Every VUSN graduate has exciting things happening in her or his life, both professionally and personally. Class Notes – printed twice a year in the Vanderbilt Nurse Magazine and available online on this page – is an opportunity for you to not only learn what other alumni are doing but also share news about your life. We would love to hear what you've been up to! Please contact us at vusn-alumninursing@vanderbilt.edu or call 615-322-4836. And, when posting on social media please tag us! #VUSN
More info may be available at www.vuconnect.com and in the Class Notes sections of Vanderbilt Nurse Magazine.
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2000
- Terri Allison, PMC’00, co-authored “DNA Banking: Saving Your Genetic Legacy for the Future,” published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in July 2025. She received the Colleen Conway-Welch Doctor of Nursing Faculty Award from VUSN doctor of nursing practice students in 2024, and co-authored a chapter in the book, Managing Heart Failure in Primary Care: A Case Study Approach, published in 2023 by Springer. Terri is assistant dean for academics and director of the doctor of nursing practice program at VUSN.
- Susan Wooldridge Andrews, MSN’00, was awarded a grant in 2024 from the National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities for “Expand your MIND: Integrating Mindfulness and Innovation to Build Resiliency in Nursing Academia.”
- Angel Anthamatten, MSN’00, presented, “Innovating Clinical Simulations with Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence,” at the Southern Nursing Research Society meeting, and “AI: A Catalyst for Transformation in Education,” to Atlanta-area VUSN alumni, both in February 2025. She was featured in Vanderbilt University Research News in April in “Vanderbilt Faculty Honored for Excellence in Research and Service,” and is lead author of “Strategies to Address the Metabolic Burden of Psychotropic Medications,” published that month in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. She co-authored “Transforming Nursing Education: Harnessing the Power of Immersive Technologies and Artificial Intelligence to Promote Self-care and Enhance Learning,” published in Clinical Nurse Specialist, and “Interactive Simulation for Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy in Nurse Practitioner Education,” in Clinical Simulation in Nursing, both in May. Angel is lead author of “Developing Clinical Competence through Case Presentations with Artificial Intelligence-driven Simulation,” published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners in July, and received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award in August from students in the VUSN family NP specialty. She is lead author of “Clinical Update on Insomnia,” published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, and co-author of “Navigating Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Artificial Intelligence in Advanced Practice Nursing,” in the Journal of Doctoral Nursing Practice, both in November.
- In 2024, Angel presented, “Setting the Nurse Practitioner Up for Success: Time 1 Check Off Prior to Clinical Initiation,” at the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties conference, and co-presented, “Navigating Metabolic Risks: A Crucial Consideration in Psychotropic Pharmacotherapy,” in during VUSN’s Reunion symposium, “Collaborative Academic Practice Symposium: Integrating Mental Health and Primary Care.” She is lead author of “Integration of Entrustable Professional Activities in a Competency-based Clinical Assessment Tool in a Nurse Practitioner Program,” published in Nurse Educator, and “Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Virtual Simulations to Develop Entrustable Professional Activities,” in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. She received the Archer Award from VUSN FNP students, was promoted to associate professor at VUSN, and became a certified nursing educator. In 2023, Angel presented a poster at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Doctoral Education Conference, and presented at the National League for Nursing's Nursing Education Research Conference and the NONPF conference. She was published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners and The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, and contributed to the book, Managing Heart Failure in Primary Care: A Case Study Approach, published by Springer. She received the VUSN DAISY Award for Recognition of Small Group Facilitator at the MSN Level and presented at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners conference.
- Tiffany Athey, MSN’00, is a nurse practitioner and medical science liaison at Sumitomo Pharm America, headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts (2025).
- Alison Boehm Barlow, BS’95, MSN’00, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023. She is a women’s health nurse practitioner.
- Duke Chenault, MSN’00, DNP’16, was published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners in 2023. He is a family nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt Health at Metro Nashville Public Schools Employee and Family Health Care Centers and an instructor at VUSN.
- Julie Freehling, MSN’00, is a nurse practitioner specializing in gynecologic oncology at University of Pittsburgh Physicians, UPMC Passavant and UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital (2024).
- Amy Helms, MSN’00, is a women’s health nurse practitioner at Health First Medical Group Murrell in Melbourne, Florida (2025).
- Nancy Hollingsworth, MSN’00, MBA’00, was featured in 2023 in The Business Journal for a story about her retirement as president and chief executive officer of Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, California.
- Jason Jean, MSN’00, DNP’16, co-authored “A Multiple Technology-based and Individually-tailored Sit Less Program for People with Cardiovascular Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study Protocol,” published in PLOS ONE, and received the DAISY Award for Small Group Facilitator at the DNP Level from VUSN, both in 2024. He received second place at the International Association of Forensic Nurses in 2023 for a poster. Jason is an instructor in the nursing and health care leadership and doctor of nursing practice programs at VUSN.
- La’Wanda Williams Jenkins, MSN’00, was keynote speaker for the Carroll County Martin Luther King Black History Month program at Webb School in McKenzie, Tennessee, in 2024. The theme for the program was “With God’s Grace, We Are Still Moving Onward.”
- Julia Mitzel, MSN’00, is supervisor of advanced practice providers at Seattle Children's neurodevelopmental clinic (2023).
- Robert Palmer, BE’98, MSN’00, PhD’05, was selected as a Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health Scholar by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials in January 2025. He is on faculty at the D.E.L.T.A. STEAM Academy in Atlanta and director of informatics for the Georgia Department of Public Health.
- Patrick Palmieri, MSN’00, is co-author of “There Is ‘No Cure for Caregiving’: The Experience of Women Caring for Husbands Living with Parkinson’s Disease,” published in the International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being in 2024. He founded the Instituto Nacional de la Enfermería del Peru and is director of the EBHC South America: A Joanna Briggs Institute Affiliated Group, and leads a team of researchers in Peru that has been studying the human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, with grant assistance from Spain and the European Union.
- Sheila Ridner, MSN’00, PhD’03, is co-author of “The Importance of a Pre-treatment Baseline when Screening Patients for Breast-cancer-related Lymphedema,” published in Breast Oncology in July 2025, and was featured by Tactile Systems Technology in October, in “Landmark Study Demonstrates Sustained Clinical Benefits of Flexitouch® Plus as First-line Therapy in Treating Head and Neck Cancer-related Lymphedema.” She was published in Supportive Care in Cancer and Health Care for Women International in 2023, and was profiled as part of the Remarkable Women series by Eyewitness News WEHT WTVW in Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. Sheila is the principal investigator on a bioimpedance spectroscopy technology project for ImpediMed and is featured in an educational webinar about a proposed standard of care that may help people with lymphedema.
- Christy Carpenter Sparkman, MSN’00, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Barbara Wolff, MSN’00, is a family nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt Health at Metro Nashville Public Schools Employee and Family Health Care Centers (2023).
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2001
- Rodney Adams, MSN’01, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Terrah Foster Akard, MSN’01, PhD’08, rejoined the VUSN faculty in July 2025 after serving as associate dean for academic affairs for the Vanderbilt Graduate School since 2022. Her move was featured by MyVU News in “Vanderbilt Graduate School Announces Leadership Transitions.” She is co-author of “Memory-making Interventions for Children with Life-threatening or Life-limiting Conditions and Their Families: A Systematic Review of Evidence and Implications for Practice,” published that month in Palliative Medicine, “Postoperative Treatment Contributions to Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms in Preschool-aged Children after Cardiac Surgery,” in Progress in Pediatric Cardiology in October, and “Exploration of COVID-19-related Experiences through Perspectives of Children with Advanced Cancer and Their Caregivers,” in the International Journal of Palliative Nursing in December. Terrah is co-author of “COVID-19 Impact, Resilience and Child Quality of Life: A Dyadic Analysis,” published in the Journal of Family Psychology, “Memory-making Interventions for Children and Their Families Receiving Pediatric Palliative or Bereavement Care: A Systematic Review Protocol,” in HRB Open Research, “Predictors of Loneliness among Middle Childhood and Adolescence during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” in PLOS ONE, “Digital Stories Created by Children with Advanced Cancer,” in the Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nursing, and “Development of an Exploratory Dementia Family Caregiver Pain Assessment Survey,” in Research in Gerontological Nursing, all in 2024. In 2023, she was published in Health Care for Women International, the Journal of Holistic Nursing, the Journal of Palliative Medicine, and the Journal of Advanced Nursing. She was named full professor at Vanderbilt University.
- Tina Sheridan Allocco, MSN’01, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Jessica Bahorski, MSN’01, is co-author of “Developing a NAPNAP Research Agenda to Guide Future Research and Quality Improvement in Pediatrics: Process, Challenges and Future Directions,” published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care in 2024.
- Dalisa Barquero, MSN’01, was published in Women's Healthcare and was a panelist for “The Fundamentals of Working at a Federally Qualified Health Center,” part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum, both in 2023. She is a women’s health nurse practitioner at Clinical Lead at Mountain Park Health Center in Phoenix.
- Rhonda Givens Boles, MSN’01, of Greenwood, Mississippi, passed away October 18, 2023.
- Leta Collins, MSN’01, is a nurse practitioner at Ascension Saint Thomas Medical Partners Cookeville Primary Care in Tennessee (2025).
- Caroline Connor, MSN’01, is a nurse practitioner at University of California San Diego Health (2024).
- Marlee Crankshaw, MSN’01, DNP’10, retired from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2023 after 40 years of service, most recently as director of neonatal services.
- April Clements DeMers, MSN’01, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023. She is featured on the VUMC website in its Advanced Practice Provider Spotlight and is a nurse practitioner in the adult kidney and pancreas transplant unit in Nashville.
- Monica Deshpande, BS’95, MSN’01, is a family nurse practitioner at Oregon Health Science University Doernbecher Pediatric Otolaryngology Clinic, Marquam Hill, in Portland (2023).
- Caroline Duley, MSN’01, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Marcos Fernandez-Schklar, MSN’01, is executive director of talent management and education for Saint Thomas Health in Nashville (2023).
- Genevieve Hofmann, MSN’01, was quoted by ABC News in May 2025 in “New Guidelines Call for More Pain Management Options at Gynecology Appointments,” and is co-author of “Evaluation of Secondary Amenorrhea in Primary Care,” published in The Nurse Practitioner in June. She was elected president of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health in October, and served as a peer reviewer for Women's Healthcare in 2023. Genevieve is a nurse practitioner at University of Colorado Health Women’s Care Clinic-Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology.
- Kristy Muther Lucarelli, MSN’01, is a clinical patient safety specialist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (2025).
- Jean Markie, MSN’01, of Lebanon, Tennessee, passed away April 15, 2023. She was an assistant professor at the Jeannette C. Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions at Cumberland University in Lebanon.
- Colleen Reilly Moss, BS’00, MSN’01, passed the Care of the Extremely Low Birth Weight Neonate certification of the National Certification Corporation. She is lead author of “An Escape Game for Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Students: Is Time on Your Side?” published in Nurse Educator, and co-author of “The Ins and Outs of Neonatal Dermatology,” in Neonatal Network, both in March. She was featured by Clinical Advisor in “Vanderbilt’s High-quality Mentorship Program Effectively Develops Novice NPs,” and received the APRN Excellence Award from the National Association of Neonatal Nurses in June. She is lead author of “The Ins and Outs of the Complete Blood Count with Differential: Back to Basics,” published that month in Neonatal Network. Colleen co-presented, “Is Time on Your Side: A Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Escape Game,” at the Academy of Neonatal Nursing conference, both in September. She is lead author of “Neonatal Hypernatremic Dehydration,” published in Neonatal Networks in October, and co-author of “A Novel Collaborative Simulation for Emergency and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Students,” in Clinical Simulation in Nursing in November. She received a Southeastern Conference Faculty Travel Grant from Vanderbilt University to present a novel neonatal undergraduate nursing simulation at the University of Kentucky, and co-authored “The Ins and Outs of Neonatal Orthopedic Disorders: Back to Basics,” published in Neonatal Network, both in December. In 2024, Colleen received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award from students in the VUSN NNP specialty, and the Ingeborg Mauksch Award for Excellence in Faculty Mentoring from VUSN, and was promoted to associate professor at VUSN. She is author of a guest editorial, “Neonatal Nursing Workforce Issues: Stress and Burnout,” in The Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing, and “Development and Evaluation of a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Mentoring Workshop,” in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She co-authored “Growing the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Workforce through Mentoring: A Scoping Review,” published in The Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing, and “Anticipating the Effects of ACGME-mandated Residency Curriculum Changes on NICU Staffing Models and Costs,” in The Journal of Pediatrics. In 2023, Colleen was published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Simulation in Nursing, Neonatal Network, and Advances in Neonatal Care. She received the Kim Nolan Spirit Award from the Florida Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners. Colleen is director of the NNP specialty and associate professor at VUSN.
- Brittany Huffman Nelson, BA’00, MSN’01, is lead author of “Interactive Simulation for Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy in Nurse Practitioner Education,” published in Clinical Simulation in Nursing in May 2025, and she received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award in August from students in the VUSN pediatric nurse practitioner—primary care specialty. In 2023, she presented at the National League for Nursing's Nursing Education Research and National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties conferences, and was published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Simulation in Nursing.
- Cara Osborne, MSN’01, was named senior fellow at Heartland Forward in Bentonville, Arkansas, in 2024.
- Heather Quaile, MSN’01, was inducted as an inaugural fellow of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health in October 2025, and was named a member of the Medical Advisory Committee of the National Menopause Foundation in 2024. She co-authored two position statements for Women's Healthcare in 2023. She is medical administrator and NP at Wellspring Living for trafficked youth, founder and chief medical officer of The SHOW Center for sexual medicine, and clinical nursing faculty at Georgia State University in Atlanta. She is listed on the ProfNet network website as an expert in women and aging.
- Michelle Terrell, MSN’01, DNP’18, co-presented, “Medical Traumatic Stress and Neurodevelopment in Children,” at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2024.
- Joyce Thomas, MSN’01, of Dandridge, Tennessee, passed away April 17, 2024.
- Melissa Tickle-Bond, MSN’01, of Salem, Virginia, passed away April 6, 2023.
- Julianne Wagnon, MSN’01, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023. She is a nurse practitioner specializing in asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis, immunology, gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition for adults and children at the Vanderbilt Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic.
- Cheau Williams, MSN’01, was appointed to the board of the Colquitt County Hospital Authority in Georgia in October 2025.
- Nina Tansey Wilson, MSN’01, is a certified nurse-midwife at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Ohio (2023).
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2002
- Angela Beard, MSN’02, is a family nurse practitioner at Ascension Medical Group Saint Thomas’ Holy Family Health Center in Nashville (2023).
- Laurel Hudson Cipriani, BA’00, MSN’02, is featured on the website of Brown University School of Professional Studies in Providence, Rhode Island, for receiving the university’s Master's Award for Professional Excellence in 2024.
- Kirstin Curtis, MSN’02, is a family nurse practitioner at Mount Shuksan Family Medicine and Dermatology in Bellingham, Washington (2023).
- Cynthia Young Driskill, MSN’02, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Travis Dunlap, MSN’02, received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award from students in the VUSN adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner specialty in 2024, and contributed to the book, Managing Heart Failure in Primary Care: A Case Study Approach, published by Springer in 2023. He is an assistant professor at VUSN.
- Norma Edwards, MSN’02, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Wakako Eklund, MSN’02, co-authored the chapter, “The Rapidly Evolving Regenerative Medicine Ecosystem: Implications for Infants and Children,” in the book, A Clinical Lens on Pediatric Engineering, published by Springer Nature in April 2025, and presented, “Advancing Practice Nursing in Japan,” in 2024, part of the VUSN Global Collaborative Series.
- Aimee Chism Holland, MSN’02, was re-elected to the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties board of directors in 2024, and named its treasurer. She is assistant dean for graduate clinical education in the UAB School of Nursing and past chair of the National Association of Nurise Practitioners in Women’s Health.
- Amy Holland, MSN’02, is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Our Lady of the Lake Children's Health in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2024).
- Scott Johnson, MSN’02, was elected member of the VUSN Alumni Board in 2024. He is an advanced practice provider in thoracic surgical oncology at AdventHeath Medical Group in Orlando, Florida.
- Jody Lindwall, MSN’02, is a nurse practitioner at Women’s Healthcare Associates in Portland, Oregon (2024).
- Janet McLean Lowe, MSN’02, is a nurse practitioner at Middle Tennessee Emergency Physicians in Lafayette, where she specializes in emergency medicine and adult and pediatric emergency services (2023).
- Heather Lafever Potts, MSN’02, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Michelle Dillow Schramm, BS’99, MSN’02, co-authored a position statement for the 2023 edition of Women's Healthcare. She is a women’s health nurse practitioner at the Johns Hopkins University Student Health and Wellness Center in Baltimore, and is featured in a National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health
- Liz Sharpe, MSN’02, presented on preceptor and transition to practice at the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties conference in 2023, and was published in Neonatal Network. S
- Neil Worf, MSN’02, was featured by VUMC News in June 2025 for saving the life of a fan at a Nashville Soccer Club game.
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2003
- Kiersten Brown-Espaillat, BS’99, MSN’03, was interviewed by VUMC News in February 2025 for “New Education Course Launched to Improve Stroke Identification and Care.”
- Melissa Griswold Davis, MSN’03, co-presented, “Integrating Doulas into the Obstetrics Team at a Large Teaching Hospital,” which was also named Top RN/APRN/DNP/RT Poster at the Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care meeting in March 2025. She was promoted to associate professor at VUSN in August and received the Vanderbilt University Provost’s Award to mentor immersion students, for her project, “Midwifery–A Photo Exploration.” She co-presented, “Workup and Treatment of Urinary Tract Infection in Non-operative and Pre-operative Transfeminine Patients,” and two posters at the American College of Nurse-Midwives conference in October. Melissa received the Dean’s Award for Faculty Achievement in Clinical Practice from VUSN in 2024, and is lead author of “Updates in Medical and Surgical Weight Loss,” published in the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health. She is director of the VUSN faculty nurse-midwives and primary care practice.
- Cindy DeSio, MSN’03, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Sarah Nanney Hill, MSN’03, DNP’13, is lead author of “Promoting Utilization of EMR Strategies to Streamline Communication across Perioperative Teams,” published in the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing in 2024. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in anesthesiology and perioperative services at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
- Catherine Huskins, MSN’03, is a nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt Children's Neonatology Intensive Care Clinics in Nashville (2023).
- Linda Simmons Jack, BS’93, MSN’03, was interviewed in a 2023 Vanderbilt University video about Reunion (at 25-second mark).
- Debra Kelley, MSN’03, of Decaturville, Tennessee, passed away April 26, 2025.
- Leigh Lindsey, MSN’03, was named Preceptor of the Year by the students in the VUSN nurse-midwifery program in 2023.
- Melissa McGuire Logue, MSN’03, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023. She is a stem cell transplant nurse practitioner.
- Rachel McDowell, MSN’03, PMC’12, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Julie Perry, MSN’03, was published in NASN School Nurse and the Journal of Nursing Education, presented at the Society of Pediatric Nurses conference and a poster at ATI National Nurse Educator Summit in 2023.She is board member of the Sigma Iota Chapter.
- Sheila Ridner, MSN’00, PhD’03, is co-author of “The Importance of a Pre-treatment Baseline when Screening Patients for Breast-cancer-related Lymphedema,” published in Breast Oncology in July 2025, and was featured by Tactile Systems Technology in October, in “Landmark Study Demonstrates Sustained Clinical Benefits of Flexitouch® Plus as First-line Therapy in Treating Head and Neck Cancer-related Lymphedema.” She was published in Supportive Care in Cancer and Health Care for Women International in 2023, and was profiled as part of the Remarkable Women series by Eyewitness News WEHT WTVW in Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. Sheila is the principal investigator on a bioimpedance spectroscopy technology project for ImpediMed and is featured in an educational webinar about a proposed standard of care that may help people with lymphedema.
- Rebekah Clouse Smith, MSN’03, is a family nurse practitioner at North Mississippi Health Services in Tupelo (2023).
- Tanya Sorrell, MSN’03, was inducted as a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2024, and received the Alma Gault Award for Public Service presented by the VUSN Alumni Association during the school's annual awards ceremony. She is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Rush, owner and provider at Yuma Mental Health and Wellness Center in Arizona, and member of the Cook County Health board of directors in Chicago.
- Tiffany Street, MSN’03, DNP’18, was inducted as a fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in June 2025 (here in VUMC News in October). She presented at Cumberland University’s Jeanette C. Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions “Notes for Nurses” event in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 2024, co-authored “Implementation of a Transition of Care Pathway for Low-risk Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Venous Thromboembolism,” published in the Journal of Vascular Nursing, and was elected vice president of the Tennessee Nurses Association. In 2023, Tiffany was a panelist for MSN Know Your Value hosted by the VUSN Alumni Board, and chair of VUSN Reunion.
- Kate Schmidt van der Hijden, MSN’03, presented to the Vanderbilt University Medical Christian Fellowship in 2023.
- Michael Vollman, MSN’94, PhD’03, was ordained as a priest in 2023 at Trinity Episcopal in Russellville, Kentucky.
- Ty Williams, MSN’03, DNP’12, received the Dean Colleen Conway-Welch Award in January 2025 from students in the VUSN doctor of nursing practice program, and graduated from A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri, in 2024, with his doctorate of education in health professions. His dissertation is “Impostor Syndrome in APRN Faculty.” Ty was published in 2023 in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. He was elected to National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties’ Faculty Institute Committee and was promoted to associate professor at VUSN. He is a member of the Sigma Iota Chapter board and counselor and governance committee member.
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2004
- Kristen Lind Anton, BS’03, MSN’04, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Soheyl Asadsangabi, MSN’04, DNP’13, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023. She co-manages and staffs the Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health clinic that opened in 2016 in Thompson’s Station, Tennessee.
- Jennifer Baucum Chase, MSN’04, is a nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt Children's Neonatology Intensive Care Clinics in Nashville (2023).
- Jessica Estes, MSN’04, was named chief executive officer and managing director at Cumberland Hall Hospital in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in 2023.
- Linda Hughlett, MSN’04, DNP’13, was featured in the Memphis Business Journal for “Women Who Lead in Nursing: Linda Hughlett of Regional One Health,” in 2023. She is chief nursing officer and senior vice president at Regional One in Memphis, Tennessee.
- Kristie Jackson, MSN’04, is a nurse practitioner specializing in interventional cardiology at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart West in Nashville (2024).
- Joanie Laughlin Jeannette, BSN’83, MSN’04, DNP’23, was named past president of the VUSN Alumni Board in 2023. She is administrative director of adult inpatient medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
- Whitney Johannessen, MSN’04, joined University of North Texas School of Health Professions in Fort Worth, in 2024, as director of program effectiveness, responsible for evaluating hybrid and online program quality, addressing hybrid and online needs, facilitating extended campus services to students, and providing student training opportunities.
- Doug Larner, MSN’04, is a nurse practitioner at the Louisville Medical Center in Colorado (2023).
- Janet Mulroy, PMC’04, DNP’16, was elected to the nominating committee of the Tennessee Nurses Association in October 2025. She is an acute care nurse practitioner at Threlkeld, Threlkeld and Omer Infectious Disease Associates in Memphis.
- Patricia Pelham, MSN’04, of Birmingham, Alabama, passed away August 1, 2025.
- Nancy Perry, MSN’04, of Ashland, Kentucky, passed away December 19, 2023.
- Candace Riehl, MSN’04, of Mayfield, Kentucky, passed away August 18, 2023.
- Benjamin Smallheer, MSN’04, PhD’11, presented, “Updates in the Management of COPD,” at the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association conference, and is author of “The Changing Landscape of Infectious Disease Management,” published in Nursing Clinics of North America, both in September 2025, and lead author of “Pain Management in Modern Day Health Care,” in Nursing Clinics of North America in December. In 2024, he was the keynote speaker for the Sigma Iota Chapter induction ceremony at VUSN, presented at the American Association for Men in Nursing conference, was overall chair of VUSN’s reunion, and authored the editorial, “New Era in Women’s Health: Innovations and Insights,” published in Nursing Clinics. Benjamin was named a Provost Faculty Fellow for 2024-2025 at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. In 2023, he received the Excellence in Nursing Leadership Award from the Amy V. Cockcroft Leadership Fellowship and was inducted as a fellow by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. He became assistant dean of the master of science in nursing program at Duke and joined the VUSN Alumni Board as a member. Benjamin is lead faculty for the adult gerontology nurse practitioner-acute care program and an assistant professor at Duke. He is a consultant at the Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center in Taipei and led a two-week ultrasound training workshop for NPs both at that hospital and in surrounding affiliated hospitals, and one of the lead sponsors of the VUSN Health Equity Faculty Fellows program.
- Lisa Tabor, MSN’04, retired after 16 years as a registered nurse, mostly in critical care and emergency services, and 20 years as an acute care nurse practitioner, pioneering the first full-time medical house-calls practice in southwest Louisiana. She was recruited to Las Vegas to open the house calls market for the state of Nevada for a large insurance company. She is a speaker, educator, legislator and author (2024).
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2005
- Alison Anderson, MSN’05, PhD’21, was inducted as a fellow into the American College of Critical Care Medicine in 2023.
- Brandy Moates Atkins, MSN’05, is a nurse practitioner at Orthopedic Physicians Alaska in Anchorage (2024).
- Deanna Moore Carey, MSN’05, is a nurse practitioner specializing in general surgery at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group General Surgery Baptist in Oklahoma City (2025).
- Laurel Huber Chiaramonte, MSN’05, is chief executive officer and chief nursing officer of Duality Systems, headquartered in Colorado Springs (2024).
- Shanita Coleman-Dockery, MSN’05, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023. She is a nurse practitioner in the Vanderbilt Health Family Practice in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
- Askia Davis, MSN’05, is chief executive officer, family nurse practitioner and senior NP consultant at Sivad Primary Care and Associates in Sumner, Washington (2023).
- Kristin Evans, MSN’05, was chair of The Audrey Harris Neonatal Conference held in 2024. She is a neonatal nurse practitioner at Mercy Hospital in Joplin, Missouri.
- Virginia Sinclair Gardner, MSN’05, received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award from students in the VUSN psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner specialty, co-authored “Closing the Provider Gap in Rural and Underserved Communities: Preparing Family Nurse Practitioner Students for Entry-to-practice,” published in Nurse Educator, and presented, “Effective Treatments for Difficult to Treat Depression,” during VUSN’s Reunion symposium, “Collaborative Academic Practice Symposium: Integrating Mental Health and Primary Care,” all in 2024. She is a PMHNP at the Nashville Center for Hope and Healing.
- Michael Gooch, MSN’05 PMC’08, presented, “Taming the Toxins: Solutions for Ingestions and Exposures,” and “Advanced Airway Management in Emergency Care Settings,” at the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners conference in March 2025. He is co-author of “From History Books to Headlines: Plague in Modern Times,” published in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal in April, and was featured in VUMC News for being one of five recipients of the 2025 Distinguished Certified Flight Registered Nurse Award by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing. That month, he presented, “Positioning in Transport: Should the Head Be Up or Down?” and “Surviving the Sugar Surge: Diabetic Emergencies and Medications,” at the Critical Care Transport Medicine Conference, and “Old and New Emerging Infectious Diseases,” at the Tennessee Emergency Nurses Association's education conference. In May, Michael presented, “Sepsis Management: Where Are We Today?” and “From Crisis to Control: Management of Acute Thyroid and Adrenal Dysfunction,” at the Kentucky Association of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse-Midwives conference. In June, he presented “Mitigating Complications during Airway Management,” “Mastering Sedation Agents: Enhancing Medication,” and “Safety Amid Supply Chain Challenges,” at the First There First Care Conference, and “Pediatric Toxidromes: Special Considerations in the Poisoned Child,” “Bugs and Drugs in Emergency Care,” “EM Pharmacopoeia: Must Know Drugs in Emergency Care,” “Advanced Procedural Skills for Ocular Emergencies Workshop," and “Basic and Advanced HEENT Procedures in Primary and Emergency Care Settings Workshop,” at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners conference. Michael was named the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing’s Certified Flight Registered Nurse in July and received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award from students in the VUSN family NP/emergency NP dual-specialty in August. He presented, “A Multimodal Approach to Pain Management in Emergency Care,” and “From Dormant to Dangerous: The Resurgence of Measles, Bubonic Plague and Leprosy,” at the Emergency Nurses Association’s Emergency Nursing 2025, and “Taming the Toxins: Solutions for Ingestions and Exposures,” at an AANP conference, both in September. He is lead author of “Borealpox: A Rare but Emerging Orthopoxvirus,” published that month in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, and is featured on the ENA website in “How to Treat Diseases of the Past Making a Comeback in the ED.” Michael is lead author of “A Rare but Emerging Orthopoxvirus,” published in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, and co-author of “Wound Assessment and Management: Key Concepts in Laceration Repair” in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, both in October. That month, he presented, “Does it Matter if the Head of the Bed is Up or Down?” at the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing conference, “Mastering Sedation Agents: Enhancing Medication Safety amid Ongoing Supply Chain Challenges,” and “Medications in Motion: Pharmacological Options in Critical Care Transport,” at the EMS World Expo, and, “The Airway Checklist: Mitigating Complications during Airway Management,” and “Resurging and Emerging Infectious Diseases: Measles, Leprosy, Bubonic Plague and Borealpox,” at the Emergency Care Update Conference. In 2024, Michael presented, “Case Studies in Geriatric Polypharmacy and ECGs,” “Safer Prescribing in the Geriatric Patient,” and “When Baby Boomers Crash and Fall,” at the Nebraska Nurse Practitioner conference, “Top 5 Finger Complaints in Emergency Care,” and “Bugs and Drugs: An Antibiotic Update,” at the AAENP conference, “The Measles Resurgence: A Rash From the Past,” “Bugs and Drugs in Emergency Care,” “HEENT Complaints in Urgent and Emergency Care Settings,” “Advanced Airway Management in Emergency and Critical Care Settings,” “Pain Management in Emergency Care,” and “Eyes, Ears and Mouths: Oh My! Basic to Advanced HEENT Procedures for Urgent and Emergency Settings,” at the AANP conference, and “Making the Positives and Negatives Add Up,” “Procedural Sedation and Analgesia: Taking the Torture out of Procedures,” “The Measles Resurgence: A Rash from the Past,” and “Single Dose Killers: Pediatric Toxicology,” at the First There First Care Conference. He was inducted as an AANP fellow, was inducted as a fellow of the Academy of Emergency Nursing, and authored “The Resurgence of Measles: A Rash From the Past,” published in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal. That year, he presented, “Measles: A Rash from the Past,” “Medications in Motion: Pharmacological Options in Critical Care Transport,” and “Managing ICP and TBIs during Transport,” at the Emergency Nursing Conference, “Strategies for Managing Acutely Agitated Patients,” “Pediatric Procedural Sedation and Analgesia,” “Hormones in Havoc: Endocrine Emergencies,” and “Single Dose Killers: Pediatric Toxicology,” at the AANP fall conference, and “Old and New Contagious Infections: Measles, Leprosy and Borealpox,” at the Air Medical Transport Conference.
- Nalo Hamilton, MSN’05, was inducted as an inaugural fellow of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health in October 2025, and received the Thomas L. Christenbery Award for Connectedness from the VUSN Alumni Association during Reunion in November. She is co-author of “EMP2 Serves as a Functional Biomarker for Chemotherapy-resistant Triple-negative Breast Cancer,” published in Cancers in 2024. Nalo is associate dean of inclusive excellence and an associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Joe C. Wen School of Nursing, on faculty at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar, and an affiliate member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
- Donnalita Harmon, MSN’05, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Lisa Hoopes Holloway, BS’04, MSN’05, is a women’s health nurse practitioner at Capital Women’s Care in Washington, D.C. (2023).
- Joy Ivemeyer, MSN’05, is a nurse practitioner at Weatherby Healthcare in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a level II/III neonatal intensive care unit, after serving over 19 years in level III NICUs in the Atlanta area (2025).
- Kacy Smith Jones, MSN’05, is a nurse practitioner at Ascension Medical Group Saint Vincent—Evansville Heart Care in Indiana (2024).
- Karyn Jones, MSN’05, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Rebecca Jones, MSN’05, is chief quality officer at Northwest Health in Johnson, Arkansas (2024).
- April Kapu, MSN’05, DNP’13, authored “Facilitating the Transition from New Graduate to Practicing Advanced Practice RN: A Comparison of Orientation Programs and Fellowships,” published in JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, and was quoted in the Nashville Business Journal in “Vanderbilt University Selected for 2026 International Council of Nurses Conference,” both in January 2025. She delivered the keynote address at VUSN’s Sigma Iota Chapter at Large induction ceremony in April, and visited South Korea and Taiwan as part of a Vanderbilt University tour, meeting with Kuei-Ru Chou, PhD’97, dean for global engagement at Taipei Medical University. She authored “Designing the Ideal Office of Advanced Practice: Bridging Workforce Excellence and System Goals,” published in The Journal of Nursing Administration, and co-authored the chapter, “Access to Care: Assessment of Financial, Structural, Political and Social Barriers,” in the book COVID-19 Impacts on Child Health published by Springer Nature, both in April. She co-presented a podium session at the American Association of Critical Care Nurses National Teaching Institute in May. April co-presented, “Nurse Practitioner Value: Know Your Why and Know Your Worth,” at the American Association of Nurse Practitioner conference, and co-authored “Global Academic-systems Partnerships: Towards Multiprofessional International Advanced Practice Leadership Capacity and Capability,” published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in June. April was accepted into the International Council of Nurses’ Global Nurse Leadership Institute in July and represented VUSN at VU’s Policy Innovation Days in September. She was appointed to the ICN’s Nurse Practitioner Expert Advisory Group in October. In 2024, April was a panelist for the webinar, “Simulation in Competency-based Nurse Practitioner Education,” hosted by Wolters Kluwer. She is lead author of “Health System and University Leader Learning Collaboratives: Advancing Education, Regulation and Advanced Practice Nursing Care across the World,” published in The Journal of Nursing Administration, “Empowering Nurses for High-Value Healthcare: A Call for Legislative and Systemic Change,” in The Journal of Nursing Administration, and “Transforming Advanced Practice RN Compensation,” in JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration. She contributed to the book Emergency Nurse Practitioner Scope and Standards of Practice published by Springer, and co-authored “Measures of Success: Making the Case for Advanced Practice-sensitive Quality Indicators,” in the HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine. In 2023, April and was quoted in Becker's Hospital Review and was interviewed by the Daily Nurse and Clinical Advisor. She was nominated as one of Modern Healthcare’s Most Influential Clinical Executives, and was published in The Journal of Nursing Administration, the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, The Journal of Nursing Administration, The Journal of Nursing Administration, and the book Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Anesthetists: The Evolution of the Global Roles, published by Springer. She is on a Vanderbilt University Medical Center team that received funding from the Tennessee Department of Health to evaluate innovative models of nursing care, and presented at the VUMC ACNP/PA Critical Care Boot Camp and at the Society of Critical Care Medicine and at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s APP Oncology Symposium on “Advanced Practice Providers Today: Stronger Together, Stronger than Ever!”
- Brett Kinzig, MSN’05, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Heather Hair Meissen, MSN’05, DNP’21, was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in October 2025. She is director of the nurse practitioner/physician’s assistant critical care residency program and clinical instructor at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Atlanta, and a NP in the critical care medicine-surgical intensive care unit at Emory University Hospital.
- Bette Moore, PhD’05, is lead author of “Immediate or Early Skin‐to‐skin Contact for Mothers and Their Healthy Newborn Infants,” published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in October 2025.
- Abigail Morgan, MSN’05, was a panelist for “The Fundamentals of Working at a Federally Qualified Health Center,” in 2023, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum.
- Holly Vick Myler, MSN’05, was recognized by the Rensselaer Republican in 2024 for joining Franciscan Physician Network Rensselaer Medical Center in Indiana, as a family nurse practitioner.
- Abby Luck Parish, MSN’05, was inducted as a fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in June 2025, and was promoted to professor at VUSN in August. She co-authored “Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction of Nurse Practitioners in U.S. Nursing Homes,” published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in August, and co-presented, “Elevating Excellence: The Evolving Role of the Nurse Practitioner in Skilled and Long-term Care Settings,” and “Mastering the Confidence to Engage in Health Policy Advocacy,” at the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association conference in September. She is co-author of “Access in Nursing Education: The Interactive Process for Determining Disability Accommodations,” published by Creative Nursing in October, and “Clinical Update on Insomnia,” in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners in November. Abby co-authored “American Association of Nurse Practitioners Research Agenda, 2023–2028,” published in 2024 in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. In 2023, she received the GAPNA Health Affairs Scholarship, and was published in The Nurse Practitioner and The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. She received the VUSN DAISY Award for Recognition of Small Group Facilitator at the DNP Level, and presented the GAPNA pre-conference workshop. Abby is a professor at VUSN and an early track reviewer for Nursing Philosophy.
- Carrie Plummer, MSN’05, co-received the Vanderbilt University Alumni Association’s Service and Community Leadership Award for dedication to the Nashville community with the Vanderbilt Mobile Vaccination Program, and emceed the Vanderbilt Commodore Classroom, “Taking Measure of Student Activism: The Student Health Coalition, 50 Years Later,” both during Reunion in November 2025. Carrie is co-recipient of a $1.5 million Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Workforce grant in 2024 to create a Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention Simulation Education Training Program at VUSN. In 2023, she was published in Public Health Nursing, and recipient of an Interfaith America grant awarded toward the course co-directed by the VU Center for Spiritual and Religious Life and VUSN.
- Sonia Reyes, MSN’05, DNP’18, is a nurse practitioner at Kaiser Richmond Medical Center in California (2025).
- Heather Robbins, MSN’05, was promoted to assistant director for prelicensure nursing academics at VUSN in 2023.
- Donna Robinson, MSN’05, is an adult-gerontologic nurse practitioner at QC Kinetix (Springs Medical) in Louisville, Kentucky (2023).
- Tina Sasso, MSN’05, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Megan Simmons, MSN’05, PMC’13, DNP’13, co-authored “Utilizing a HRSA Training Grant to Promote PMHNP Student Resilience: Answering the Call to Enhance Trauma-informed Teaching and Learning Practices in Nursing Education,” published in Issues in Mental Health Nursing, co-presented, “Using Trauma-informed Teaching Practices with PMHNP Students to Foster Resiliency in the Workforce,” at the American Psychiatric Nurses Association conference, and was featured in Clinical Advisor in “Trauma-informed Training Useful in Clinical Practice and Self-Care,” all in 2024. In 2023, she presented at the APNA conference.
- Treva Stanton, MSN’05, is a pediatric nurse practitioner at UPMC Children's Express Care in Mechanicsburg and Hummelstown, Pennsylvania (2025).
- Missi Willmarth Stec, MSN’05, DNP’10, is co-author of “Rise of Advanced Practice Professionals in Women’s Health,” published in Obstetrics & Gynecology Clinics, and “Advancing Nurse-midwifery Education: A Quality Improvement Initiative for Competency-based Intrapartum Skills Laboratories,” in the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, both in September 2025.
- Erica Anderson Stone, MSN’05, co-presented, “Transformational Change: Our Journey to Caring Science at Vanderbilt School of Nursing,” hosted in March 2025 by the International Association for Human Caring. She received the DAISY Award for Small Group Facilitator at the PreSpecialty Level from VUSN in 2024. She is an assistant professor.
- Jordan Malloy Taylor, BS’04, MSN’05, is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Mount Spokane Pediatrics in Washington (2023).
- Jennifer Tedesco, MSN’05, is a nurse practitioner in the neurohospitalist program at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West in Nashville (2024).
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2006
- Tamara Batson, MSN’06, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Katie Edgington Beasley, MSN’06, is an acute care nurse practitioner at Centennial Heart Cardiovascular Consultants in Nashville (2024).
- Melissa Bogle, MSN’06, was inducted as a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in 2023.
- Molly Butler, BS’05, MSN’06, was cited in Clinical Advisor in October 2025 in “Steps NPs Can Take to Address Nutrition Concerns in People with ADHD.” She presented, “How to Best Work with Neurodivergent Patients,” hosted by the VUSN Neurodiversity Affinity Group and received the DAISY Award for Small Group Facilitator at the MSN Level from VUSN in 2024. She is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner at Nashville Child and Family Wellness Center, as well as an instructor at VUSN.
- Nancy Cooper, MSN’06, of Houston passed away February 8, 2024.
- Victor Czerkasij, MSN’06, was featured by Vanderbilt Magazine in 2023 for his mission work in Ukraine educating providers on the battlefield in “Victor Czerkasij, MSN’06: More than Skin Deep.” He is a dermatology nurse practitioner in Cleveland, Tennessee, and participates on a surgical reconstruction team in Ukraine for soldiers wounded in war.
- Jill Fincher, MSN’06, is a nurse practitioner at Pediatrix Medical Group in Las Vegas, a level III neonatal intensive care unit (2025).
- Nikole Gettings, MSN’06, presented, “IUD Placement Training and Certification,” at the VUSN Collaborative Academic Practice Symposium “From Insight to Impact: Advancing Outcomes in Adult and Women’s Health Care,” in November 2025. She is a certified nurse-midwife/nurse practitioner at West Cancer Clinic in Memphis, Tennessee.
- Julie McFarlane Hamm, MSN’06, was elected American Nurses Association-Membership Assembly representative of the Tennessee Nurses Association in October 2025. She was a panelist for “Nurses Who Make A Difference” in 2024, as part of VUSN’s Nurses Month celebration, and was elected treasurer of the TNA. She is director of perioperative services and the clinic manager of adult urology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and past-president of the TNA board of directors.
- Jamie Hollowell, MSN’06, completed her doctor of nursing practice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, presented three abstracts at the Society of Critical Care Annual Congress, and was awarded Advanced Practice Provider of the Year by the UNC department of surgery, all in 2024. She is advanced practice supervisor in the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center intensive care unit in Chapel Hill.
- Margaret Johnson, BS’97, MSN’06, completed a certification in psychedelic psychiatry in 2025 and full certification in integrative psychiatry in 2023 through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, founded by Dr. Will Van Derveer, MD’98. She is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner at the Cady Wellness Institute in Newburgh, Indiana.
- Janna Konze Landsperger, MSN’06, was quoted by VUMC News in September 2025 in “APP Critical Care Boot Camp Draws Attendees from across Nation,” and presented at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center ACNP/PA Critical Care Boot Camp in 2023. She is a senior associate in medicine at VUMC.
- Emily Lee, MSN’06, was featured in Williamson County Source in November 2025 for receiving the Partners and Leadership Award from the Tennessee Public Health Association. She is an associate professor of nursing at Tennessee Technological University’s Whitson-Hester School of Nursing in Cookeville.
- Brandee Madden, MSN’06, was cited in Clinical Advisor in October 2025 in “Steps NPs Can Take to Address Nutrition Concerns in People with ADHD,” and featured on the podcast, “Stigmatized by Association: Impact of SUD and Stigma on Families,” hosted by Providers Clinical Support System–Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder. She co-authored “Diagnosis and Treatment of Adults with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder,” published in The Journal For Nurse Practitioners in 2024, and presented at the American Psychiatric Nurse Association conference in 2023. She is an assistant professor at VUSN.
- Heather Murphy, MSN’06, was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives in October 2025.
- Beth Coleman Norwood, MSN’06, was a panelist for “From Nurse to Entrepreneur: VUSN Alumni Share Their Stories,” in 2023, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. She is owner of Suture and More and founding investor in Loli-O’s Pediatric Nebulizers, headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
- Robbie Panepinto, MSN’06, presented a poster at the ATI Conference and was published in the Journal of Nursing Education in 2003. She is an assistant professor at VUSN and a member of the Sigma Iota Chapter board.
- Michael Primeaux, MSN’06, of Saint Johns, Florida, passed away October 23, 2025.
- Christy Miller Rummel, MSN’06, is a family nurse practitioner at Ambassadors Health Alliance in Corvallis, Oregon (2023).
- Bethany Domzal Sanders, MSN’06, is co-author of “Updates in Medical and Surgical Weight Loss,” published in 2024 in the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health. In 2023, she was published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, wrote a chapter in Varney's Midwifery, and received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (as one of only three who received a perfect top box score). Bethany participates regularly as a blogger for Nashville Public Television’s Call the Midwife.
- Meg Shifrin, MSN’06, co-authored “Rapid Response Team Activations: A Pivotal Moment for Addressing Goals of Care,” published in Critical Care Medicine in January 2025. She is lead author of “The Impact of Dedicated Just-in-time ICU Beds for Adult Patients during Rapid Response Activations,” published in Critical Care Medicine, and co-author of “Everyone Is Listening: Podcasts as an Innovative Educational Approach in Graduate Level Education,” in the Journal of Nursing Education, and “Implementation of a Transition of Care Pathway for Low-risk Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Venous Thromboembolism,” in the Journal of Vascular Nursing, all in 2024. She presented at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center ACNP/PA Critical Care Boot Camp in 2023.
- MaryLou Phillips Smith, MSN’06, co-authored “Rise of Advanced Practice Professionals in Women’s Health,” published in Obstetrics & Gynecology Clinics in September 2025, and received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023. She is an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at VUMC.
- Melan Smith-Francis, MSN’06, authored “Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Menopause,” published in Nursing Clinics of North America in 2024. In 2023, she was featured on the Tennessee Department of Health website as part of its Black History Month celebration, and authored a chapter in Varney's Midwifery.
- Stephanie Spence, MSN’06, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Otobong Udoudoh, MSN’06, is a pediatric nurse practitioner in the Pediatrix Medical Group’s Neonatology Associates of Atlanta.
- Amber Worrell Vermeesch, MSN’06, was inducted as a fellow by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in 2023.
- Stacy Fuqua Ward, MSN’06, is a family nurse practitioner at NorthCrest Orthopaedics in Springfield, Tennessee (2023).
- Kristin Werking, MSN’06, received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award in August 2025, from students in the VUSN adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner specialty. She is a nurse practitioner in the department of thoracic surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
- Katie Wetsell, MSN’06, was interviewed by WKRN in Nashville in 2023.
- Jennifer Ezell Wilbeck, MSN’99, PMC’06, is lead author of “Crosswalk Analysis of Existing Nurse Practitioner Populations and Emergency Nurse Practitioner Competencies: An Executive Summary,” published in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal in August 2025, and co-author of “A Novel Collaborative Simulation for Emergency and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Students,” in Clinical Simulation in Nursing in November. In 2024, she contributed to the book Emergency Nurse Practitioner Scope and Standards of Practice published Springer, and was named program director for a $1.5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration for a new program, “ENPs-CARE: A Program to Sustain Emergency Nurse Practitioner Comprehensive Sexual Assault Response” (here in WIA Report). Jennifer is lead author of “Historical Evolution of Emergency Nurse Practitioner Education: A Comprehensive Review,” published in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, and co-author of “Utilization of Quick Response Codes for Rapid Facilitator-generated Feedback during Simulations in Nurse Practitioner Programs,” in Clinical Simulation in Nursing, “PREPARED NP: Preparation for Emergency Care Delivery among Nurse Practitioners,” in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, and “Ultrasound Education for Nurse Practitioner Students: Strategies for Curricular Integration,” in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. She co-presented, “Mass-casualty Incident Simulations to Promote Interprofessional Emergency Care Learning,” and “Assessing the Nurse Practitioner Role in Air Medical Transport Teams,” at the American Association of Emergency Nurse Practitioners conference. In 2023, Jennifer presented at the AAENP and National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties conferences, as well as a poster at NONPF which was voted top poster for that session. She was published in Clinical Simulation in Nursing, The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, The Journal for Nurse Practitioners and the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal. She was interviewed by the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award from students in the VUSN family NP/ENP specialty. Jennifer is a professor and director of the ENP specialty at VUSN and executive director of AAENP.
- Liz Winkler, MSN’06, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Cara Calloway Young, MSN’06, PhD’10, was promoted to PhD program director at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing in 2024. She is an assistant professor at UT Austin, a family nurse practitioner at WellMed in Del Valle, Texas, and on the editorial review board for The Journal of Nursing Education and Practice.
- Carol Ziegler, MSN’06, DNP’12, presented, “Aligning Advanced Practice Nursing with Global Sustainable Development Goals,” in January 2025 as part of a monthly series co-hosted by University of Michigan School of Nursing, Yale University School of Nursing and VUSN. She co-authored an opinion piece, “Carbon Credits Help Make Homes More Affordable for Low-income Families,” published in the Tennessean in April, and co-presented, “Student Approaches to Advocacy: Environmental Perspectives,” at Vanderbilt University in May, hosted by Nurses for Global Health. Carol received a Vanderbilt Center for Sustainability, Energy and Climate grant through the Seed Project Fund, and was interviewed by two campers from the Tennessee Nature Academy for a podcast about a therapeutic technique that she shared with them during a camp presentation along Mill Creek in Tennessee, both in July. She chaired the health and policy portions of the VSEC inaugural symposium in August where she co-presented on climate health in the Southeast and advancing climate mitigation and health equity. Carol co-presented, “Public Health and Planetary Wellness: Integrating Greenspace for Climate-resilient Healing in Practice and Policy,” at the Healing Beyond Borders conference in September, and presented, “Planetary Health in the Southeast Region: Priority Actions for Public Health,” as part of a continuing education learning series with the University of Wisconsin for the Metro Nashville Public Health Department. She is a presenter in the HealthStream podcast, “Launching a New Era in Nursing Education,” released in the fall about a partnership with VUSN. In 2024, Carol presented at Columbia University’s Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education webinar, and was interviewed by GAPNA Chat. She was moderator of “What is Planetary Health and Why Does It Matter?” hosted by VUSN, and was named an inaugural VUSN Faculty Fellow. Carol presented at the Deep Culture Sustainability Summit and was interviewed by Inside Climate News for “Slow Wheels of Policy Leave Low-income Residents of Nashville Feeling Brunt of Warming Climate.” She is co-author of “Mobilizing Carbon Offsetting to Reduce Energy Cost Burdens: A New Approach for Calculating and Monetizing the Offset Value of Energy Efficiency Upgrades to Low-income Housing,” published in Frontiers in Energy Research, and “Carbon Offsets Can Help Bring Energy Efficiency to Low-income Americans: Nashville Data Shows It Could Be a Win for Everyone,” in Utah News Dispatch and The Conversation. In 2023, the Climate, Health and Energy Lab at Vanderbilt University, which Carol co-founded, received the Provost’s Faculty Grant for Culminating Projects in Immersion. She was appointed by Mayor John Cooper to the Metro Nashville Board of Health, was featured in the Tennessean, and received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award from students in the VUSN family NP specialty. She was featured in an American Nurses Association’s Innovation Lounge webinar, presented at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners conference, and was interviewed on iHeart Radio’s Healthy Living Healthy Planet Radio and by S. News & World Report. Carol was published in Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, Women’s Healthcare, and the Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies, and she presented at Vanderbilt University’s Bioengineering for Global Health Conference and presented at VU Medical Center's Department of Radiology Climate Action and Sustainability Summit. Carol opened Thrive Holistic Care and is the Vanderbilt representative for the Lancet Commission on Climate and Health, as well as a professor at VUSN and co-director of CHEEL.
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2007
- Lindsey Baksh, MSN’07, DNP’19, presented, “Reducing Stigma and Building Trust: Improving Outcomes in Perinatal Opioid Use Disorder,” at the VUSN Collaborative Academic Practice symposium “From Insight to Impact: Advancing Outcomes in Adult and Women’s Health Care” in November 2025, and she received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award in 2024, from students in the VUSN women’s health/gender-related nurse practitioner specialty.
- Hope Huckeba Ballentine, MSN’07, was named co-director of the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 2023.
- Caroline Banes, MSN’07, was named interim director of advanced practice practitioners in neuroscience at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville in 2024.
- Tisha Barzyk, MSN’07, DNP’12, served as Distinguished Pinning Speaker at VUSN in 2024. She is a Nexus legal nurse consultant in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, specializing in the field of wound management and wound care cases, and a wound care consultant for Integumetrix.
- Susan Beaird, MSN’07, joined VUSN faculty in 2024 as an assistant professor.
- Andrea Boohaker, MSN’07, presented, “Reading Radiology Studies,” at the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association conference in September 2025, and was named a fellow of the Nurse Innovation Fellowship Program by Johnson & Johnson, Penn Nursing and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She is associate vice president of ambulatory services at University of Alabama at Birmingham.
- Erin Hepper Burrell, BS’06, MSN’07, joined VUSN as adjunct faculty in 2024. She is an acute care nurse practitioner at Comprehensive Rehab Consultants/PMR Medicine in Chicago, and a founding member of the critical care outreach team at VUMC.
- Rochell Sasse Burton, MSN’07, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Halli Carr, BA’04, MSN’07, DNP’17, was named to Dallas-Fort Worth's Great 100 Nurses in 2024. She is a clinical assistant professor at Baylor University in Dallas and a nurse practitioner at Baylor Scott and White’s The Heart Hospital in Plano, Texas.
- Heidi Collins, MSN’07, of Nashville passed away November 19, 2023.
- Courtney Beuerlein Grassham, MSN’07, was featured by University of New Mexico Health Science Newsroom in 2024 in “Empowering Maternal Child Health Practitioners: Insights from a UNM Alumna.”
- Anna Bergman Kirk, MSN’07, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Tiffany Latham, MSN’07, DNP’10, was a panelist for “Medical Professionals Tips for a Fit and Health Life,” hosted by the Health Literacy Outreach Series in 2023. She is a nurse practitioner and chair of the advanced practice provider professional development sub-council at Inova Heart and Vascular Institute in Falls Church, Virginia.
- Megan Manor, MSN’07, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Sean McCracken, MSN’07, is chief executive officer of ALTMED Therapies in Mount Juliet, Tennessee (2023).
- Jay Morrison, MSN’07, is co-author of “Strategies to Evaluate New Models of Nursing Care to Meet Hospital Staffing and Patient Care Needs,” published in Nurse Leader in 2024.
- Helen Nation, MSN’07, co-authored “An Escape Game for Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Students: Is Time on Your Side?” published in March 2025 in Nurse Educator, and received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award from students in the VUSN neonatal nurse practitioner specialty in August. She co-presented, “Is Time on Your Side: A Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Escape Game,” at the Academy of Neonatal Nursing conference in September, and co-authored “A Novel Collaborative Simulation for Emergency and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Students,” published in Clinical Simulation in Nursing in November. Helen received the Archer Award from NNP students and was published in Advances in Neonatal Care in 2023. She is an assistant professor at VUSN.
- Jill Nelson, MSN’07, was a presenter at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center ACNP/PA Critical Care Boot Camp in 2023
- Cynthia O’Neal, PhD’07, was published in the Journal of Interprofessional Care in 2023. She is associate dean for undergraduate studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
- Natalie Wood Owen, BS’05, MSN’07, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023. She is a nurse practitioner at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, specializing in genetics and metabolic disorders.
- Mary Ann Pence, MSN’07, was featured in Georgia’s White County News in October 2025, in “Pence named Nurse Practitioner of the Year,” after receiving the Vanderbilt Health Nurse Practitioner of the Year Award.
- Holly Pierce, MSN’07, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023. She is an assistant in medicine, specializing in preventative cardiology.
- LeTizia Baxter Smith, MSN’07, was named the interim director of community partnerships at VUSN and co-authored “Diagnosis and Treatment of Adults with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder,” published in The Journal For Nurse Practitioners, both in 2024. In 2023, she was published in the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, received a Vanderbilt University Sesquicentennial Grant for “Project SHARE: Sharing Strategies for Academic Faculty and Student Recruitment,” was interviewed by Western Kentucky University National Public Radio, presented at the American Psychiatric Nurses Association conference, and was moderator of “Black Doula Training Program Provides Support for Black Birthing Families,” part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. LeTizia is owner of Silver Lining Psychiatric Consultants, PMHNP at Embrace U, and member of the DNPs of Color advisory board.
- Deonna Moore Taylor, MSN’07, PhD’17, was featured by NP Schools in “An Expert’s Bona Fide Guide: Life as a Transplant Nurse Practitioner (NP),” in February 2025.
- Jessica Van Meter, MSN’07, DNP’15, was featured in VUMC News in July 2025 for being named a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, and was inducted as a fellow in October. She presented, “Advanced Practice Nursing in Guyana,” in 2024 as part of the VUSN Global Collaborative Series. Jessica co-directs a bachelor’s in emergency nursing program for nurses at Georgetown Public Hospital Corp. in Guyana, in collaboration with the University of Guyana and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and is an associate professor at VUSN.
- Rose Vick, MSN’07, was named interim specialty director for the VUSN psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner specialty in October 2025, and co-presented, “Longitudinal Evaluation of an Academic-practice Partnership Model to Prepare Family Nurse Practitioners for Underserved Practice,” at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Transform 2025 conference in December. She is lead author of “Utilizing a HRSA Training Grant to Promote PMHNP Student Resilience: Answering the Call to Enhance Trauma-informed Teaching and Learning Practices in Nursing Education,” published in Issues in Mental Health Nursing, and co-author of “Closing the Provider Gap in Rural and Underserved Communities: Preparing Family Nurse Practitioner Students for Entry-to-practice,” in Nurse Educator, both in 2024. She co-presented, “Using Trauma-informed Teaching Practices with PMHNP Students to Foster Resiliency in the Workforce,” at the American Psychiatric Nurses Association conference, was featured in Clinical Advisor in “Trauma-informed Training Useful in Clinical Practice and Self-Care,” and is co-author of “Diagnosis and Treatment of Adults with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder,” published in The Journal For Nurse Practitioners. In 2023, Rose presented at the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties and APNA conferences.
- Ellin Herward Wade, BA’05, MSN’07, is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at LifeStance Health in Concord, Massachusetts (2025).
- Hilary Weiss, BS’04, MSN’07, is a women’s health nurse practitioner at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart in Franklin, Tennessee (2024).
- Dabney Lipscomb Wilkerson BS’05, MSN’07, welcomed identical twins in 2023.
- Susan Winchester, MSN’07, of Gibbon, Nebraska, passed away September 12, 2025.
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2008
- Keith Adkins, MSN’08, is a nurse practitioner in electrophysiology at the Georgia Heart Institute in Gainesville (2024).
- Terrah Foster Akard, MSN’01, PhD’08, rejoined the VUSN faculty in July 2025 after serving as associate dean for academic affairs for the Vanderbilt Graduate School since 2022. Her move was featured by MyVU News in “Vanderbilt Graduate School Announces Leadership Transitions.” She is co-author of “Memory-making Interventions for Children with Life-threatening or Life-limiting Conditions and Their Families: A Systematic Review of Evidence and Implications for Practice,” published that month in Palliative Medicine, “Postoperative Treatment Contributions to Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms in Preschool-aged Children after Cardiac Surgery,” in Progress in Pediatric Cardiology in October, and “Exploration of COVID-19-related Experiences through Perspectives of Children with Advanced Cancer and Their Caregivers,” in the International Journal of Palliative Nursing in December. Terrah is co-author of “COVID-19 Impact, Resilience and Child Quality of Life: A Dyadic Analysis,” published in the Journal of Family Psychology, “Memory-making Interventions for Children and Their Families Receiving Pediatric Palliative or Bereavement Care: A Systematic Review Protocol,” in HRB Open Research, “Predictors of Loneliness among Middle Childhood and Adolescence during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” in PLOS ONE, “Digital Stories Created by Children with Advanced Cancer,” in the Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nursing, and “Development of an Exploratory Dementia Family Caregiver Pain Assessment Survey,” in Research in Gerontological Nursing, all in 2024. In 2023, she was published in Health Care for Women International, the Journal of Holistic Nursing, the Journal of Palliative Medicine, and the Journal of Advanced Nursing. She was named full professor at Vanderbilt University.
- Kalin Bird, MSN’08, is medical science liaison at Gamida Cell headquartered in Boston (2024).
- Anna Brown, MSN’08, DNP’16, is co-author of “Interactive Simulation for Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy in Nurse Practitioner Education,” published in Clinical Simulation in Nursing in May 2025. She received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award in 2024, from students in the VUSN pediatric nurse practitioner—primary care specialty.
- Brittany Hagy Broyhill, BS’06, MSN’08, DNP’13, was inducted as a fellow by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in 2023.
- Alyssa Nolan Carlson, MSN’08, DNP’14, is a nurse practitioner at Emory Hospital Midtown and Grady in Atlanta, both level III neonatal intensive care units (2025).
- Mary Carter-Orbke, MSN’08, was promoted to assistant professor at VUSN in August 2025. She co-authored “Diagnosis and Treatment of Adults with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder,” published in The Journal For Nurse Practitioners, and presented, “Eating Disorders and Weight: What's the Relation?” during VUSN’s Reunion symposium, “Collaborative Academic Practice Symposium: Integrating Mental Health and Primary Care,” both in 2024. She was published in 2023 in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners.
- Amanda Brown Comer, MSN’08, contributed to the book Emergency Nurse Practitioner Scope and Standards of Practice published by Springer, and is co-author of “PREPARED NP: Preparation for Emergency Care Delivery among Nurse Practitioners,” published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, both in 2024. She is system director of advanced practice providers at Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation in Memphis, Tennessee, where she leads and develops the implementation of system-wide, team-based, integrated clinical care models throughout the organization.
- Claire Givens Crunk, MSN’08, was a panelist for “From Nurse to Entrepreneur: VUSN Alumni Share Their Stories,” in 2023, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum
- Anna Daly, MSN’08, is founder of Sotura Health, an organization dedicated to advancing the well-being of seniors and their families (2023).
- Tracey DeWire, MSN’08, was featured by VUMCNews in 2024, in “Friend’s Cancer Diagnosis Inspired Tracey DeWire to Change Career Path.” She received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023, and is featured on the VUMC website in its Advanced Practice Provider Spotlight. Tracey is a nurse practitioner at the Vanderbilt Breast Center in Nashville.
- Keith Evans, MSN’08, PMC’18, is program manager of Vanderbilt LifeFlight Air Medical Transport in Nashville (2024).
- Lisa James Flemmons, MSN’08, was a presenter at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center ACNP/PA Critical Care Boot Camp in 2023. She is a nurse practitioner in the VUMC medical intensive care center.
- Michael Gooch, MSN’05 PMC’08, presented, “Taming the Toxins: Solutions for Ingestions and Exposures,” and “Advanced Airway Management in Emergency Care Settings,” at the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners conference in March 2025. He is co-author of “From History Books to Headlines: Plague in Modern Times,” published in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal in April, and was featured in VUMC News for being one of five recipients of the 2025 Distinguished Certified Flight Registered Nurse Award by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing. That month, he presented, “Positioning in Transport: Should the Head Be Up or Down?” and “Surviving the Sugar Surge: Diabetic Emergencies and Medications,” at the Critical Care Transport Medicine Conference, and “Old and New Emerging Infectious Diseases,” at the Tennessee Emergency Nurses Association's education conference. In May, Michael presented, “Sepsis Management: Where Are We Today?” and “From Crisis to Control: Management of Acute Thyroid and Adrenal Dysfunction,” at the Kentucky Association of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse-Midwives conference. In June, he presented “Mitigating Complications during Airway Management,” “Mastering Sedation Agents: Enhancing Medication,” and “Safety Amid Supply Chain Challenges,” at the First There First Care Conference, and “Pediatric Toxidromes: Special Considerations in the Poisoned Child,” “Bugs and Drugs in Emergency Care,” “EM Pharmacopoeia: Must Know Drugs in Emergency Care,” “Advanced Procedural Skills for Ocular Emergencies Workshop," and “Basic and Advanced HEENT Procedures in Primary and Emergency Care Settings Workshop,” at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners conference. Michael was named the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing’s Certified Flight Registered Nurse in July and received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award from students in the VUSN family NP/emergency NP dual-specialty in August. He presented, “A Multimodal Approach to Pain Management in Emergency Care,” and “From Dormant to Dangerous: The Resurgence of Measles, Bubonic Plague and Leprosy,” at the Emergency Nurses Association’s Emergency Nursing 2025, and “Taming the Toxins: Solutions for Ingestions and Exposures,” at an AANP conference, both in September. He is lead author of “Borealpox: A Rare but Emerging Orthopoxvirus,” published that month in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, and is featured on the ENA website in “How to Treat Diseases of the Past Making a Comeback in the ED.” Michael is lead author of “A Rare but Emerging Orthopoxvirus,” published in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, and co-author of “Wound Assessment and Management: Key Concepts in Laceration Repair” in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, both in October. That month, he presented, “Does it Matter if the Head of the Bed is Up or Down?” at the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing conference, “Mastering Sedation Agents: Enhancing Medication Safety amid Ongoing Supply Chain Challenges,” and “Medications in Motion: Pharmacological Options in Critical Care Transport,” at the EMS World Expo, and, “The Airway Checklist: Mitigating Complications during Airway Management,” and “Resurging and Emerging Infectious Diseases: Measles, Leprosy, Bubonic Plague and Borealpox,” at the Emergency Care Update Conference. In 2024, Michael presented, “Case Studies in Geriatric Polypharmacy and ECGs,” “Safer Prescribing in the Geriatric Patient,” and “When Baby Boomers Crash and Fall,” at the Nebraska Nurse Practitioner conference, “Top 5 Finger Complaints in Emergency Care,” and “Bugs and Drugs: An Antibiotic Update,” at the AAENP conference, “The Measles Resurgence: A Rash From the Past,” “Bugs and Drugs in Emergency Care,” “HEENT Complaints in Urgent and Emergency Care Settings,” “Advanced Airway Management in Emergency and Critical Care Settings,” “Pain Management in Emergency Care,” and “Eyes, Ears and Mouths: Oh My! Basic to Advanced HEENT Procedures for Urgent and Emergency Settings,” at the AANP conference, and “Making the Positives and Negatives Add Up,” “Procedural Sedation and Analgesia: Taking the Torture out of Procedures,” “The Measles Resurgence: A Rash from the Past,” and “Single Dose Killers: Pediatric Toxicology,” at the First There First Care Conference. He was inducted as an AANP fellow, was inducted as a fellow of the Academy of Emergency Nursing, and authored “The Resurgence of Measles: A Rash From the Past,” published in the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal. That year, he presented, “Measles: A Rash from the Past,” “Medications in Motion: Pharmacological Options in Critical Care Transport,” and “Managing ICP and TBIs during Transport,” at the Emergency Nursing Conference, “Strategies for Managing Acutely Agitated Patients,” “Pediatric Procedural Sedation and Analgesia,” “Hormones in Havoc: Endocrine Emergencies,” and “Single Dose Killers: Pediatric Toxicology,” at the AANP fall conference, and “Old and New Contagious Infections: Measles, Leprosy and Borealpox,” at the Air Medical Transport Conference. In 2023, Michael presented at conferences for the Kentucky Association of NPs and Nurse-Midwives, ENP, Critical Care Transport Medicine, AAENP, Emergency Care Update, First There First Care, AANP, Nebraska NP Education, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Critical Care Boot Camp, EMS World Expo, ENA, and Air Medical Transport. He recorded for the MedEd on the Go continuing education program, was panelist for “Treatment Paradigms in the Management of Agitation in BD and SCZ Patients in a Crisis Setting: Evolution of Care for Agitated Patients,” hosted by MedEdOTG, and was published in Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal.
- Autumne Bailey Harding, MSN’08, is senior director for performance, management and improvement at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt (2023).
- Alicia Harper, MSN’08, is a nurse practitioner at Rutherford County Primary Care in Murfreesboro, Tennessee (2023).
- Chelsia Harris, MSN’08, was interviewed by the Nashville Business Journal in January 2025 for “Nursing School Exec Weighs in on Nurse Shortage.” She is executive director of the Lipscomb University School of Nursing in Nashville
- Elizabeth Adair Herbert, MSN’08, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023. She is a nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt Children's Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
- Anne Hope, MSN’08, is a nurse practitioner at Consulting Radiologists in Eden Prairie, Minnesota (2023).
- Haley Hoy, PhD’08, co-authored “Increasing the Volume of Delivered Enteral Feeds Using a Volume-based Feeding Protocol in a Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit,” published in 2024 in Critical Care Nursing. She is the associate dean of graduate programs, associate professor and acute care nurse practitioner at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
- Karen Hyden, MEd’06, MSN’08, was featured in the Nashville Post in October 2025, after being named chief nursing officer of Alive Hospice in Nashville.
- April Jaggi, MSN’08, is a nurse practitioner at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, North Carolina, a level III neonatal intensive care unit in a community hospital (2025).
- Sharon Karp, MSN’99, PhD’08, co-presented, “Appreciative Onboarding: A Theory to Practice Framework to Onboard New Faculty in Higher Education,” at the Virtual Appreciative Education Conference hosted by Florida Atlantic University in January 2025. She is co-author of “Developing a NAPNAP Research Agenda to Guide Future Research and Quality Improvement in Pediatrics: Process, Challenges and Future Directions,” published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care, “Feeding Behaviors in Infants and Toddlers Later Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review,” in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and “Breastfeeding Journeys: Comparing Mothers’ Experiences with Autistic and Neurotypical Infants,” in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, all in 2024. Sharon was named president of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners Foundation for the 2024-2027 term, and presented “The Biology of Childhood Obesity and the Implications for Medical Treatment,” at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners fall conference. Sharon was published in 2023 in Obesity Pillars and Appetite. Sharon is chair of the Acute and Chronic Care Community at VUSN.
- Katherine DeFries Kote, MSN’08, is a nurse practitioner at Deaconess Women’s Hospital in Newburgh, Indiana, a level III neonatal intensive care unit (2025).
- Marcy Little, MSN’08, is director of clinical programs and education at Fast Pace Urgent Care, headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee (2024).
- Abby Henderson Mutic, MSN’08, was appointed a member of the Jonas Scholar Alumni Council in September 2025, and co-authored the chapter, “Community-engaged Research with Agricultural Workers in Florida: Health and Climate Change,” in the book Transforming Social Determinants to Promote Global Health, published by Springer in 2024. She is an assistant professor at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Atlanta.
- Rebecca Peters, MSN’08, is a nurse practitioner specializing in emergency medicine at Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2024).
- Brian Pollock, MSN’08, DNP’13, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Aspire Psychology in Portland, Oregon (2023).
- Mary Prisco, MSN’08, is a nurse practitioner at Neighborhood Health in Nashville (2023).
- Audra Rankin, MSN’08, was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in October 2025, and received the Linda D. Norman Award for Innovation in Health Care presented by the VUSN Alumni Association during the school’s annual awards ceremony in 2023. Audra is co-founder the podcast, RISE with Emily and Audra, clinical assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, associate faculty director at the UNC Center for the Business of Health, national health policy chair of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, and health policy department editor for the Journal of Pediatric Health Care.
- Alex Sargsyan, MSN’08, co-authored “Farm Animal Assisted Therapy with Ducks in Tennessee,” published in 2024 in Tennessee Nurse. She is an assistant professor at the East Tennessee State University College of Nursing in Johnson City and an author.
- Matt Schroer, MSN’08, received the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award in August 2025, from students in the VUSN psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner specialty, which he also received in 2023. He is an assistant professor at VUSN and a psychiatric NP at Mercy Clinic in Franklin, Tennessee.
- Jennifer Lasher Seib, MSN’08, is a nurse practitioner at Shelby Pediatrics in Shelbyville, Kentucky (2023).
- Amber Shapton, MSN’08, was published in Women's Healthcare in 2023.
- Katie Levy Sibler, MSN’08, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Ashley Post Snook, MSN’08, earned her doctorate of nursing practice in 2023. She is a nurse practitioner specializing in urgent care at Shannon Clinic—North in San Angelo, Texas.
- Misty Stewart, MSN’08, is a neonatal nurse practitioner at Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2024).
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2009
- Leanne Boehm, MSN’09, PhD’16, co-authored “Post-intensive Care Syndrome and Caregiver Burden: A Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial,” published in JAMA Network Open, “Building Nurse Capacity for Implementation Science: An Introduction to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research,” in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality, and “Clinician and Patient Responses to U.S. Health Insurers’ Policies: A Qualitative Study of Higher Risk Patients,” in Health Services Research in April 2025, and “Reducing Readmission for Sepsis by Improving Risk Prediction Algorithms,” in the American Journal of Critical Care in May. She is founder and host of The Gold Standard: Elevating Delirium and Age-friendly Health Care, an educational institute held at VUSN in June. Leanne is co-author of “Driving Behavior and Driving Outcomes after Acute and Critical Illness: A Systematic Review,” published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies, “What Measures Have Been Used to Explore the Outcomes of Family Members of Critically Ill Patients: A Scoping Review,” in Intensive Care Medicine, and “Seizing Nursing’s Opportunity to Improve Health Care through Implementation Science,” in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality, all in August. She co-authored “ABCDEF Bundle Implementation for Improved Respiratory Failure Outcomes,” published in Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, and “Delirium and Self-reported Driving Behaviors and Outcomes after Critical Illness,” in JAMA Network Open, both in September, and “Current Strategies and Future Directions to Enhance Recovery following Critical Illness,” in Thorax in October. In 2024, Leanne co-authored “Delirium and Coronavirus Disease 2019: Looking Back, Moving Forward,” published in Critical Care Nursing Clinics, “The Relationship between Uncertainty and Psychological Distress among Family Caregivers of Patients with Delirium in Intensive Care Units: A Cross-sectional Survey,” in Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, “Exploring the Association of Metabolic Syndrome with In-hospital Survival of Older Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19: Beyond Chronological Age,” in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, “Long-term Outcomes after Treatment of Delirium during Critical Illness with Antipsychotics (MIND-USA): A Randomised, Placebo-controlled, Phase 3 Trial,” in The Lancet, “Understanding Intensive Care Unit Family Caregivers’ Vulnerability to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: The Impact of Neurotic Personality Traits, Emotional Suppression and Perceptions of Unexpected Death,” in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, “Creating a Culture of an Awake and Walking Intensive Care Unit: In-hospital Strategies to Mitigate Post-intensive Care Syndrome,” in Critical Care Clinics, “Delirium and Weakness Acquired in the Intensive Care Unit: Individual and Combined Effects on 90-day Mortality in Survivors of Critical Illness,” in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, and “Mary Steps Out: Capturing Patient Experience through Qualitative and AI Methods,” in NEJM AI. She received the Dean’s Award for Faculty Achievement in Research Endeavors from VUSN. In 2023, Leanne was chosen as the U.S. Veterans Administration’s Quality Scholars Rising Star, and received a $3.6 million National Institute on Aging grant to examine the effectiveness of telemedicine services among people recovering from post-intensive care syndrome (here in Minority Nurse). She was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, was interviewed by the University of Melbourne Medical School and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, and featured in Daily Nurse. She was published in Heart & Lung, CHEST Journal and CHEST Journal.
- Julie Camp, MSN’09, is a nurse practitioner at Digestive Health Specialists in Kansas City, Missouri (2023).
- Hannah Diaz, MSN’09, received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the American College of Nurse-Midwives and co-presented a workshop at its conference in October 2025, and was named ACNM Preceptor of the Year in 2024. In 2023, she completed her fourth year blogging about Call the Midwife for Nashville Public Television, was inducted as a fellow of the ACNM, was promoted to assistant professor at VUSN, and authored a chapter in Varney's Midwifery. She is a certified nurse-midwife at Vanderbilt Nurse-Midwives and Primary Care for Women.
- Leanna Copeland Dugan, MSN’09, is co-author of “Addressing the Outliers: Urging Consensus in Child Sexual Abuse Evaluation,” published in the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children Advisor in 2024. She is a nurse practitioner at Our Kids in Nashville.
- Dana Parry Estevo, MSN’09, is a certified nurse-midwife at Mendocino Community Health Clinic in Ukiah, Lakeport and Willits, California (2023).
- Brittany Blalock Haemmerlein, BA’06, MSN’09, was a guest columnist for the Tennessean in 2023. She is director of nursing and a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner at Centerstone Tennessee in Nashville, where she oversees and provides treatment for patients age five and older, supervises registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, chairs the infection control committee, and places PMHNP students in clinical training.
- Amy Howard, MSN’09, wrote a chapter for the book, Managing Heart Failure in Primary Care: A Case Study Approach, published by Springer, and received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, both in 2023.
- Meegan Jones, MSN’09, is a nurse practitioner at Scripps Memorial’s Prebys Cardiovascular Institute in La Jolla, California (2025).
- Lauren King, MSN’09, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt Children's Neurology where she specializes in headache and migraine.
- Priya Lad, BS’06, MSN’09, is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Kids Care Pediatrics in Colonia, New Jersey (2023).
- Kanah May Lewallen, MSN’09, was promoted to associate professor and director of VUSN’s adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner specialty in August 2025, and co-presented, “Elevating Excellence: The Evolving Role of the Nurse Practitioner in Skilled and Long-term Care Settings,” at the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association conference in September. In 2023, she was named program director for the Tennessee Valley Veterans Administration Geriatrics and Extended Care—Nurse Practitioner residency program, and presented to the Vanderbilt Center for Gerontological Nursing Excellence/Geriatric Student Interest Group. That year, Kanah was interviewed for the GAPNA Chat podcast, was published in Clinical Simulation in Nursing, presented the GAPNA pre-conference workshop, and became a certified healthcare simulator educator of the Society of Simulation in Healthcare.
- Kimberly Lippard, MSN’09, was quoted in VUMC News in January 2025 for an article about Vanderbilt Primary Care North Nashville, where she is administrative director of clinical operations and interim associate operating officer.
- Amy Lynn, BS’07, MSN’09, is a women’s health nurse practitioner for the U.S. Defense Health Agency at the Joint Base Anacostia—Bolling in Washington, D.C. She had eight years of active duty military experience, including assignments in Germany, Kenya, California and Mississippi, as well as a deployment to Southwest Asia (2023).
- Adair Marsh Moore, MSN’09, is chief operations officer at Ascent Healthcare in Beaverton, Colorado (2023).
- Audrey Morgan-Cline, MSN’09, received the Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 2023.
- Cory Myers, MSN’09, was named VUSN psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner Preceptor of the Year in 2023. He is an associate in psychiatry and behavioral sciences in the division of general psychiatry at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
- Katie Stewart Page, MSN’09, received the Margaret Comerford Freda Award from March of Dimes in May 2025, as scholarship assistance toward her PhD program at the University of Colorado College of Nursing in Aurora. She is lead author of “Defining Midwifery-led Care in the United States Using Concept Analysis,” published in 2024 in the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health. Katie is a certified nurse-midwife at Centra Medical Group Women's Center in Lynchburg and chair of the Professional Liability Committee of the ACNM and president of its Virginia chapter.
- Courtney Young Pitts, MSN’09, DNP’11, received the DAISY Extraordinary Nurse Leader of the Year from the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties in April 2025. She is co-author of “Integration of Entrustable Professional Activities in a Competency-based Clinical Assessment Tool in a Nurse Practitioner Program,” published in Nurse Educator, and “Closing the Provider Gap in Rural and Underserved Communities: Preparing Family Nurse Practitioner Students for Entry-to-practice,” in Nurse Educator, both in 2024. That year, she received the Thomas L. Christenbery Award for Connectedness presented by the VUSN Alumni Association during the school's annual awards ceremony and was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. In 2023, Courtney received the VUSN Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award and served on the committee that released the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice's 18th Report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. She was published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, the Journal of Nursing Administration, The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, and the book Managing Heart Failure in Primary Care: A Case Study Approach published by Springer. That year, she presented at the NONPF and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners national conferences, and was a panelist for “Vanderbilt DNPs: Where Are They Now?” hosted by the VUSN Alumni Board’s Know Your Value Committee. She became principal investigator a $2.6M four-year Health Resources and Services Administration grant to continue VUSN’s Collaborative Academic Practice program. She announced she would be leaving VUSN as director of the family nurse practitioner program to become FNP specialty director and clinical professor at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Atlanta.
- Bethany Andrews Rhoten, MSN’09, PhD’13, was appointed to the Nashville Health Care Council’s Leadership Nashville 2025 cohort by the Junior League of Nashville, where she is president-elect. She is co-author of “Feasibility, Acceptability and Modification of a Post-surgical Telehealth Mindfulness-based Intervention to Enhance Recovery after Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Prospective Intervention Study,” published in Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health in May, and was promoted to professor at VUSN in August. She is lead author of “Lesbian and Bisexual Breast Cancer Survivors’ Post-treatment Resource Needs,” published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship in 2024, and was selected for the Leadership Nashville 2024-2025 class. In 2023, Bethany was published in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing, BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, Nurse Educator and the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, and she opened Andrews Grace Behavioral Health, a boutique telehealth practice for cancer survivors and their families.
- Karin League Skeen, MSN’09, is associate chief nursing officer for University of Virginia Health’s University Medical Center in Charlottesville (2025).
- Jenny Slayton, MSN’09, received the Outstanding Operational Partner Award in 2023 from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is senior vice president for quality, safety and risk prevention at VUMC and a member of the Healthcare Executive Forum.
- Joshua Sloan, MSN’09, is an acute care nurse practitioner at Nashville Knee and Shoulder—Music City Sports Medicine and Orthopedics (2024).
- Lindsey Caldwell St Cyr, MSN’09, is co-founder and chief executive officer of Health Bridge Care, headquartered in Toronto (2024).
- Jannyse Starks Tapp, MSN’09, DNP’11, received the VUSN Award for Recognition of Faculty Achievement in Social Justice in January 2025, during the school’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. She was nominated by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Nashville Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter for a Nashville Cable Young Professional ATHENA Award, and co-authored “Interpreting Bone Density Screenings and Treatment for Osteopenia and Osteoporosis,” published in Advances in Family Practice Nursing, both in March. She co-presented at the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties conference in April, and appeared in Nfocus Magazine in May for attending Nashville Cable’s ATHENA Awards and Scholarship Gala, where she was honored as a nominee. Jannyse is featured on the NLN Nursing EDge Unscripted podcast, “Nursing Leaders Driving Health Equity–Part 2,” posted by the National League for Nursing in July, and co-authored “Telehealth Simulations with Generative Artificial Intelligence in Midwifery Education: Practice for Person-centered and Culturally Responsive Care,” published in the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health in August, and “Integrating Social Determinants of Health into Nurse Practitioner Education through a Faculty Enrichment Initiative,” in INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision and Financing in October. She co-presented, “Bone Density Demystified: Practical Approaches to Diagnosis and Management” at the VUSN Collaborative Academic Practice Symposium “From Insight to Impact: Advancing Outcomes in Adult and Women’s Health Care,” and a poster, “Appreciative Evaluation SOAP Notes: Bridging Nursing Education and Clinical Practice,” at the Evaluation25 conference, both in November. She co-presented, “Longitudinal Evaluation of an Academic-practice Partnership Model to Prepare Family Nurse Practitioners for Underserved Practice,” at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Transform 2025 conference in December. In 2024, Jannyse was named a member of the NONPF Determinants of Health Special Interest Group and was appointed a member of the inaugural class of Mercy University’s Health Influencers Program, a first in the U.S., in the Bronx, New York. She is lead author of “Closing the Provider Gap in Rural and Underserved Communities: Preparing Family Nurse Practitioner Students for Entry-to-practice,” published in Nurse Educator, and co-author of “Introducing the ‘Nursing Education Integrating Social Change for Health Equity (NISCHE)’ Framework for Nursing Education,” in Nursing Outlook. In 2023, Jannyse presented at the NONPF and American Association of Nurse Practitioners conferences. She became principal investigator for a Health Resources and Services Administration grant to continue the CAP program at VUSN. Jannyse is an assistant professor at VUSN.
- Laura Veal, MSN’09, joined the Browning Veterans Affairs Clinic in Montana in June 2025 as a nurse practitioner.
- Kyle Hitchcock Weir, MSN’09, is a nurse practitioner at Pediatrix in Greenville, South Carolina, a level III neonatal intensive care unit (2025).
- Dani Williamson, MSN’09, served as Distinguished Alumni Speaker at VUSN’s Pinning Ceremony in December 2025, and she is featured in a Hot Flashes & Cool Topics blog post recorded in 2023. She is owner of Integrative Family Medicine in Franklin, Tennessee.
- Miranda Tippens Zolman, MSN’09, is co-manager and a nurse practitioner at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a level III neonatal intensive care unit (2025).