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 with any updates, or call 615-322-4836. And, when posting on social media please tag us! #VUSN

Look below for news from your classmates as of December 31, 2022. Items received since July 1, 2022 are shown in red font.

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Keith Adkins, MSN'08, is a nurse practitioner at The Heart Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, specializing in cardiology (2020).

Terrah Foster Akard, MSN'01, PhD'08, is co-author of "Protocol of a Pilot Study of the Effects of Animal-assisted Interactions (AAI) on Quality of Life in Children with Life-threatening Conditions and Their Parents," published in December 2021 in the International Journal of Palliative Nursing , and lead author of "Ethical Considerations in Oncology and Palliative Care Research during COVID-19," in the Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nursing in February 2022. That month, she was named associate dean for academic affairs at the Vanderbilt University Graduate School, news of which was covered by Nashville Post and Women in Academia Report . Terrah co-authored "Factors Affecting COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Parents of Children with Cancer," published in April in Pediatric Blood & Cancer , and "Postoperative Opioid Administration and Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms in Preschool Children after Cardiac Surgery," in the November issue of the  Journal of Pediatric Nursing . Terrah was appointed director of Vanderbilt University's PhD in Nursing Science program in 2021. That March, four articles she co-authored were published: "Associations of Age, Gender and Family Income with Quality of Life in Children with Advanced Cancer," in the Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing ; "Parental Posttraumatic Growth after Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant," in the Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care Medicine ; "Parent Caregiving Experiences and Posttraumatic Growth following Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant," in the Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing ; and "Facebook Recruitment for Children with Advanced Cancer and Their Parents: Lessons from a Web-based Pediatric Palliative Intervention Study," in Progress in Palliative Care . She was a panelist for "How the Media and Entertainment Industry Perpetuate Stereotypes of Nursing (and Why That Hurts Everyone)," in May, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. Terrah is co-author of "Impact of End-of-life Circumstances on the Adjustment of Bereaved Siblings of Children Who Died from Cancer," published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings in June, and "Parenting Surviving Children after the Death of a Child from Cancer: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis," in the Journal of Child & Family Studies . She co-authored "Hemoptysis Associated with Percutaneous Transthoracic Needle Biopsy: Development of Critical Events Checklist and Procedure Outcomes," in the Journal of Radiology Nursing in September, and, in October, "Animal-assisted Interventions for Children with Advanced Cancer: Child and Parent Perceptions," published in Palliative Medicine Reports . That month, Terrah received the Alumni Award for National Leadership, presented by the VUSN Alumni Association during the school's annual awards ceremony. She is co-author of "Digital Storytelling for Bereaved Individuals in a Virtual Setting," published in Omega–Journal of Death and Dying , and "The Effects of Animal-assisted Interactions on Quality of Life in Children with Life-threatening Conditions and their Parents," in the International Journal of Palliative Nursing , both in December. Terrah co-authored "'Connection': The Integration of a Person-centered Narrative Intervention into the Electronic Health Record: An Implementation Study," in the January 2020 issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine , and "Transforming a Face-to-face Legacy Intervention to a Web-based Legacy Intervention for Children With Advanced Cancer," in the Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing in February. She is lead author of "Randomized Clinical Trial of a Legacy Intervention for Quality of Life in Children with Advanced Cancer," published in the Journal of Palliative Care Medicine , and co-authored "Toward a Better Understanding: An Exploration of Provider Perceptions in Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Adherence," published in Pediatric Transplantation , both in September. She is lead author of "Improved Parent-child Communication following a RCT Evaluating a Legacy Intervention for Children with Advanced Cancer," in Progress in Palliative Care in October, and "Research Cooperative Groups in Pediatric Palliative Care Research," published in December by Palliative Medicine Reports . Terrah was named a Vanderbilt University Chancellor Faculty fellow in May 2019. She co-published "Parent and Child Preferences and Styles of Communication about Cancer Diagnoses and Treatment," in the Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing , and co-presented a poster, "Exploration of Parent and Child Preferences for Communication about Cancer," at the Sigma Theta Tau Congress that July. She co-authored "The Influence of Parent Distress and Parenting on Bereaved Siblings' Externalizing Problems," published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies in December. Terrah received the March of Dimes Tennessee Chapter 2018 Nurse of the Year Award for nursing education, and was invited to participate in the Vanderbilt Leadership Academy, the university's program to identify and develop academic and administrative leaders. In 2017, Terrah was named a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, was featured in The Vanderbilt Hustler  for her work with children with life-threatening conditions, and was named Nurse of the Week by The Daily Nurse. She was approved for tenure in 2016 as an associate professor at Vanderbilt. Terrah and her team are studying the effects of songwriting intervention for children with serious illnesses and their family members.

Marti Alexander-Bingham, MSN'08 , of Franklin, Tennessee, passed away February 25, 2022.

Rob Anderson, MSN'08, is an assistant in general internal medicine and public health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville (2017).

Richard Aries, MSN'08, is in medical staff services at Swedish Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle (2016). 

Anabel Robertson Atkinson, MSN'08, is a school nurse at University Park Elementary in Dallas (2017).

Autumne Bailey, MSN'08, is administrative director of performance, management and improvement at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt (2017).

Sarah Barrett, MSN'08, was nominated in May 2022 for a Vanderbilt University Medical Center award named in memory of the late Jerita Payne, MSN'90, MMHC'13 , and presented at the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Critical Care Bootcamp at VUMC in August 2018. 

Kalin Bird, MSN'08, is medical science liaison at Gamida Cell headquartered in Boston. She was in clinical practice as a nurse practitioner until 2018, specializing in hematology, oncology and stem cell transplant.

E lizabeth Morrell Brannan, MSN'08, is a nurse practitioner at University of Maryland Saint Joseph Medical Center's Towson Orthopaedic Associates (2022).

Ashley Brown, MSN'08, is a family psychiatric nurse practitioner at Mental Health Cooperative in Nashville (2021).

Brittany Hagy Broyhill, BS'06, MSN'08, DNP'13, was a panelist for "Capturing APP Value: Industry Leaders Share Their Experiences," hosted by the Chartis Group in March 2021, and is featured in the NP Pulse: The Voice of Nurse Practitioners podcast, "NP Leadership: Going the Extra Mile," recorded in November. She co-authored "Developing and Expanding APRN and PA teams," published by American Nurse in December 2020, and received the Pinnacle Award from Atrium Health in November 2019. Brittany presented at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses National Teaching Institute meeting and at the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Critical Care Bootcamp at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, both in 2018. She received the Alumni Award for Excellence in Nursing presented by the VUSN Alumni Association at the school's annual awards ceremony in 2016.

Mary Carter-Orbke, MSN'08, was a panelist for "Trauma and Addiction: Breaking the Cycle for Women," in September 2022, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum.

Amanda Brown Comer, MSN'08, is co-author of "Consideration of the Emergency Nurse Practitioner as a Population within the APRN Consensus Model: A SWOT Analysis," published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in October 2022. 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.

Trina Corley, MSN'08, is the owner and provider at Advanced Family Medical Clinic in Nashville (2017).

Kalyn Bowra Crosby, BS'07, MSN'08, joined Nashville Skin as a nurse practitioner in March 2018. 

Claire Givens Crunk, MSN'08, was featured by the Tennessean in August 2021 in an article about Trace Femcare, the company she founded, which manufactures tampons made from hemp. She participated in a VUSN women's health nurse practitioner alumni panel in August 2017.

Katie DeFries, MSN'08, is the 2014 recipient of the Distinguished Nursing Alumna Award from the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville.

Laura Devor, MSN'08, is a nurse practitioner at Rocky Mountain Restorative Medicine in Montrose, Colorado (2020).

Tracey DeWire, MSN'08, 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 featured on the VUMC website in its Advanced Practice Provider Spotlight and is a nurse practitioner in surgical oncology at Vanderbilt Breast Center.

Louise Dobkins, MSN'08, is an adult nurse practitioner at Swedish Primary Care at Mercer Island, Washington, and mother of Caroline Leithner, MSN'16, MDiv'16.

Michelle Drew, MSN'08, was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and hosted a workshop on "Manual Vacuum Aspiration Skills for Midwives: Midwifery as Radical Justice," at the ACNM conference in May 2022, where she received the Health Equity Award. She is a nurse practitioner in obstetrics and gynecology at ChristianaCare's Wilmington Women's Health in Delaware.

April Dunlevy, MSN'08, is a registered nurse at Alaska Heart and Vascular Institute in Anchorage (2019).

Samantha Eagle, MSN'08, PMC'13, presented at the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Critical Care Bootcamp at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in August 2018. 

Anitra Ellerby-Brown, MSN'08, was a panelist for "Mental Health and Black America Today: Where Are We?" in February 2021, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. She is director of clinical services and a family nurse practitioner/certified nurse-midwife at PopHealthCare in Franklin, Tennessee.

Stephanie Fisher, MSN'08, was selected for the 2016 Faculty Achievement Award for Undergraduate Teaching at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon.

Lisa James Flemmons, MSN'08, presented, "Navigating a Pandemic: Our Team's Journey," during the Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Advanced Practice Grand Rounds Kick-Off in January 2022, and was interviewed in a Vanderbilt Magazine article in February 2021 about the emotional impact of caring for COVID patients on VUMC providers. She was photographed by the Nashville Scene in December 2020 in an article honoring health care workers as Nashvillians of the Year, and appeared in The Vanderbilt Hustler , Columbia Daily Herald and several local television stations stories about VUMC distributing the first COVID-19 vaccines to heath care providers. Lisa presented at the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Critical Care Bootcamp in August 2018 at VUMC, where she is a nurse practitioner in the medical intensive care center.

Amber Avara Fountain, MSN'08 , of Amarillo, Texas, passed away March 22, 2022.

Lisa Garwood, MSN'08, is a nurse practitioner at Mid-State Gastroenterology in Murfreesboro, Tennessee (2020).

Tracey Gibbs, MSN'08, is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner at Comprehensive Care Behavioral Health in Meridian, Mississippi (2022).

Amy Hamlin, PhD'08, is a board member of the Tennessee Nurses Foundation (2021).

Alison Hartwell, MSN'08, is a certified nurse-midwife at Acclaim Nurse-Midwives in Fort Worth, Texas (2020).

Chelsia Harris, MSN'08, received the Tennessee Rising Star Nurse Leader Award from the Tennessee Nurses Association, Tennessee Hospital Association and Tennessee Action Coalition in April 2022, and was named executive director of the Lipscomb University School of Nursing in Nashville in June 2019. She appeared on OzarksLive! in Springfield, Missouri, in September 2015 to discuss her book, Created & Called.  

Hillary Hatcher, MSN'08, presented about osteoporosis at the Franklin, Tennessee, office of Dani Williamson, MSN'09, in August 2017. She is a nurse practitioner at Neurosurgery Associates in Nashville.

Lydia Vincent Hathorn, MSN'08, is a women's health nurse practitioner at the Gynecology Specialty Clinic at Parkland Hospital in Dallas (2019).

Elizabeth Adair Herbert, MSN'08, 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 at Vanderbilt Children's Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

Jane Hipps, MSN'08 , of Waynesville, North Carolina, passed away February 6, 2019.

Liz Howard, PhD'08, is lead author of "Ode to a Mentor," published in the January/March 2021 issue of The Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing . She presented "Understanding Your Options: From Bump to Birth and Beyond," in October 2020, as part of the Empowered to Flourish Series presented by the Flourish Fund and Women & Infants.

Haley Hoy, PhD'08, is the associate dean of graduate programs, associate professor and acute care nurse practitioner at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (2017).

Todd Isbell, MSN'08, was named chief nursing officer in July 2019 at Memorial Health in Savannah, serving 35 counties in southeast Georgia.

Sharon Karp, MSN'99, PhD'08, is co-author of "Choking, Allergic Reactions and Pickiness: A Qualitative Study of Maternal Perceived Threats and Risk Avoidance Strategies during Complementary Feeding," published in April 2022 in Appetite . She was inducted as a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in June. Sharon was named director of program evaluations at VUSN in June 2021. She co-authored "Clinical Strategies for Addressing Obesity in Infants and Toddlers," published in The Nurse Practitioner in February 2021. She was appointed director of program evaluations at VUSN in May. She co-authored "Infant Feeding Beliefs and Practices: Effects of Maternal Personal Characteristics," published in the Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing in May 2020, and "Family-Centered Care: How Close Do We Get When Talking to Parents of Children Undergoing Diagnosis for Autism Spectrum Disorders?" published in November in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders . She was published in the March 2019 issue of Nursing Clinics and received the VUSN Tradition Meets Innovation Award in May 2018. She is chair of the Acute and Chronic Care Community at VUSN.

Kristina Kimball, MSN'08, joined the Watkins Clinic in Lakeland, Florida, in March 2021 as a pediatric nurse practitioner.

Rachel Kimble, MSN'08, is an acute care nurse practitioner at CHI Memorial in Chattanooga, Tennessee (2017).

Ingrid Larson, MSN'08, is one of 20 members named to the 2021 American Organization for Nurse Leadership's Young Professional Voices.

Amanda Dean Martin, MSN'08, is chief of advanced practice and clinical integration for the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she provides strategic oversight of advanced practice providers, genetic counselors, telehealth, cancer screening, cancer survivorship and patient access efforts for the oncology service line throughout Arizona and Northern Colorado (2018). 

Lesley Mathis, MSN'08, wrote "Keys to Maximizing Business, Clinical and Operational Efficiencies in the World of Remote Patient Monitoring," published on the Care Innovations blog. She is a clinical manager with Care Innovations and lives in the Nashville area (2019).

Cameron McGregor, MSN'08, was named among the Dayton Business Journal's 2015 Class of Forty Under 40. She is system vice president at the Neuroscience and Oncology Institutes for Premier Health in Dayton, Ohio.  

Keith McKernan, MSN'08, joined the faculty of Aspen University School of Nursing and Health Sciences in Denver as an adjunct professor in September 2020, teaching in the bachelor of science in nursing pre-licensing and bachelor of science in health care administration programs.

Amanda Fordham Milliniks, MSN'08, is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Academy Children's Clinic in Nashville (2020).

Sonya Moore, MSN'08, is the director of adult performance management and improvement in the department of quality, safety and risk prevention at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (2018). 

Corrie Logan Morris, MSN'08, joined the staff of Baptist Health Medical Group Cardiology in Lexington, Kentucky, in October 2020 as a nurse practitioner.

Diane Nicholls, MSN'08 , of Bakersfield, California, passed away May 6, 2022.

Lauren Nevels Oliver, MSN'08, presented at the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Critical Care Bootcamp at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in August 2018. 

Mary Prisco, MSN'08, is a nurse practitioner at Neighborhood Health in Nashville (2017).

Mollie Lehner Reed, MSN'08, is a nurse practitioner in the Sarah Cannon Research Institute drug development unit at Tennessee Oncology in Nashville and a leadership board member of the AIM with Immunotherapy Foundation and (2020).

Cathi Reisenberg, MSN'90, PhD'08, is assistant clinical professor and director of the Washington Squared Program at George Washington University School of Nursing in Ashburn, Virginia (2021).

Teresa Reske, MSN'08, was promoted to associate dean of graduate and doctoral studies for the school of nursing at the College of Our Lady of the Elms in Chicopee, Massachusetts, in September 2020.

Anna Samuel, MSN'08, authored "Acute Myocardial Infarction from Embolized Left Ventricular Thrombus in Coronavirus Disease 2019," published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners in June 2022. She is an inpatient cardiovascular nurse practitioner at the Texoma Medical Center in Denison, Texas, while pursuing her doctorate of nursing practice at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Matt Schroer, MSN'08, co-presented at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners conference in June 2022. He received APNA's Tennessee Chapter Award and the Sara K. Archer Excellence in Teaching Award from students in the VUSN Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty, both in August. He is co-author of "Identifying Mental Health Issues Associated with Infertility," published in the November issue of The Journal for Nurse Practitioners . Matt presented at the Tennessee chapter of APNA at its conference in April 2021 and was promoted to assistant professor at VUSN in June. He received the Sara K. Archer Award from PMHNP students in August, and co-presented, "Trauma in Children and Adolescents: A Roadmap for Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment," in October at the APNA Pre-Conference, and "Mental Health Virtual Escape Room," at the APNA conference in October. Matt co-authored "Easing the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 for Nurses," published in April 2020 in American Nurse , and received the VUSN Daisy Award for Small Group Facilitator at the MSN Level in June. He co-authored "Easing the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 for Nurses: An Update for Tennessee Nurses," published in the summer issue of Tennessee Nurse . Matt is lead author of "Treating Child and Adolescent Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Behavioral Disorders in Primary Care," and co-author of "Treating Child and Adolescent Depression and Anxiety in Primary Care," both in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners in September. He was a panelist for "Compassion Fatigue during COVID-19: How Nurses and NPs Can Stay Grounded," in November, part of the VUSN Dore to Door Alumni Forum. Matt completed his doctor of nursing practice at Maryville University in Saint Louis in September 2017. His project, "The Qualitative Examination of the Lived Experience of a Mindfulness Information Course on the Self-care Practices of Mental Health Clinicians," was completed at Mercy Clinic in Franklin, Tennessee, where he is a psychiatric NP.

Katie Levy Sibler, MSN'08, 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.

Trickera Sims, MSN'08, is a family nurse practitioner in Savannah, Georgia (2016).

Micah Skeens, PhD'08, is lead author of "Toward a Better Understanding: An Exploration of Provider Perceptions in Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Adherence," published in Pediatric Transplantation in July 2020.

Amanda Fullerton Squires, MSN'08, DNP'15, is a nurse practitioner at Las Vegas Urology (2022).

Christine Gerson Suriani, MSN'08, is on staff at Centre Pediatric Associates in Brookline, Massachusetts (2016).  

Erin Tolbert, MSN'08, founded MidLevelU, an online resource for nurse practitioners and physician assistants (2016). 

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

Dederick Yeargin, MSN'08, is an advance practice nurse at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Dover, Tennessee, where he assists retired and disabled vets in the region (2017).