vsummera 2017 nderbilt nurse - vanderbilt university

vanderbiltnurseSUMMER 2 0 1 7

The Vanderbilt ModelNurse-managed clinics grow VUMC delivery and service

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vanderbiltnurse

We value excellence and innovation in preserving and advancing the artand science of nursing in the scholarly domains of education, research,practice and informatics. These values are pursued through the integrationof information technology and faculty-student interactions and transac-tions, while embracing cultural and academic diversity.

MISS ION AND VALUES

STATEMENT

EditorNancy Wise

Design and Art DirectionDiana Duren

Director of PublicationsNancy Humphrey

Contributing Writers Matt Batcheldor Jill Clendening Christina Echegaray Jessica Pasley Deborah SettlesTavia Smith Tom Wilemon

Photography/Illustration Dina BahanRichard DavidsonDaniel DuboisJoe HowellSara Putnam John Russell Anne RaynerSusan Urmy Terry Wyatt

WebMegan ClancyDiana Duren

Cover IllustrationMichael Austin

Editorial OfficeCommunicationsVanderbilt University School of Nursing461 21st Ave. S., 117 Godchaux HallNashville, TN 37240

VUSN Alumni Office and [email protected] Usher, Director, Alumni Relations [email protected] 21st Avenue S. Nashville, Tennessee 37240 (615) 322-4836

The Vanderbilt Nurse is published twice a year bythe Vanderbilt University School of Nursing incooperation with the VUMC Office of News andCommunications. The editor welcomes letters andcomments from readers at:

Vanderbilt Nurse Editor461 21st Ave. S. Nashville, Tennessee, 37240Email: [email protected].

Vanderbilt University is committed to principles ofequal opportunity and affirmative action.

© 2017 Vanderbilt University

Thank you for coming together on Giving Day to celebrate and support the School of Nursing.

See detailed results and watch a special video at vu.edu/givingday.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING GIVING DAY A SUCCESS

NUR S E SUMMER 1 7 1

SUMMER 1 7 CONT EN T S

departments

2 Message from the DeanBreaking ground

3 By the NumbersFull census

4 News Around the SchoolA sampling of alumni and school accomplishments

26 Class NotesPromotions, personal achievements, moves, marriages, babies and othernews from classmates

29 Photo GalleryReminiscences and reconnecting were the themes for Reunion 2016

make connections@vusn

We want to reach out to you. Pick one or all of the ways below to stay in touch with your classmates, faculty and School:

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Submit your email address to [email protected] so we cansend you monthly electronic updates.

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8

The Vanderbilt Model 10VUSN and VUMC collaborate to grow a network of nurse-managed clinics inMiddle Tennessee

18 24

vanderbiltnursefeatures

8 New School of Nursing Building Planned Construction of $23.6 million building begins soon

10 The Vanderbilt Model Nurse-managed clinics grow VUMC delivery and service

18 What I Did BeforeVaried student backgrounds, ranging from football to rocket science, led to Vanderbilt

24 Compassion and Criminal JusticeHow one mental health professor changed the justice system

2 NUR S E SUMMER 1 7

Dear Alumni, Colleagues and Supporters,As dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN), I have the opportunity to make a lot

of announcements and speeches. I speak at Commencement and pinning ceremonies; address prospectivestudents at our fall and spring open houses; talk at receptions for alumni, students and visitors; deliverremarks to alumni at Reunion; and present information about the school to faculty, staff, students andfriends. But this spring I had the opportunity to make what might just be the most exciting announcementabout the School of Nursing in the past decade: I was able to announce that we are starting construction on

a new $23.6 million building expansion. That new building has been a long time coming. Plans for an expansion of VUSN were

first proposed under Dean Colleen Conway-Welch but put on hold when the Great Recessionhit in 2008. The need for the expansion only continued to grow with increased studentenrollment, new technological requirements, commitment to providing unified and enhancedstudent services, increased number of research-active faculty and teaching faculty, and so on.Late last year, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos and the Vanderbilt Board of Trust agreed thatthe time was right to start a new building and they approved the expansion plans.

You can read the details on page 8 of this issue of Vanderbilt Nurse, and you may be surethat I’ll talk more about the construction in the months ahead. We are all very excited aboutthe building and what it will mean to the school. I hope you are, too.

Shortly before we unveiled our building plans, U.S. News & World Report announced its2018 Best Graduate Schools rankings. VUSN again made an excellent showing. Our DNPprogram ranked as No. 11 and our MSN program ranked No. 15 out of all programs in theU.S. Two of our specialties, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner andPsychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, now rank as the No. 2 programs in their spe-cialties out of all the graduate nursing programs in the country. We are so proud of them and

of the rankings for all our specialty programs, which are based on assessments from other nursing schools.We—and you—know the quality of our nursing education, but it is very satisfying to see peer nursing insti-tutions recognize it as well.

This issue’s cover article explores the model that VUSN and Vanderbilt University Medical Center(VUMC) have established for opening and operating nurse-managed health care clinics. Although the firstclinics VUSN established were geared to meet the needs of specific low-income neighborhoods, todayVUSN/VUMC clinics also serve the general population, businesses and pregnant women—and that’s just astart. As you’ll read in the article on page 10, VUMC plans to partner with the School of Nursing to add upto 10 more nurse-managed clinics in the next three years.

Linda Norman, DSN, R.N., FAANValere Potter Menefee Professor of NursingDean of the Vanderbilt University School of [email protected]

DEAN ’ S MESSAGE


BY THE NUMBERS

Applications have increased

117.8%over the past 10 years.

GODCHAUX HALL Built 1925,

renovated 1971 &2006

41,923 sq. ft.

6 floors 3 behavioral labs

for research

The 3rd floor houses our current

simulation lab

PATRICIA CHAMPIONFRIST HALL Built 1997

Contains Frist Nursing Informatics Center

23,274 sq. ft.

3 floorsRoom 144 is a health

assessment lab

2 OFF-CAMPUS LOCATIONS

Clinical Placement andthe Psychiatric-Mental

Health NursePractitioner specialtyare off campus due to

lack of space

NURSING ANNEX Built 1977

14,107 sq. ft.

1 floor8 classrooms

226—capacity for largest classroom,Annex room 155

Is completely under-ground and serves as a

storm shelter

1,3096012006 2016

Student enrollment hasincreased

45.5%over the past 10 years.

879604

2006 2016

+ + +


FULL CENSUS

As VUSN has grown over the years, the need for space has grown with it.

The new expansion will add 29,947 square feet.(See page 8 for more details)

Being one of the country’s top graduate nursing programsmeans more people want to gain a VUSN education—and weneed more space. It’s a good problem to have.

FULL CENSUS


and the passion that is in this roomcan have a dramatic impact on thefuture of health care not only forthis country but for the world.”

Nurses are innately qualified tohelp shape policy, she said. “Nurseshave the strongest stance in healthcare: being an advocate for patients.Nurses are putting hands on patientsmore than any other provider in thesystem. You have your finger on thepulse, both from a policy perspectiveand a clinical perspective.”

Trent-Adams said it is criticalthat advanced practice nurses andnurse leaders today understand thechallenges the profession faces.

“We have to make sure from apolicy perspective that we take con-trol of making (nursing’s) voiceheard for the nursing profession,because we don’t need medicine,pharmacy or dentistry telling uswhat’s appropriate for nursing inpractice, in leadership or in scope ofpractice,” she said.

At the time of the lecture,Trent-Adams was second in com-mand at the U.S. Surgeon General’soffice. Before being appointedDeputy Surgeon General, she wasthe chief nurse officer for U.S.Public Health Service CommissionedCorps, a group of more than 6,700uniformed public health officersworking in federal government. Inaddition to other responsibilities,she helped lead the CommissionedCorps response to the Ebola out-break in Liberia, which includedstaffing and managing a 25-bedfield hospital for health care workerspossibly infected with Ebola.

Trent-Adams’ lecture was theinaugural presentation in the newVUSN Dean’s Diversity Lectureseries. The lecture series explores thediversity of backgrounds, cultures,ideas and viewpoints in our worldtoday.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................COMMUNITYRESEARCHOUTREACHSCIENCEFACULTYTECHNOLOGY

News Around the School

VUSN welcomes the future U.S.Surgeon General

Editor’s Note: Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams was named acting U.S. Surgeon Generalon April 21, making her the first U.S. Surgeon General who is not a physician. She hadbeen deputy U.S. Surgeon General.

R ear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, the then U.S. Deputy Surgeon General, visit-ed Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) in January to speak to apacked audience of students, faculty, alumni and campus leaders.

In her presentation, “Health Policy Priorities for Nursing: Past, Present and Future,” thenation’s top nurse gave an overview of factors that influence the health policy process andhealth care delivery system in the U.S., and urged nurses to be bold in assuring the nursingprofession has a voice in the nation’s health care discussion.

“If you hear nothing else that I say, please know that the take-home message from myentire talk is I believe that nurses are the power force that can change health care delivery inthis country,” said Trent-Adams, Ph.D., FAAN. “I think that the knowledge and experience

The lecture drew students from all programs. From left, DNP student Marcia Smith, Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, Dean Linda Norman and PreSpecialty Nursing student Shannon Davies.

ANNE RAYNER


U.S. News & World Report rankings again put VUSN among nation’s best..................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Fourteen VanderbiltUniversity School of Nursingalumni have joined theschool’s alumni board,President Tiffany Street, MSN‘03, and Vice President TyWilliams, MSN ‘03, DNP ‘12,announced.

The members represent avariety of specialties, degrees,regions and eras. They are:Brooklyn Beaupre, MSN ‘14(Adult-Gerontology AcuteCare), Johnson City, Tennessee;Margaret McKinney Buxton,

MSN ‘98 (Nurse-Midwifery),Nashville, Tennessee; ChristinaR. Cardy, MSN ‘16 (Adult-Gerontology Acute Care),Tampa, Florida; CharlotteMathias Covington, BSN ‘69,MSN ‘89 (BSN/Family Care),Nashville, Tennessee; Clarissa“Claire” Givens Crunk, MSN‘08 (Women’s Health), SanteFe, Tennessee; Allison A. Davis,DNP ‘15 (DNP program),Gallatin, Tennessee; JaneDempster, BSN ‘78 (BSN pro-gram), Garland, Texas; John

Derrick, MSN ‘13 (PediatricPrimary Care), Aurora,Colorado; Melissa D. Kalensky,DNP ‘15 (DNP), Chicago,Illinois; Hannah Carroll Lowe,MSN ‘14 (Family), Knoxville,Tennessee; Cathy A. Maxwell,Ph.D. ‘12 (Ph.D. program),Hermitage, Tennessee; KaitlinC. Neary, MSN ‘13 (Adult-Gerontology Acute Care),Nashville, Tennessee; TanyaSorrell, MSN ‘03 (Psychology-Mental Health), Aurora,Colorado; and Joshua

Thornsberry, MSN ‘12 (PrimaryCare), Powder Springs,Georgia.

The role of the alumniboard is to steer the activitiesand interests of the AlumniAssociation, with particularattention to establishing andmaintaining a strong alumninetwork, fostering positive stu-dent interactions with alumni,and increasing the communi-ty’s awareness of the role ofadvanced practice nursing.

New members join VUSN Alumni Board ........................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................

The Vanderbilt University Schoolof Nursing (VUSN) has once againbeen named to the “Best GraduateSchools” in the country by U.S. News& World Report magazine

The School of Nursing’s DNPprogram was ranked No. 11 in justthe second year of ranking by U.S.News. Its MSN program is ranked No.15 in the country in the magazine’s2018 Best Graduate Schools rank-ings, tied with the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles.

Several of VUSN’s nursing spe-cialty programs were also ranked,with its Adult-Gerontology AcuteCare and Psychiatric-Mental HealthNurse Practitioner programs both ris-ing to be No. 2 among their peergraduate nursing programs. Therankings were released in March.

Linda Norman, DSN, R.N., deanand Valere Potter Menefee Professorof Nursing, commended the school’sfaculty, students, staff and alumnifor making VUSN a strong and rele-vant nursing school.

“The School of Nursing plays avital role in assuring that advancedpractice nurses are well-equipped forthe changing world of health care,”

she said. “Our DNP program is grad-uating doctorally prepared leaderswho can translate new knowledgeand discovery to improve health sys-tems. These rankings reflect VUSN’splace in shaping the future of healthcare in our society.”

To determine scores for schoolsof nursing, U.S. News & WorldReport uses a ranking methodologybased on a weighted average of 14indicators. It ranks specialty pro-grams based solely on assessmentsby nursing school deans and deansof graduate studies who identify upto 10 schools offering the best pro-grams in each specialty area.

“It’s an honor to see how highlyour peers regard our school andindividual programs,” Norman said.“I credit our students, graduates andfaculty for adding to that reputationevery day through their professional-ism and patient-focus.”

The VUSN specialty programsranked in the top 10 were:• Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner—No. 2• Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner—No. 2 (tie with Rush University)

• Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner—No. 3• Informatics—No. 4• Family Nurse Practitioner—No. 6• Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner—No. 7

VUSN’s Nurse-Midwifery special-ty remains ranked as the nation’sNo. 1 program (Nurse-Midwifery isranked every other year.)

The U.S. News & World Reportdata comes from statistical surveyssent to administrators of 532 accred-ited schools of nursing which offermaster’s or doctoral programs andfrom reputation surveys sent tomore than 16,500 academics andprofessionals. The surveys were con-ducted in fall 2016 and early 2017.


NEWS AROUND THE SCHOOL

VUSN professor receives American Cancer Society award to study self-care for cancer survivors

...................................................................................................................Assistant Professor Jie Deng, Ph.D. ‘10, R.N., OCN,

FAAN, has been awarded a $789,000 research scholar grantby the American Cancer Society to develop and test a self-care program for head and neck cancer survivors diagnosedwith secondary lymphedema and fibrosis (LEF).

LEF causes swelling and the development of hard tissuein the head and neck region following cancer treatment. Itimpacts approximately 75 percent of the more than half amillion head and neck cancer survivors in the U.S.

“Although not curable, LEF can be managed to mini-mize impact,” Deng said. “LEF therapy needs to be lifelong,so it’s important to develop a self-care regimen thatpatients can perform regularly.”

Some patients have rated LEF as worse than their can-cer, Deng said. Patients may experience external and/orinternal swelling that causes decreased range of motion inthe jaw, neck and shoulders; skin tightening and pain; andproblems with critical functions like swallowing, speakingand breathing. These and other effects such as body imageissues and lack of mobility decrease quality of life. Long-term self-care by the patient that includes manual lymphdrainage, compression, exercise and skin care can help pre-vent LEF progression.

Deng said that currently there isn’t a uniform standardfor long-term self-care and some patients don’t receive anyself-care training. In her two-stage project, she will com-plete development of a LEF self-care program, then con-duct trials to identify the optimal regimen before moving

onto a definitive Phase III trial.Deng said that the intervention also addresses issues of

health care disparity. “Our research found that 37 percentof HNC survivors live in rural areas without certified lym-phedema therapists,” Deng said. “About 20 percent haveannual household incomes of less than $20,000. This inter-vention is designed to provide those patients with a safe,innovative, accessible and practical self-care regimen.”

Deng’s research is supported by a Research ScholarGrant, RSG-16-207-01—PCSM from the American CancerSociety.

DANIEL D

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RICHARD DAVIDSON

Alumni from 1960s-80s, were you part of the Appalachian StudentHealth Coalition as a student or nursing graduate? Vanderbilt isworking with University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill to gathermaterials and information for the Appalachian Student HealthCoalition archive (studenthealthcoalition.web.unc.edu). If you havephotos, stories, items or want more information, contact Collectingand Outreach Archivist Biff Hollingsworth at UNC-CH at 919-962-1345 or [email protected].

Right: VUSN student Betsy Weil, BSN ‘70, MSN ‘71, hones her examination skillson VUSM student Tod L’Hommedieu, MD ‘71, before heading to Appalachia,summer, 1970.

Dig out those photos and memories

Jie Deng discusses LEF with a patient.


NEWS AROUND THE SCHOOLTERRY WYATT

FRESH VISION FORJULIA HEREFORDSOCIETY

Members of theJulia HerefordSociety (JHS)

attended a special celebration recognizingtheir support of the Vanderbilt UniversitySchool of Nursing in April. The event washosted by Dean Linda Norman and organ-ized as a way to honor and thank JHSmembers for giving to VUSN.

JHS is the School of Nursing’s donorsociety, dedicated to fundraising for studentscholarships. JHS was established in 1984by Dean Colleen Conway-Welch to honorthe legacy of former dean Julia JaneHereford, Ph.D., R.N., for her significantcontribution to VUSN and to honor thosewho generously support the School ofNursing.

As part of the festivities, Normanshared details about the new buildingexpansion project for the school (see page 8)

as well as presented highlights and accom-plishments of faculty and students.

JHS members were also able to meetthis year’s JHS scholar, Hannah GarrisonNolte. Nolte is a psychiatric-mental healthnurse practitioner student slated to graduatein August. “Being a nurse is truly a privi-lege,” she said. “Ideally I would like to workwith a population with a history of psycho-logical trauma in a setting that emphasizesholistic care including therapy.”

Norman told the members that one ofher priorities is to have more money avail-able for scholarships. “Our average scholar-ship for a MSN student is $7,500, but if wecould award a larger scholarship amount, itwould help our students decrease their debtburden. Over 75 percent of our MSN stu-dents qualify for full federal financial aid—meaning that their income level upon entryto the MSN program is below what theycould afford to contribute to tuition andliving expenses,” she said. “Every full-timeDNP student is guaranteed a $3,500 peryear scholarship, but that is a small amountcompared to the cost of tuition.”

Norman also announced the formationof a new Julia Hereford Society AdvisoryCommittee that will assist in promoting thesociety and recruiting new donors. Themembers are Naji Abumrad, M.D.; AshleyBernard, MSN ‘15, expected DNP ‘17;

Tom Christenbery, MSN ‘87, Ph.D. ‘04;Marilyn Dubree, MSN ‘76; Mary KateFitzPatrick, DNP ‘12; Cara Osborne, MSN‘01; and Linda Rebrovick.

Julia Hereford Society members aredonors who make annual gifts of$2,500 and up to the School ofNursing. Alumni who received theirVanderbilt School of Nursingdegrees within the last 10 years areeligible for membership with a com-mitment of $1,000 annually. Thereare four recognition levels:

Member$2,500 ($1,000 for RecentGraduates)

Benefactor$5,000 - $9,999

Dean’s List $10,000 - $24,999

Cornelius Vanderbilt $25,000 - $99,999

Lifetime $100,000 and up

To learn more, go to nursing/vanderbilt.edu/giving.

JHS members Claire Van Benschoten and Robert Laben JHS members Adrienne Ames, MSN ‘75, Brad Akard, and TerrahFoster Akard, MSN ‘01, PhD ‘08


The $23.6 million facility, approvedby Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos and theVanderbilt University Board of Trust, willbe built at the intersection of VUSN’s his-toric Godchaux Hall and the PatriciaChampion Frist Hall near the south side ofthe Heard Library.

The five-floor structure will house tech-nologically advanced classrooms, conferenceand seminar rooms, student services offices,faculty offices, and a state-of-the-art simula-tion teaching lab that will allow complexskills development and real-time feedback onstudents’ clinical nursing skills. The build-ing’s virtual classroom will incorporate lead-ing-edge online and distance technology tofacilitate distance learning and its interactiveclassroom will facilitate large and small groupinteractions with electronic methods thatallow for sharing of group data and findings.

Vanderbilt School of Nursing to breakground for new building expansion

B Y N A N C Y W I S E

The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) will soon breakground on a new 29,947-square-foot addition connecting to its existing

buildings on the Vanderbilt campus. Construction is expected to begin in late spring and becompleted in August 2018.

“This expansion will strengthen the School of Nursing’s position as one of the nation’selite nursing schools, known for its graduate nursing education, advanced practice andresearch programs,” said Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan Wente,Ph.D. “It will also elevate the school’s reputation in research by expanding its capability tosupport its growing faculty research endeavors.”


“The School of Nursing has experi-enced exponential growth in the past 10years. In 2006, we had 580 students. Thisyear, that number was 879, makingVUSN one of the largest advanced prac-tice nursing programs in the U.S.,” saidLinda Norman, dean and Valere PotterMenefee Professor of Nursing. “The build-ing expansion is needed to accommodatethe increased number of students, facultyand staff, and to ensure the school contin-ues to attract and recruit the best studentsand faculty.”

The project will also allow for facultyto be housed in contiguous, nonleasedspace, increasing communication andengagement for students and faculty.Student services such as admissions, finan-cial aid, clinical placement and academicsupport will also be able to be locatedtogether.

The new addition will expand thespace for teaching and will allow faculty tobe located contiguous to the classrooms andlabs, Norman said. In addition, the expan-sion will free space in Godchaux Hall thatcan be dedicated to research and researchfaculty.

The construction plans call for a five-story atrium that will connect Frist Hall,Godchaux Hall and the Nursing Annex.When finished, the light-filled and airy atri-um will serve as the school’s new mainentrance and lobby. The fifth floor of theexpansion will include a green roof terraceand a rooftop conference room with a viewof the city. The building’s exterior design isconsistent with Godchaux Hall’s CollegiateGothic style and will complement theHeard Library. The environmentallyresponsible building will be LEED- andWELL-certified.

The project also includes redevelopingthe school’s frontage on 21st Avenue toincorporate a turnaround and widerentrance that will give more visibility to theschool and the university on the easternedge of campus.

Hastings Architecture Associates LLCis the project’s architects and the construc-tion manager will be D.F. Chase.

n

Opposite: Architect’s rendering of the building’s exterior and green space. This page, top: A five-story atriumwith stairs open to a skylight above will serve as the building’s hub. Center: The view from the atrium look-ing out the main entrance, which echoes Godchaux Hall’s Gothic design. The new construction is on the leftand the exposed brick of Godchaux is on the right. Bottom: The new building’s lobby. The Annex is to the leftand Patricia Champion Frist Hall is to the right. To see an interactive view of the atrium’s interior, go tohttp://vanderbi.lt/vusnvr.


B Y M AT T B AT C H E L D O R

I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y M I C H A E L A U S T I N

Metro Nashville Public Schools, Gaylord Opryland Resort and MercuryCourts housing all have one thing in common. Each is home to aVanderbilt clinic that is managed by faculty nurse practitioners and offershealth care to diverse populations. Vanderbilt University School ofNursing (VUSN) provides faculty for the clinics and operates them inpartnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC).

The Vanderbilt Model


They include clinics for privateemployers and four sites at MetroNashville Public Schools, one of whichhas just moved into a new facility at dis-trict headquarters. VUSN midwives man-age clinics at the West End Women’sHealth Center and in the Melrose neigh-borhood, and staff a Baby+Company birthcenter. The Melrose clinic, newly renamedMelrose Primary Care, has recently addedprimary care services, turning it into alocation offering both midwifery servicesand primary care for women.

Vanderbilt pioneered the concept ofnurse-managed clinics locally in the early1990s. It is poised to add as many as 10more nurse-managed clinics in a varietyof locations throughout Middle Tenn-essee in the next three years to meet thedemands of a growing and aging popula-tion, said C. Wright Pinson, MBA,M.D., Deputy CEO and Chief HealthSystem Officer for VUMC.

“The monies that are available to payfor that expanding demand are limited,”he said. “We have to look for new ways todeliver health care. Nurse practitionersrepresent an opportunity to accomplishthat favorably. Working with physiciansor independently with a supervisingphysician, nurse practitioners can servethose needs in a cost-effective fashion.”

Part of tomorrow’s health care model

Pam Jones, DNP, R.N., SeniorAssociate Dean for Clinical andCommunity Partnerships for the Schoolof Nursing, said consumers are driving themarket for nurse-managed clinics, lookingfor convenience and cost-effective care.

The VUSN/VUMC partnershipworks like this: VUSN faculty staff the

clinics, many of them as employees ofVUMC. Nursing students gain opportu-nities to apply their learning in the com-munity, and VUMC gains the expertise ofnurse practitioners educated with the lat-est in advanced practice. Jones works as ateam with Linda Norman, DSN, R.N.,the Valere Potter Menefee Professor ofNursing and Dean of the School ofNursing; Marilyn Dubree, MSN, R.N.,NE-BC, VUMC Executive Chief NursingOfficer; and April Kapu, DNP, APRN,Associate Nursing Officer for the VUMCOffice of Advanced Practice.

“This is part of the health care modelof the future, and we are helping drivethat here,” Jones said. “Everybody is try-ing to figure out how to add advancedpractice nurses and advanced practice cli-nicians into their complements, and wereally know how to do that here atVanderbilt through this longtime partner-ship of the Medical Center and the Schoolof Nursing.”

In addition to her VUMC role,Dubree also sits on VUSN’s executivecommittee. “I think the partnership isextraordinary in what it is not. It is not ahealth system looking just to create servic-es as a business model. It’s not just aschool of nursing looking to create aca-demic student placement sites,” she said.“It is a partnership between a health sys-tem and a school of nursing to provideexcellence in clinical care and evidence-based practice in those sites.

“You can only do that when you havea partnership between a school of nursingand a health system. It is an opportunityfor us to work together to create accessand opportunities for innovations in prac-tice and to improve the value propositionfor patients, payers and communities.”

Jones said the deepening partnershipbetween VUSN and VUMC will allowVanderbilt advanced practice nurses to take25 years of expertise with nurse-managedcenters to a wider audience.

“The School of Nursing practiceshave a long history of serving some ofNashville’s most vulnerable populations.

DANIEL D

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Pam Jones, BSN ‘81, MSN ‘92, DNP ‘13, (right)oversees the School of Nursing’s nurse-managedclinics. Melissa Davis, MSN ‘03, is responsible forthe operation of the Melrose Primary Clinic onFranklin Road in Nashville.

In all, the VUSN/VUMC part-nership operates 10 clinicsthroughout Middle Tennessee.


We will continue the proud tradition ofserving underserved populations withthese very effective models,” she said.“But we will also take those practices to abroader audience.”

In determining where to place theclinics, Jones said Vanderbilt would con-sider where there is a need for additionalprimary care providers and populationsthat benefit from the comprehensive,holistic approach that is the hallmark ofadvanced practice nursing.

“We will work in collaboration withthe Medical Center to identify sites thatare needed and execute on rapid cycleimplementation,” she said. “We are veryexcited to bring this great model to morefamilies and communities.”

Evolution of nurse-run clinics Nursing leaders are building on a

strong 25-year track record of openingand managing clinics. Vanderbilt openedits first nurse-managed clinic in 1991 dur-

ing an era of brisk change for VUSN.Then-Dean Colleen Conway-Welch wasrevolutionizing nursing practice and theschool transitioned into a graduate schoolfrom being an undergraduate programthat also offered some master’s degrees.The role of the nurse practitioner was stillin its infancy, and VUSN leaders werelooking for a way to have an impact in thecommunity, said Bonnie Pilon, Ph.D.,Professor of Nursing, Emerita. Pilon wasinstrumental in launching the first clinic

DANIEL D

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Bonnie Pilon, Ph.D., FAAN, knowsand loves nurse-managed clinics somuch she took a year off to visit asmany as possible. Pilon, now Professor of Nursing,

Emerita, opened and oversaw nurse-operated clinics for the VanderbiltUniversity School of Nursing for 15years as senior associate dean. In 2015,she took a sabbatical year to researchthe history and culture of nurse-man-aged clinics nationwide. She visited 22organizations from Alaska to Florida toget a better idea of the landscape ofnurse practitioner-managed health cen-ters. “I tried very hard to get a diversesample,” she said. Those clinics operate 82 sites, five of

which are rural, 20 urban, 20 suburbanand one on the Alaska frontier at theDahl Memorial Clinic in Skagway, atown of less than 1,000 people. “There are no doctors in the whole

region,” Pilon said. “If you get hit by acar, or a moose, you go there.” Thelocation is very remote from othermedical facilities: six hours by ferry toJuneau, Alaska, or three to four hoursby ambulance to Whitehorse inCanada’s Yukon Territory. The Alaska clinic offers everything

from primary care to optometry tobehavioral health. “These nurses areit,” she said. “They do amazing stuff.” As she traveled, she shared her stories

on her blog, “Healthcare in theShadows,” which can be found atmy.vanderbilt.edu/healthcareintheshadows/Her mission took her to clinics like

the Prescott Health Clinic in Arizona,which serves those without access toprimary care due to no insurance, high-deductible plans or shortage of primarycare physicians. One of the largest practices she visit-

ed was Johnson City, Tennessee, at theEast Tennessee State University Collegeof Nursing. The school has 13 sites,including five school clinics. “They arethe student health service for the entireuniversity,” she said. “They do it all.” The 82 sites Pilon observed serve

more than 65,000 unduplicated patientswith more than 270,000 visits per year.In 62 sites, the target populations areuninsured, Medicaid recipients, high-deductible health plan participants andlow-income patients, often with chronicillnesses. Fourteen of the sites targetemployees and dependents. Pilon came to a number of conclu-

sions, which she presented in Septemberat the Ninth International Council ofNurses Conference in Hong Kong. Heroverall finding: “Nurse-managed healthcenters have a major impact on individ-ual health and the health of communi-ties,” she said. She found that the centers and prac-

tices are often, but not exclusively, asso-

ciated with schools of nursing. However, there is no complete data-

base of nurse-practitioner-managedsites nor any repository of their work oroutcomes. All sites, whether nonprofit or for-

profit, are mission-driven. Financing is aconstant challenge for the sites, as pay-ers often discriminate against nurseproviders. State nurse practice laws poseadditional logistical and financial bur-dens, she said. In addition to those conclusions, Pilon

met wonderful people committed totheir missions. “I was welcomed withopen arms,” she said. “People arehappy to tell their stories.”

– Matt Batcheldor.................................................................................................................

Mapping America’s nurse-managed clinics.........................................................................................................................

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Bonnie Pilon documented the history and reach ofnurse-managed clinics in the U.S., visiting 82 ofthem during her sabbatical.

and continued to oversee VUSN clinicsuntil 2015.

That first clinic was in the Vine Hillhousing development in South Nashville,identified by leadership as an area of need.Vanderbilt incorporated a nonprofitorganization, University CommunityHealth Services (UCHS), to operate VineHill. VUSN faculty nurses directed theclinic, starting with just one full-time andone-part time nurse practitioner, butexpanding quickly.

“The seeds that were planted at VineHill have grown into mighty oaks,” saidPilon, who recently returned from a year-long sabbatical researching the history andculture of nurse-managed clinics nation-wide. “It was a tremendous start to the restof the story.”

From there, Vanderbilt began offeringclinic services to schools in lower incomeneighborhoods—starting in 1995 with alocation at Fall Hamilton School, whichserves the children of the Vine Hill neigh-borhood. Additional clinics soon openedat Park Avenue Elementary and TaylorStratton Elementary.

In 2004, Vanderbilt expanded intoproviding clinic services for private employ-ers, providing services for the SanfordCorporation in Lewisburg, Tennessee. Thecompany paid for employees and theirfamilies to use the clinic for free. “Thatwas a relatively new idea for nurse-man-aged health centers nationally in the mid2000s,” Pilon said. “We were real pioneersin doing this.”

The clinic had immediate results,Pilon said. One patient survived neck can-cer because clinicians spotted a lump onhis neck and he was sent to a specialist fortreatment. Another man was referred tocardiology for his symptoms and under-went a five-vessel bypass surgery the nextday. “He would have died,” Pilon said.

In 2007, the UCHS clinics transi-tioned from the university to an independ-ent community agency in order to qualifyfor federally qualified health center status,a key source of federal funding.

VUSN continued to seek opportuni-


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Top: Kameron Brainard, MSN ‘12, CNM, is one of eight nurse-midwives seeing patients at the Melrose Clinic.

Middle: Shelza Rivas, MSN ‘15, BA ‘12, APRN, with patient Stashia Emanuel, is the new primary care providerat Melrose.

Bottom: Medical Assistant Sarah Houston prepares to draw blood from patient Veronica Dennis.

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ties to open nurse-managed clinics wherethe need arose. In 2012, it opened theClinic at Mercury Courts in collaborationwith Urban Housing Solutions, a nonprof-it that provides housing to the homeless.

Clinic growth Around 1999, VUSN expanded into

offering midwifery services and compre-hensive OB-GYN care with the West EndWomen’s Health Center on West EndAvenue. Nurse-midwives see patients thereand women deliver at VanderbiltUniversity Adult Hospital or a newoption, Baby+Company, a freestandingprivate birth center that opened inNashville in 2015. VUSN nurse-midwivesprovide care at that center in a collabora-tion with VUMC and Baby+Company.VUSN midwives also can be found at theMelrose Primary Clinic on Franklin Pikein Nashville and at Cole Family Practicein Hermitage.

In addition to providing cost-effectivecare, nurse-managed clinics offer VUSNstudents opportunities to engage withdiverse populations. That experience isinvaluable to VUMC, as nurses trained atVUSN often become the nurses who prac-tice within the Vanderbilt HealthAffiliated Network.

“It gives the student a window to thecommunity,” Pilon said. “It gives them awindow to health-disparate challenges andmeeting those challenges. It gives them awindow to different cultures, different eth-

nicities, different economic situations. Wedo it because we’re a caring profession andour mission is to improve the health andwell-being of people.”

VUSN was one of the first schools toplace nurse practitioners and advancedpractice nurses into collaborative practiceswith physicians and within agencies. Itsinnovative PreSpecialty programs allowstudents multiple entry options to go froma bachelor’s degree to a master’s or doctor-al degree. U.S. News & World Report ranksits DNP program as the No. 11 programin the country and its MSN at No. 15.

“The Vanderbilt University School ofNursing is a gem for a number of reasons,”

Pinson said. “The focus that they have hadon many different master’s level programsand doctoral-level programs is nationallyrenowned, and their ranking demonstratesthat. The nursing school represents atremendous strength to VanderbiltUniversity Medical Center and to theentire Vanderbilt Health AffiliatedNetwork across the state of Tennessee.”

Empowering advanced practice Supporting the continued growth in

nurse-managed clinics is the rapidlyexpanding field of advanced practice nurs-es (APRNs), with about 930 at VUMC.APRN roles encompass certified registerednurse anesthetists, certified nurse practi-tioners, certified nurse-midwives and clini-cal nurse specialists. All APRNs are edu-cated in nationally accredited programs,clinically trained and board-certified intheir area of practice.

VUSN’s Jones works with communityleaders to identify needs for new practices,and collaborates with VUMC’s Kapu onbusiness models for advanced practice as

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C. Wright Pinson, MBA, M.D., Deputy CEO and ChiefHealth System Officer for VUMC, sees nurse-man-aged clinics as a resource to meet the expandingdemand for quality health care.

Everybody is trying to figure out how to addadvanced practice nurses and advanced practice cli-nicians into their complements, and we really knowhow to do that here at Vanderbilt through this long-time partnership of the Medical Center and theSchool of Nursing.”

– Pam Jones

“

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14 NUR S E SUMMER 1 716 NUR S E SUMMER 1 7

well as on creating leaders who will directthe next generation of clinics.

“In acknowledgement of the need forleadership structures that empoweradvanced practice, there is a nationwidetrend to develop and appoint leaders whoare APRNs and physician assistants,” Jonessaid. “VUSN and VUMC are nationalleaders in this arena through our innova-tive advanced practice leadership structure,which includes the Office of AdvancedPractice, educating leaders through theDoctorate of Nursing Practice programand active mentorship of emerging leaders.

“Vanderbilt is one of the few places inthe country that all advanced practice reg-istered nurses and physician assistants havea link back to a leader who is an advancedpractice registered nurse or physician assis-tant. And from the literature and ourexperience, we believe that’s crucial to creating a practice environment that’s sup-portive for them.”

Kapu said that clinics will continue togrow because they meet consumer needs foraccessible, affordable and high quality care.

“The comprehensive, holisticapproach to care delivered through ournurse faculty clinics unquestionably meetstoday’s consumer demand. ‘Clinic’ isincreasingly becoming a broad term tomean primary care delivery through multi-ple access points such as after-hours clin-ics, walk-in clinics, house calls and virtualcare. In addition, these clinics—Melrose isa great example—are increasing conven-

ience and affordability by bundling careservices in a single location.”

Local and national impact The advantages of nurse-managed

clinics are multifold, Jones said. “From aMedical Center standpoint, we have thisasset of being able to partner the School ofNursing with the Medical Center to createthese clinics and create a practice environ-ment that really allows people to thrive andgrow and develop and meet the needs ofthe population,” she said. “And in a popu-lation health model, the holistic training ofadvanced practice nurses is very much inkeeping with how you create quality anddecrease cost in our system over time.”

Pilon is able to stand back and look atVanderbilt’s nurse-managed clinics with aninformed eye. “The Vanderbilt School ofNursing is seen nationally as a leader inthis area,” Pilon said. “I think not onlyhave we impacted health locally andregionally, which we certainly have, butwe’ve influenced the development of anumber of other sites. We’ve made a dif-ference here, but also nationally. Our voicehas been heard.”

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Taking part in the first opportunity for VUMC andVUSN leaders to round at the Melrose facility are,from left, VUSN Senior Associate Dean Pam Jones,VUMC Executive Chief Nursing Officer MarilynDubree, MSN ‘76, Nurse Practitioner Abby LuckParish, MSN ‘05, Nurse Practitioner Shelza Rivas,Melrose Clinic Interim Director Melissa Davis andAssistant Director for Advanced Practice NursingApril Kapu, MSN ‘05, DNP ‘13. Jones, Parish andDavis are also VUSN faculty.

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The Vanderbilt nurse-managed health clinic atMetro Nashville Public Schools’ headquarters justmoved into a new $6 million health care center builtby the district.

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It was only going to be for a fewyears. Carolyn Whitaker, BSN ‘62, MSN‘72, agreed to serve as the primaryhealth provider in Red Boiling Springs,Tennessee, for a few years, and thenshe would return home to Nashville towork. That was the condition she agreed to

when she accepted an AppalachianRegion Commission Scholarship grantto help finance her Master of NursingScience degree at Vanderbilt UniversitySchool of Nursing in the early ‘70s. Nearly 45 years later, she’s still in Red

Boiling Springs and wouldn’t be any-where else. Whitaker was one of the firstnurse practitioners to graduate fromVanderbilt and the little Family NurseService Clinic she founded in Red BoilingSprings was the first nurse-managed clin-ic in the state. “There was no health care provider

or drugstore in the town,” she said. “Itook care of anybody that came in. Iprobably served 6,000 patients in theregion. My clinic was next door to thepost office, which was very nice becausewe didn’t have any laboratory service,and I had to mail everything to thestate lab.” Whitaker ran the clinic with one

assistant and a volunteer who helpedclean. She worked five and a half daysa week and it wasn’t unusual forpatients to show up at her farmhousein the middle of night. “And I madehouse calls—this was before homehealth, before we had any emergencyservice in the county,” she said. “Nobody knew what a nurse practi-

tioner was then,” she said. “Everythingwas on a cash or charge basis and Icharged the same fees the doctors inthe region charged for office visits.” In addition to providing primary care,

she did a lot of health education.“There was a tremendous need for

health knowledge in the area and I dida lot of health teaching,” she recalled.“I asked the people what they wanted,and they wanted to lose weight. So westarted a weight loss program up at theschool gymnasium and we met atnight, once a week. There is a high inci-dence of diabetes in this region and soit was very good to have the weightloss program. It kept them healthy.” Whitaker ran the clinic for eight

years before joining her sponsoringphysician in his practice. Soon after,Tennessee Tech University asked her tohelp set up a nursing program, andthen to be one of its first faculty. “When I came here, there were five

registered nurses in the county,” shesaid. “We needed nurses and couldn’tget them to come to the area.” Today,she notes, Tennessee Tech has a topbaccalaureate degree program, offersmaster’s degrees and is considering adoctoral program. Whitaker is now retired and lives on

the same storybook farm she boughtsoon after she moved to Red Boiling

Springs. She stays busy with volunteerservice and civic projects (running awayfrom housework, she calls it), andremains a key part of the community. “Do you know they still call me, not a

lot . . . we have that much more healthcare in the area, but they’ll still ask me,‘What should I do?’ and I tell them.Most of them do what I suggest or atleast they put it into their decision-making mode. I’m seeing third andfourth generations among the people Ilive with.” “I took care of a lot of people and

they were so good to me. Everybodycouldn’t have been nicer and helpful,”she says. “I could never go anywherethat I didn’t see my patients. That’swhat they liked about me—that I livedhere with them.”

– Nancy Wise

Rural need inspired Tennessee’s first nurse-managed clinic.........................................................................................................................

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Carolyn Whitaker, BSN ‘62, MSN ‘72, outside theRed Boiling Springs clinic she started in the 1970s.


What I DidBeforeP H O T O S B Y D A N I E L D U B O I S ,

J O E H OW E L L A N D S U S A N U R M Y

• •

• •

Miss Mississippi, a seismologist, a paramedic, afootball player and a Peace Corps worker walkinto a nursing school. No, no joke. Those are the backgrounds of some current

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN)students. Discover what drew them to VUSN.

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He said his football career helped pre-pare him for his future as a health careprovider.

“Being a student-athlete was time-con-suming,” Strong said. “It was essential thatI develop efficient time management skills.I also learned how to function effectivelyin a team environment. Perseverance wasthe major lesson I developed as a studentathlete.”

One could say that the traits that madehim a great linebacker—quickness, intelli-gence, versatility and strength—will alsomake him a great nurse.

“Nursing is something I felt I couldexcel in,” Strong said. “I always knew Iwanted to do something in the health carefield. While I was in college, I just wasn’tsure what direction I wanted to go in.”

Strong’s parents tell him how proudthey are of his decision to enter into nursing.They say their son possesses the work ethicand moral compass to deliver quality care.

Yet it wasn’t until he landed his firstjob with a medical technology companythat he looked to the clinical side of healthcare.

“That is the experience that drew meinto the nursing field,” he said. “I knew Iwanted to come back to Vanderbilt to getmy nursing degree.”

While preparing for nursing school,Strong worked for Philips Healthcare in itsNashville medical equipment division dur-ing the day and took night classes to satisfyhis prerequisites.

Strong, who holds the Hilliard andNancy Travis and George R. Burrus schol-arships, plans to graduate as a family nursepractitioner in 2018.

“I absolutely love the program,” Strongsaid. “I have the ability to provide care tofamilies and patients across their lifespan. Iwill be able to build and continue relation-ships with them. That is the main reason Iwas attracted to family practice—I have apassion for helping people, just like mymom.”

- by Jessica Pasley

What would inspire a big, tough, immovable linebacker to become anurse? First-year PreSpecialty student Tristan Strong said it was the

stories his mother, Jodi Rodriguez, shared about her job. He remembers the passion sheshowed for nursing.

“She really loved her job. Seeing how passionate she was about her work influ-enced my career choice,” he said.

Vanderbilt football fans will recall Strong as a redshirt freshman who played threeyears for the Commodores before being sidelined with a career-ending torn ACL.

“I had aspirations for a professional football career throughout high school andmost of college, but luckily I had people instill in me the fact that I needed to have abackup plan,” Strong said. He graduated from Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of educa-tion and human development in 2012 with a degree in human and organizationaldevelopment.

TRISTAN STRONGFootball Experience Comes in Handy

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squiggle means something, I didn’t see therelevance of the study for average people.”

She left her graduate studies andworked in a seismology lab, taking eveningclasses at a community college.

She taught herself CD-ROM program-ming and landed a job at Jet PropulsionLaboratory (JPL), a part of NASA. Qiandeveloped educational interactive CD-ROMs about Jupiter, Saturn and Earth,and later became a database programmerand contractor with JPL.

When she wanted a career change, theidea of becoming a nurse surfaced.

“Nursing: It was just the spark I need-ed. I had always had an interest in the med-ical field,” she said. “I was already a certi-fied wilderness EMT and volunteering mytime with the Pasadena Fire Department atRose Bowl events. So going into nursingwas a natural transition. I did some moreresearch and found out about nurse practi-tioners. I felt it was a perfect fit for me.”

At 40 years old, Qian entered thenursing program at Azusa PacificUniversity, earning her nurse practitionerdegree in 2011. She worked at a healthclinic in sparsely populated EasternCalifornia for three years, then moved to anurban ER. “I love being able to help peopleand see the difference my actions make inimproving others’ lives,” Qian said.

At an American Association of NursePractitioners (AANP) conference, shelearned about Vanderbilt’s post-master’sEmergency Nurse Practitioner Program andapplied immediately.

She credits her love for knowledge inhelping her transition smoothly into eachfield.

“The most important thing you learnat school is how to learn,” Qian said. “Mytraining in seismology gave me a solidunderstanding of the scientific methodsand how to evaluate evidence, which is veryuseful in implementing evidence-basedpractice as a nurse practitioner. Working asa software developer gave me the analyticand problem-solving skills. Learning howto learn is what enabled me to become asoftware developer, and it’s also broadeningmy knowledge as an NP—I’m not limitedto the facts I can learn during school.”

- by Tavia Smith

Helen Qian was a young girl living in Beijing, China, when the July1976 Tangshan earthquake occurred, claiming the lives of more than

240,000 people.“People were very rattled. No one wanted to go back to their apartments. We lived

in a crowded tent city for several months,” said Qian, a Vanderbilt University School ofNursing post-master’s certificate student. “As a child, it was an adventure to me, but asI grew up, it made me want to predict earthquakes.”

The tragedy awakened in her a desire to help people. Having moved to the U.S.,Qian earned a degree in geophysics and applied geophysics, and then went to theCalifornia Institute of Technology to study seismology.

“I realized pretty quickly that earthquakes are not predictable, at least not withinmy lifetime. Most of the research is very esoteric,” Qian said. “While every seismograph

HELEN QIANFrom Science of NASA to Science of Nursing

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Abbigail, 11. Peters works to find balanceto pursue a nursing career 25 years in themaking.

A choking scare in 1991 with then 1-year-old Michael led her to enroll in a CPR class. She got “bit by the bug,” she said. By 1994, she had a paramedic license and began working for Montgomery County EMS in Clarksville, Tennessee.

“I enjoyed the excitement of some-thing different every time the phone rang. Ienjoyed meeting people, and I enjoyed sup-porting my community,” Peters said.

In 2005, she was thrust into a differentpart of health care. Her daughter was born10 weeks premature and has Down syn-drome. Abbigail stayed 89 days at MonroeCarell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.Peters became close with the nurses, andlater called on those nurses for advice onapplying to the School of Nursing.

“I love being a paramedic and I lovethat component of health and being on thefrontlines, but I also recognized as I gotolder that I could not do it forever. It’shard on you, working 24 hours,” she said.

Peters got the call Aug. 8—her dad’sbirthday—that she had been accepted tothe program, she recalls tearfully. He passedaway Sept. 25, 2016. She wants to follow anursing track in adult geriatric primarycare, with hopes of continuing to care forthe adult community of Indian Mound.She’s grateful to the School of Nursing forgiving her this opportunity and the finan-cial support of the Dr. Robert H. ElrodScholarship Fund.

“The school is very pro-family andthey do a lot of promoting of self-care.Everyone from the course coordinator tothe instructors to the adviser, every person Ihave met goes above and beyond for thestudents,” she said. “They take time out foryou. It is an amazing program that they cantake 154 students and individualize theprogram for every student.”

- by Christina Echegaray

A t 5:15 a.m. every weekday, Rita Peters makes a two-hour trek fromIndian Mound, Tennessee, to Nashville for a full day of classes at

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.She plays audio textbooks and recorded class lectures, ingesting and memorizing

the material as she drives. The commute, four hours round trip, is her study period.At age 50—the oldest member of the School of Nursing class of 2018—she’s far

from a traditional student with anything but conventional studying methods. But shecouldn’t pass up the opportunity, one she almost delayed in August 2016 to take careof her father, James, who was terminally ill with cancer. He wouldn’t hear of it.

Simultaneously, she’s been a daughter and caregiver for aging parents. She’s a wifeto Steve, who is active duty military, and mother of two children: Michael, 26, and

RITA PETERSA Nursing Career 20 Years in the Making

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Spanish and philosophy and the other inscreenwriting, at Loyola MarymountUniversity in Los Angeles. “My parents madesure we were all very socially conscious, andthey encouraged us to follow our passions,no matter what they might be,” sheexplained. “For me, I really loved travelingand meeting people from other cultures.”

While in India, her student groupenjoyed an audience with the Dalai Lama,an event Neczypor calls life changing. Aftercollege, she volunteered for the Peace Corpsand served in Vanuatu, a South Pacificisland chain formed by a collection of activevolcanoes. This led to the dramatic airlift.

“I think the pilot hated me because Imade him put all our pets on the plane withus,” she laughed. “He was looking at melike, ‘Seriously?’ We put our cats in bags ofrice. They were moving around and meow-ing, and he was really annoyed. It was aseven-person plane, and one girl evenbrought her pig.”

Neczypor returned to California andtried putting her college degree to work inthe film industry, but she realized her prior-ities had shifted. After some soul-searching,she decided the role of nurse practitioner,and especially that of nurse-midwife, bestsuited her mindset. Vanderbilt proved to bethe perfect fit, and she was also able to com-plete a multidisciplinary Global Health cer-tificate offered by the Vanderbilt Institutefor Global Health (VIGH).

Neczypor’s passion for service was rec-ognized when she received the Frist GlobalHealth Leader Award through VIGH,allowing her to head to Nepal after gradua-tion to work with the nonprofit maternal-fetal medicine organization, One HeartWorld-Wide. In the same year, she receivedthe American College of Nurse-Midwives’Jeanne Raisler International Award forMidwifery. At VUSN, she held the Hillardand Nancy Thomas Scholarship and thePass It Forward Scholarship. “Service is def-initely going to always be a big priority forme,” she said. “My ideal job will be work-ing with low-income or underservedwomen, and I would love to keep workingwith the Spanish-speaking population orthe refugee community.”

- by Jill Clendening

Few can say they’ve been rescued from a tropical island as a smoldering vol-cano threatened to erupt, enjoyed an audience with the Dalai Lama, and

written a screenplay about Sino-Tibetan politics, Tibetan history and Buddhist mythol-ogy—all before age 30. Jennifer Neczypor, a dual nurse-midwife/family nurse practi-tioner student who graduated in May, has done all this and more.

To track Neczypor’s whirlwind adventures you’ll need a world map, a handful ofpush pins and a hefty dose of caffeine. As a high school student in Sacramento, California,she went on her first service trip to a Mexican orphanage. In college, she took studyabroad/service trips to Guatemala, Ireland and India while completing two degrees, one in

JENNIFER NECZYPORGlobal Focus Brings Nursing into View

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ship and performing at a theater in PigeonForge. In 2010, she moved to Nashvillewhere she began working as a graphicdesigner and photographer. Like manyother creative people in Nashville, she alsocontinued making music.

It was only a few years later that sherealized something was missing from her life.

“When I was younger, I was morefocused on entertaining,” said Dambrino,now 31. “I now wanted to pursue anothercareer that would bring as much excitementand healing as music.”

Although she enjoyed graphic design,she desired a job away from a desk whereshe could interact with people. Dambrinowas interested in nursing, so her employerallowed her the flexibility to shadow nursesin various health care settings. Of all thoseshe shadowed, it was psychiatric nurse prac-titioners who inspired her most.

“My circuitous past has allowed me tomeet many different types of people fromall over the world, and I have learned men-tal illness does not discriminate,” Dambrinosaid. When she considered how she hadlost friends to addiction and mental illness,she knew she wanted to be a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner.

Despite having earned the BFA and amaster certificate in music business fromBerklee College of Music, she lacked the sci-ence and statistics prerequisites to apply tonursing school. While continuing to work asa graphic designer, she commuted back andforth to Middle Tennessee State Universityin Murfreesboro to complete those classes.

In 2015, she was accepted intoVanderbilt’s Master of Science in Nursingprogram to become a psychiatric-mentalhealth nurse practitioner. The recipient ofthe Dean Colleen Conway-WelchScholarship, she’s scheduled to graduate inAugust.

Even in the midst of the pressure andintensity of classes and clinical rotations,Dambrino found a way to keep makingmusic a big part of her life. Last year, sheput out a jazz album called “Bluer ThanThis” with respected blues and jazz key-boardist Fish Michie. The album recentlywon the Mississippi Institute of Arts &Letters Award for Best ContemporaryMusic Composition of 2017.

- by Tom Wilemon

K ristian Dambrino competed in the Miss America pageant, sang oncruise ships, performed musical comedy in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee,

photographed weddings and recorded albums before she started classes at VanderbiltUniversity School of Nursing.

Oh, and she sang for Oprah once. She performed for the billionaire celebrity in 2005 as the reigning Miss

Mississippi. Winfrey was at the opening of the Oprah Winfrey Boys & Girls Club inKosciusko, Mississippi, a year after the state was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Dambrinosang “Pearlington’s Prayer,” a song she’d written after witnessing the storm damagefirsthand. The song led her to found the Pearlington’s Prayer Project, a nonprofit thathelped raise $20,000 for survivors.

After Dambrino’s year as Miss Mississippi was over, she used her pageant scholar-ship money to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design from Delta StateUniversity. She then spent a couple of years entertaining on Celebrity Cruises’ Mercury

KRISTIAN DAMBRINOWhat Entertaining and Healing Have in Common

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When Joyce Laben, JD, MSN, BC,FAAN, came to Vanderbilt UniversitySchool of Nursing as an associate professorof Psychiatric Nursing in 1970, she didn’tsee herself as a reformer.

But encountering horrific treatmentof inmates with mental health challengesin Tennessee prisons during her clinicalpractice transformed her into someonewho was going to make change happen.

“I saw a prisoner with neurologicaldefects who was being fed meals off thefloor. I went screaming down the staff hallthat day to stop it. There was anotherinmate detained for a psychological evalua-tion for 20 years. The city had lost theoriginal case file so he was just in limbo.There was a detainee with glaucoma whothey refused treatment,” Laben said. “Itjust went on and on. You would beshocked at what passed for care, and mostof those detained had no resources todefend their rights.”

Pioneering reformLaben understood legal rights. In

1969, she earned a law degree in additionto her nursing degrees; she would go on topioneering work in forensic mental health,a sub-specialty of psychiatry, psychologyand social work regarding mental healthservices for people involved in the criminaljustice system.

It was in graduate nursing school,however, that she learned not to wait onsomeone else to fix a problem.

“One of my nursing professors usedto say, ‘If you look around for help andthere is nobody there, then you just haveto do it yourself.’ That is exactly what Idid.”

Her determination to help those withmental illness in Tennessee’s prison systemreceived an assist with the 1972 SupremeCourt decision, Jackson v. Indiana, whichmade it illegal for suspects and prisonersneeding psychological evaluations for com-petency to stand trial to be imprisoned bystates for more than three years.

Shortly after the court decision, Labenwas approached to head a new forensic

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Compassion and Criminal JusticeHow one professor used her law and nursing degrees to changethe mental health system


services section at the TennesseeDepartment of Mental Health that wouldhelp reform the state system. She agreedand took a two-year leave from Vanderbilt.

“My staff at the mental health depart-ment and I made significant decreases inthe population of the forensic mentalhealth unit by having all of the detaineesevaluated and transferred to another men-tal health facility when the charges againstthem were resolved,” she said. “I alsorecruited out-of-state expertise to aid indevelopment of Tennessee’s evaluation toolfor competency to stand trial. Tennessee’slaw was rewritten and passed by the legis-lature and senate to conform to theSupreme Court decision.”

National reachLaben even was able to secure state

funding to develop a pilot project for com-munity evaluation teams in Tennessee’smajor cities so fewer defendants needed tobe sent to an isolated maximum securityunit for evaluation. That program caughtthe attention of the National Institute ofMental Health (NIMH).

“I had decided that NIMH fundingcould be a long shot since they might notgrant an award to someone with my cre-dentials,” Laben said. “But when the direc-tor of the Crime and Delinquency sectionof NIMH heard about what we achievedin our forensic mental health system, heawarded a grant for someone to come hereand learn how we started it. Then heplaced me on the NIMH Review GrantCommittee as a result of the Tennesseecommunity teams’ success.”

After her return to Vanderbilt, Labencontinued shaping mental health policy.She co-wrote the report that was used todevelop the first mental health court in thestate, co-authored two books on mentalhealth law for nurses and published multi-ple publications on forensic mental health.In 1978, Vanderbilt promoted her to pro-fessor.

In her nearly three decades atVanderbilt, she mentored generations ofadvanced practice nurses and says she’s

proud that so many of her former studentshold top positions in mental health carewhere they make differences every day. Asa clinician, she co-founded the Vine HillCommunity Clinic, served as executivevice president at Treadway Clinic, andprovided counseling services throughMcKendree Village Clinic. In 2017, theUniversity of Michigan—her alma mater—named her one of the school’s most notablegraduates in its 200-year history.

Still helpingNow professor of Nursing, emerita,

Laben isn’t quite done helping. “AlthoughI am retired, people still call me all thetime for help with mental health issues. Ilike to call myself a navigator. I don’t docounseling anymore, but I do guide themto services,” she said.

Laben was free to pursue her passionof helping and reforming, in part becauseshe was not saddled with debt for herdegrees. Concerned about the increasingcost of education, and seeing how debtaffected her students both in school andafter graduation, Laben and her husband,Robert, created the Joyce Kemp LabenScholarship Fund in 1998 for students in

the Psychiatric-Mental Health NursePractitioner Program. To date the fundhas benefited 10 advanced practice nurses,and the bequest Laben documented in herestate plans will aid even more students inthe future.

Jodi Robinson, the current recipientof the scholarship, came to Nashville byway of Anchorage, Alaska, to become apsychiatric-mental health nurse practition-er. Robinson intends to practice in thearea of palliative care, hoping one day totransform family end-of-life experiences.

“I want to help families have as posi-tive experience as possible when theirloved one faces a terminal illness,” saidRobinson, who also has an interest in psy-cho-oncology and geriatrics. “In thefuture, I dream of opening a pediatric hos-pice house where everything is child-friendly and warm, and not only thepatient stays, but the entire family. I envi-sion it being where families come from allover the world to have a meaningful andpeaceful transition.”

n

Joyce Laben and her husband, Robert Laben, set up ascholarship fund and created a bequest so students inthe program aren’t burdened with student loan debt.

SUSAN URMY


60s

Ellen Durham Davis, BSN ‘63,is a consulting associate at DukeUniversity School of Nursing.

Cindy Stone Monroe, BSN‘66, and her husband, Jim, cele-brated their 50th weddinganniversary in June 2016.

70s

Beth Colvin Huff, BSN ‘74,MSN ‘79, received the AmericanSociety for Colposcopy andCervical Pathology 2016Distinguished Service Award.

Marilyn Dubree, MSN ‘76,was honored by the Academyfor Women of Achievement inNashville in October 2016.

Betsy Kerr Hay, MSN ‘76, isthe president of the OsherLifelong Learning Institute atVanderbilt University.

Patricia LeDrew Jones, MSN‘77, is a professor at the LomaLinda University School ofNursing.

Joyce Grimes Safley, BSN ‘77,MSN ‘83, joined the Law Officeof Melinda Jacobs in Franklin,Tennessee.

80s

Darlene Armstrong Franklin,MSN ‘81, was published in theWorldwide Leaders in Health-care; she is on faculty at theWhitson-Hester School ofNursing at Tennessee TechUniversity in Cookeville,Tennessee.

Pam Orebaugh Jones, BSN‘81, MSN ‘92, DNP ‘13, wasawarded the 2015 StateAdvocate Award from theAmerican Association of NursePractitioners.

Michael Mezmar, MSN ‘81, isthe mayor pro tem and commis-sioner for Harlingen, Texas.

Donna Ray Iverson, BSN ‘82,and her sister, Lisa RayPascale, BSN ‘83, are on staffat Wolfson Children’s Hospital inJacksonville, Florida, in thebehavioral health unit.

Melanie Hall Morris, BSN ‘83,MSN ‘86, was awarded the2015 Research Paper of theYear from American Journal ofMaternal Child Nursing, andwas the 2015 Scholarly WritingContest winner from theTennessee Nurses Foundation.

Suzanne McMurtry Baird,BSN ‘84, MSN ‘95, started anorganization called ClinicalConcepts in Obstetrics Inc.

Robin Rosen Schuman, BSN‘84, received the 2015 Employeeof the Year Award from the lawfirm of Aaronson, Rappaport,Feinstein & Deutsch in New YorkCity, where she practices as asenior medical consultant.

Barbara Boone McGinnis,MSN ‘89, was named chairper-

son of the Tennessee BarAssociation’s Elder Law SectionExecutive Committee and presi-dent of the Life Care PlanningLaw Firms Association.

90s

Ginny Moore, MSN ‘90,received the Women’s HealthResearch Award from NationalAssociation of Nurse Practition-ers in Women’s Health.

Sharon Hendrix, MSN ‘91,was named Public and Commu-nity Health Nurse of the Year bythe Tennessee Chapter of theMarch of Dimes.

Kimberly Troy Sales, MSN‘91, is a nurse practitioner atCommunity Health Care’s HilltopRegional Health Center inTacoma, Washington.

Julie Tipton Higdon, MSN‘93, leads a new Baptist Healthwalk-in clinic for the Lone Oakschool community in Paducah,Kentucky.

Leslie Welch Hopkins, MSN‘93, was named a 2016-17 SECAcademic Leadership Develop-ment Program Fellow atVanderbilt University.

Kelly Ambrosi Wolgast, MSN‘93, received the President’sAward from the AmericanCollege of Healthcare Executivesof Middle Tennessee.

Francie Likis, MSN ‘94, pub-lished the 3rd edition of hertextbook, “Women’sGynecologic Health,” in summer2016. Julia Cain Phillippi,MSN ‘99, wrote a chapter;Mary Ellen Egger, MSN ‘06,and Amy Hall Hull, MSN ‘94,were reviewers.

Gina Haldeman, MSN ‘95, andher husband have created andlaunched an app called Step-by-Step Pregnancy Care.

Sharon Heinrich, MSN ‘96,traveled to Nigeria with a teamof Rotarians from the U.S. andCanada to support polio eradi-cation.

Connie Chenosky-Miller,MSN ‘97, works at the CheyenneVeterans Administration MedicalCenter in a satellite clinic in FortCollins, Colorado.

Jenny Hannagan Kim, MSN‘97, published her DNP scholarlyproject in the Annals of LongTerm Care, May 2016.

Margaret McKinney Buxton,MSN ‘98, is clinical director ofBaby+Company in Nashville,which delivered its 100th babyon Mother’s Day 2016. LaurenDrees, MSN ‘09, and HeatherSevcik, MSN ‘12, are on staff.

Patricia Detzel, MSN ‘98, andSoheyl Asadsangabi, MSN‘04, DNP ‘13, staff the newVanderbilt Center for Women’s

MarieAnnetteBrown,BSN ‘70,wasinducted

into the Washington StateNurses Association Hall ofFame in 2016.

GinnyPlaceMyer, BSN‘75, wasappointedto theVanderbilt

University Alumni Board,where she joins EileenCampbell Hart, MSN ‘12.

SharonAdkins,MSN ‘88,was hon-ored byNashvilleMedical

News in May 2016 at theirannual Women to WatchBreakfast

Bridget Wilson, MSN ‘94, was electedto the Accreditation Board of SpecialtyNursing Certification and serves on theAmerican Board of NeuroscienceNursing as secretary/treasurer.

Class Notes


Health clinic in Thompson’sStation, Tennessee.

Julia Cain Phillippi, MSN ‘99,and Melody Castillo, MSN‘14, co-authored a chapter in“Best Practices in Midwifery,2nd Edition.”

Clay Satterfield, MSN ‘99, is a family nurse practitioner at the Franciscan Prompt Care–Canyon Road Clinic in Puyallup,Washington.

Carl Wherry, MSN ‘99, is presi-dent of the West Los AngelesNorth chapter of the CaliforniaAssociation for Nurse Practition-ers, as well as speaker of thehouse for its annual House ofDelegates.

2000s

Nancy Hollingsworth, MSN‘00, is president and CEO ofthe Saint Agnes Medical CenterBoard of Directors in Fresno,California.

Liz Sharpe, MSN ‘02, is anassistant professor at Universityof Alabama Birmingham Schoolof Nursing.

Valerie Turpen, MSN ‘02, joinedDeaconess Primary Care forSeniors as a board-certifiedacute care nurse practitioner.

Traci Warner, MSN ‘02, is co-piloting a faith-based commu-nity health initiative inNicaragua called HelpingHands. She trains lay peoplewith some medical experienceto meet the physical and spiri-tual needs of members of theircommunity.

Kiersten Brown Espaillat,MSN ‘03, was appointed to theAmerican Heart AssociationGreater Southeast AffiliateBoard, where she serves on theTennessee AdvocacySubcommittee.

James Askew, MSN ‘05, is anacute care pediatric nurse prac-titioner in the pediatric inten-sive care unit at the Children’sHospital of Philadelphia.

April Kapu, MSN ‘05, DNP‘13, received the TennesseeHospital Association’s ClinicalNurse of Distinction Award.

Bette Moore, PhD ‘05, wasnamed a 2016 AmericanAcademy of Nursing Fellow.

Nikole Gettings, MSN ‘06,started a new position in May2016 at West Cancer Clinic inMemphis as a certified nurse-midwife/nurse practitioner.

Julie McFarlane Hamm, MSN‘06, was awarded the MiddleTennessee Advance PracticeNurses President’s Award.

Paul Kadetz, MSN ‘06, wasnamed chair of the Departmentof Public Health at MarshallUniversity in Huntington, WestVirginia.

Amber Worrell Vermeesch,MSN ‘06, is an associate pro-fessor at the University ofPortland School of Nursing inOregon.

Emily Wachs, MSN ‘06, mar-ried Robert Kane in July 2016;she is a nurse practitioner atSan Francisco Ear, Nose andThroat Medical Group.

Linda Upchurch, MSN ‘07,was named director ofOgeechee Area Hospice inStatesboro, Georgia.

Richard Aries, MSN ‘08, has anew position in medical staffservices at Swedish Hospitaland Medical Center in Seattle.

Louise Dobkins, MSN ‘08, isan adult nurse practitioner atSwedish Primary Care at MercerIsland, Washington. Her daugh-ter, Caroline Leithner, gradu-ated from Vanderbilt this yearwith a dual MSN/MDiv.

Stephanie Fisher, MSN ‘08,was selected for the 2016Faculty Achievement Award forUndergraduate Teaching atGeorge Fox University inNewberg, Oregon.

Cameron McGregor, MSN‘08, was named among theDayton Business Journal’s 2015Class of Forty Under 40Winners.

Christine Gerson Suriani,MSN ‘08, is on staff at CentrePediatric Associates inBrookline, Massachusetts.

Angela Hanor, MSN ‘09, isthe student programs directorfor Christian Community HealthFellowship.

10s

Jie Deng, PhD ‘10, was hon-ored as a 2016 AmericanAcademy of Nursing Fellow.

Melissa ArmstrongGlassford, MSN ‘10, is a juniorfaculty teaching fellow in theVanderbilt University Center forTeaching.

Melinda LaLonde McCusker,MSN ‘10, completed her Ph.D.at the Medical University ofSouth Carolina.

Patty Sengstack, DNP ‘10,was named a Fellow by theAmerican Academy of Nursingin 2016.

Mary Lauren WhiteheadPfieffer, MSN ‘11, and herhusband, Brandon, welcomed anew baby in June 2016.

Andrea Fuller, DNP ‘12, islieutenant colonel and assistantprofessor at the Daniel K.Inouye Graduate School ofNursing of the Uniformed

Greta Fowinkle, MSN ‘94, DNP ‘11, is co-leading a population health course forBSN-level RNs at the Medical University ofSouth Carolina College of Nursing inCharleston, where she is director of CaseManagement/Care Transitions.

PatrickPalmieri,MSN ‘00, co-authored“Global

Advances in Human CaringLiteracy.” He was awardedthe degree Doctor HonorisCausa by the UniversidadMaría Auxiliadora in Peruin October 2016.

Letizia BaxterSmith, MSN‘07, andValeryParham, BE

‘07 (Engineering) openedBuyWearShare, an onlinemarketplace for peer-to-peer renting and selling ofwomen’s clothing; the sitedebuted in November2016.

MelissaWeinandPurvis, MSN‘09, wasnamed chiefnursing offi-

cer at Menorah Manor inSt. Petersburg, Florida, inNovember 2016.

CLASS NOTES


Services University of theHealth Sciences.

Cathy Maxwell, PhD ‘12,received the American Collegeof Surgeons 2016 TraumaQuality Improvement ProgramBest PI Abstract Award.

Julie Omishakin, MSN ‘12, isa nurse practitioner atNeighborhood Health inMadison, Tennessee.

Mark Reinhardt, DNP ‘12, isan associate professor ofNursing at Texas A&MUniversity College of Nursingand Health Sciences in CorpusChristi, Texas.

Barb Shultz, MSN ‘12, receivedVanderbilt University MedicalCenter’s Five Pillar LeaderAward; she is administrativedirector of Surgical Services atMonroe Carell Jr. Children’sHospital at Vanderbilt.

Emily Partin Sitomer, MSN‘12, is a nurse practitioner atCool Springs Internal Medicineand Pediatrics in Tennessee.

Sheila Umayam, MSN ‘12,DNP ‘14, married her collegesweetheart of 11 years inOctober 2016. She is a pedi-atric nurse practitioner atPremier Medical Group, a pedi-atric walk-in clinic in Clarksville,Tennessee.

Mia Wallin, MSN ‘12, is apediatric nurse practitioner atSt. Thomas Community HealthCenter in New Orleans, whereshe also provides adolescentcare in a school clinic.

Brandi Wilkerson, MSN ‘12,joined the Carthage PediatricClinic in Tennessee.

Bronwyn Backstrom, MSN‘13, is a pediatric nurse practi-tioner in Ochsner HealthSystem in New Orleans.

Courtney Cook, DNP ‘13, waspromoted to assistant professorat Vanderbilt University Schoolof Nursing.

Karen Hande, DNP ‘13, wasnamed a 2015 AmericanNurses Advocacy InstituteFellow by the Tennessee NursesAssociation.

Therese Jamison, DNP ‘13,was named in November 2016to head the new nursing pro-gram at Lawrence TechnologicalUniversity in Southfield,Michigan.

John Shields, DNP ‘13,received the Clinical ExcellenceAward at Middle TennesseeSchool of Anesthesia’s annualgala in June 2016.

Lauren Barber Shurson, MSN‘13, is a nurse practitioner at

Harrison Port Orchard UrgentCare in Washington state.

Sarah Allen, MSN ‘14, is afamily nurse practitioner at theFamily Health Center inAshland City, Tennessee, alongwith Joni Bauguss Cutshall,MSN ‘14, and GretchenBurchett, MSN ‘15

Cindy Cunningham, Post-Master’s ‘14, joined FellowshipHealth Resources in Delaware.

Aaron Hirsch, MSN ‘14,received the VanderbiltUniversity Medical Center FivePillar Leader Award in May2016. Hirsch is manager of theUrologic Surgery unit and twosurgical stepdown units.

Kassie Padgett, MSN ‘14, ison staff at the Children’sHospital of San Antonio, and isan instructor at Baylor Collegeof Medicine.

Charleen Tachibana, DNP ‘14,is senior vice president andchief nursing officer at VirginiaMason Medical Center inSeattle.

Julie Vasher, DNP ‘14, was

honored as OutstandingAlumnus by Northland PioneerCollege.

Tanicia Washington, MSN‘14, is a nurse practitioner atthe Vanderbilt UniversityMedical Center OccupationalHealth Clinic.

Cherise Williams, MSN ‘14, isa cardiothoracic surgery nursepractitioner at Wilkes-BarreGeneral Hospital, Pennsylvania.

Maggie Logan Berghoff,MSN ‘15, started a virtual prac-tice for functional medicineconsulting called Higher HealthSolutions LLC.

Kaitlin Divinnie, MSN ‘15,married Richie Lopez inOctober 2016; classmateRachael Prusha was a brides-maid.

Melissa Ferniz, MSN ‘15, is a

Gordon Gillespie II, DNP ‘15, was named tothe American Academy of Nursing 2016Class of Fellows; he is an associate profes-sor and deputy director of the OccupationalHealth Nursing Program at the Universityof Cincinnati College of Nursing.

Janie Geyer,MSN ‘15, isan instructorat the BaylorCollege of

Medicine in Houston.

Meagan Hingle Casey, MSN ‘14, is a pedi-atric nurse practitioner at the Children’sHospital of New Orleans where she wasthe first PNP hired in the EmergencyDepartment Fast Track.

Save the date, October 5–7, for your VUSN Reunion! If your class year ends in a 2 or 7, it’s a milestone year. Get involved and help make it the best ever for your class—just email [email protected] or call (615) 936-0247.

CLASS NOTES

pediatric nurse practitioner atthe Children’s Hospital in NewOrleans.

Phyllis Raynor,’15, was select-ed for the Substance Abuseand Mental Health ServicesAdministration-fundedAmerican Nurses AssociationMinority Fellowship Program.She received her Ph.D. and is afirst honor graduate from theMedical University of SouthCarolina.

Sally Callaway, MSN ‘16, married John Noel Rader inBirmingham, Alabama, in July2016.

Jesi Campbell, MSN ‘16, washired by her preceptor, the St.Louis Women’s HealthcareGroup in Chesterfield, Missouri.

IN MEMORIAM

Charlotte Conaway Scott,BSN ‘45, October 2016,Mobile, Alabama.

Verne Feeback Nesbitt, BSN‘47, August 2016, Syracuse,New York.

Nancy Butts Armistead, BSN‘49, July 2016, Decatur,Alabama.

Martha “Copie” CopelandLikins, BSN ‘52, July 2016,Eureka, California.

Mary Walley McCoy, BSN ‘54,July 2016, Tampa, Florida.

Patricia Patterson Tennent,BSN ‘56, May 2016, GrossePointe Woods, Michigan.

Susan Hurley DeConcini, N‘58, April 2016, McLean,Virginia.

Barbara Kiel Kaley, N ‘59,August 2016, Rancho Mirage,California.

Carol Thomas, BSN ‘63,September 2016, Sacramento,California.

Ann Keidel, BSN ‘69, July2016, West Newton,Massachusetts.

Beth Inman Jordan, BSN ‘74,October 2016, Sea Island,Georgia.

Twila Williams Harmon, MSN‘87, October 2016, Oneonta,Alabama.

Frances Carson, former facul-ty, July 2016, Franklin,Tennessee.

SEND ALUMNI NEWS AND

PHOTOS TO

[email protected](615) 936-3046Toll Free: (800) 288-0028VISIT US ON THE WEB

vanderbilt.edu/vanderbiltnurse

Curious about what your classmates are doing? Looking tonetwork and change jobs? Wanting to share updates aboutyour life? News concerning VUSN alumni is now sorted byclass year on our alumni website (see tab called ClassNotes). Additionally, you can find information about otherVUSN graduates in the Alumni in the News section of ourwebsite, the VUSN Alumni News e-newsletter,VanderbiltNurse magazine and Vanderbilt Magazine. So be sure tokeep us up-to-date about yourself. VUSN relies on currentdemographics when requesting grants and support andwhen seeking preceptors for our students.

Reunion 2016

CLASS NOTES

Activities ranged from a special luncheon for the newclass of Quinqs (those alumni celebrating their 50-yearreunion) to educational sessions and award presenta-tions to alumni and friends of VUSN. Photos by DinaBahan.

1

3

4

2

1. Dean Linda Norman presents the Alumni Award forExcellence in Nursing to Britney Broyhill, BA ‘06, MSN ‘08,DNP ‘13. 2. Professor of English, Emeritus Vereen Bell receivedthe school’s Friend of Nursing Award for his impact on nurs-ing students. 3. The new Quinqs. 4. Alumni could earn CEUsat this class presented by Katherine Evans, DNP ‘12, FAANP.

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing

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2301 VANDERBILT PLACE

NASHVILLE, TN 37235-7737

NON-PROFIT ORG.US POSTAGE

PAIDNASHVILLE, TN

PERMIT NO. 1460

Did you drive one of these to class at the School of Nursing?

VW bugs fueled by flower power were perfect for tooling around campus, but as you know, fads come and go. However, you can create a permanent legacy in your name with

a simple bequest to the School of Nursing. You’ll benefit generations of students who will become tomorrow’s health care leaders.

vu.edu/mylegacy • (615) 343-3113 • (888) 758-1999

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