Class Notes 2020-Present

Jane Abanes, DNP'13, PhD'20, is lead author of "Acupuncture for Sleep Disturbances in Post-deployment Military Service Members: A Randomized Controlled Trial," published in Clinical Nursing Research in July 2021.

Delaney Boyce, MSN'20, DNP'22, co-presented, "Growing from What We Learned… VUMC Preceptor Assessment," during Vanderbilt University Medical Center advanced practice grand rounds in July 2022. She is lead author of "Perceptions of Motivating Factors and Barriers to Precepting," published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in November.

Alison Bradywood, DNP'20, was named chief nursing officer and vice president of Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle in June 2021. She is lead author of "Implementing Screening for Social Determinants of Health Using the Core 5 Screening Tool," published in BMJ Open Quality in September.

Anand Brahmbhatt, MSN'20, is lead author of "Identifying and Managing Anxiety Disorders in Primary Care," published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners in January 2021, and was a panelist for "Loan Repayment Programs: What Are They and How Do They Work?" presented by the VUSN Alumni Board Mentoring Committee in July. He is a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio.

Andrea Bushaw, PhD'20, is co-author of "Clinical Strategies for Addressing Obesity in Infants and Toddlers," published in The Nurse Practitioner in February 2021.

Merakka Calderon, MSN'20, received the Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in November 2022.

Amy Dishong, MSN'20, was nominated in May 2022 for a Vanderbilt University Medical Center award named in memory of the late Jerita Payne, MSN'90, MMHC'13.

John Dowlen, MSN'20, joined the staff at CHI Memorial Family Practice Associates–Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, in March 2021 as a nurse practitioner. He is certified in nonviolent crisis intervention and an ordained minister.

Tara Duffie, MSN'20, DNP'22, is lead author of "Eye Redness and Pain," published in the Visual Journal of Emergency Medicine in April 2022, and co-author of "Traumatic Brain Injury-related Attention Deficits in Children: A Controlled Treatment Trial with Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate (Vyvanse)," published in January 2021 in Brain Sciences. She is a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Athena Consulting and Psychological Services in Nashville.

Shannon Ellrich, MSN'17, DNP'20, PMC'20, was featured in a March 2020 story in the Tennessean explaining how she and another Vanderbilt University Medical Center nurse practitioner created and are managing COVID-19 assessment sites for the medical center. She co-presented "VUMC Advanced Practice: Making a Difference around the World," at a VUMC advanced practice workshop in October 2019.

Gwen Godlock, DNP'20, was appointed a member of the VUSN Alumni Board in September 2022. She was a panelist for "The Power of Diversity in Nursing and Initiatives to Increase Diversity and Inclusion," hosted by the VUSN DNP Student Diversity Affinity Group in February 2021, and moderator of "Leadership in the Time of Coronavirus: Stories from the Top" in April, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. She is a nurse surveyor with The Joint Commission's hospital accreditation program and a member of the Texas Nurses Association's 8th District Board of Directors.

Danielle Guy, MSN'20, is co-author of "Brugada Syndrome: Fatal Consequences of a Must-not-miss Diagnosis," published in Critical Care Nurse in October 2021.

Bekah Hayes, MSN'16, DNP'20, was a panelist for "Supporting Nursing Students of Color: Success Strategies from Academia to Practice," in February 2022, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum, and received the Thomas L. Christenbery Alumni Award for Diversity and Inclusion presented by the VUSN Alumni Association during the school's annual awards ceremony in October. She was a panelist for "The Power of Diversity in Nursing and Initiatives to Increase Diversity and Inclusion," hosted by the VUSN DNP Student Diversity Affinity Group in February 2021. She welcomed her first child that November. She was a panelist for "COVID, Quarantining and Geriatrics: How Can We Help Elders Stay Safe and Strong This Winter?" part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum, in December 2020.

Mylissa Hess, DNP'20, is chief nursing officer of Roosevelt General Hospital in Portales, New Mexico, overseeing a rural acute care hospital and clinics (2022).

Rachel Hilton, MSN'20, co-authored "Facilitating Posttraumatic Growth after Critical Illness," published in the American Journal of Critical Care in November 2020.

Ashley Johnson, MSN'20, was a panelist for "Transition to APRN Practice," hosted by the VUSN Alumni Board Mentoring Committee in August 2021. She is a women's health nurse practitioner at Regional One Health in Memphis, Tennessee, and has a YouTube channel, prettywhnpashley, where she shares about her experiences on a variety of topics, from tips for mastering nursing school to interviewing for a job, racism, COVID-19 challenges and dating.

Lindsay Johnson-Bishop, MSN'18, DNP'20, co-authored "Comparison of Hickman versus Proline Central Venous Catheters in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant," published by Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation in March 2020. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner and instructor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, specializing in hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplant, and teaching bachelors, masters and doctoral nursing students.

Emily Kraus, MSN'20, is a family nurse practitioner at My Health Clinic in Milwaukee (2022).

Billie Ford Lancaster, MSN'17, DNP'20, is lead author of "Using a Standardized Rounding Tool to Improve the Incidence of Spontaneous Awakening and Breathing Trials," published in Critical Care Nurse in April 2022. She presented at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners conference in June.

Matias Massaro, MSN'20, is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner in the Vanderbilt University Counseling Center (2021).

Hannah McGrew, MSN'20, was interviewed by Nashville's NewsChannel 5 in April 2021, after her home was flooded in a storm.

Stacy Miller, MSN'20, DNP'22, was a panelist for "SANE: Improving Outcomes for Survivors of Sexual Assault (Part 2)," in April 2022, and for "SANE: Improving Outcomes for Survivors of Sexual Assault (Part 1)," in October 2021, both part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. She is a pediatric forensic nurse practitioner in the Children's Advocacy Center of Northeast Pennsylvania.

Theresa Moore, MSN'20, was a panelist for "Advancing Health Equity for Native Americans," hosted by the VUSN Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in November 2022, part of Vanderbilt University's celebration of Native American Heritage Month. She was named a Minority Fellow of the American Nurses Association/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is a doctor of nursing practice student at VUSN, and a psychiatric nurse practitioner at the Washoe Tribal Healing Center in Gardnerville, Nevada.

Alexandra Moran, MSN'17, DNP'20, co-authored "Incorporating a Nurse Practitioner into a Vascular Medicine Program," published in Vascular Medicine in October 2019.

Pam Nelson, MSN'98, DNP'20, was interviewed by Psychiatry Advisor in February 2021 about suicide prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic, and opened Nelson Psychiatric Associates, a private practice in Nashville, in March. She is lead author of "Role of Primary Care in Suicide Prevention during the COVID-19 Pandemic," published in July 2020 in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners.  

Radwa Omar-Allen, DNP'20, co-authored "Exploration of Vaccination Attitudes among Parents and Caregivers in a Rural Appalachian Health Clinic," published in the Journal of Appalachian Health in July 2022.

Olivia Patterson, MSN'20, is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner at Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois (2020).

Claudia Perry-Aime, DNP'20, is associate vice president at MultiCare Health System in Puyallup, Washington (2022).

Joy Pieper, DNP'20, is an associate professor and assistant to the nursing department chair at Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota (2021).

Cody Pike, MSN'20, welcomed a baby in July 2020. He works in an urgent care setting and as a firefighter in Oneida, Tennessee.

Merrell Pressley, MSN'20, is a cardiothoracic surgery nurse practitioner at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, seeing patients in the cardiac intensive care and stepdown units (2022).

Atlee Quarrier, BA'18, MSN'20, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Dana Group Associates in Needham, Massachusetts (2020).

Stephanie Queen, DNP'20, became chief nursing officer and senior vice president of clinical services at AirMethods, an air medical transport company headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado, in 2020.

Akaninyene Ruffin, BA'17, MSN'20, was a panelist for "Anti-Racism: Centering the Work in Our Nursing Practice," hosted by the VUSN Alliance Against Racism in June 2021.

Rebecca Wegman Schneider, MSN'20, is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Stepping Stone Pediatrics in Kennesaw, Georgia (2022).

Molly Shine, MSN'20, was photographed by the Tennessean for a March 2021 story about a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination event in a Nashville mosque.

Willis Smith, MSN'20 , is co-author of "Integrating Behavioral Health into Primary Care for Women," published in Advances in Family Practice Nursing in May 2022.

Maggie Taylor, BA'18, MSN'20, is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Mercy Community Healthcare in Franklin and Lewisburg, Tennessee (2022).

Demetria Smith Tennefoss, MSN'18, DNP'20, is a medical science liaison in the medical affairs—cancer screening division of Guardant Health, headquartered in Redwood City, California, researching the clinical utility of blood-based cancer screening for colorectal and lung cancers (2022).

Angel Williams, MSN'20, partnered with Tennessee State Senator Brenda Gilmore and Representative Jesse Chism to spearhead the Violence Against Nurses Bill which provides stronger penalties for those convicted of assaulting nurses in the workplace. The bill was signed into law by Governor Bill Lee in May 2021.

Zsanett Williams, MSN'20, moderated "The Power of Diversity in Nursing and Initiatives to Increase Diversity and Inclusion," hosted by the VUSN DNP Student Diversity Affinity Group in February 2021.

Amy Wilson, DNP'20, was listed by Becker's Hospital Review in February 2022 as one of "66 chief nursing officers of hospitals and health systems to know."

Whitney Withrow, MSN'20, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore (2021).

Kaylin Wolfe, MSN'20, presented a poster, "Improving Patient and Family Centered Care through Transparency," at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Nursing Virtual Research Day in October 2020.

Maggie Woods, MSN'20, is an adult nurse practitioner at the Resurge Clinic in Weatherford, Texas (2022).

Esther Adedokun, MSN'21, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Rebound Behavioral Health in Lancaster, South Carolina, and Gastonia, North Carolina, where her scope of practice is adults of all ages.

Alison Anderson, MSN'05, PhD'21, is co-author of "Determining the Impact of Age and Sex on the Psychophysical and Neurophysiological Response to Thermal Pain across the Adult Lifespan," published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing in January 2021, and lead author of "Experimentally Evoked Pain in Alzheimer's Disease," published in March in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She co-authored "Neuroimaging Methods for Nursing Science," published in December 2019 in Nursing Research, and "Pain Management," in the December 2017 issue of Critical Care Nursing Clinics.

Lydia Anderson, MSN'21, joined Berks Community Health Center in Pennsylvania as a certified nurse-midwife in August 2022.

Christine Arnold, MSN'21, was featured in Pro News Report in March 2022 for her work as a pediatric nurse practitioner at Children First Pediatrics of Virginia in Martinsville.

Emily Brignola, BA'14, MSN'19, DNP'21, received the Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in November 2022, and an Excellence in Patient Experience Award from VUMC in October 2021. She is a nurse practitioner specializing in otolaryngology, otology and neurotology at the Bill Wilkerson Center.

Branden Bruzzese, MSN'21, is a pulmonary/medical critical care nurse practitioner at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville (2022).

Megan Cohen, MSN'21, joined Genesis Care for Women in Smyrna, Tennessee, as a nurse practitioner in August 2022.

Austin Crowell, MSN'21, was a panelist for "'I Have the Best Job in the World!' A Day in the Life of a Nurse Informaticist," in April 2022, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. He is a business intelligence solutions architect at Baptist Health South Florida, headquartered in Coral Gables.

Kelly Davis, MSN'10, PhD'21, is lead author of "Postoperative Opioid Administration and Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms in Preschool Children after Cardiac Surgery," published in the November 2022 issue of the  Journal of Pediatric Nursing. She completed her PhD in nursing at Vanderbilt University in May 2021. Her dissertation is "Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms in Preschool Children following Cardiac Surgery." She received the Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Jerita Payne (MSN'90, MMHC'13) Advanced Practice Nurse of the Year Award in May 2018, and presented at the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Critical Care Bootcamp at VUMC that August. 

Kendra Osborn Delaney, BA'15, MSN'17, PhD'21, presented, "It Starts with the Gut: A Functional Medicine Approach to Mental Health and Wellness," in March 2022, hosted by the VUSN School Life Committee. She completed her PhD at Vanderbilt in May; her dissertation is, "The Association between COVID-19 Anxiety, Drinking to Cope, Alcohol Self-medication and Alcohol Use in Young Adults: A Cross-sectional Descriptive Study." She was a panelist for the VUSN Alumni Board's annual MSN Know Your Value in January 2020. Kendra is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner at Sterling Primary Care in Nashville.

Samantha Dmochowski, MSN'21, is an advanced practice nurse and the metabolic and bariatric surgery accreditation and quality improvement program coordinator at Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she sees adult patients in outpatient obesity medicine (2022).

Patty Donley, DNP'21, was named vice president of WellSpan Health and president of WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, effective February 2022.

Elizabeth Espinoza, PMC'18, DNP'21, is an assistant professor at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, where she teaches pediatric acute care nurse practitioner and doctor of nursing practice students, and provides pediatric intensive care (2022).

Frances Gaudier-Schmidt, MSN'18, DNP'21, moderated a panel, "The Power of Diversity in Nursing and Initiatives to Increase Diversity and Inclusion," hosted by the VUSN DNP Student Diversity Affinity Group in February 2021.

Michelle Graf, PhD'21, co-authored "Choking, Allergic Reactions and Pickiness: A Qualitative Study of Maternal Perceived Threats and Risk Avoidance Strategies during Complementary Feeding," published in Appetite in January 2022.

Keon Gregory, DNP'21, was interviewed by Winona Times (Mississippi) in December 2021 for "Never Give Up: Winona Native Earns Doctorate Degree in Nursing."

Rachel Hanauer, MSN'21, joined Ferguson Medical Group–Charleston in Missouri as a nurse practitioner in January 2022.

Cathleen Handke, PMC'21, is owner of You In Mind Behavioral Health in Norfolk, Nebraska (2022).

Jennifer Hartzler, MSN'21, is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner on the post-traumatic stress disorder clinical team at the North Florida/South Georgia U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Southpoint Outpatient Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida (2022).

Jonathan Henzel, MSN'21, is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner at Prairie Family Medicine in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where he specializes in outpatient mental health for patients 16 years and older (2022).

Komi Kokou-Abi, MSN'19, DNP'21, was a panelist for "What a Nurse Can Do: The Surprisingly Broad Range of Expertise among Nurses/Nurse Practitioners," in May 2021, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. He is founder and executive director of Baobab Psychiatric Services in Austin, Texas.

Khristine Lautchang, MSN'21, was a panelist for "'I Have the Best Job in the World!' A Day in the Life of a Nurse Informaticist," in April 2022, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. She is a clinical systems analyst at Valley Hospital in Las Vegas.

Nadia Luna, PMC'21, is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner at You In Mind in Norfolk, Nebraska (2022).

Katie Mann, MSN'21, is a family nurse practitioner at WellNow Urgent Care in Norridge, Illinois, where she sees urgent care patients of all ages (2022).

Heather Hair Meissen, MSN'05, DNP'21, was appointed as commissioner to the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs in August 2020. She co-presented a fundamentals of critical care course at the American Association of Nursing Practitioners conference in June 2019, and presented at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses National Teaching Institute meeting in May 2018. Heather 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 nurse practitioner in the critical care medicine-surgical intensive care unit at Emory University Hospital.

Emma Metz, MSN'21, is lead author of "Patient Consent for Student Performed Pelvic Exams," published in Women's Healthcare in February 2022.

Shauna Michael, MSN'21, was a panelist for "'I Have the Best Job in the World!' A Day in the Life of a Nurse Informaticist," in April 2022, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. She is an independent consultant at Kelly Willenberg in Nashville.

Kyle Miller, MSN'21, is a cardiology nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (2022).

Daniel Morales, MSN'21, is a nurse practitioner at Karabots Pediatric Care Center in West Philadelphia (2022).

Alexandra Mullins, MSN'21, is a women's health nurse practitioner at Aurora OB/GYN in San Antonio, where she provides obstetric and gynecologic care to women of all ages, including high-risk pregnancy care and procedures (2022).

Liz Munoz, MSN'13, DNP'21, was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, gave a workshop on her doctor of nursing practice project, "Clinical Pathways to Expanding Midwifery Care and Increasing Vaginal Birth for Individuals of Size," and co-presented, "Addressing Weight Bias in Clinical Conversations," at the ACNM conference in May 2022. She was featured by the Nashville Scene in January 2020 for a story about the Vanderbilt Volunteer Doula Program she and VUSN faculty started when she was a student, and where she is the nurse-midwifery liaison. She received the March of Dimes Tennessee Chapter Women's Health Nurse of the Year Award in December 2016.

Oumy Niang, MSN'21, is lead author of "Cultural Parallels between Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and Female Genital Mutilation," published in Women's Healthcare in April 2022.

Rebecca Silvers, MSN'13, DNP'21, co-received a Best Abstract Honor at the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies conference in July 2022, where she presented a poster, "Capacity Building in Northern Laos: An Evaluation of the Pediatric Nursing Training Program at Laos Friends Hospital for Children." She is lead author of "Capacity Building in Low- and Middle-income Countries: The Essentials of Sustainable Education Programs," published in the August issue of The Nurse Practitioner. In September, Rebecca was named inaugural director of the Center for Global Nursing at the University of California San Francisco, where she is a pediatric neurosurgery and critical care nurse practitioner at the Benioff Children's Hospitals, and assistant clinical professor in the School of Nursing. She is lead author of "Capacity Building in Northern Laos: An Evaluation of the Pediatric Nursing Training Program at Laos Friends Hospital for Children," published in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine in November. Rebecca is VUSN's Founder's Medalist for 2021. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Benioff Children's Hospitals in Oakland, California, and on faculty at University of California San Francisco School of Nursing.

Lauren Smith, MEd'18, MSN'21, received a DAISY Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in April 2022.

Kathy Steen, MSN'21, joined the staff of Inspired Psychiatric Care in Overland Park, Kansas, in October 2021, as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. The practice is owned by Elizabeth Blanchard Hills, MSN'18.

Isabell Stolz, DNP'21, is an assistant professor at University of Texas Health in San Antonio, where she specializes in undergraduate and graduate nursing education (2022).

Sabrina Stover, MSN'18, PMC'21, joined CHI Memorial Family Practice Associates—Cleveland in Tennessee in June 2022 as an advanced practice provider. She had been an NP at CHI Memorial Infectious Disease Associates in Chattanooga, where she incorporated mind, body and spirit in caring for the human immunodeficiency virus population while utilizing resources through the Ryan White Program.

Lexa Taylor, MSN'19, DNP'21, was featured in an advertisement for the Health Resources and Services Administration's Nurse Corps Scholarship Fund in spring 2021, and is co-author of "Influenza Vaccine Community Outreach: Leveraging an Interprofessional Healthcare Student Workforce to Immunize Marginalized Populations," published in June in Preventive Medicine. She was featured in Noozhawk in August 2020, for a story about the Bridge Clinic in Santa Barbara, California, where she provides treatment for people with substance use disorders.

Ashley Mark Walker, MSN'08, DNP'21, is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Pediatrix Critical Care and Hospitalist Care of Nevada in Reno (2022).

Cory Williams, MSN'19, DNP'21, co-presented at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners conference in June 2022.

Brett Young, MSN'21, is co-author of Hospital at Home: Development of Pharmacy Services," published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy in November 2022. He was named inaugural manager of patient care services for the Vanderbilt at Home program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in October 2021, and is a Post Master's student at VUSN.

Thomas Young, MSN'18, DNP'21, received the Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in November 2022, and an Excellence in Patient Experience Award from VUMC in October 2021.

Delaney Boyce, MSN'20, DNP'22, co-presented, "Growing from What We Learned… VUMC Preceptor Assessment," during Vanderbilt University Medical Center advanced practice grand rounds in July 2022. She is lead author of "Perceptions of Motivating Factors and Barriers to Precepting," published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in November.

Zach Campbell, MSN'22, joined the staff at Cempa Community Care in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in December 2022, as a nurse practitioner.

Austin Darling, MSN'22, of Nashville, passed away August 31, 2022. He is co-author of "An Analogue Study Investigating Differential Parenting of Gender Conforming and Nonconforming Boys," published in Archives of Sexual Behavior that month.

Nhan Dinh, MSN'18, DNP'22, co-authored the chapter, "Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 (DPP4) Inhibitors," in the book, Diabetes and Kidney Disease, published by Springer in January 2022. She co-authored "Managing Diabetes and Hypertension in Chronic Kidney Disease," published in The Nurse Practitioner in November 2021, and published "Acute Kidney Injury: Challenges and Opportunities," in The Nurse Practitioner in April 2020. She is a nephrology nurse practitioner at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she evaluates patients for renal transplant and provides post-transplant care.

Tara Duffie, MSN'20, DNP'22, is lead author of "Eye Redness and Pain," published in the Visual Journal of Emergency Medicine in April 2022, and co-author of "Traumatic Brain Injury-related Attention Deficits in Children: A Controlled Treatment Trial with Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate (Vyvanse)," published in January 2021 in Brain Sciences. She is a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Athena Consulting and Psychological Services in Nashville.

Erica Frechman, PhD'22, is lead author of "Development of a Planning for Aging and Frailty Questionnaire," published in Research in Gerontological Nursing in September 2022, and presented two papers at the Gerontological Society of America annual scientific meeting in November.

Katy Hansen, MSN'10, PhD'22, coauthored "Career Building for the New Professional Nurse," published in the May 2022 issue of Tennessee Nurse, and successfully defended her dissertation at Vanderbilt titled, "Factors Associated with the Use of Complementary and Integrative Healthcare by Patients with Chronic Pain," in November. She is co-author of "Preference for Telehealth Sustained over Three Months at an Outpatient Center for Integrative Medicine," published in January 2021 in Global Advances in Health and Medicine, and lead author of "A Call to Action: Adoption of Trauma Informed Care in Complementary and Integrative Health Services," in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in February. She led a class at the Vanderbilt Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, "Living Well with Chronic Pain: Skills and Practices," in May, and received an Excellence in Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in October. Katy was featured in the March 2020 issue of VUMC Voice in a first-person account of using telehealth during the COVID-19 crisis, and was highlighted in the Osher Center summer 2016 newsletter. Katy is a nurse practitioner at the Osher Center.

Buffy Lupear, DNP'14, PMC'22, co-presented, "Prioritizing Wellness from Within," in February 2022 as part of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Advanced Practice Grand Rounds, and is co-author of "Development and Testing of an Advanced Practice Clinical Advancement Program within an Academic Medical Center," published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in September 2021. She is mentioned in a January 2020 Overton County News story about Vanderbilt researchers studying noise levels during critical times of surgery, and the impact on patient safety and employee well-being, and is co-author of "Development and Testing of an Advanced Practice Clinical Advancement Program within an Academic Medical Center, published in July in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She presented that year at the National League for Nursing Summit about her experience as an American Nurses Credentialing Center Practice Transition Accreditation Program fellow. Buffy co-authored "Assessing and Addressing Practitioner Burnout: Results from an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Health and Well-being Study," published in November 2019 in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She was published in VUMC's The Empowered Nurse: Peer-Reviewed Journal for Innovative VUMC Nursing Research, Volume 1, Issue 2, in November 2018, and received the March of Dimes Tennessee Chapter Advanced Practice Nurse of the Year Award in December 2016.

Mark Miller, MSN'22, was appointed a member of the VUSN Alumni Board in September 2022. He is an adult-gerontology nurse practitioner and associate nursing professor at Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee.

Stacy Miller, MSN'20, DNP'22, was a panelist for "SANE: Improving Outcomes for Survivors of Sexual Assault (Part 2)," in April 2022, and for "SANE: Improving Outcomes for Survivors of Sexual Assault (Part 1)," in October 2021, both part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. She is a pediatric forensic nurse practitioner in the Children's Advocacy Center of Northeast Pennsylvania.

Robyn Schafer, PhD'22, co-presented, "'I Have No Choice Here': Experience of Decision-making for Home Breech Birth," and "Induction of Labor Techniques to Avoid Unnecessary Cesarean Birth: Updates from the New ACNM Clinical Bulletin on Induction of Labor," at the American College of Nurse-Midwives conference in May 2022.

Emily Cote Skotte, MSN'12, DNP'22, received the Patient Experience Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in November 2022.