News

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Office and Black Student Nurses Affinity Group are hosting Diversity Month 2023. Throughout February and March, different student-led affinity groups will bring in speakers and hold activities to promote inclusivity and an increased understanding of health equity and different cultures. Read More

A team at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing has been approved for a $250,000 funding award through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The funds will support identifying and disseminating strategies for overcoming barriers to patient- and family-centered comparative effectiveness research with patients who are critically ill and hospitalized in an intensive care unit setting. Read More

Vanderbilt School of Nursing has received a $3 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to create a training program, standardized set of competencies and certification for community health workers in Tennessee. The new initiative is in partnership with the Tennessee Community Health Worker Association and Rural Health Association of Tennessee. The Community Health Worker Training Program of Tennessee, which kicks off with informational sessions in early 2023, will train up to 90 people per year to help their communities. Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

Bimbola Akintade, PhD, MBA, MHA, ACNP-BC, NEA-BC, FAANP, will present the School of Nursing’s Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative lecture, “Getting Comfortable with Discomfort: Improving Health Outcomes through Diversity in Nursing” on January 10 from noon to 1 p.m. in NA 161. The lecture will discuss how increasing the diversity of nursing students can lead to improved health outcomes across communities and offer leadership principles to help achieve those goals.  Read More

Nursing students were all smiles Friday afternoon as they gathered with friends, family, faculty and staff at the fall pinning ceremony that marked the completion of their Vanderbilt University School of Nursing programs. The event recognized 42 students in the master of science in nursing, doctor of nursing practice, and Post-Master’s Certificate programs. Click the headline to see the full story and photo gallery. Read More

Nurse leaders from eight states in either clinical practice or academic nursing came together from Nov. 14-18 at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) for the inaugural Academy for Diverse Emerging Nurse Leaders. The academy, a joint effort of VUSN and VUMC, is a new leadership development program for nurses new to health care leadership and academic positions who are from groups historically underrepresented in nursing and/or those who support them. Read the story in the VUMC Reporter. Read More

For the fifth year in a row, the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing has been named one of American Association for Men in Nursing’s Best Schools for Men in Nursing. The award honors schools that offer supportive education experiences to men in the nursing field and those that work to recruit men to their programs. Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Postdoctoral Fellow Soojung Ahn, PhD, RN, has received the 2022 Martha N. Hill Early Career Investigator Award from the American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing. The award honors early career researchers whose work contributes to understanding, preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases.  Read More

Veterans Day is a chance to honor those who have served in the military, and Vanderbilt University has a rich tradition of recognizing the leadership qualities of veterans through its Bass Military Scholars Program. Watch as a few participants of the program—including School of Nursing student Lydia Kosgei—speak about the program in advance of Veterans Day. Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing PhD student Rosalind de Lisser, FNP, PMHNP, studies how psychological safety and the work environment affect nurse practitioner burnout. De Lisser hopes to impact workplace burnout and plans to use her dissertation research to inform future policy and development of workplace interventions that promote well-being. Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

For the third year in a row, the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing has won a Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. Read More

The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Alumni Association recognized 11 alumni and friends for their extraordinary work during the recent 2022 Reunion State of the School Address and Awards Ceremony. Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

U.S. Air Force Capt. Molly Dunkelberger, MSN'17, has a new role with the 17th Medical Group at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas: She is one of eight pioneering aerospace nurse practitioners in the Air Force. Aerospace nurse practitioner is a new career field and Dunkelberger and her seven colleagues have been specially trained in aerospace medicine to fill the growing gap of flight surgeons. Dunkelberger serves as the primary care manager for the 17th Security Forces Squadron. Read More

Fall 2022 brought 584 new faces and a variety of backgrounds as part of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing incoming class, with 143 PreSpecialty (bachelor’s in a field other than nursing), 343 Direct Entry (BSN-prepared), 66 Doctor of Nursing Practice, one new PhD in Nursing Science and 23 Post-Master’s Certificate students, some of whom are also obtaining the DNP. Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing will hold its in-person Open House on Saturday, October 1, 2022, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event offers a unique opportunity to learn about the MN, MSN, DNP, PhD and Post-Master's Certificate Programs. Register now. Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Assistant Professor Alvin Jeffery is a biomedical informatics expert, lending his expertise in developing back-end computational work to problems across health care. Here, Jeffery details studies funded by two recently awarded grants, including a grant of more than $2.3 million over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Read More

Vanderbilt has named Hannah Proctor, MSN’16, to the new role of reproductive health and parenting resource coordinator for the university community. Proctor has been part of the VUSN/Vanderbilt COVID response effort since early in the pandemic. She is a certified nurse-midwife, and will be the first point of contact for pregnant individuals and parents who may need assistance and support. She will be available to help faculty, students, staff and postdoctoral scholars. Read More

Nursing educators from across the United States traveled to Nashville this summer to attend the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing’s three-day, intensive Vanderbilt Informatics Summer Teaching Academy (VISTA). The workshop was created to help nursing schools incorporate informatics knowledge in curriculum required by the 2021 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essential Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

Going back to school can trigger headaches in children. In this feature from Vanderbilt Health, Jane Hearnsberger, MSN’2011, BS’10, Suzanne Beaird, MSN’07 and Lauren King, MSN’09, share information about potential causes and offer some ideas for how to prevent headaches. Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

Dishes clink and the delicious smell of stir fry fills the air as a small group of nursing students laugh and talk with residents at an Urban Housing Solutions community center. Vanderbilt University School of Nursing students are there to demonstrate food preparation techniques and healthy recipes for local senior citizens, as part of an Enhancement of Community and Population Health course series. Read More

Vanderbilt Independence Foundation Professor of Education and Associate Dean for Clinical Scholarship Ruth Kleinpell, PhD, FAAN, FAANP, MCCM, received a 2022 Fellow of American Association of Nurse Practitioners’ Legacy Award at the 2022 American Association of Nurse Practitioner annual conference in June and the 2022 Rebecca Clark Culpepper Education and Mentorship Award, given jointly by Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in May. Read More

The Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance featured VUSN Associate Professor Christian Ketel, DNP, RN, FNAP, as part of the Faculty Spotlight. Ketel found his calling in the nursing profession early in life. After working mostly behind the scenes the past decade to improve patient health outcomes, Dr. Ketel describes being “thrust” into the community. “It turned out to be a match made in heaven,” he says. “The community work, being out in public, engaging with people and community partners—I love it!” Read More

Three nursing faculty were awarded 2022 Seeding Success Grants, which support early stage research identified as likely to obtain federal, foundation and industry funding. Assistant Professor Mulubrhan Mogos received funding for “Pathogenic Memory T-cells as Potential Therapeutic Targets for Preeclampsia,” Assistant Professor Jeremy Neal for “Differences in Labor-associated Inflammation Following Spontaneous Labor Onset Among Low-risk Black and White Nulliparous Women,” and Assistant Professor Lori Schirle for “The Feasibility of Incorporating Pain Sensitivity Testing into Total Knee Replacement Workflow.” Read More

Nurse-midwives and educators from three prominent research universities have teamed up to improve pregnancy outcomes in Black communities by providing specialized training for doulas, persons who support birthing mothers and families through the entire process of childbirth. Doulas offer emotional and informational support for pregnant persons and their families. Read More

Assistant Professor Megan Simmons, DNP’13, PMC’13, MSN’05, has been named academic director for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Specialty at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, effective August 1. Read More

The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing celebrated a successful year at the annual Faculty and Staff Awards Thursday, where Dean Pamela Jeffries, PhD,  FAAN, ANEF, FSSH, announced that VUSN’s new Master of Nursing program, which allows students become master’s prepared registered nurses, received Tennessee Board of Nursing approval. Read More

Leaders at the forefront of systemic change make a difference by thinking about how to shift old patterns that have kept people marginalized. Thirteen students, including three from the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, nominated by deans across Vanderbilt this year got the chance to engage in such big-picture thinking as participants in the Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership’s interprofessional student fellowship. Housed in the Vanderbilt Divinity School, the program brings together students from various disciplines to engage around socio-moral concerns.   Read More

VPIL teams, including FNP School of Nursing student Hayley Berry, spend one afternoon per week in a VUMC-affiliated clinic, seeing patients under supervision from preceptors from various health care professions, primarily physicians and nurse practitioners. They serve patients at Vanderbilt Familiar Faces Clinic, which provides ongoing care for patients with complex chronic medical conditions. Often, these patients also live with socio-economic and other personal stressors that can markedly affect their medical outcomes. Read More

The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing has launched a master of nursing degree to help meet the high demand for registered nurses in health care settings throughout the nation. The program aims to attract people looking for a career change or those with a bachelor’s degree in another field. Applications are open and will be accepted through August 2022. The program will begin in spring 2023. Read More

Christian Ketel and Carrie Plummer, both associate professors of nursing, were recognized by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners for their stewardship and successful outcomes of the Vanderbilt Mobile Vaccine Program. These leaders have also received Vanderbilt’s 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, the Health and Wellness Award from the Hispanic Family Foundation and the 2022 John W. Runyan Community Nursing Award from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing. Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Assistant Professor Alvin Jeffery is one of 12 nurse scientists accepted into the third cohort of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators. The fellowship program, funded by a $37.5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, recognizes early- to mid-career nursing scholars and innovators with high potential to accelerate leadership in nursing research, practice, education, policy and entrepreneurship. Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing celebrated Commencement and Investiture Friday for those graduating in summer and fall 2021 and spring 2022. In total, 385 Master of Science in Nursing and 62 Doctor of Nursing Practice students graduated. An additional eight PhD in Nursing Science students received their degrees from Vanderbilt Graduate School. Read More

Master of Science in Nursing graduate Tip Tilton was selected as the School of Nursing's Founder's Medalist for the Class of 2022. The mother of two maintained a 4.0 cumulative GPA at Vanderbilt while earning her MSN in Nursing Informatics and working more than 40 hours a week as an RN quality improvement coordinator for John Muir Medical Center. She is now a clinical nurse informaticist at the Center for Digital Health Innovation at University of California, San Francisco. Read More

When military nurse Stacey Rokas filled out her application to Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, she was embedded with the U.S. Marines on a training exercise with an international joint force in South Korea. She was the officer in charge of medical care. Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Professor Sheila Ridner, PhD, FAAN, recently completed a large randomized trial to assess early detection methods coupled with a prevention intervention for a common side effect of breast-cancer treatments—lymphedema. Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More

Shade Tree Clinic, which provides primary care to underserved and uninsured adults in Nashville, opened a pediatric clinic in January, the result of nearly a yearlong effort on the part of School of Medicine and School of Nursing students and their faculty mentors. The new monthly clinic serves adolescents ages… Read More