain said.

When he arrived at WTH in 2019, Fountain said there were three SANE-trained nurses in the system and only one was certified. He set the goal of rebuilding the program. By the end of the grant’s first year, he will onboard eight to 10 newly-trained SANE nurses. Within three years, he expects the system to have 20 SANE-trained nurses. Fountain estimates that Jackson-Madison County General, which is a 700-bed hospital, has about 10 sexual assault cases each month, and he believes it is underreported.

“This collaboration with UTHSC, IAFN, and us is our best chance of having a successful program and recruiting and retaining highly-skilled staff to care for these clients who have suffered traumatic experiences,” he said.

Although Revelle had received some SANE training before, she said she has learned a great deal through the grantfunded SANE program. “It has closed many gaps for me. It’s been excellent,” she said.

Lauren Plemons, MSN, RN, works on the Le Bonheur unit at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and is going through the SANE training, which included live models at the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation (CHIPS) at UTHSC. The simulation enabled program participants to do a full physical exam and evidence collection as part of their training. Plemons acknowledges SANE nursing can be challenging, but said, “If people are not willing to do this kind of work, how are the kids going to get the kind of help they need?”

Rural counties have a great need for access to this kind of care, she said. “We service so many counties and we would have individuals of sexual assault in Bolivar or Camden or in the surrounding smaller counties, and there was no one there for them and not enough SANES on call. They don’t exist. So, the patients would have to come to Jackson Main for their care, or they potentially just would not come,” she said. “This grant affords our patients the chance of being seen in Camden or Bolivar. There just are not enough of us.

This is going to help the community tremendously.’’

Cassandra Revelle, MSN, RN, is also going through the SANE training program. She does SANE exams on call for Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and teaches full time in the nursing program at Jackson State Community College.

College of Nursing Rural Health Outreach Grants $2.98 Million: The Advanced Nursing Education

Workforce (ANEW) for Healthy Delta Moms and Babies grant was awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in 2019. The HRSA ANEW Program’s purpose is to support new and innovative academic practice partnerships to educate and graduate Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives who will practice in rural and underserved areas.

$1.5 Million: A three-year grant from HRSA awarded in 2021 is funding a much-needed expansion of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training and certification in 21 counties in West Tennessee. $377,000: This grant from the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability in 2022 provides for COVID-19 vaccine education and vaccination in six rural Tennessee counties: Dyer, Lake, Tipton, Lauderdale, Fayette, and underserved parts of Shelby County.

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UTHSC COLLEGE OF NURSING | FALL 2022

$76,350: This sub-award to the College of Nursing

from a $200,000 grant to the UT Institute of Agriculture in 2021 is to improve COVID-19 vaccination rates in rural and underserved communities in the following counties: Benton, Lawrence, McNairy, Hardin, Wayne, and Fentress.

$3.9 million: A four-year HRSA grant awarded in 2022 will enable mobile health outreach and education in Lake and Lauderdale counties. The grant also incorporates rural health education into the BSN and DNP programs.

Scholarship 2022

27

Total Faculty Grant Funding $2,494,648

31

Grant Funding

FACULTY PRESENTATIONS 2022

14

$2,5000,000

$2,494,648

10

$2,000,000 $1,827,736

$1,500,000

TOTAL: 164

$1,713,064

82

$1,000,000 $500,000 $100,000

FY2020

FY2021

International

State

National

Local

Regional

FY2022

NCLEX Pass Rates for BSN % Rate 100

59

98 96

97.4% 96%

FACULTY PUBLICATIONS 2022 75

TOTAL: 134

96%

94 92 90 88

90% 2018

2019

2020

Journal Articles

2021

Initial Board Certification Rates All DNP Concentrations Combined

Faculty Grant Submissions by Year

% Rate

25 20

TOTAL: 45

TOTAL: 40

24

TOTAL: 18

100 98

20

96

15 13 10

FY2020

Federal

3

2 FY2021

Foundation

96.3%

92 6

5 3

97.1%

94

10

0

Other Articles

90 2

FY2022

90%

88 2020

2021

2022

Internal (UTHSC CoN) UTHSC COLLEGE OF NURSING | FALL 2022

17

Sickle Cell Boot Camp is a Game Changer

By Leigh Ann Roman April McGrory cannot count the times she has been hospitalized for health crises related to sickle cell disease.

But she can count the number of people she has lost to the disease – 11, including her sister, Tina, who died on Christmas Day, 2019.

“When we come into this world, we are all going to go through things that break our hearts. But I try to set an example for my kids of being resilient. Even when I don’t feel like I’m going to make it, I don’t give up,” said McGrory, 41, who also lost both legs at the knee from complications of the disease.

McGrory works to increase understanding of the disease and was recently on a patient panel for the pilot Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Boot Camp for Nursing Excellence – a collaboration of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital that seeks to have a national impact on improving treatment for SCD patients.

“Patients with SCD can rapidly develop life-threatening complications, some of which are unique to SCD. If nurses do not have the specialized knowledge and assessment skills to detect these symptoms early, the patient’s condition often escalates and can result in death,” said Sara Day, PhD, RN, FAAN, assistant dean and director of the Center for Community and Global Partnerships in the UTHSC College of Nursing.

Dr. Day is one of the investigators on a $50,000 grant from biopharmaceutical company Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT) Inc., that funded development and implementation of the boot camp. Investigators also include Assistant Professor Artangela Henry, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-C, and Yvonne Carroll, JD, RN, director of patient services in the Department of Hematology at St. Jude.

Nurses from around the country came to Memphis in June to be the first cohort in an intensive four-day education program that places a spotlight on sickle cell disease to help front-line caregivers dramatically improve care for those patients. “In nursing school, you touch (sickle cell disease) and go on,” said Natassha Gross-Jean, a hematology nurse from Boston who attended the boot camp. “The more you hear the patient’s words and how they describe their pain in a sickle cell crisis, the better your assessment will be.”

The goal of the SCD boot camp is to become selfsustaining within two years and to be offered twice each

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year – reaching about 40 nurses annually nationally and internationally, Dr. Day said. The International Association of Sickle Cell Nurses and Physician Assistants will provide scholarships to participants from low- and middle-income countries. The next step toward the goal of becoming a self-sustaining program is a comprehensive peer review and evaluation of the curriculum. In addition to the patient panel, the four-day curriculum includes classroom instruction, patient crisis simulations, and evidence-based presentations.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects about 100,000 people in the United States, in which complications are caused by the sickle-shaped cells that can get stuck when traveling through small blood vessels and block blood flow throughout the body. These complications include pain crises, acute chest syndrome, organ damage, blood clots, and anemia.

Despite recent medical progress in treating SCD, the life expectancy of people with the disease remains lower than the average life expectancy. A JAMA Network Open study, published Nov. 15, 2019, found that the life expectancy for the study cohort with SCD was 54 years, compared to a life expectancy of 76 years for the group without the disease.

Most people affected by sickle cell disease are Black.

Giving front-line caregivers comprehensive information could have a direct effect on improving outcomes, Carroll said.

“Sickle cell disease complications result in high rates of mortality and morbidity. Nurses are on the front line, and often their awareness of the early signs of life-threatening complications can prevent progression to an untoward end,” Carroll said. “Education is the key to understanding and recognizing early signs and symptoms. The intensive SCD bootcamp provides nurses with the knowledge and tools to understand, recognize, and respond to early warning signs of severe sickle cell disease complications.”

Dr. Henry cited the issue of sickle cell patients doing well as children, but then suffering from increased mortality rates as adults. “We have to be the ones to be the change agents,” she told participants in the boot camp.

McGrory, who was on the patient panel, said sickle cell patients who go to emergency departments for help with pain crises are often mistaken for drug seekers. “Just because you can’t see the pain it doesn’t mean it’s not real – because it is very real.”

Rozarra Fields, RN, is a professional development specialist for the Emergency Department at Regional One Health and attended the workshop to bring information back to her colleagues. One common mistake in sickle cell treatment is that patients are often triaged at a lower level of emergency severity than they should be, she said. “We are trying to promote them being treated more quickly.”

Brooke Clemons, MSN, RN, is a PhD student in Nursing Science at UTHSC. She, too, said providers for SCD patients need a greater sense of urgency. “They don’t realize the sickle cell patient is as sick as they are. They need to treat the patient like a heart attack or a stroke, because they are as critical.”

McGrory, who has suffered so many losses due to the disease, is encouraged by the nursing program’s focus on SCD. “I have turned this pain into my passion. I’m trying to give a voice to the rest of us. Things have to change.”

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Dr. Sara Day Earns International Honor Professor Sara Day, PhD, RN, FAAN, of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing, was inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame this year in recognition of the global impact of her nursing research.

Dr. Day joined 31 other nurse researchers being inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing during the organization’s 33rd International Nursing Research Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, in July. This year’s Hall of Fame honorees came from countries including Australia, Canada, Italy, Nigeria, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

“Selection for the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame is a tremendous honor,” Dr. Day said. “I am so grateful for the support of UTHSC and for the mentors who have guided and inspired me throughout my career.” Dr. Day joined the faculty of the UTHSC College of Nursing in 2016 and is an assistant dean in the college’s Center for Community and Global Partnerships.

Sigma’s annual nursing research congress attracts approximately 800 nurse researchers, students, clinicians, and leaders focused on evidence-based research.

Founded in 1922, Sigma has more than 135,000 members in more than 100 countries. The organization’s mission is “Developing nurse leaders anywhere to improve health care everywhere.”

Dr. Day’s most prominent contributions to nursing have been the development, implementation, and evaluation of pioneering nursing programs and models to improve the care of children with sickle cell disease and cancer.

These programs and models have improved the outcomes of underserved children and have been implemented nationally and globally. Dr. Day spearheaded an innovative systematic approach to treating children and impacted clinical outcomes, including a significant decrease in pneumococcal sepsis, the leading cause of death among young children with sickle cell disease.

Dr. Day spent much of her early professional career at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and earned her PhD in Nursing Science at UTHSC. “I congratulate Dr. Sara Day on the well-deserved honor of being inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame,” said UTHSC Vice Chancellor for Research Steven R. Goodman, PhD. “Since meeting Sara in 2015, I have been incredibly impressed with her dedication to improving the health and well-being of pediatric patients with sickle cell disease. Dr. Day has worked tirelessly on the training of nurses on the assessment skills required to understand symptoms of deterioration in children with sickle cell disease, thereby reducing the disease pathology and preventing mortality. She shares this passion with everyone involved in the patient’s medical care.”

College of Nursing Dean Wendy Likes said, “Dr. Day’s commitment to international health and the training of the nursing workforce is commendable. She has much to be proud of for the legacy she is creating in improving health in those with devastating conditions. We are proud to have her as our colleague at UTHSC and the College of Nursing.”

Dr. Day’s work in pediatric oncology has provided nurses in low- and middle-income countries the support and education necessary for improved patient outcomes. She developed a comprehensive nursing program that improved

nursing quality standards, education, and staffing. Dr. Day is the first author of research describing the development and evaluation of the Baseline Standards for Paediatric Oncology Nurses in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

The standards are currently published in eight languages, and implementation initiatives span 49 sites in 29 countries.

The standards have been published in the following medical journals: Lancet Oncology, Cancer Control, Cancer Nursing, Pediatric Blood and Cancer, and Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing.

Dr. Day has 42 publications, 15 of which are first author, in medical and nursing journals, and a 20-year history

of grant support. She has been an invited speaker at national and international conferences, presenting in Chile, Guatemala, New Zealand, Singapore, Panama, China, Canada, the Czech Republic, and England. In Washington, D.C., she has presented at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and the International Society of Pediatric Oncology Leadership and Advocacy Workshop. In 2019, Dr. Day delivered a keynote address at the International Society of Pediatric Oncology in Lyon, France, one of six invited keynote speakers representing world leaders in pediatric oncology and the only keynote representing the United States.

194 Students Earn Nursing Degrees During three commencement exercises over the last year, 194 students earned nursing degrees. One hundred and four students achieved their Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degrees, and 88 students earned their Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees. Two students earned their PhDs in Nursing Science from the College of Graduate Health Sciences.

• Aug. 18, 2021: 53 ABSN graduates • Dec. 13, 2021: 51 BSN graduates, 7 DNP graduates, and 2 PhD graduates • May 9, 2022: 81 DNP graduates In August 2021, three students were recognized with awards at commencement. James R. Davis received the Sigma Theta Tau Leadership Award, which is given to a student who shows a high degree of professionalism.

Sarah Katherine Powell received the Alumni Award, which is given to a student who has displayed enthusiasm for learning and nursing, in addition to superior skill in providing patient care, and an ability to interact with peers, patients, 22

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and staff. Emilie Harwell received the BSN Award – an honor given to a member of the graduating class who has been chosen by classmates as an outstanding role model.

In December 2021, the Alumni Award was presented to Mary Emma Ruth Stewart for the DNP program and to Taylor Thomas for the BSN program. The DNP Leadership Award and the DNP Clinical Award were both awarded to Danielle Reevay Reynolds. The BSN Class Award was given to Rachel Pearl Jackson. The Sigma Theta Tau Leadership Award was won by Rachel M. Barber, and the Faculty Award was won by Caroline Leonard.

In May 2022, three graduates received awards during commencement. Latoria Boyland, DNP, BSN, won the Alumni Award. Kathleen Reed, DNP, BSN, won the DNP Leadership Award, and Emily Coffman, DNP, BSN, received the DNP Clinical Award. The 88 DNPs awarded during May included the posthumous award of a graduation certificate to Chiquita Rockiemore who passed away while working toward her DNP. Her family accepted the certificate on her behalf.

Resilience, Community Support Push Midwifery Student Toward Goal After Tragedy

By Leigh Ann Roman Empowering.

That is how Alison Doyle describes the care she received from a midwife during her first pregnancy at age 20. “She was really compassionate and caring and encouraged us to read books about childbirth and research all the recommendations she made,” Doyle said. “I wanted everyone to be treated this way.”

Fast forward 13 years, and Doyle, 33, is a mother of four, a registered nurse, and a student who just completed her first year in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program for Nurse Midwifery in the UTHSC College of Nursing.

That’s impressive, but it becomes remarkable when you consider the fact that a fire caused by lightning destroyed the Doyles’ home and claimed most of their possessions on April 5. Doyle credits the support of her husband, Daniel, the Oxford, Mississippi, community, and the UTHSC community for enabling her to continue working toward her goal of being a certified nurse midwife.

The Doyle family fled the fire with just their jackets and Doyle’s school backpack containing her computer. Her

in-laws were visiting for the first time in three years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to see the oldest child in a school play. Thankfully, everyone escaped to safety. But the family minivan parked in the carport exploded. The SUV that Doyle frantically drove down to the street survived. The Doyle family includes Alison and Daniel and their children Sophia, 12, Bailey, 10, Quinn, 8, and Odin, 6, and the family dog.

“There has just been a tremendous outpouring from the community. We have been here almost 12 years, and people have flooded us with love and support and kindness,” Doyle said. Neighbors bagged up their clothing and washed it until the clothes didn’t smell like smoke anymore. Dinners were provided for the family for weeks. A friend who had an Airbnb opened it to the Doyle family until they could find a house to rent. It will probably be a year before their home is restored and they can return, she said.

Some people might consider taking a semester off when faced with such a challenge, but not Doyle. One of the first people she called after the fire was Professor Kate Fouquier, PhD, RN, FACNM, who directs the Nurse Midwifery concentration at UTHSC. She wanted to let Dr. Fouquier know she might be delayed in some of her assignments.

The college sent Doyle new scrubs as soon as she had an address, loaned her books, and gave her extensions on her school projects. They also told her about the UTHSC Emergency Fund, which provided some financial assistance, as well.

“Alison has a wonderful community support system, she received tremendous support from her student midwifery peers, and with the added support of the CON, Alison has been able to be successful in her studies,” Dr. Fouquier said.

“Her persistence in reaching her goal of becoming a nursemidwife is inspiring and speaks to her character. She never gave up!”

Part of Doyle’s motivation is to be there for the next mother seeking care from a nurse midwife. “I have been able to support so many families as a doula, a friend, and a lactation consultant over the years. And I have had so many women say to me, ‘Maybe for the next baby, you will be done with school, and you can deliver my baby.’ That is the best compliment a woman or a family can pay me is to invite me into their lives at this most intimate time.”

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Doyle’s education is paid for through a grant to the college from the Health Resources and Services Administration titled “Advanced Nursing Education Workforce for Healthy Moms and Babies,” which has the goal of improving health care for underserved and rural populations in the Delta.

“Not only do I want to accomplish this dream and goal I have worked on for many years . . . but I just think about all those families and all those who supported me through the years, and I want to get to the place where I can help them and have the skills and education that I need so I can help them the most,” she said. “I really just want to put some education in peoples’ hands and for them to feel respected and empowered going into the journey of parenthood.”

To learn more about how to contribute to the UTHSC Emergency Fund, please contact Michelle Stubbs, Development director for Nursing, at mstubbs@utfi.org.

A Servant Leader Leaves a Lasting Legacy for the College of Nursing UTHSC originally recruited Dr. Jacob in 2003 because the college was developing a baccalaureate program in nursing, which it had not offered in many years. She was dean of the Union University School of Nursing at the time.

She considers “leading efforts for the development and accreditation of cutting-edge programs” her most important contribution to the college. Dr. Jacob led the development of the BSN program and the clinical nurse leader program. She later worked with college leadership to convert the BSN program from a content-based to a concept-based program. Most recently, the college has reinstated its traditional BSN as a concept-based program.

Dr. Jacob is the co-author and co-editor of a leading nursing textbook with Barbara Cherry, “Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends, and Management,” now in its 9th edition. She has extensive experience in curriculum and serves as a team lead evaluator for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and a curriculum/accreditation consultant for colleges of nursing.

Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Susan Jacob, PhD, RN, has been at the heart of the College of Nursing’s operations over the last two decades. She is retiring this year.

Dr. Jacob has served the college in multiple leadership roles – first in 2003-2012 and again from 2015-2022. She initially retired in 2012, but came out of retirement in 2015 to assume the role of Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. Since then, Dr. Jacob has filled several interim roles, until she took the position of assistant dean of Quality and Strategic Affairs in 2018. She has served in her current role since 2019.

“From the time she began her PhD with us through the rest of her career, I knew that Susan was the type of servant leader that has been so important to the operations of the College of Nursing,” said Professor Emeritus and former Dean Michael Carter, DNSc, DNP, FAAN, FNP/GNP-BC. “Her quiet and passionate perspective on making the education our students receive the very best possible was palpable throughout her years.”

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“Susan is an impactful leader, colleague, and mentor to so many. She is full of knowledge and just has a way about her that pulls people together. It is with mixed emotions that we see Susan off into retirement. She has contributed so much to nursing and the UTHSC College of Nursing,” said Dean Likes.

Dr. Jacob earned a BSN from West Virginia University, a Master of Science degree in Community Health Nursing from San Jose State University, and a PhD in Nursing Science from UTHSC, known at that time as UT-Memphis.

Her research focus is grief and bereavement and her clinical focus is home health and hospice. She was instrumental in the development of the first hospice program in Memphis in 1979 and in 1983 received the John W. Runyan Community Nursing Award and the Key to the City of Memphis for her work developing hospice in Memphis.

Vice Chancellor for Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs Cindy Russell, PhD, RN, said that Dr. Jacob has left an indelible mark on the college, the university, and profession of nursing.

“In her leadership roles for the college, she has been the foundational driving force for most of the recent academic programs and curricular initiatives of the college. She has led in challenging situations, while making consequential

Assistant Professor Keevia Porter, DNP, NP-C, RN, and Dr. Jacob volunteered at a recent Mid-South Mission of Mercy event.

decisions with purposeful determination and grace,” Dr. Russell said.

“No matter how difficult or challenging the path, Susan is always the person to count on when a strong foundation is needed.”

Sherry Webb, DNSc, RN, CNL, NEA-BC, was taught by Dr. Jacob as an RN-BSN student. Dr. Webb is now associate professor and chair of the Department of Acute and Tertiary Care in the college. “Susan is a transformational leader who mentored students, staff and faculty throughout her career, which is a legacy to our college and to the nursing community.”

In retirement, Dr. Jacob said she will continue to consult with colleges of nursing regarding accreditation and continue her work on the nursing textbook. She will also continue to facilitate grief support groups and serve on the boards of the Comfort Care Coalition, The Forsaken Children, and One by One Ministry.

Another tangible way Dr. Jacob has made an impact on the College of Nursing is through the endowed Dr. Susan Jacob Scholarship that will support nursing students in the undergraduate program at the college who have a special interest in serving in public health, home health, hospice, or palliative care.

To learn more about contributing to this scholarship, please contact Director of Development Michelle Stubbs at mstubbs@utfi.org.

“I have been blessed with a rich nursing career, but consider the years of engagement in the UTHSC College of Nursing the most rewarding,” she said.

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College Brings Back Live NightinGala Six nurses from the Mid-South and Nashville were recognized May 6 with awards at the Sixth Annual NightinGala – the first live gala sponsored by the college in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 200 people attended the event at the Hilton-Memphis.

Four nurses were recognized as Nurse Heroes, and two nurses were honored with the John W. Runyan Jr. Community Nursing Award, which recognizes contributions to community or public health nursing.

Attendees also enjoyed a Silent Auction and music

by The Dentones.

Dean Wendy Likes said, “Our communities need nurses now more than ever. That is why it brings me such joy to recognize nurses who exemplify excellence in the profession. They are role models for all of us. They represent the best of nursing.”

The Bedside Nurse Hero award honored Richard Avent, BSN, a second-career nurse who works on the oncology unit at Baptist Memorial HospitalMemphis. Before attaining his nursing degree, Avent spent more than 20 years as a product development engineer of biomedical devices for Bayer Healthcare.

As the Bedside Nurse Hero, Avent was recognized for the compassion and respect he offers every patient and his willingness to go the extra mile for patients and other team members.

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The COVID-19 Community Nurse Hero Award recognized Gwendolyn K. Reese, MBA, BSN, RN, director of nursing services for Christ Community Health Services – the first facility in Shelby County to provide drive-through COVID testing. The process for drive-through testing was developed under Reese’s leadership and was implemented at Christ Community and across Shelby County.

The Advanced Practice Nurse Hero Award honored the contributions of Lynn Rodriguez, MSN, PPCNPBC, RN, a pediatric nurse practitioner who is manager of the surgery advanced practice providers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Her commitment to ensuring patients receive world-class care was highlighted.

The Nurse Leader Hero Award also recognized the impact of a St. Jude nurse – Belinda Mandrell, PhD, RN, PNP, director of the Division of Nursing Research at St. Jude. The award honors a nurse who empowers registered nurses in a healthcare setting.

The John W. Runyan Jr. Community Nursing Award recognized the efforts of two faculty members from the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN).

Associate Professor Christian Ketel, DNP, RN, FNAP, and Associate Professor Carrie Plummer, PhD, ANPBC, were honored for their efforts in collaborating to establish and co-lead the Vanderbilt COVID-19 Mobile Vaccine Program.

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A 35-Year Career of Service and Mentorship When someone mentions the career of Margaret “Peg” Hartig, PhD, APRN-BC, FAANP, the words “service” and “leadership” always come up. She retired as a Professor Emeritus July 1, 2022, after 35 years on the faculty of the UTHSC College of Nursing.

Dr. Hartig served the college and the university as a leader.

In the college, she was a concentration coordinator and department chair. She served two terms as the UTHSC Faculty Senate president and was also an executive committee member of the Faculty Senate. Her time at UTHSC included two years as assistant vice chancellor for Community Engagement and Interprofessional Initiatives.

Dr. Hartig knew she wanted to be a nurse from an early age.

The oldest of seven siblings, she spent her childhood around Notre Dame University, where her father, Donald Thorman, was publisher of the magazine, Ave Maria. She remembers the stories of missionary nuns who were nurses as a major influence on her own goals. When she had eye surgery at age 4, she recalls the nun who was her nurse often visiting and talking to her. “That was very important to me,” she said.

Service played a significant role in her upbringing, because her family was at the center of Catholic activities, due to her father’s work as publisher of the National Catholic Reporter.

“I grew up in the period of Catholic social action, and the expectation was that you give back to the community,” she said.

She saw her role in the UTHSC Faculty Senate as a chance to be engaged and to share the voice of nursing. “To be involved and to have a voice is very important,” Dr. Hartig said. “I did my best to represent nursing, as well as the faculty.”

Dr. Hartig’s many awards include the 2017 University of Tennessee Alumni Association Public Service Award, the 2016 DAISY Faculty Award, the Presidential Plaque for

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service as Faculty Senate President, and a certificate of appreciation for leadership from the Healthy Memphis Common Table. She also received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Student Government Association Executive Committee twice.

Professor Mona Wicks, PhD, RN, FAAN, chairs the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and joined the college faculty the same year as Dr. Hartig.

“She is, at heart, a teacher and guide,” Dr. Wicks said. “She was instrumental in helping young faculty learn to integrate scholarship and service into their faculty roles. Positive mentorship is critical for supporting and nurturing the next generation of faculty. Peg enthusiastically embraced the mantle of mentorship and service – a gift she inherited from her father.”

Assistant Professor Laura Reed, DNP, FNP, is now coordinator of the Family Nurse Practitioner concentration in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, a position Dr. Hartig once held.

“Peg was a mentor to many of us as new faculty members and as we established our roles as FNPs in the community.

She influenced many APRN careers over her years in education and practice. I am very blessed to have had Peg as a friend, mentor, and colleague throughout my career as a FNP and an educator,” Dr. Reed said.

As she looked back on her long career, Dr. Hartig said she was most proud of “the combination of service and influencing students.”

She noted that she recently received a call from a former student, who had been shy but very bright during nursing school. “She didn’t see herself as a leader,” Dr. Hartig said. “I encouraged her to be involved and she has done wonderful things. When you can influence students in a way that affects their view of themselves and encourages their contributions, it is very, very exciting.”

Professor Emeritus Michael Carter, DNSc, DNP, FAAN, FNP/ GNP-BC, was the dean of the college during many of Dr. Hartig’s years on the faculty. “Over the years she touched the lives of countless numbers of patients, family, faculty, staff, students, and members of the broader community in her warm and caring way,” he said. “Her roles as a clinician, educator, scholar, department chair, campus administrator, and community activist demonstrated her passion for improving the lives of all those around her. Her retirement will leave some very large shoes to fill.”

2022 Outstanding Alumnus David Campbell-Odell, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP Dr. Campbell-Odell is a founder and the current president of Doctors of Nursing Practice, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing and promoting the growth of nurses who hold the terminal practice degree of DNP. He earned his DNP degree from the UTHSC College of Nursing in 2007 after attaining both his Bachelor of Science in Nursing and his Master of Science in Nursing from the University of North Florida.

Dr. Campbell-Odell and his UTHSC classmates established Doctors of Nursing Practice, LLC, in 2006. This organization later became Doctors of Nursing Practice, Inc. The non-profit’s services include providing a repository of scholarly practice projects, a listing of all DNP programs, conferences, and continuing education, and a foundation to support the work of DNP-prepared colleagues to improve health care outcomes. The organization is hosting its 15th National Conference this year. The website is doctorsofnursingpractice.org.

In addition to his role with the non-profit, Dr. CampbellOdell works as a family nurse practitioner with an interest in neurology, neurocognitive disorders, and family and community dynamics. As an educator, he has helped to develop graduate nursing programs, including nurse practitioner, nurse administrator, and nurse educator. He has been involved in developing numerous DNP programs and has either taught or has contributed as an invited guest lecturer in programs around the country. He lives and works in the Florida Keys.

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2022 Most Outstanding Recent Alumnus James Alberding, DNP, CRNA, APN Dr. James Alberding is the associate program director and clinical assistant professor of the DNP Nurse Anesthesia Concentration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing. He was also the 2021 recipient of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) Novice Faculty Excellence Clinical Teaching Award.

Dr. Alberding earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Memphis in 2008 and his Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing in 2013.

He has long been involved in the Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists (TANA), and is currently presidentelect and co-federal political director of TANA. He also the state sdvocate for the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Foundation.

At the university level, Dr. Alberding’s service includes the Faculty Affairs Committee and the Faculty Search Committee. He has also served on the board of directors for the Memphis Student Nurse Anesthetists Foundation.

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2021 Most Outstanding Alumna Alisa Haushalter, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC Dr. Alisa Haushalter is an associate professor in the Department of Community and Population Health in the UTHSC College of Nursing, where she earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree with a specialty in public health leadership in 2007. She earned a Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University in 1997 and an Associate Degree in Nursing from Belmont University in 1982. Dr. Haushalter is certified as an Advanced Public Health Nurse With nearly 40 years of public health experience, Dr. Haushalter has dedicated her career to creating conditions that promote health and well-being for all people. From 2016 until 2021, Dr. Haushalter served as the director of the Shelby County Health Department, where she led the county’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During her leadership the department also met other challenges successfully: responding to an unknown source measles outbreak, containing the cases to seven; responding rapidly to ZIKA, preventing introduction into the local community; and developing two large capital projects including a new, customer-centered public health department.

Dr. Haushalter’s career also includes serving as project director for Nemours $3.9 million-dollar Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Award in Delaware and a variety of roles in the Metro Public Health Department of Nashville/ Davidson County. Dr. Haushalter is an alumna of the 2018 Leadership Memphis Executive Program and the National League of Cities Mayor’s Institute on Housing, Health, and Hazards. She was also a 2002-2003 Southeast Public Health Leadership Fellow.

Dr. Haushalter is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Public Relations Society of America Memphis Chapter, 2020 Communicator of the Year; 2020 Health Care Heroes Recognition; 2020 Duck Walk of Fame Honoree; the 2017 John W. Runyan, Jr. Community Nursing Award; and the 2014 Nemours Transformational Nursing Leader Award.

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2022 Most Outstanding Methodist School of Nursing Alumna Deborah J. Esmon, MSN, MBA, RN, CENP Deborah J. Esmon is the vice president and chief nursing officer for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare-North Hospital, which is the only adult Magnet hospital in West Tennessee.

Under her leadership, the hospital achieved its Magnet designation in 2019, with a rare 10 exemplars.

Esmon earned her diploma in Nursing from Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in 1980 and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Memphis in 1989.

She earned her Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on Nursing Administration from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing in 1996. Esmon also holds a master’s degree in business administration.

She has enjoyed a long career in nursing administration and leadership, including six years as administrative director of Nursing, Acute Care, for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, and a year as senior director of Emergency Services for Le Bonheur. Esmon has also served as director of Patient Care services for Tenet Healthcare in Memphis, director of Methodist Alliance Home Care, and director of Clinical Grant Projects for the Nurse Leader Institute (NLI) for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. In that role, she was responsible for implementing a $1.2 million HRSA grant and activities for the NLI’s third and final cohort.

Esmon is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives and the Tennessee Organization of Nurse Executives. She is a member of the Tennessee Nurses Association, for which she has served as a district director and delegate. She is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, for which she served on the Nominating Committee.

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2022 Most Supportive Alumnus James A. Hutcheson, IV, MSN, APN, CPNP-AC James A. Hutcheson, IV, is a nurse practitioner who has dedicated his career to serving pediatric patients in both the hospital and clinic setting. He is currently an advanced practice nurse in trauma services at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital through UT-Le Bonheur Specialists, Inc. He has also provided pediatric care through Raleigh Group PC Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, where he worked for nine years – the last three years as chief operating officer and administrator.

Hutcheson earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing in 2007 and earned his Master of Science in Nursing at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in 2010 with a concentration in an acute care pediatrics.

Hutcheson is past president of the UTHSC College of Nursing Alumni Association Board of Directors. He received the Most Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award from the College of Nursing in 2007. He is also an instructor in the UTHSC College of Nursing’s Department of Acute and Tertiary Care.

He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Tennessee Chapter, and is treasurer of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Blues City Chapter.

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Sarah Rhoads to Lead New Nursing Department Professor Sarah Jane Rhoads, PhD, DNP, WHNP-BC, RNC-OB, APRN, FAAN, has been selected to lead a new department in the College of Nursing. Dr. Rhoads will serve as Chair of the Department of Community and Population Health. The development of a third department in the college is a response to growth in programs and faculty.

Dr. Rhoads joined UTHSC in 2018, coming to the university from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she was director of the South Central Telehealth Resource Center, education director for the Center for Distance Health, and an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Student receives BSA and UTHSC Diversity Leadership Awards Latoria Boyland, DNP, BSN, who earned her DNP in psychiatric mental health in May, was honored with the Black Student Association Award and the UTHSC Student Social Justice and Diversity Healthcare Leadership Award this year. Dr. Boyland has a heart for people experiencing homelessness and anyone who needs help accessing care for mental illness. A psychiatric nurse at Lakeside Behavioral Health System, she recently started Tori Talks LLC, an organization that seeks to normalize conversations about mental health through education and community involvement. Tori Talks segments are broadcast on Facebook Live each Monday.

Tracee RidleyPryor a Fellow of American Epilepsy Society Assistant Professor Tracee Ridley-Pryor, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, has been accepted as a Fellow of the American Epilepsy Society.

Dr. Ridley-Pryor is director of Research Strategies and Collaboration in Pediatric Neurology at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.

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Nurse Anesthesia Students Receive Scrub Caps The 22 nurse anesthesia students in the Class of 2022 received their scrub caps at the Scrub Cap Ceremony Sept. 27, 2021, in the Student-Alumni Center. The ceremony traditionally marks the transition from classroom to clinical learning for students in this rigorous, full-time, three-year program. The ceremony was nine months late, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. DNP Nurse Anesthesia Concentration Coordinator Dwayne Accardo, DNP, CRNA, told the students, “You will hold life in your hands. Handle it wisely, carefully, and respectfully,” he said. The 21 nurse anesthesia students in the Class of 2023 received their Scrub Caps April 11 in a ceremony in the Nash Auditorium.

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Ansley Stanfill Mid-Career Researcher for 2021 Associate Dean of Research Ansley Grimes Stanfill, PhD, RN, FAAN, was selected by the Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS) as the SNRS 2021 Mid-Career Researcher. This honor recognizes the contributions of a member whose scholarly work influences outcomes in nursing practice, nursing education, health policy, or population health. The Mid-Career Award recognizes a member dedicated to mentoring the development of scholarly work in the next generation of nurse scholars. Dr. Stanfill received the award at the annual SNRS Conference Feb. 24 in New Orleans.

BSN Students Receive White Coats The College of Nursing’s Accelerated BSN cohort that began their 12-month program in August 2021, received their White Coats Oct. 4, 2021 in a ceremony at the Memphis Botanic Garden, marking their transition from didactic to clinical education. Forty-nine students donned the White Coat and made the White Coat Pledge. The ABSN cohort of 33 students that began their 12-month program in January 2022, received their White Coats on Feb. 7, 2022 in the Schreier Auditorium of the Student-Alumni Center.

2nd-Annual Opioid Conference More than 130 people attended the two-day, 2nd-Annual Opioid Conference, which was offered through the HRSA ANEW grant and held May 2-3 at the FedEx Events Center at Shelby Farms Park. The program featured keynote speaker Stephen Loyd, MD, chief medical officer of Cedar Recovery, as well as a panel of presenters from faith, health care, and law enforcement backgrounds.

The program offered continuing education units to nurses, pharmacists, physicians, and non-physicians.

DNP Program Achieves High Ranking from U.S. News & World Report The U.S. News & World Report ranking of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs for 2022-2023 places the College of Nursing 27th on the list.

This ranking puts the college in the top 7% of all DNP programs nationwide, ranked and unranked. The college is in the top 17% of DNP programs that made the list. “Each year, we look forward to these rankings, and each year we are so thankful for the hard work of our leadership team, faculty, and staff that ensures the excellent academic quality of our DNP program,” Dean Likes said.

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Nurse Anesthesia Student Receives Cornwell Scholarship Charles A. Hoyt, BSN, CCRN, a DNP student in Nurse Anesthesia, is the secondannual recipient of the Patty Cornwell Stewardship and Advocacy Scholarship. He was honored during the 2022 American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology’s (AANA) Annual Congress in Chicago in August. The $3,000 scholarship was established jointly by the Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists (TANA) and the AANA Foundation in recognition of legendary TANA member Patty Cornwell, CRNA.

College Initiates Staff Awards Program A new awards program was established by the College of Nursing this year. Staff awards were given in conjunction with the faculty Daisy Awards. DNP Coordinator Trimika Bowdre-Jones, PhD, MPH (left), received the EEAS (Encouraging, Aiding, Assisting and Supportive) Award, and Administrative Associate Jayne Collins-McKinnie was recognized with the Most Outstanding Staff Member award.

SGAEC Teaching Award Winners Assistant Professor Cory Wilbanks, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-C, CNL, CNE, and Assistant Professor Laura Reed, DNP, FNP, won the SGAEC Excellence in Teaching Awards for Nursing for 2022.

Dr. Wilbanks is a two-time alumna of the college, who joined the faculty full-time in 2019. Dr. Reed is also a two-time alumnae of the college and leads the FNP concentration in the DNP program. She joined the college faculty in 2014.

Anne Alexandrov receives Distinguished Research Lectureship Professor Anne Alexandrov, PhD, AG-ACNP-BC, RN, CCRN, ANVPBC, NVRN-BC, FAAN, was recognized with the Distinguished Research Lectureship Award at the American Association of Critical Care Nurses National Teaching Institute May 16. Her lecture topic was “The Sky’s the Limit: Leveraging Nursing Contributions to Acute Stroke Research.”

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Faculty Honored with Daisy Awards Three faculty members were recognized with Daisy Awards during Nurses Week. These awards recognize faculty members for their commitment to and inspiration of their students. Daisy winners, pictured below, included Assistant Professor Sharon Little, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC; Assistant Professor Christie Manasco, PhD, RN; and Assistant Professor Emma Murray, DNP, ACNP-BC, APRN. The late Assistant Professor Melody Waller, PhD, RN, was recognized with a posthumous Daisy Award.

Pediatric DNP Programs Noted as Best Online The college’s pediatric DNP concentrations were ranked as the best online pediatric nurse practitioner programs for 2021 by Nurse Practitioner Online, which uses extensive guides, articles, and online educational program listings to provide the most comprehensive information on achieving a career as a nurse practitioner.

Jackie Sharp Named Outstanding Teacher Assistant Professor Jackie Sharp, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, received the College of Nursing 2022 Outstanding Teacher Award sponsored by the University of Tennessee Alumni Association. Dr. Sharp joined the college faculty in 2009 and is the coordinator of the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner concentration in the DNP program.

Dwayne Accardo Becomes a Fellow of AANA Assistant Professor Dwayne Accardo, DNP, CRNA, APRN, coordinator of the Nurse Anesthesia concentration in the DNP program, was selected to be inducted into the 2022 Class of Fellows for the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA). He was among 51 distinguished leaders in the profession, who were inducted at the AANA’s Annual Congress in August.

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College of Nursing Welcomes New Faculty Members The UTHSC College of Nursing has added several new faculty members over the last year.

Andrea Sebastian, DNP, PNP, SANE-P Dr. Sebastian joined the college Feb. 1, 2022, as an assistant professor to teach in the Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program. Dr. Sebastian is the project manager on the college’s three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to fund an expansion of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training and certification in West Tennessee. Dr. Sebastian earned her BSN at Eastern Kentucky University and her Doctor of Nursing Practice at the University of Kentucky.

She was recently elected to the nominating committee for the International Association of Forensic Nurses.

Shelley Miller, DNP, APRN, FNP-C Dr. Miller joined the College of Nursing as an assistant professor in the Department of Nursing-Acute and Tertiary Care in February.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1999 and her Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Phoenix in 2009.

She received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from UTHSC in 2016. Dr. Miller is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Greater Memphis Area Advanced Practice Nurses. She also co-founded the Nurse Practitioner Council at Methodist Minor Medical Center.

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Keesha Roach, PhD, MSN, BSN Dr. Roach joined the College of Nursing as an assistant professor in August 2021 to teach in the Department of Community and Population Health. Her research focuses on the characterization of pain phenotypes, associated biomarkers, and health disparities in individuals of African ancestry, especially in sickle cell disease and cancer. Dr. Roach earned her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology at the University of Maryland College Park and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Loyola University Chicago in 2001. After receiving her PhD in Nursing from the University of Illinois Chicago, she completed a T-32 postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Florida. Dr. Roach is a member of the National Black Nurses Association, the American Society for Hematology, and the International Association for the Study of Pain.

Meghan Madea, MSN, CNM, WHNP-C Madea joined the UTHSC College of Nursing in September of 2022 as an Instructor for the BSN Maternal Child Health Course in the Department of Community and Population Health. Prior to joining the full-time faculty, Madea had served as an adjunct faculty member since 2016 while working as a Certified Nurse Midwife at Regional One Health. Madea graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004 with an MSN and dual certifications in Midwifery and as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. She is a member of the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM), Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH) and the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH).

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UTHSC Alumna Developed Higher Educational Opportunities Throughout Career Peggy Ingram Veeser, EdD, is a highly distinguished educator and leader in nursing and higher education in the Memphis community. From establishing and managing a clinical health service, to initiating a degree program, to facilitating an academic scholarship in her name, Dr. Veeser has dedicated her career to providing many opportunities and cultivating future generations of nursing students.

The Dr. Peggy Ingram Veeser Endowed Scholarship, established in 2019, began as a gift from her friends and family, to honor her and offer financial assistance to students in the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

“There were times, particularly in my graduate programs, when I sought financial assistance and received it from various places, and looking back, I probably could not have continued on with my education if I did not have it,” Dr. Veeser said. “I’m delighted to be able to pass on this benefit to other nursing students to continue their education.”

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After Dr. Veeser entered nursing school at Vanderbilt University, she was inspired by her parents, faculty, her service in the Student Health Coalition, and her involvement in programs conducting health screenings in rural areas of Tennessee, to keep pursuing higher education.

Dr. Veeser mentioned Luther Christman, PhD, RN, FAAN, who became dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in 1967, as a “legend and an icon” in nursing, who challenged students to think creatively and continue their educational path.

“Higher education has been something I’ve pursued all my life into the master’s program, a doctoral program, and I’ve always had a love for teaching,” Dr. Veeser said. “My mother taught high school, and my father was a Campbell Clinic orthopedic surgeon, and his love for teaching residents communicated a lot to me about the value of teaching and passing knowledge to others.”

After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Vanderbilt University in 1971, Dr. Veeser completed

the pediatric nurse practitioner program at the University of Virginia in 1975. She earned a Master of Science in Nursing degree from the UTHSC College of Nursing in 1978.

expanded our efforts to serve students and employees at UTHSC,” she said. “I was very proud to have the support of the College of Nursing in that role.”

During that year, Dr. Veeser joined the College of Nursing faculty and progressed to a tenured professor, serving in this role for approximately 32 years. In addition to her impact as a professor, she became the director of University Health Services (UHS), the on-campus health care center that provides primary care to the UTHSC community.

Following her retirement from UTHSC in 2010, she became the founding director of the RN to BSN program at Christian Brothers University, providing academic and professional opportunities and preparing students to pursue and graduate from a graduate program in nursing.

Dr. Veeser retired from this role in 2016.

She earned a Doctor of Education degree in Interdisciplinary Higher Education from the University of Memphis in 1986. Dr. Veeser also cited the dean of the UTHSC College of Nursing at that time, Michael A. Carter, DNSc, DNP, FAAN, FNP/GNP-BC, as an innovative entrepreneurial thinker who helped create clinics in the city, and aided Dr. Veeser with UHS. “With Dr. Carter’s help, and the help of the faculty at UTHSC, in the College of Nursing in particular, we created and changed the name to University Health Services and

“It was a great opportunity for learning, it’s always interesting to start a new program,” Dr. Veeser said.

“The nursing students that we prepared were really, as it was at UTHSC, the most interesting aspect of the position.”

Among her many volunteer services to the Memphis community, Dr. Veeser is now the first female chair of the board of directors of the Assisi Foundation of Memphis, Inc.

Why Make an Annual Gift to UTHSC? Donating to UTHSC every year helps us provide scholarships, laboratory equipment, travel grants, community outreach initiatives, and many other benefits that would not be available using state or tuition-provided dollars alone!

Thank you for being a partner with our campus, our colleges, and our programs.

Your gift in any amount will make a difference.

Donate $100 or more and become a member of our 1911 Society!

For details, go to giving.uthsc.edu/1911.

Make your gift today! giving.uthsc.edu/give | 901.448.5516

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1911 Society Donor Recognition The College of Nursing would like to recognize its donors for the impact they have made on our students, faculty and staff in the past fiscal year. The following donors denoted by an asterisk have an active membership in the 1911 Society thanks to their generous support of the College of Nursing in the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The 1911 Society recognizes the dedicated supporters of the university who are vital partners in our mission of educating students, conducting innovative research, and improving health outcomes. Membership in the 1911 Society is granted across multiple levels, recognizing annual and cumulative contributions to UTHSC. To learn more about the program online, visit giving.uthsc.edu/1911.

Your donations are critical to strengthening our impact across the state and around the world. There are multiple ways to support the College of Nursing. Cash gifts can be made online, by mail, or by phone. Other giving options include employer matching contributions, gifts of stock or bonds, real estate, gifts in kind, and various planned giving vehicles. For more information on how you can impact the College of Nursing, please contact Michelle Stubbs, director of Development, at mstubbs@utfi.org or 901.448.2076.

Make your gift today! Visit giving.uthsc.edu/give.

Thank you for your generous support!

Marqueta Vonya Abraham * Lori Ann Adelmann Beverly Davidson Leslie Ann and Mark A. Akins * Anne W. and Andrei V. Alexandrov * Sandra and Gene Alford Vashti J. Alley * Betty Alsup * Nancy and Murphy Appling * Amal Haji Assa * Diana C. and Hal L. Baker * Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation Pamela Kaye Barrett Trina L. Barrett * Jodi and Matt Barron * Sherry and Bill E. Barry * Victoria Young Bass * Sandra Davis and Richard E. Bateman * Lisa Darlene Beasley * Mary Louise Belenchia * Bobby Lynn and Larry Dale Bellflower * Coleen and Marvin L. Bertsch * William H. and Jean Couts Bigger Bill And Crissy Haslam Foundation Megan E. and John K. Billingsley Glynis Dye Blackard Dee Blakney Bethany Goolsby and Scott A. Blankenship

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Patricia A. Blissitt * Joyce Regina Bolton Justin G. Booker Laritha Dejonna Boone Michelle Lee Boone Jacque Lynn Barnes and Jeremy Lynn Bradford Virginia Tanner Bradley * G. Ray Bratton * Stephanie Dianne Breuer Barbara Acker Brock * Linda and Philip Bronfin * Helen Elizabeth Brooks * Yolanda and Detrus Brown * Jami and Granger Brown * Sandra Kay Brown Jacqueline and Tony Burchum * Nancy S. and William W. Burton * Angela and Charles Buss * Xueyuan Cao and Ming Juan Wang * Joyce E. Carimi Patricia P. and Michael G. Carlson * Lacretia Shanae Carroll Joan B. and J. Woodson Carter * Ann and Ted Cashion * Glenda B. and Richard J. Cavallaro * Christie and Leo Cavallo * Vicki and Steve Chandler * Barbara and Michael Cherry *

Mary Teresa Clepper * Lanny L. Coker * Ashanti Coleman Joann Coleman Jill M. Collier Janice Collins-McNeil Patricia M. Connell Emily J. Cooley Dwight and Patricia A. Cowan * Dee and John W. Cox, Jr. * Lois Crenshaw William R. and Mary Bowles Crom Lois B. Crutchfield Eboni Danielle Cunningham * CVS Health Foundation Beverly Davidson * Aubrey Davis Kristi and Steve Davis Theresa Davis * Sara Williamson Day * Diana and Darren Dedmon * Janet E. DePriest * Caprice O. Devereux * Marion L. Donohoe * Christie and Brandon Dorris Ginger and Gary Dorris * Bettye and Saxon Durham * Stephanie Machelle Eddings Shirley D. Edmonson * Elizabeth Fuselier Ellis and Jerry Ellis * Melanie Elmore Margaret and Jerry Lyn Emmons * Deborah J. Esmon * Estate of Kathryn Crane Sharon Evans Thorpe and Edwin M. Thorpe, Jr. * Hope S. Ferguson Kathy and Tony Ferrara * Nancy and Mike Farrell * Jane Flanagan * Charlie and Quran N. Folsom Mary G. Fong * Linda G. and Joseph L. Fontenot * Linda Lashearer Fornett Kate and Mark Fouquier * Jerry Thomas Francisco Rose J. and H. E. Garrett, Jr. * Jami L. and Frank J. Gattuso, Jr. * Rachel and Christopher George * Laurie and Ronald Gibbs Frasje J. and Justin R. Giles Mary and Robert Girardi Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc.

Gwendolyn E. Gnam Natasha Goins * Carolyn and Paul Graff * Lajean P. Grannan * Patricia Anne Grayson * E. Dianne Greenhill * Carol Ruskell Griffiths Beau Griggs Linda H. and Robert Gropp Barbara M. Grossman * Stacie Beverly Groves * Wei Kuan and Jiaqian Zhu Gu Julie and Coy Hamm Nicole and Rip Haney * Jada C. Harding * Tosha Harris * Margaret Thorman Hartig Mary S. and Charles Hartwig * Margaret B. Harvey * Alisa Haushalter and David Charles Mills * Nancy G. and Lloyd L. Hearn Elizabeth Anne Heilig * Donald H. Henderson Linda Marie Henley Artangela Demetria Henry E. Susan Henry David Brent Hightower * Adam Hill and James G. Roberts, Jr. * Brittany Hill * Linda C. Hill * Holland Insurance, Inc. Sandra L. Holmes * Brenda G. and Malcolm H. Holt * Tara C. Holt Nancy A Homer Catherine Lynn Horobetz Edna P. and Les Howitt Sally and John Humphrey * Sally Hrymak Hunter and James Stephen Hunter Shelby Husband * Ashley and James Albert Hutcheson IV Melinda D. and Stephen T. Ikard * Elizabeth Lynne Avery Ivey and Charles Ivey Ramona and Mike Jackson Susan and Dick Jacob * Nancy L. James Randall Lee Johnson * Myra Susan and Gordon F. Jones * Patricia Jones-Purdy and Shawn Purdy * Robert W. and Irma Jordan Linda Douglas and Stan Joyner * Sarah Kellon UTHSC COLLEGE OF NURSING | FALL 2022

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Kimberly D. Kennel Patricia A. and Ronald A. Kent * Christian Ketel Barbara N. and Kerry Killebrew * Mary W. King * Carla S. Kirkland Mary Anne G. and Scott R. Koeppel Seraphine Hardin Lambert * Margaret Laning and Ralph Ferraro * Janice Shelley Ledbetter * Evelyn D. and Douglas Lewis, Jr. * Shaunda Lou Lewis Wendy M. Likes * Sharon and V. O. Little * Melissa J. and William J. Littman * Donna Lynch-Smith and Donald Smith * Richard Lowe and Melanie Maynor * Reba Hare Lunney Meghan and Greg Madea Dean J. Martin * M’Liss Darr and Jon A. Mather * Victor and Carol Ann Matthews * Jeddie L. Maxwell * Tracy and Eric McClinton * William F. McCormick Wynema McGrew * Margaret Grim and Thomas K. McMahan * John M. and Sandra E. McMillin * Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Robert D. Meyers Shelley A. and David M. Miller Alice E. B. Morris Sophia S. Mosher Patricia A. Mosley * Emma C. Murray * Valerie Murry * Sarah and Robert Mynatt * Judy Evelyn Narramore * Darrian Ginae Nash Ashley B. Neal * Karen Phillips Nellis Marilyn Jean Nichols Leslie Nicoll * Bettie L. Norfleet Alice and James A. Nunnery * Marcia Kaye O’Brien Diane and Jim Pace * Tonya and Mario Parson * Nancy A. and William J. Paschall * Elizabeth and Robert Paton * Nancy Elizabeth Pechacek * Delilah M. and William Pennington Patricia and Richard D. Peppler * Collier Phillips *

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Julia Ponder Keevia Porter Jarethea and Charles Powell * Shelia Lashell Powell Stephanie A. Powelson and Thomas H. Tucker II * Belinda Presley * Debbie S. and Steven O. Redd Laura K. and John B. Reed * Laura Kathleen Reed Regional One Health Foundation Sarah Jane Rhoads * Michelle N. Rickard * Lillian D. Riddick * Donna and Joseph Rike * Jairo Rivas Melissa M. Robinson Elizabeth Roemer * Richard G. and Susan B. Rossen Leigh Ann and Erwin Rowan Nancy Kim Rudge * Cynthia and Jerry Russell * Jennifer and Steven Russell * Julie Vernissie Sanders Susan T. and Randy Sanders * Lisa W. Schafer * Patricia N. Scott and Jayant K. Deshpande * Andrea and Greg Sebastian Anita G. Settles-Seymour * Jacqueline M. and C. Anthony Sharp * Fannie T. and Franklin Shelton * Cheryl B. and James J. Shields * Emily and Carl William Shorter Marguerite Royal Simpkins * John P. Smith * Marlaine and Brian Smith Patti Smith * Prentiss and Susan Riley Smith * Carol H. and Scott Sneed * Allie Lauren Sparks * Paula and Harold Spears * Patricia M. Speck and Ronald L. Speck * Pamela B. and William Speitel * Ansley and John Stanfill * Dianne M. and William B. Stanford * Cheryl C. and William D. Stegbauer * Mary and Sam Stewart, Jr. * Terri Lynn Stewart E. Erwin Story Michelle and Doug Stubbs * Cristy G. and Paul C. Stumb Marilynn Susan Bell Swain * Eric Swanson * Martin J. Taylor Nancy Utter Terry *

Sharon F. and Steven K. West * Robert E. Wharton, Jr. * Amy I. and Hall B. Whitaker Sarah J. White and Bruce D. White * Cheryl Lynne White Linda O. Wible Mona N. and Sammie J. Wicks * Cory Wilbanks * Connie Wilkerson Sara Ann Wilkinson * Armantine K. Williams * Valerie J. and Cord D. Williams * Chrislyn and David Williams Joyce and David Williams * Loretta A. and Tavari Williams * Sandra Willmarth * Christina Wallace Wills Stacy Woodard Kathryn McBride Wright Kuan Xing Greta Cooper Young and Nina Katherine Sublette * Jan Young * Rachel C. and Robert M. Young Kimberly S. and Eugene J. Zilske *

Charmin M. Thomas * Mary E. and James B. Thomas Alicia A. and Benjamin H. Tollison * Brandon Swain Toney Diane Yates Trent Donna C. Tubbs Janet and Scott Tucker * University of Cincinnati Deborah A. Usselman Judy and Jose Valdez * Tony and Karen Bryant Valk * Candice Vine Barnes and Bill Barnes Jasmine Natashia Walker Crystal R. and Kenneth Walker II Carolyn F. and Richard H. Walker Sallie J. Walton * Amanda R. and Herman D. Wardlaw Alice U. Warren * Jacqueline and Randall Watkins * Lana Shamin Watts Bobbie Waxler * Sherry S. Webb * Christen P. and Phillip L. Webster Jo Ann West * Rita Jane West Sherrod W. and John H. West, Jr. *

*Active membership in the 1911 Society

Alumni Board of Directors PRESIDENT (2022 – 2024)

EAST

James Roberts (’19)

Kim Zilske (‘07)

Sandy Bateman (’79, ’81)

Pat Speck (’82, ‘85, ’05)

Karen Valk (’82)

Sara Wilkinson (’18)

PRESIDENT-ELECT (2022 – 2024) Sandy Bateman (’79, ‘81)

OUT-OF-STATE

Paula Spears (’84, ’02) *Methodist

REPRESENTATIVES

School of Nursing Representative

SECRETARY (2022-2024)

Michelle Boone (’16)

Tosha Harris (’18)

Kim Zilske (’07)

PAST PRESIDENTS

TENNESSEE REPRESENTATIVES

REPRESENTATIVE AT-LARGE

James “Hutch” Hutcheson (’07)

WEST

Dee Blakney (’07)

Dianne Greenhill (’62)

Armantine “Tine” Williams (’75, ’81)

Belinda Mandrell (’01) Jan Young (’02) MIDDLE Hallie Bensinger (’01) Melissa Flatt Littman (’81)

Diana Dedmon (’99) Susan DonLevy (’77) Tosha Harris (’18) Belinda Mandrell (‘08) Diane Pace (’71, ’96, ’98) Julia Ponder (’17)

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Leave Your Legacy Have you thought about the legacy you will leave behind?

With a Planned Gift, you can: • Simplify your estate for your family • Reduce the tax burden applied to your assets • Benefit causes you hold dear

Legacy donors become members of the Hershel “Pat” Wall Legacy Society Dr. Wall’s more than 50 years of dedication to UTHSC as a student, faculty member, and administrator are unsurpassed. His legacy will live forever, as will the impact made by our donors.

For more information about planned gifts to UTHSC and Legacy Society membership, contact Bethany Goolsby at 901.448.5516 or estateplans@uthsc.edu.

Thank you to our Legacy Society Members!

Estate of Reba Absher

Mrs. F. Aline Larue

Estate of Beverly Bowns

Estate of Dr. Alys H. Lipscomb

Estate of Mary Jane Brewer

Estate of Lily L. Lusk

Estate of Lucile G. Buderer

Estate of Camille D. McCray

Estate of Kathrin Cashdollar

Estate of Dr. Margaret A. Newman

Ms. Janet E. Depriest

Dr. Stephanie A. Powelson and Mr. Thomas H. Tucker II

Estate of Helen C. Dunkin

Ms. Elinor F. Reed

Dr. Elizabeth Fuselier Ellis

Estate of Elizabeth Reese

Estate of Geneva Belk Greene

Dr. William A. and Mrs. Catherine Clark Shell

Dr. E. Dianne Greenhill

Dorothy Stockdale and James E. Stockdale*

Estate of Emma L. Heim

Estate of Esther Jean Trentham

Dr. Susan Robertson Jacob and Mr. Richard Jacob

Estate of Dr. Janet A. Williamson

Dr. June H. Larrabee

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* Denotes someone who is deceased, but spouse is still living

In Memoriam Class of 1949

Class of 1956

Class of 1987

Mrs. Cathy B. Churchwell

Mary Lee King

Dr. Ralph Jean Vogel

April 11, 2022

March 25, 2019

May 16, 2022

Class of 1951

Class of 1966

Class of 1991

Mrs. Mary Nell Campbell

Dr. Barbara Jeanette Lancaster

Mr. David A. Hempfling

July 7, 2021

June 7, 2022

November 7, 2021

Mrs. Carolyn Mobley

Class of 1971

September 25, 2021

Mrs. Teresa Wright Pischner May 28, 2022

The UTHSC College of Nursing Professional Development Unit Presents The 2022 William Cashdollar Distinguished Visiting Professorship Friday, November 4 | 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Theme Unmuting the Voices of Under-represented and Under-resourced Populations to Improve Palliative Care and Health Equity.

Keynote Speaker Marie A. Bakitas, DNSc, NP-C, FAAN Professor, Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship, Co-Director of the Center for Palliative and Supportive Care, University of AlabamaBirmingham School of Nursing Register Online for this Free Event https://bit.ly/2022CashdollarDVP

Nursing Credit The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

2 NCPD credit hours will be awarded for this event. There is no charge for the Nursing Professional Development credit.

For more information, contact Roylynn Germain at 901.448.2726.

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Memphis, TN Permit No. 4026

Office of Development and Alumni Affairs 62 S. Dunlap, Suite 500 Memphis, TN 38163 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

SAVE THE DATE | MAY 5, 2023

Join us to celebrate nursing in the Mid-South at the 2023 NightinGala!

The gala, in its seventh year, will offer fine food, great music, and the annual Nurse Hero Awards, as we recognize local nurses who represent the best of the profession in our community.

Registration information will be available at uthsc.edu/nightingala in January 2023.