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Welcome to the alumni e-newsletter for the
School of Nursing  

Alumni From 2007 - 2009: Rise to the Challenge and Give Back

CHHS has received a challenge grant from five generous donors totaling $15,000 to be applied towards priority needs for the college. To complete the challenge:

• CHHS needs to receive 150 individual donations from alumni who graduated or will graduate from 2007–2011 at either the undergraduate or graduate level. So far 114 donations have been received.
  
• The terms of the challenge grant do not stipulate a specific amount for the contribution but the funds must be donated during the current fiscal year which ends June 30, 2010.

Am I an Alum of the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS)?

• School of Nursing, 
• Department of Global and Community Health, 
• Department of Social Work, and
• Department of Health Administration and Policy. 

• The Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability (CCID) and 
• The Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics (CHPRE).
  
  
  

Meeting with Meaning: Donors Greet "Their" Scholars

More than 100 guests celebrated scholarship giving at a special reception held at Mason on March 31. The annual reception provided an opportunity for donors to meet the students who benefit from their gifts and for students to thank donors for their generosity.

A featured speaker was Augusto Paredes-Ubillus, recipient of the Bette Burch Scholarship Endowment within the College of Health and Human Services.   Paredes-Ubillus told the crowd that his first purchase with his scholarship funds was a stethoscope, an essential tool for his degree program. He credits the scholarship with putting him closer to his goal of becoming a community health nurse.

Bette Burch received her BSN in 1980 from the School of Nursing and remains active in the CHHS Alumni Chapter Board, serving as vice president for scholarships and awards.

Spotlight on a School of Nursing Alumna

Barbara L. Young Summers, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

BSN ’78, MSN ’81, PhD ‘95
Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, and Division Head, Nursing, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center,

Houston, Texas

Barbara Summers received the 2010 CHHS Distinguished Alumna of the Year at the university’s Celebration of Distinction on April 14. Accompanied by her husband George Summers, BS’77, whom she met at Mason, Dr. Summers made a presentation to alumni and faculty entitled “Synchronicity: Auspicious Coincidence, The Journey of one GMU Alumna” prior to the celebration in Dewberry Hall. Her audience listened to an inspired talk during which Dr. Summers shared her personal journey in nursing and described opportunities and events that helped to shape the focus of her career.       

Her practice hallmark has been a persistent and unwavering focus on building nursing excellence. She has led the creation of new frameworks and models to develop nurse leaders and build organizational cultures that promote health care safety and professional nursing empowerment. 

From 1993 – 1997, Dr. Summers worked at National Institutes of Health, where she was manager of critical care services and a nurse specialist in ambulatory cancer care and research.  In addition, Dr. Summers worked for 13 years as a clinical nurse specialist in the cancer center and as director of medical and psychiatric nursing for INOVA. Dr. Summers is the recipient of numerous honors and awards and in November 2009 was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing.

School of Nursing alumnae attending the presentation included classmates and colleagues:  Karen Drenkard, PhD ’06;  Margaret Goode, BSN ‘88, MSN  ’99; Paulette Komarny, BSN ’95; Lynn Magrum, BSN ’79, MSN ’81; Lorraine McLean, MSN '96; Christine Slevin MSN '99; and Carolyn Taylor BSN ’78, MSN ’86, MBA ’94.

From Strangers to Friends - A Unique Networking Opportunity for Mason Nursing PhD Program Alumni

In March 2010, a new networking opportunity was launched for alumni of the Mason PhD Nursing program. “From Strangers to Friends,”  an alumni-initiated program, provides an opportunity for a small group of Mason PhD Nursing program alumni to network by sharing a meal and conversation together. The program, modeled on a UCLA Alumni Association program, brings together fellow nurses/scholars – educators, practitioners, researchers, policy specialists, and others – to get to know each other better. Host(ess) responsibilities will rotate among alumni volunteers.

On March 28, five alumni from different graduating classes gathered around the dinner table to share a meal, swap stories, share laughter, and engage in rich dialogue at the home of Nancy L. Falk, PhD ’08. Participants included Kathi Huddleston PhD ‘08, Claire Pagliara-Miller PhD ‘04 , Margaret Moss PhD ‘07, and Denise Pope PhD ‘08.  All agreed they had a wonderful evening as they talked about family, volunteerism, work, life beyond Mason doctoral studies, and other nursing and non-nursing topics.

The next gathering of "From Strangers to Friends" is scheduled for May 23rd at the home of Kathi Huddleston. Another group of 5-10 Mason Nursing PhD alumni will be gathering. To learn more about the program, contact Nancy Falk by email, or at (703) 827-8953.

Sign Up to Mentor a Nursing Undergrad Student

Mentors are excellent resources to students interested in researching career options or in shadowing an employer in their field of study. If you're a seasoned grad looking to support future professionals in your field or a student seeking career advice please sign up by sending an e-mail to chhsalum@gmu.edu. Please provide the following contact information:

Name
Position Title
Place of Employment
Work Phone
Business E-mail Address
Alternate E-mail Address
Best time to be reached
      
We will find an opportunity for you to share your career experiences with a current student. If you have any questions, contact Gail Weirich by email, or at (703) 993-6018.

We appreciate your interest!

CHHS Signature Alumni Event: "The Dirt on the Grape"

SAVE THE DATE

The Dirt on the Grape…The Next Course
CHHS Signature Alumni Event
October 2, 2010

Time TBA

Mark your calendars to join us for the CHHS Signature Alumni Event on Saturday, October 2, 2010. Sommelier Mary Watson-DeLauder returns and joins Chef Sandy Amato (owner of Cooking with Sandy) to educate and tantalize your tastebuds with dessert and dessert wine pairings.

We invite CHHS Alumni and guests to come and learn something new, re-connect with friends and colleagues, and enjoy an evening of socializing.

Details on the event will be available soon on the CHHS Alumni website. For information contact Gail Weirich by email, or at (703) 993-6018.

The CHHS Signature Alumni Event is held in conjunction with Alumni Weekend.

Let Us Hear from You

New Faculty

Lora Peppard, DNP, APRN-BC, is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and assistant professor of clinical practice. She comes to use from the Wounded Warriors program at DeWitt Army Hospital, where she provided psychotherapy and medication management services to military members experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. She the SON's first DNP faculty member.

Peppard received her MS from Boston College and her DNP from Columbia University. She has worked in a variety of settings with clients suffering from acute and chronic mental health conditions.

Lisa Vandemark, PhD, RN,BC is an advance practice nurse in adult psychiatric/mental health nursing and an assistant professor, tenure track, who joined the faculty in January.

Vandemark is a health geographer who is intrested in understanding how aspects of the community, for example the location of liquor and grocery stores that sell fruit and vegetables, affect the health of local residents. She uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techology to assess the health and well being of communities and does research in reducing community violence and health behaviors among children.

Vandemark received her BS in Nursing from Rutger University, MSN in adult psychiatric/mental health nursing from Catholic University, MS in Human Ecology from the University of Brussels, Belgium, and PhD in Geography from Rutgers University. She was with the Medical University of South Carolina from 2006 - 2010. From 2000 - 2005, she was a study director at the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine in Washington, DC, where her work focused on the use of geographic information and tools for community and sustainable development in the US and in developing countries.  In 2003, she served as a consultant to the International Satellite Information Service at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on geospatial capacity-building and partnerships development in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Vandemark currently serves as research consultant for Ubon Ratchathani University in Thailand and she has been awarded a US Fullbright reasearch grant for her work in Thailand in 2008 - 2009.

 

SON Retiring Faculty

Left to right: Loretta Normile, Lucy Boland, Dean Shirley Travis, Jeanne Sorrell

On Friday, April 9, CHHS hosted a reception for retiring SON faculty at the Fairfax Country Club. Friends, colleagues, alumni, and CHHS staff enjoyed an afternoon of sharing memorable stories representing over 70 years of teaching nursing students in undergraduate, graduate, and the doctoral programs. Dr. Jeanne Sorrell and Dr. Jennie Wu were granted the status of Professor Emerita of Nursing by the Board in Visitors in December 2009.

The School of Nursing extends a heartfelt thank you to:

• Lucy Boland - 30 years of service
• Loretta Normile - 17 years of service           
• Jeanne Sorrell - 20 years of service
• Jennie Wu - 20 years of service

SON Faculty Recognized for Service:        

• Jean Moore - 25 years of service      
• Marie Kodadek - 15 years of service
• Maggie Venzke - 15 years of service
• Michele Davidson - 10 years of service
• Kathy Dickman - 5 years of service
• Mary Lou Davis - 5 years of services

Mason SON faculty are recognized this year for a whopping total of 130 years of service!!

Grants Received

Improving Patient Care through Understanding the Nursing Workplace

Mimi Mahon RN, PhD, FAAN, and Anne Nicotera, PhD, Communications, have received a grant from Mason and INOVA for $10,000 to understand challenges of the nurses’ workplace environment. As a part of this effort, and building on Dr. Nicotera's expertise, Dr. Mahon & Dr. Nicotera are collaborating with Patricia Conway-Morana, MAd, RNC, CPHQ, NEA-BC, CENP, FACHE, Chief Nurse Executive, Inova Fairfax Hospital and Mason nursing doctoral student, as well as Xiaoquan Zhao, PhD, Communication. The purpose of the study is to explore factors (individual, unit level, and hospital level) that affect the very challenging nursing workplace environment, as well as outcomes such as organizational and professional identification, adverse events, and turnover.

Oncology Patients’ Trust in Physicians and Health Outcomes, Mason/INOVA, $10,000

Pearl Zhou, RN, PhD received $10,000 to survey oncology patients about their trust in health care providers and its influence on health outcomes. The specific purposes of this study include 1) to identify modifiable predictors for trust in providers, and 2) to assess the relationship between trust and treatment adherence, and other patient-related health outcomes such as co-morbidities, health status, anxiety, depression, and satisfaction with care. Modifiable predictors identified from this study will lay the foundation for developing and testing interventions to improve patients’ trust in providers thus improving quality of care and patient outcomes.

Department Honors

Margaret Mahon, Inaugural Fellow, Palliative Care Nursing, 2009, Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association (FPCN). Mahon is an associate professor in SON, who teaches in the MSN and PhD programs. She is a certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse who does research on palliative and end of life care. Her recent publications include: Funeral directors’ experiences with and beliefs about bereaved children death studies;  Oncology nurses’ personal understandings about palliative care, Oncology Nursing Forum, and Withdrawing and withholding life prolonging therapies for children, University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics Handbook.

Suzanne Rotolo Brown PhD, ‘09 Virginia Forensic Nurse of the Year, VA Chapter of the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN).  Brown is a 2009 PhD graduate and currently an adjunct faculty member teaching forensics courses.

Ann Maradiegue  BSN ’92, MSN ’95, PhD ’07,  was selected as genetics nurse education expert and a member of the Consultation Directory: Genetics/Genomics Education Exemplar Resources. The Consultation Directory provides a valuable resource for faculty to access and facilitate integration of genetics into their curricula and education programs. The directory is being developed in follow-up to the recent Faculty Champions meeting held at the National Human Genome Research Institute on September 25, 2009. Twenty nursing faculty from around the country were brought together for a day-long meeting to learn from nursing faculty exemplars of the latest resources and models for integrating genetics and genomics into their nursing curricula.

Student Authored Publications

The following students authored publications on completed projects through various course assignments in the doctoral and master's programs in the School of Nursing.

Doctoral Student

Swartwout, Ellen (2009). ANCC's Pathway to Excellence Program, Virginia Nurses Today, 17(4), 14.Whittenburg, LuAnn (2009). Nursing Terminology: Documentation of Quality Outcomes, Journal of Health Information Management, 23(3),  51-55.

Master’s Students

Coulter, P., Dickman, K., Maradiegue, A. (2009). The effects of exercise on stress in working women, The Nurse Practitioner Journal, 5, 408-413.

Hafner, C.(2009).  Lost in the fog: Understanding chemo brain, Nursing 2009 39(8).

Morales, C.  (2009, September). Critical closure, Nursing Spectrum, Nicholson, S., Dickman, K., Maradiegue, A. (2009). Reducing premature osteoarthritis in the adolescent through appropriate screening, Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 24, 69-74.

Student Scholarships and Activities

Roger Decort Memorial Scholarship

In 2008 Janice Rasmussen, MSN ’05 and her husband George established and funded the Roger Decort Memorial Scholarship to honor their close friend and financial advisor. This scholarship is given annually to a Mason nurse practitioner student to help ease the demands of balancing work, home, and studies. The Rasmussens hope recipients will be able to work fewer hours in order to be able to study more.

Each scholarship recipient receives a copy of Mr. Rasmussen’s recollection of his long-time friend, Roger Decort, whom he first met as a freshman on a basketball court at Thiel College in Pennsylvania. As a child, Mr. Decort overcame a significant parental challenge to become a gifted athlete, scholar, and campus leader at Thiel. His successes, powered by his strong character, continued after college as a Navy commander and financial planner. It is because of Mr. Decort’s investment acumen that Janice and George Rasmussen are able to provide scholarships at both Thiel and Mason.         

Student Nursing Association (SNA)

Mason’s nursing students keep active not only in their classes and practicums, but as role models in their community providing service and outreach during their time at Mason. 

They are easily visible in their green and khaki nursing attire promoting community service through organized activities, advocating for high quality health care, and representing Mason at association activities at the state and national level.

Below is a list of SNA events for the 2009-2010 school year:

• Community Service
  • AARP Antique Car Show– Blood pressures (BP)/ Glucose checks
  • Pyramid Challenge – BP checks, manned the first aid table
  • Call to Protect – Cell phone collection, refurbished and donated to women shelters stop domestic violence.
  • Raised money for the DC Heart Walk
  • Participated in Latex Lounge – HIV Awareness week, Mason Annual Health and Fitness Expo, Sexual Chocolate – Sex education
  • “STOP THE HUNGER” – Volunteered to put together 150,000 meals for the Haiti Victims and collected items to donate for a mission trip to Haiti
    
  • “Toys for Tots” – collected and donated toys for children
    
    
• Professional Service
  • New to Mason Social – welcomed new nursing students
  • Junior orientation - introduced roles, what SNA do, nursing expectation GMU Orientation – Welcome new nursing student, info table in JC and orient to Labs
  • INOVA Nurse Extern – information session for juniors
  • Virginia Nursing Student Association (VNSA) Convention in VA Beach – attended the convention and received the Spirit Stick Award!
  • National Nursing Student Association (NSA) Convention in Orlando FL—two incoming board members attended the convention