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A multidisciplinary team that includes Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Associate Professor Kelly Aldrich, DNP, FHIMSS, in collaboration with the School of Engineering, established the foundation for an automated, up-to-date assessment of personal protective equipment across U.S. hospitals—work that got its start before the COVID-19 pandemic, but took on greater urgency. Read More

School of Nursing leaders representing specialties ranging from nurse-midwifery to family nurse practitioner visited the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Fort Campbell last week. The visit was a reciprocal one after Blanchfield leaders toured VUSN recently. The visits are part of an initiative to deepen a partnership between VUSN and the military hospital. During their visit, they discussed educational opportunities and student placements for those interested in military medicine. VUSN academic and clinical placement leaders were also part of the field trip. Read More

The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Building has earned LEED certification, signifying it is a healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green building. The building opened in 2019 as one of the university's most technically advanced facilities complete with interactive and virtual classrooms and cutting-edge simulation laboratory. It earned the Gold LEED accreditation by incorporating high efficiency flush and flow plumbing, installing systems for energy cost savings and strategically sourcing raw materials—including repurposing a tree removed from the site as material for a focal wall. Read More

Topics ranging from intercultural competency to climate change and social justice will be part of the School of Nursing’s Diversity Month activities ending March 1. Each activity consists of student-developed programming about different cultures and health challenges. They are presented by diversity-based student organizations as a means of creating dialogue… Read More

Assistant Professors Christian Ketel, DNP’14, RN, and Carrie Plummer, PhD, MSN’05, ANP-BC, received Vanderbilt’s 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. Award on Monday, Jan. 17, for developing and leading the VUSN/VUMC Mobile Vaccine program. The award recognizes Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, School of Nursing or Medical Center… Read More

Sharon Jones, assistant professor of nursing, and David G. Schlundt, associate professor of psychology, are participating in a collaborative research project to address health disparities and advance health equity in Nashville. The five-year project—Engaging Partners in Caring… Read More

The School of Nursing Diversity and Inclusion committee will host a webinar on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m. CST to discuss “COVID Perspectives, Values and Vaccination Hesitancy.” A panel of public health and prevention experts will  discuss the complexities of personal and professional communication with individuals who are hesitant or… Read More

A researcher working on financial, legal and medical interventions for social determinants of health will give the winter 2022 Vanderbilt School of Nursing Dean’s Diversity Lecture on Tuesday, Jan. 11, at noon-1 p.m. CST. The lecture will be presented virtually on Zoom. The event is free, but registration is necessary. Register Read More

Martha A. Dawson, DNP, RN, FACHE, president of the National Black Nurses Association, will present the 21st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture on Monday, Jan. 17, noon-1 p.m. CST. Co-sponsored by the Vanderbilt School of Nursing and Vanderbilt School of Medicine, this year’s MLK Day lecture will be… Read More

Following Vanderbilt University's announcement that undergraduate and most graduate schools would postpone the start of the spring 2022 semester until January 17, Dean Pamela Jeffries provided specific information for the School of Nursing. Highlights included the information that VUSN classes would start January 4 as previously scheduled, that staff would work remotely until January 18, and that most specialty program classes would start in hybrid/remote formats for the first few weeks of 2022. Read her message Read More

Assistant Professor Colleen Reilly Moss, BS’00, MSN’01, DNP, NNP-BC, has been named academic director for the neonatal nurse practitioner specialty at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Moss had been interim co-director with assistant professor Patricia Scott, DNP, NNP-BC, C-NPT. “Colleen has a passion… Read More

For many people, hospitals are uncomfortable places where reminders of illness and injury are at every turn. But for Pamela R. Jeffries, PhD, FAAN, ANEF, FSSH, visits to a large hospital in Indianapolis as a teenager were fascinating, even inspiring, experiences. Among the earliest influences on her career path in nursing education and innovation was witnessing the hospital staff’s dedication to patient care. Read More

Walk into any modern hospital room and you’ll find as much precisely calibrated equipment as in the cockpit of a 787, machines capable of monitoring and recording just about every known biological function. It’s often nurses who utilize this ever-more sophisticated technology, drawing on real-time data to help treat patients and collaborate with the health care team in making diagnoses or charting a path for care. Read More

The pandemic affected all nursing professionals. Vanderbilt School of Nursing faculty pivoted to teach students in virtual settings, spearheaded clinical innovations such as expanded telehealth and nurse-on-call programs, studied pandemic responses and best practices, and provided leadership locally, regionally, nationally and globally. They also continued scholarly and research activities. The following pages represent select accomplishments by VUSN nurse scientists, educators and leaders in the academic and scientific arenas from the past year. Read More

There are key differences between acute and chronic illnesses—one is associated with conditions that occur suddenly but eventually dissipate, while the other’s symptoms are long lasting and worsen over time. But together they make up one of the School of Nursing’s signature areas of research, with faculty united around the idea of improving the lives of patients through creative thinking and problem solving. Read More

The knocking at the front door startled Melissa Williams* as she tried unsuccessfully to nap between jobs. Ever since the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 had taken Nashville into its grip, sleep had not come easily to the young single mother, who was worried about her children’s health as well as her own. So, when she opened the door to find representatives of Vanderbilt’s Mobile Vaccine Program on her porch, a feeling of relief washed over her. Read More

At a retirement center nestled in the hills of Nashville, a cadre of Vanderbilt nurses have built a community within a community. No single career experience connects them—they’ve been war nurses, flight nurses, ER nurses and floor nurses, as well as teachers, researchers and administrators. Their relationships are woven through their vast web of experience, with their love of nursing at the hub. “Nurses always find each other,” says Charlotte Covington, BSN’69, MSN’89, associate professor of nursing, emerita. Read More

Dean Pamela Jeffries pens her first letter for "Vanderbilt Nurse." She outlines the changes coming to nursing education nationally and shares about her first 100 days at Vanderbilt School of Nursing. Read More

Current funding in research, nonresearch and clinical-community partnership grants Read More

New additions to the Vanderbilt School of Nursing faculty bring expertise in education, practice, research and scholarship. Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing faculty are recognized for discovery, scholarship and leadership in the nursing profession and higher education. Here is an abridged list of their work during the last full calendar year, followed by a sampling of student accomplishments. Read More

Two major accreditation organizations have reaccredited Vanderbilt School of Nursing through 2031. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education reaccredited the school for its master of science in nursing, doctorate in nursing practice and post-master’s certificate programs and the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education Board of Review reaccredited VUSN’s MSN nurse-midwifery… Read More

National nursing associations inducted 10 School of Nursing faculty as fellows in 2021. Invitation to fellowship is one of the highest recognitions bestowed by the nursing profession. Melissa Davis Stephanie Devane-Johnson Margaret C. Taylor Jeremy Neal… Read More

Three of the nation’s professional nursing associations have elected Vanderbilt faculty to their highest offices. Read More

Four Vanderbilt School of Nursing faculty have been appointed to leadership roles with national organizations, including the National Advisory Council for Nursing Education and Practice; Diversity Committee of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty; American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leadership Network.; National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing; and the American Nurse Association’s Innovation Advisory Committee. Read More

Associate Professor Laurie Connors, DNP, FAANP, has received a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health National Human Genome Research Institute to train doctoral nurses—doctors of nursing practice and PhD nurses—in the translation and integration of genomics into academics, research and clinical practice. Genomics, the… Read More

Two Vanderbilt School of Nursing professors have received grants totaling more than $3 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration to educate nurse practitioners to provide critical health care in rural and underserved areas. Ginny Moore, MSN’90, DNP, associate professor and director of the women’s… Read More

Assistant Professor Mulubrhan Mogos, PhD, has been named an ambassador for the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research, an independent nonprofit organization that advocates for nursing science and its role in promoting the health and well-being of Americans. Mogos was one of 15 nurse… Read More

Assistant Professor Jeremy Neal, PhD, FACNM, has been awarded an R21 exploratory/development grant of more than $250,000 from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities to assess the differences in labor progress and care among Black and white women with low-risk pregnancies. The study findings… Read More

The School of Nursing held August pinning ceremonies in person on Sunday, Aug. 8. More than 300 MSN, Post-Master’s Certificate and DNP students in 10 specialties received the VUSN pin, certificate or lavalier during the first in-person pinning held since December 2019. Family and friends were able to attend… Read More

The 2020-21 academic year saw a number of School of Nursing longtime faculty and staff retire and be honored with virtual retirement events. In fall 2020, longtime Admissions Coordinator Bernie Rimgale retired, as did then-assistant dean for student affairs Sarah Ramsey, BA’77, MEd’81. Rimgale joined VUSN in 1985 and worked… Read More

Pam Jones, BSN’81, MSN’92, DNP’13, FAAN, has been appointed associate vice chancellor for health and wellness at Vanderbilt University. In her new role, Jones will oversee all aspects of the university’s strategic health and wellness priorities, including the evolving response to the COVID-19 pandemic and collaborative health… Read More

Throughout Pamela Jeffries’ academic career, she has placed a strong priority on learning through innovative instruction. She was an early proponent of the use of health care simulations to model clinical events for nursing students. Simulations are an important part of a nursing student’s education, as they allow… Read More

70s Brenda Thomas Harris, BSN’73, received the 2020 Tennessee Governor’s Volunteer Star Award in recognition of her volunteer work at the Monroe County Animal Shelter, Monroe County Friends of Animals and the Cherokee National Forest. Rumay Harrell Alexander, MSN’77, was selected to be an American Nurses Association Scholar-In-Residence, dedicated to… Read More

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is funding research led by Kelly Aldrich, DNP, FHIMSS, associate professor of nursing informatics, to analyze daily hospital personal protective equipment on-hand inventory to measure trends, patterns or statistically significant changes in PPE supply in the nation’s nearly 7,000 U.S. hospitals. Read More

In this exclusive MedPage Today video, NPWH Committee Co-chair Ginny Moore, DNP, APRN, of VUSN, describes the objectives and takeaway from her presentation including why women have a higher susceptibility to misuse than men. Read More

When Marilyn Dubree, MSN’76, graduated with her master’s degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, she had no intention of remaining at Vanderbilt for the rest of her career. Thankfully for Vanderbilt University Medical Center and for the more than 7,000 nurses she serves, Marilyn did just that. Read More

Rates of satisfaction with professional development opportunities among non-faculty advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and PAs increased nearly twofold following implementation of a pilot clinical advancement program at VUMC. Dr. April Kapu said that this program may help improve burnout rates among clinicians by “providing an infrastructure for professional growth and development,”… Read More

Vanderbilt University professors Sheila Ridner at the School of Nursing and Barbara Murphy at the School of Medicine have contributed to the development of a first-of-its-kind device to treat head and neck lymphedema–a chronic disease that causes fluid buildup in the body and can complicate normal functions. When this disease occurs in the head… Read More

Pam Jones, BSN’81, MSN’92, DNP’13, FAAN, has been appointed associate vice chancellor for health and wellness at Vanderbilt University, Vice Chancellor for Administration Eric Kopstain announced today. In her new role, Jones will oversee all aspects of the university’s strategic health and wellness priorities, including the current response to the… Read More

Vanderbilt University Provost Cybele Raver recorded a video greeting for the School of Nursing community, wishing all a wonderful start to the fall semester and commending VUSN students for their dedication to health care and helping others. Read More

Vanderbilt University students and faculty began in-person classes for the fall 2021 semester this week. Utilizing the university’s health and safety protocols, Vanderbilt School of Nursing is pleased to welcome students, staff, faculty, postdocs and visitors back to campus. On August 12, Vanderbilt University announced updated COVID-19 guidance and protocols. See this video from Dean Pamela Jeffries for information.  Read More

VUSN DNP alumna Dina Velocci, DNP, CRNA, APRN, recently took office as the 2021-2022 president of the 59,000-member American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA). “It is my honor and a privilege to serve as president of the AANA in this watershed year, in which CRNAs continue to prove that… Read More

Dawn Aycock, PhD, FAHA, FAAN, will give the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Dean’s Diversity Lecture on Thursday, August 26, at noon CT in Nursing Annex room 155. The in-person lecture, “It’s About Time: Addressing Primary Stroke Prevention in African Americans,” is free and open to the Vanderbilt community. Aycock,… Read More

Associate Professor of Nursing Laurie Connors, DNP, FAANP, has received a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health National Human Genome Research Institute to train doctors of nursing practice and PhD nurses in the translation and integration of genomics into academics, research and clinical practice. “We will deploy a ‘train the trainer’ model,” Connors said. “Our participants will take their skills back to their universities to serve as champions to incorporate genomics into curriculum, research, scholarship and clinical practice." Read More

Two Vanderbilt School of Nursing professors have received grants totaling more than $3 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration to educate nurse practitioners to provide critical health care particularly in rural and underserved areas. Ginny Moore, director of the women’s health nurse practitioner specialty and… Read More

Women’s Health NP Specialty Director Ginny Moore considered using paper towel tubes and other easily obtained supplies to construct pelvic models when students couldn’t come to campus. Last spring Associate Professor Ginny Moore, DNP, MSN’90, stood in her kitchen with empty paper towel tubes in hand, puzzling over… Read More