News

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing was again named a Top 10 graduate nursing school, as ranked in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate School survey. Read more for full rankings. Read More

During Commencement ceremonies on May 15, Vanderbilt University honored five distinguished Vanderbilt University School of Nursing faculty by naming them faculty emeriti. The university also announced that Dean Linda Norman, DSN, FAAN, would be designated dean emerita, effective July 1, 2021. Norman, who has been dean of… Read More

Under a tent at Recreation Field 1 on Vanderbilt’s East side, the Vanderbilt School of Nursing Class of 2021 reassembled for Investiture on May 15. The joyful celebration reflected a mix of tradition and variations necessitated by pandemic precautions, and marked the first time some participants had been on… Read More

After a 12-month wait, the Vanderbilt School of Nursing Class of 2020 celebrated—and was celebrated—in person during Investiture ceremonies held on campus May 2. The intimate ceremony for graduates, family and friends was both traditional and innovative as it accommodated COVID-19 safety protocols while still retaining appropriate pomp… Read More

Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier recorded a video message to the School of Nursing, sending good wishes to its students, faculty and staff on National Nurses Day, May 6, 2021, and thanking the school for its part in Vanderbilt University’s successful return to campus. Read More

Happy Nurses Day and Month to all our remarkable nurse alumni, friends and students! We hope the month will be full of good reminders of why you became a nurse and of how valued you are. Vanderbilt, along with colleagues at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and around the globe, is… Read More

Hispanic and Latinx people are three times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than white people. Black people are 2.8 times more likely to be hospitalized. A key reason: health inequities. As health professionals and advocates, nurses can improve equities, says Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN,… Read More

New Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly has appointed Vanderbilt School of Nursing Associate Professor Mary Lambert, DNP’11, RN, FAAN, to his senior leadership team as director of community health. “As I promised on the campaign trail, we have put together a talented team with the experience to… Read More

The murder of George Floyd last spring impacted many of us deeply. His death, and the deaths of so many people of color at the hands of police, brought to the forefront much-needed discussions of racism, injustice, violence and privilege. Yesterday’s conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin on all… Read More

A family legacy of fighting for civil rights fuels Chicago native Anana Upton, whose mission is creating positive change in underserved communities. With a major in child development through Peabody College of education and human development and a plan to become a pediatric nurse, Upton aims to bring social justice through delivering quality, affordable health care. She'll enter Vanderbilt School of Nursing's PreSpecialty program in August as the first step in becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner. Read More

Black women in the U.S. are more likely to die in childbirth than other races. VUSN Associate Professor Stephanie DeVane Johnson, PhD, CNM, is helping lead the fight to get more Black doulas trained to meet the need of expectant Black women. She and other experts say it is critical… Read More

VUSN Alumna Heather Mantsch recently joined the Range Mental Health Center as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. Formerly working in IT, Mantsch made the career change because she wants to do something that makes a difference. She is passionate about the impact and prevention of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), complex trauma… Read More

When Vanderbilt University’s Giving Day kicks off on Wed. April 7, School of Nursing supporters will have three distinct opportunities to increase donations to the school, including one in honor of Professor Tom Christenbery, PhD’04, MSN’87, who died earlier this year and a $5,000 challenge from Dean… Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing was again named a Top 10 graduate nursing school, as ranked in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate School survey released today. Vanderbilt’s Master of Science in Nursing advanced to be the nation’s No. 8 program and its… Read More

More than 60 Vanderbilt students, staff and faculty members helped Nashville’s Metro Public Health Department vaccinate 10,107 community members in a marathon 14-hour event on Sat., March 20. Recipients received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the drive-through event outdoors at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. Assistant Professor Carrie Plummer… Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing is joining fellow Tennessee school University of the South and more than 100 universities in 50 countries around the world to focus on a critical question: What can be done to help solve climate change while supporting struggling communities that have faced joblessness, sickness… Read More

Pamela R. Jeffries, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, FSSH, an internationally recognized leader and innovator in nursing and health care education, will become dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, effective July 1, pending Board of Trust approval. Jeffries, professor and dean of the George Washington University School of Nursing in Washington, D.C., succeeds Linda Norman, who plans to step down from her leadership role on June 30.  Read More

Associate Professor Terrah Foster Akard, PhD’08, MSN’01, FAAN, has been named director of the PhD in Nursing Science program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Akard, a Vanderbilt University Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow and noted scholar in pediatric palliative care, had been… Read More

Associate Professor Debbie Arnow, DNP’11, MSN’96, has been selected as the new academic director for the Nursing and Health Care Leadership specialty in the master of science in nursing program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. “Debbie Arnow is an accomplished senior nurse… Read More

The first week of October, 2020, Vanderbilt School of Nursing alumna Sherri Randolph, MSN'97, planned to marry her college sweetheart, Stacey Bruff. As things turned out, Sherri and Stacey got married a few days earlier, Sept. 21, in the only wedding ever to take place in the COVID unit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Tragically and unexpectedly, Stacey died two days after the wedding. Sherri was devastated, and she still has a hard time talking about Stacey without tears welling up. There is a lot of sadness about how things turned out. She knows that all over the world there are millions of lives that have been changed forever by the COVID-19 pandemic, and hers is one of them. So, this is a story rooted in the devastation of the pandemic. But don’t lose sight of this: it is still a love story. Read More

The Chesapeake Mental Health Collaborative (MD), is launching collaborative Psych Evaluation and Medication Management services and have named VUSN PMHNP/Divinity Alumna Jeaninne Blackwell as leader. It is a client-centered, collaborative service that focuses on selecting effective medication with safe dosage and/or using psychotherapy. “Her knowledge, experience, and clinical excellence will… Read More

It was with sadness that VUSN learned of the death of alumna Camille Legeay Cook. Camille joined the Foreign Service as the first nurse assigned to the American Embassy in Tokyo in 1952. She worked as a nurse consultant at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and later for the US Public… Read More

Psychiatry Advisor spoke with VUSN professor Susan (Susie) Adams, PhD, PMHNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, recently as she co-authored a paper regarding the role of primary care providers in suicide prevention during the pandemic, along with Pamela Anne Nelson, DNP, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner affiliated with Vanderbilt University… Read More

VUSN Professor Dr. April Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, was recently interviewed by the Clinical Advisor per the controversy over USDA-HHS Dietary Guidelines. Dr. Kapu commented: “Obesity and detrimental effects of alcohol have tremendous negative consequences on health. I would encourage the USDA-HHS to continue study into the effects of sugar… Read More

Vanderbilt researchers are prolific and resolute in their pursuit of transformative research and innovation. During the pandemic, more than 3,000 Vanderbilt research personnel have returned to in-person research activities, while many others have continued remotely through perseverance and ingenuity. On campus and at home, they are making discoveries that advance… Read More

It was with sadness that VUSN learned of the death of Ginna Corts, BSN’70, MSN’73. Ginna was a member of our inaugural family nurse clinician class (now family nurse practitioner). That pioneering class led the way to a new level of nursing. Read More

Update: View Vanderbilt School of Nursing’s memorial service for Dr. Christenbery. Thomas L. Christenbery, MSN’87, PhD’04, CNE, professor of nursing and director of program evaluation at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, died unexpectedly in his sleep Tuesday, Feb. 16. He was 66.The popular Christenbery was… Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing traditionally celebrates February as Diversity Month, with student affinity groups providing programing and presentations.. The events kicked off Feb. 1, with a presentation by Emporia State University Assistant Professor Douglas Allen, PhD, and Mytrice Allen on “Beyond the Presidency: The Role of Nurses in the… Read More

Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, School of Nursing postdoctoral fellow James Muchira designed a study to examine the relationship between maternal cardiovascular health and early childhood obesity and arterial stiffness in 1- to 5-year-old children. He altered his recruitment and data collection protocols to prioritize the safety of the participants and research personnel when he returned to the lab through Vanderbilt's Research Ramp-up process. Read More

VUSN MN-FNP Alumna, Maddie Harris, CNM, FNP was recently introduced as an addition to the Rosemark Women Care Specialists (ID) certified nurse-midwife team. Harris graduated from VUSN’s dual nurse-midwifery and family nurse practitioner program. She works with women not only through pregnancy and childbirth but also with gynecological… Read More

The Memphis Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has selected VUSN MSN Alumna, Alisa Haushalter, DNP, RN., Director of the Shelby County Health Department, as its Communicator of the Year for 2020. She has led media briefings exhibiting communications skills that are honest, direct, understandable, and always focused… Read More

They’ve been working together, side by side—or, rather, screen by screen—seven days a week for months to keep a bustling urban campus with thousands of active students, faculty, researchers and staff open and running in the midst of a pandemic. Andrea George, MS’94, PhD’07, director of environmental health and safety for the university, and Pam Jones, BSN’81, MSN’92, DNP’13, senior associate dean for clinical and community partnerships at the Vanderbilt School of Nursing, are co-commanders of the university’s Public Health Central Command Center. They were instrumental in developing and leading Vanderbilt’s ambitious and successful Return to Campus Plan. Read More

The nurse-midwifery education program at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN, is scheduled to be reviewed by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) Board of Review (BOR) for continuing accreditation March 29, 2021. Please email any written third party comments to ASmith@acnm.org or mail to ACME at 8403… Read More

Associate Professor of Nursing Kate Payne, JD, RN, NC-BC, a bioethicist, attorney and beloved nurse leader at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, died at the Alive Hospice Residence on Jan. 6 after a very brief and unexpected illness. For many years, Payne helped people… Read More

The chief diversity and inclusion officer for the American Association of Medical Colleges will deliver the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Celebration Event Lecture on Monday, Jan. 18. The annual event is co-sponsored by the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and the Vanderbilt University School of… Read More

Long-time Nashville philanthropist Patricia Champion Frist has passed away surrounded by family in Nashville. She was 81 years old. The wife of HCA Healthcare Inc. co-founder Tommy Frist Jr., she was “an equal partner in all their endeavors” throughout their 60-year marriage. Photo: The Frist Art Museum… Read More

UPDATE! All positions now filled. Vanderbilt University, through Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, is hiring nursing professionals to work as part of the school’s contact tracing team. Paid positions are available for both Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. Excellent communication and people skills are required because the role… Read More

The Vanderbilt University School of Nursing received gifts this year totaling $6.6 million from the estates of Agnes G. Kirkpatrick Godchaux and Frank Godchaux III, BS’49, and Charles Godchaux, BA’52. These are among the largest scholarship gifts that the nursing school has ever received. They will support the Godchaux family’s… Read More

Dear students, As we have since March, the School of Nursing leadership has been closely monitoring the status of area COVID-19 cases and local, state and national recommendations for in-person gatherings. As of December, cases in the Middle Tennessee region are rising and it is expected that they will continue… Read More

Doctors and nurses have been pushed to the limit over the past months. Dean Norman says it’s an important time in health care and important time for nurses to be recognized for their contribution, whether in or out of COVID units. Read More

Franklin (TN) Mayor Dr. Ken Moore announced this week the creation of a scholarship fund in honor of the late City of Franklin Alderman and VUSN MSN Alumna Pearl Bransford, for an individual or individuals pursuing the study of health sciences through Columbia State Community College. Photo courtesy: City Photo… Read More

Erin is an advanced practice registered nurse & board-certified adult nurse practitioner with a specialty in cardiovascular health. She sees patients at Gross Family Practice in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Read More

Why do some Americans put their health at risk by allegiance to a political policy, issue or leader? What motivates them? How do politicians use those allegiances, as well as racial anxiety? And what can health care practitioners do for these patients? Physician and sociologist Jonathan M. Read More

When in-person research activities at Vanderbilt were put on hold in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sheila Ridner, PhD'03, MSN'00, FAAN, the Martha Rivers Ingram Professor of Nursing and director of the PhD in Nursing Science Program, was the primary investigator on two research studies with oncology patients. “The participants in the lymphedema prevention study had given us five years of their lives, and so we also felt an ethical responsibility to finish our work in supporting them,” Ridner said. Read More

Faculty and students in the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing are regularly recognized for career accomplishments, research, scholarship and leadership. Recent noteworthy honors include: Professor Susie Adams, PhD, PMC’01, PMC’11, FAANP, FAAN, was inducted into the 2020 University of Kentucky College of Nursing Hall of Fame during… Read More

Mavis Schorn, PhD, APRN, CNM, CNE, FACNM, FAAN, FNAP, served with the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance’s (MVA) Interprofessional Education and Inter-Institutional Collaborative Learning (IPE) program for almost nine years. She was Director and Co-Director during the last four. Earlier in 2020, she stepped away from the program. She recently reflected on her tenure and passing the torch. Read More

Assistant Professor and Clinic at Mercury Courts Clinical Director Christian Ketel, DNP'14, RN, has added a new role: Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Inter-Institutional Collaborative Learning co-director with the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance. He sat down with MVA writer Matt Schorr recently to talk about his new adventure. Read More

A nursing informatics expert with extensive health system, academic and government experience has been named senior associate dean for informatics at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Patricia (Patty) Sengstack, DNP’10, RN-BC, FAAN, currently serves as academic director for the school’s nursing informatics specialty in its master of… Read More

Preliminary results from a national survey reveal how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), while findings related to the temporary easing of practice restrictions show little effect on APRN practice. In states with restrictive practice requirements, barriers that impact patient care and access continued to exist… Read More

Professor of Nursing, Emeritus, Kenneth A. Wallston, PhD, MA, regarded internationally as one of the founders of health psychology, died in Asheville, North Carolina, on Oct. 27. He was 78. A faculty member at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing for more than 40 years, Wallston worked widely in… Read More