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Welcome new and returning students, including the Class of 2005, which has the wonderful distinction of being our centennial class.
Enrollment is
booming. As of August 15, 94 BSN students (our target was 80), 79 MSN students,
and four PhD students were enrolled.
Most everyone knows John Youngblood, our new director of
admission and student services. He comes to us from the Rollins School of
Public Health, where he served as the school's first director of student
services beginning in 1996. I'd also like to welcome Katie Kennedy
as admissions adviser. Katie previously worked in admissions and recruitment
for Mississippi College.
Congratulations are in order for
several of our faculty. Joining us this fall is Dr. Jo Ann Dalton,
who serves as chair of the Department of Adult and Elder Health Nursing.
Jo Ann is a well-known scholar and administrator from UNCChapel Hill who
is an expert in pain research with a focus on cancer patients.
Among her departmental colleagues is Dr. Jill Hamilton,
a new assistant professor specializing in the study of older African Americans
with cancer and how they live in the community. Jill recently completed
a postdoctoral fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University. New faculty
associates joining us this fall are Debra Fikes, BS, BSN, MSW, MSN; Barbara
Kaplan, MSN, RN; Jennifer Tabin, MSN, RN; Julie Davey, MSN, RN; and Carolyn
Clevenger, MSN, RN. All bring wonderful clinical expertise to our programs.
Kudos to our newly promoted faculty, including Dr. Kathy Parker
(Adult and Elder Health), who now holds the Edith Honeycutt Chair in Nursing
and is professor of nursing. Additionally, Dr. Marcia McDonnell
(Family and Community Health) has moved from the clinical track to the tenure
track as assistant professor.
Also promoted were Dr. Sarah Freeman, clinical professor
in Family and Community Health, and Drs. Christi Deaton,
research associate professor, and Michael Neville, clinical
associate professor, in Adult and Elder Health.
The SON is on the rise nationally,
according to the latest rankings of America's Best Graduate Schools
by US News & World Report. We advanced from 32nd last year to 26th
this year, putting us in the top 10% of nursing schools with graduate programs
and eighth among private nursing schools. Nurse midwifery, one of our longtime
strengths, ranked 7th, tying with the well-known nursing programs at the
University of Washington and the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco.
These figures attest to the strength of our faculty, staff, and students.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Dr.
Helen O'Shea, who is retiring as coordinator of the undergraduate
program and chair of the Department of Adult and Elder Health Nursing. Helen
entered the nursing profession in 1958 and joined the SON in 1971. The fact
that the students chose her to speak at the May pinning ceremony is a testament
to their love and respect for this gifted teacher.
At commencement, I was pleased to present Helen with an honorary bachelor
of science in nursing degree and her very own NHWSN pin. But that's not
all. We also announced the creation of the Dr. Helen O'Shea Endowed Scholarship
Fund for undergraduates, for which we have raised $50,000. Fortunately for
us, Helen will continue to teach part time.
We celebrated a special
occasion with the dedication of the Charles F. and Peggy Evans Center for
Caring Skills last spring. The center's name honors the generosity and memory
of the couple who built an automobile sales enterprise in the Atlanta area.
The Evans Center is funded with part of a multi-million-dollar gift from
their estate in appreciation for the medical and nursing care they received
at Emory before their deaths. Their gift also supports an endowed chair
in medicine and other medical school projects.
Several guests joined us for the Evans Center dedication, including Dr.
Bill Fox, senior vice president for institutional advancement at
Emory; keynote speaker Dr. Steven Kraftchick, associate
dean for academic affairs at Candler School of Theology; and Mr.
Mike Harrington, one of two executors for the Evans estate.
As Harrington told the audience, "Charles Evans was a man of few words.
When he did speak, it was in superlatives, and I know he would if he were
here today. I'm thrilled by the opportunity to be his messenger."
Our 98th commencement was a glorious
occasion. The undergraduate class became the first to complete their nursing
education in our new building, and our school reached another milestone
as Dr. Carolyn Constantin became the first person to receive
a PhD in nursing. And we awarded 59 baccalaureate degrees, 76 master of
science degrees, and one joint master's degree in nursing and public health.
The SON received two major gifts to
support our students. The Hearst Foundation of New York made a gift of $150,000
to establish the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship Fund for Graduate
Nursing Education. This is an important gift because of the scarcity of
scholarships for master's students. Also, the grant supports our efforts
to prepare nursing leaders who can rethink and reshape how patient care
is delivered.
The O.C. Hubert Charitable Trust awarded a $100,000 grant to the SON to
create the Hubert Fellowships in International Nursing. Over the next three
years, these fellowships will provide BSN and MSN students with service-learning
experiences in developing countries through the Lillian Carter Center for
International Nursing.
Congratulations to Ann Connor
(Family and Community Nursing), one of two nurses named by the Georgia Nurses
Association as 2003 Nurse of the Year. She shares the honor with Linda
Easterly, director of Occupational Health and Wellness at Houston
Healthcare in Middle Georgia.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle tapped Dr. Linda Spencer
(Family and Community Nursing) as a finalist in its annual Health-Care Heroes
competition. Emory nominated Linda for her efforts to improve nursing and
health care in undeveloped parts of the world and her service as a disaster
response nurse. Linda's and Ann's accomplishments remind us that one person
can make a difference in the world.
We now have two Fulbright Scholars
in our midst. Misrak Bezu Ayele, a maternal and child health specialist
from Alemaya University in Ethiopia, is a student in our Leadership in Public
Health Nursing Program, and Mabel Magowe, a nurse midwife and reproductive
health expert from the University of Botswana, is a doctoral student.
Previously, Fulbright Scholars have been students in the Rollins School
of Public Health and have collaborated informally with our faculty and students
or taken a class here. However, Misrak and Mabel are the first Fulbright
Scholars ever to enroll in our degree programs. Thanks to those who paved
the way for these scholars and the many more to come.
Two new staff members have joined the Development
Office. Ms. Amanda Kudla is the assistant director for
alumni relations. Formerly with the Trust for Public Land, Amanda fund raises
for the Annual Fund, works closely with the Nurses Alumni Association Board
and The Associates, and organizes special events for alumni.
Joining Amanda is Ms. Angela Yvonne, development associate.
Angela manages all development operations and events related to alumni relations
and donor cultivation. She previously was division coordinator for the School
of Counseling Psychology with the Rossier School of Education at the University
of Southern California.
Amanda and Yvonne collaborate with Ms. Kathy Egan, who
has been promoted to assistant dean for development and alumni relations.
While I was in St. Kitts
and the Grenadines this summer, the Lillian Carter Center for International
Nursing was recognized for its efforts to improve health care worldwide.
The Regional Nursing Body of the Caribbean Community also thanked us for
our work in that region, while Johnson&Johnson, an LCCIN partner, launched
its "Year of the Caribbean Nurse" campaign to help recruit and retain nurses
in the region.
- Our work in Kenya continues. Nursing partners there are transferring
volumes of paper records to a computer database to centralize information
on nursing education and retention. This data will help Kenyan nursing
leaders shape education and workforce policy in the future.
Dr. Martha Rogers (Family and Community Nursing) and
Ms. Patricia Riley, a CDC nurse midwife and SON adjunct
faculty member, have begun an operations research study in Kenya, funded
by CARE and the CDC. The study will identify factors leading to wide
variation in use of services to prevent maternal-to-child HIV transmission.
Dr. Pamela McQuide and Ms. Chassea Golden,
an MSN/MPH international health student, traveled to Kenya this summer
to collaborate on the study with the Tropical Institute of Community
Health.
- Ms. Kathryn Kite (LCCIN) and Dr. Maggie
Gilead (Adult and Elder Health) participated in the faculty
study abroad trip to Germany, sponsored by the Halle Institute for Global
Learning.
- Seniors Emily Mason, Kelly Moynes, and Emile
Crosa participated in our second academic exchange with Yonsei
University in South Korea.
We received two training grants
from the Health Resources and Services Administration to support our graduate
programs. Dr. Lynda Nauright is coordinator for the nursing
administration major through the Leadership in Health Care Program. This
new major will enable nurse managers and experienced clinicians to transform
health care systems in ways that enhance health care quality and the nursing
work environment. Specifically, it targets nurses from under-represented
minorities, nurses from underserved rural and urban areas, and nurses unable
to attend weekday classes. Classes meet primarily on Saturdays and are Internet-enhanced.
Dr. Laura Kimble is coordinator for the Emergency Nurse
Practitioner Program, which will train family nurse practitioners who can
also provide emergency, acute, and trauma care. The grant is the result
of a collaboration with Dr. Art Kellermann, chair of the
Department of Emergency Medicine in the the School of Medicine. Drs.
Sarah Freeman of the SON and Kate Heilpern of
the SOM are co-investigators for the grant.
Our service learning efforts
are expanding. As a result of a strategic planning and faculty development
workshop last spring, we plan to incorporate at least one service learning
experience per student per year into our curriculum. Faculty have suggested
ways to add/incorporate service learning into existing courses. This is
an exciting beginning for the new Office of Service Learning.
For the second year, 20 undergraduate and graduate students traveled to
South Georgia in June for the Migrant Family Health Program, based in Moultrie.
Our students and faculty collaborated with those from Georgia State, Kennesaw
State, Clayton State, and Darton College to render health care to migrant
families.
In nearby Bainbridge, four family nurse midwifery students and one nurse
midwifery/MPH student took part in the South Georgia Migrant Health Project.
This marks our third year in this effort, led by the Physician Assistant
Program in the School of Medicine.
The Emory Summer Nursing
Teaching Institute is under way to help address the critical shortage of
nursing faculty in Georgia.
Led by Dr. Helen O'Shea, this program targets post-master's
nurses who have some or no academic teaching experience. Workshop classes
were held in June, followed by online activities and assignments through
early August. The 10 participants, which include four members of our own
faculty, will complete their preceptorships this fall and receive their
certificates in December.
Our faculty and students continue
to shine regarding research. Recent awards follow. Still more are pending.
- The National Institute of Nursing Research awarded Dr. Marcia
McDonnell a five-year grant of approximately $2 million for
her project "Motivating HIV+ Women: Risk Reduction and ART Adherence."
- Dr. Kathy Parker received additional NINR funding
after a competitive review of her study "The Effect of Hemodialysis
on the Sleep-Wake Cycle." Her grant renewal totals approximately $2
million for five years.
- Doctoral student Pam Buchalter has been granted
a National Research Service Award fellowship from the National Institutes
of Health to support her dissertation project, "Practice Variation Among
School Health Personnel." She also is the recipient of the first Student
Research Grant from the American School Health Association.
Marla E. Salmon, ScD, RN, FAAN
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