Transforming McLeod Hall - School of Nursing - University of Virginia

Also Inside:
Surviving the
First Year Out
Annual Report 2009–10
FALL 2010
Transforming
McLeod Hall

From the Dean
Creating nursing science. Creating resilient practitioners.
We are one of the nation’s top schools of nursing because of growth in our research
programs, the impact of our science on improving quality of life, and synergy with the University’s goal
of engaging even first-year students in research. We have grown our research portfolio and outgrown
our space. This is not a surprise. It is actually good news and a key strategy for success.
Dean Dorrie Fontaine
In this issue of Virginia Legacy, we highlight the renovation that has begun in our 1970s McLeod
Hall. Many of you have fond memories of student life in McLeod. You will not be surprised to learn
that the building is ever more outdated, especially in comparison with the new nursing and medical
education buildings that surround it on Jeanette Lancaster Way. With your support, we will be able to
continue the transformation of McLeod. Creating the nursing science of the future requires structures
to accommodate not only technology, as in our redesigned simulation laboratories, but also an
environment where all students are invited to engage closely with faculty. In this way, we foster the
development of innovative answers to important questions of human health and well-being, such as
how to deliver compassionate care to people in rural areas and at the end of life.
This issue of the Legacy also looks at the first year out and how our graduates are faring in the
real world. You will find their stories poignant. You may also be interested to know that we are using
our “resiliency work” (integrating mindfulness retreats for example) as part of the Compassionate Care
Initiative to ensure that our graduates feel competent and confident to meet the first-year challenges
of a chaotic health care system, wherever they practice. In these challenging economic times, our
faculty and staff have worked to help all of our nursing graduates find the right position. Here is a note
to me from Lisa Meeder (BSN ’10):
“I met with you a few months ago for assistance with my job search. You ended up having contacts
at the University of Iowa and contacted them for me … Yesterday, I accepted an offer on their pediatric
hematology/oncology unit, which is my dream job. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy
schedule to help me, and for caring about us as students.”
I am not alone in helping our graduates. The UVA Health System hired record numbers of our new
graduates this year to assist with its own expansion of beds and new facilities.
I thank each of you for your continued support of our School of Nursing. We know we can count
on your continued support, whether it is helping our students fulfill their dreams of meaningful lives
spent caring compassionately for those in need or assisting in our campaign to renovate McLeod. I am
grateful for your past generosity, and please know that we need you in our future—creating nursing
science and creating compassionate, resilient nurses.
Please send me your thoughts and ideas at dorrie.fontaine@virginia.edu.
Dorrie Fontaine
Sadie Heath Cabaniss Professor of Nursing and Dean

FALL 2010
Editor
Julie Goodlick
Communications Editor
Dory Hulse
Managing Editors
Lynn Woodson and Anna Tubbs Emery
Editorial Advisers
Victoria Brunjes (BSN ’98), Reba Moyer
Childress (BSN ’79, MSN ’91, FNP ’92),
Mary Eckenrode Gibson (BSN ’75, MSN
’86), Randy Jones (BSN ’00, MSN ’02,
PhD ’05), Lisa Kelley (BSN ’99), Traci
Kelly (BSN ’10), Emily Kusiak (BSN ’10),
Emma McKim Mitchell (MSN ’08, PhD
’10), Dorothy Tullmann
Class Notes & News Editor
Elisângela Blevins
Design
Roseberries
Contributing Writers
Anna Tubbs Emery, Julie Goodlick,
Dory Hulse, Kathleen Valenzi Knaus,
Linda J. Kobert, Lynn Woodson;
proofing by Gail Hyder Wiley
Photographers
Tom Cogill, Danny Clinch, Anna Tubbs
Emery, Julie Goodlick, Dory Hulse, Will
Kirk, Jimmy Stuart, Coe Sweet
Virginia Legacy is published two
times a year by the University of
Virginia School of Nursing and
Nursing Alumni Association.
University of Virginia School of Nursing
Alumni and Development Office
P.O. Box 801015
Charlottesville, VA 22908-1015
(434) 924-0138
(434) 982-3699 FAX
e-mail: nursing-alumni@virginia.edu
Sadie Heath Cabaniss Professor
of Nursing and Dean
Dorrie Fontaine, RN, PhD, FAAN
University of Virginia School of Nursing
Established in 1901
Main Switchboard: (434) 924-2743
Admissions & Student Services
Toll-free: (888) 283-8703
Visit us on the web at
www.nursing.virginia.edu.
Feedback Welcome!
Please let us know what you think about
this issue of Virginia Legacy by writing to
us at nursing-alumni@virginia.edu or the
address above.
We’ve Moved!
The School of Nursing Alumni and Development Office has new offices at
2410 Old Ivy Road, Suite 207. Telephone numbers stay the same. See mailing address at left.
We look forward to seeing you in our new location.
News
2 Worth Noting
Read the latest news from the School of Nursing.
21 From the Nursing Alumni Association
Find updates on Nursing Alumni Council members and award winners.
Features
6 Breathing New Life into McLeod Hall
Work has begun to transform McLeod Hall into a 21st-century space for
nursing research and education. Another $7.3 million in private support is
needed to finish the job. Read about how the McLeod renovation will enhance
the lives of UVA nursing faculty and students—and strengthen the reputation
of the School.
11 First Year Out: Surviving the Transition from
Student to Nursing Professional
What’s it like to find yourself in your first real nursing job, separated from
the day-to-day support of your teachers and fellow students? Recent nursing
graduates share their experiences in that first critical year after graduation.
29 Annual Report
Each year, we take time to thank our generous donors and review the fiscal
state of the School of Nursing. See how the numbers stack up and hear what
our donors say motivates them to give in this year’s annual report.
In Every issue
4 Student in Focus
15 Philanthropy
16 Impact: Nursing Research
20 A Strategic Planning Update NEW!
25 Class Notes and News
27 Alumni in Action
33 Virginia Moments
Virginia Legacy is published using
private funds.
Printed on 10% postconsumer recycled paper
On the cover: Students Jaimie Mason and Cassie O’Malley traverse the
halls of McLeod’s newly renovated first floor. At right: Tim Cunningham
(MSN ‘09) works in the UVA Medical Center’s Emergency Department.

“My goal is to build on what’s already here, mentor these
students, and continue to build research capacity in the
School of Nursing.”—Linda Bullock
Bullock to Direct PhD Program
Linda Bullock first came to the UVA School
of Nursing as a Frank Talbott, Jr., Visiting
Professor in 2009. This fall, she joins the faculty
as a full professor. She will also direct the PhD
program, playing a key role in mentoring the
next generation of nursing researchers.
Bullock’s background offers a model for
young researchers. Her early research provided
the first empirical evidence of a connection
between abuse during pregnancy and low infant
birth weight. This work led to an innovative
nurse-delivered telephone intervention to
reduce stress-induced responses to abuse
and to improve developmental outcomes
for infants exposed to abuse. Bullock has
conducted four clinical trials with pregnant
women and their children, with funding from
the National Institute of Nursing Research and
the National Institute of Child and Human
Development. Her current research focuses
on various stresses on children’s health.
Bullock will assume oversight of the PhD
program at the end of this semester. Barbara
Parker directed the program for 12 years.
Arlene Keeling (BSN ’74, MSN ’87, PhD ’92)
has served as interim director for 2010.
“When I came here as a Talbott professor,
I was overwhelmed by the caliber of the PhD
students, the mentoring they receive, and what
they accomplish while they’re here,” says Bullock.
“My goal is to build on what’s already here,
mentor these students, and continue to build
research capacity in the School of Nursing.”
Bullock comes to UVA from the University
of Missouri, where she worked to address state
policies and research agendas on domestic
violence. She is a fellow of the American
Academy of Nursing and active in national
and international nursing and public health
organizations.
Linda Bullock will direct the PhD program.
• 2 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

worth noting
Koh Assumes Role of
Associate Dean
Interprofessional Partnership Focuses on
Compassionate Care
Elyta Koh is the School’s new associate dean
for administration, overseeing facilities,
human resources, technology, finances, and
communications. Prior to joining the School,
Koh was the business analyst for the UVA
Student System Project, where she coordinated
the core management team and handled
budgets, purchasing, and project management.
Her background also includes operations
management, strategic planning, and a range
of other responsibilities. Currently, Koh is a
candidate for her master’s degree in business
administration at Darden.
“Since my arrival, I have experienced
many of the elements that make the School a
special place,” says Koh. “There are a lot of good
things here—enthusiastic students, engaging
faculty, innovative researchers, and dedicated
staff. I hope my contributions can help make
the School of Nursing even better.”
Last semester, Dr. Monica Sharma, former director of leadership and capacity development
for the United Nations, facilitated two intensive interprofessional workshops to develop a
framework for the University of Virginia Initiatives in Compassionate Care program. The program,
which includes the Kluge Compassionate Care Lecture Series, is a collaborative effort among UVA’s
Schools of Nursing and Medicine and the Medical Center. It is intended as a transformational
model for delivering compassionate care that
will change practice, education, research, and
community partnerships at UVA and beyond.
The first workshop included various experts
from the UVA Schools of Nursing and Medicine,
the Law School, the Curry School, and Darden,
and a corporate CEO. For the following session,
a group of nearly 60 people met in the Rotunda
Dome Room in a town hall-style meeting to discuss
program planning and implementation.
Leadership for the program is also interdisciplinary,
including Dean Dorrie Fontaine from
nursing, Dr. Daniel Becker from the School of
Medicine, and David Cattell-Gordon from the
Medical Center. Dr. Sharma will continue to consult
with the group, along with Cynda Rushton, an
international leader in palliative care and ethics.
Rushton will also deliver the School’s annual Bice
Monica Sharma (bottom) brought together lecture on November 3.
leaders from across the University for two
workshops last spring.
Zula Mae Baber Bice
Memorial Lecture
All alumni and friends are invited.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
12:30–1:30 p.m.
McLeod Hall Auditorium
Trust and Betrayal: Building
Trustworthy Relationships among
the Interdisciplinary Team
Cynda Hylton Rushton, PhD, RN, FAAN
Associate Professor, Nursing and Pediatrics
The Johns Hopkins University School of
Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland
Dr. Rushton, an internationally recognized
expert in bioethics and palliative care, holds
a joint appointment in the Johns Hopkins
University Schools of Nursing and Medicine—
Department of Pediatrics—and is core
faculty in the Berman Institute of Bioethics.
She cochairs the Johns Hopkins Hospital’s
Ethics Consultation Service and directs the
Hopkins Children’s Center’s Harriet Lane
Compassionate Care Program. Her research
focuses on palliative care, moral distress,
and caregiver suffering, as well as the
foundations of integrity, respect, and trust.
Cynda Rushton is an international leader in palliative care
and ethics.
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 3 •

worth noting
Student In Focus
Laura Christine Hobeika (BSN ’11)
In 2005, Laura Hobeika traveled
to South Africa to volunteer with
children orphaned by AIDS. She saw
firsthand the desperate need for
health care providers in developing
countries.
“On the flight home, I realized
my calling,” Hobeika recalls. “I
knew I had to return and work
toward eliminating the suffering I’d
witnessed.”
At UVA, Hobeika found the
perfect way to share her passion.
She led two medical service trips
to the small village of Kpando in
Ghana, West Africa, one through the
Alternative Spring Break program.
The groups she led volunteered at
local clinics and administered HIV/
malaria testing, wound care, and
Laura Hobeika maintains strong ties to the children she met at the health education in the surrounding
HardtHaven Children’s Home in Ghana.
communities.
“On my second trip, my friends
and I took a three-year-old girl
named Mary under our wing. We stayed with her in the hospital for three days after she tested
positive for malaria and HIV,” Hobeika remembers. “Her transformation was amazing. When
she first arrived, Mary was so malnourished she could barely stand, yet by the end of the
week she was smiling and playing with the other kids.”
Mary temporarily stayed at the HardtHaven Children’s Home—an orphanage for children
affected by the HIV epidemic. It’s an organization that Hobeika has developed close ties with,
and one she spent her fourth year raising money to support.
Hobeika plans to return to Ghana after graduating next spring, and her long-term goal is to
start a traveling health clinic in the region. Currently, she’s organizing another trip to Kpando
over the coming winter break. “My hope is that these trips will continue, allowing more UVA
students the chance to be captivated by this amazing town and its inspiring people.”
RAM Draws Faculty and
Students to Service
Nursing faculty and students again stepped
up to care for underserved patients at
the annual RAM (Remote Access Medical)
Clinic held in Wise, Va. This year’s clinic took
place July 23–25. Seven nursing faculty took
part, along with 17 nursing students and 17
medical students. Both faculty and students
found the clinic to be a powerful personal and
learning experience.
“At RAM, students have the opportunity
to work with patients both one-on-one and as
part of an interdisciplinary team,” says Audrey
Snyder (BSN ’89, MSN ’91, ACNP ’98, PhD ’07)
assistant professor of nursing. “They see the
challenges that patients in rural, underserved
areas face in accessing medical, dental, and
vision care. This experience provides an
opportunity to do good, while working sideby-side
with their medical student peers. It
shapes many students’ career choices.”
Nursing faculty and students are also
active partners in the Healthy Appalachia
Institute, a joint venture involving the
University of Virginia and UVA’s College at
Wise. With funding from the National Network
of Public Health Institutes and the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, Institute members work
to foster a healthier citizenry in southwest
Virginia. Students in the Healthy Appalachia
Nurse Practitioner Preceptorship Program
spend time serving patients in southwest
Virginia.
“On the flight home, I realized my calling,” Hobeika recalls.
“I knew I had to return and work toward eliminating the
suffering I’d witnessed.”
• 4 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

worth noting
Nursing and medical students worked as parts of an interdisciplinary team at the RAM Clinic.
Strength.” Di Umoh placed first in poetry for
“The Perfect Pill.” Second–place honors went
to Brennan Collins for her essay “Patient
Advocacy” and to Rachael Weintraub for her
poem “An Ode to Midol.” Assistant professor
Jeanne Erickson established the contest in 2002
to encourage nursing students to use writing
to help process, understand, and share their
experiences in the clinical setting. The contest
is supported by the Nursing Annual Fund.
Faculty Achievements
Valentina Brashers, MD,
has been inducted as a
fellow in the National
Academies of Practice
(NAP) in recognition of
her 13 years of dedicated
leadership and service to
the organization. The
NAP is composed of elected representatives
from ten different health professions whose
mission is to promote excellence in
interprofessional practice and to provide an
interprofessional perspective on health care
issues to public policymakers.
Clay Hysell was awarded
the 2010 Sandra Cody
Award for Extraordinary
Service from the American
Association of Critical
Care Nurses.
Students Making a
Difference
Leslie Stirn (BSN ’06, MSN ’10) and intern
Brian Reed received a $25,000 grant from UVA’s
Jefferson Trust to study the impact of mobile
learning by equipping nursing students with
iPod Touches that provide immediate access
to health information.
Whitney Smith (BSN ’11), president of the
Virginia Student Nurses Association, was one
of 50 UVA nursing students, faculty, alumni,
and friends who participated in a commemorative
global service celebrating nursing at
Washington National Cathedral as part of the
2010 International Year of the Nurse.
Leslie Stirn (BSN ’06, MSN ’10) took first
place in this year’s Creative Writing Contest
for UVA Nursing Students for her essay “Fragile
Excerpt from
“Patient Advocacy”
By Brennan Collins, second-place essay
winner in the 2010 Creative Writing
Contest for UVA Nursing Students
When Mr. S.’s respiratory status was stable
and his agitation subsided, we were able
to extubate him. The first thing he did was
to point at me and say, “This girl is a nice
one.” Evidently, my patience, creativity, and
emphasis on clear and effective communication
touched this man. Though I was an
extern assisting the registered nurse on
this case, I know I made a difference
because I advocated for my patient’s
needs … In the end, it was a small
discovery that made a big difference in
Mr. S.’s comfort, cooperation, and satisfaction
with the care he received on our unit.
Pam Kulbok is being
inducted as a fellow of the American Academy
of Nursing.
Randy Jones (BSN ’00, MSN ’02, PhD ’05)
received the Building Support for Older
Rural African Americans with Cancer award,
sponsored by Johns Hopkins University.
Kathy Haugh (BSN ’79)
has been named coordinator
of the School’s
RN-BSN program, replacing
Sharon Utz, who
s t e p p e d d o w n l a s t
spring.
Enrollment Snapshot 2010–11 as of September 2010
356 Undergraduate students
First-year students: 67
Second-year students: 71
Third-year students: 88
Fourth-year students: 91
RN to BSN students: 39
320 Graduate students
Clinical Nurse Leader Program: 56
MSN Specialty: 170
Post-MSN Specialty: 19
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP): 31
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): 44
See the School of Nursing website at www.nursing.virginia.edu for a complete
listing of all programs.
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 5 •

Breathing
New Life
into McLeod Hall
By Kathleen Valenzi Knaus
and lynn woodson

When the 54,000-square-foot
McLeod Hall became home to
UVA’s School of Nursing, no one could
have foreseen the changes coming to
the practice and teaching of nursing.
One of the most fundamental changes
is an enhanced focus on nursing
research—the pursuit of new knowledge
that directly affects patient care and
nursing education. In 1972, when McLeod
opened, the National Institute of Nursing
Research did not yet exist, and nursing
research was largely unrecognized on the
federal level.
Today, research is an integral part of a 21st-century nursing
school. To strengthen its research and education missions, the
UVA School of Nursing is currently undertaking a bold renovation
of McLeod Hall. When completed, McLeod will provide 21stcentury
space that will help shape the future of nursing research
and education.
“We are on the cusp of research excellence,” says Dorrie
Fontaine, dean of the School and Sadie Heath Cabaniss Professor
of Nursing. “Our research receives repeated funding following
peer review in a competitive arena. We are recognized as a top
nursing school, and, like all top nursing schools, we are noted
for the specific research niches we have created. Our research
funding has greatly increased. To remain successful and compete
for top students nationally, we must continue to grow our
nursing research enterprise.”
And it’s not simply a case of maintaining the School’s
reputation. Ultimately, every improvement to McLeod Hall
leads to the improved health of countless individuals and
communities.
“Through our research, we are helping people survive
acute and chronic illnesses and improve their quality of life,”
Fontaine says. “That’s our primary mission. Every day, we make a
difference.”
The Rise of a Research Powerhouse
From 1972 until 2008, when the new Claude Moore Nursing
Education Building was opened, McLeod Hall was the primary space
in which more than 6,100 nursing students were educated. Through
those years, the School’s stature rose to its current ranking among
Beth Merwin directs the Rural Health Care Research Center, where better space will enhance collaboration.
the top 20 nursing schools in the United States. In the past five years,
the School has received approximately $14.6 million in research and
training program funding.
Clearly, School of Nursing faculty have managed to work
around McLeod’s limitations to make significant contributions
to nursing science. Nonetheless, their ongoing ability to advance
nursing research requires a working environment that adequately
supports their innovative research programs.
“Since McLeod was originally built, almost 40 years have
gone by, and technology has tremendously expanded,” says
Elizabeth Merwin, associate research dean and Madge M. Jones
Professor of Nursing. Consequently, she notes, nursing
investigators now face significant limitations as nursing science
becomes more technology driven.
For an example, Merwin points to the Rural Health Care
Research Center, which she directs. One of the center’s goals is
to develop new clinical tools and technologies to improve care
for rural patients. To that end, Merwin is conducting a study to
evaluate rural, low-income women in a rural clinic who receive
colposcopy procedures for early detection of cervical cancer. The
procedures are provided by specially trained nurse practitioners
who are supervised remotely via video technology.
Because there is no dedicated video technology room
in McLeod currently, Merwin must rely on a team of skilled
technicians to set up the equipment every time she wants to
use it. Set-up is further limited by the availability of electrical
sockets for plugging in computers and monitors. “Once McLeod
is renovated, the equipment will be set up on a permanent
basis, the wiring and connections will be better, and we’ll be
able to train more staff to use it,” says Merwin. “The improved
technology will let us develop better care for these patients.”
Virginia Legacy 7 •

McLeod Renovation: Floor by Floor
floor one: Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry, café, classrooms
floor two: Information technology, faculty and student resiliency areas
floor Three: Clinical Simulation Learning Center
floor Four: Center for the Study of Complementary & Alternative
Therapies, Rural Health Care Research Center, faculty offices
floor five: Center for Nursing Research, Health Care Product Evaluation
Center, Southeastern Rural Mental Health Research Center, faculty offices,
videoconferencing rooms
Enhanced Clinical Practice and Education
Nursing research is inseparable from the School’s clinical practice
and education missions. Innovations in the classroom often lead to
changes in the clinics and in teaching methods. Part of the overall
McLeod renovation will include updating the School’s Clinical
Simulation Learning Center and Theresa A. Thomas Intensive Care
Simulation Laboratory. In these spaces, undergraduate and graduate
nursing students learn to manage acute or critical care situations
in a risk-free setting through the use of
simulation mannequins. They put the skills
they learn in the simulation laboratory
directly into practice in the clinical setting.
Nurses with simulated crisis experience
create a much safer environment for
patients, and they model what they have
learned to other clinicians.
“Our goal is to produce a simulated
learning environment that realistically
reflects a clinical setting, incorporates stateof-the-art
technology, and positively affects
patient outcomes,” says assistant professor
Reba Moyer Childress, director of the
Simulation Center.
As one example, she points to how
students currently learn to use minimum
lift equipment. According to Childress, this
equipment is available at many hospitals,
but it is not frequently used because the
hospital culture hasn’t embraced it yet.
“This technology lets clinicians move
and transfer patients in a way that prevents
injuries to both the patient and the care
provider,” says Childress. “By incorporating the use
of minimum lift equipment into simulation training,
its use becomes second nature to our students.
They will automatically look for it when they begin
working in hospitals, and they will model its use to
others. And that improves safety for both patients
and caregivers.”
What students learn, and how well they
take what they’ve learned into practice, plays an
important role in serving patients and facilitating
good outcomes. According to Childress, “Through
simulated learning, students practice and develop
the confidence to handle a variety of tasks and
challenges, such as managing medication errors,
preventing falls, and averting infection—three of the
major issues nurses face in a health care setting.”
Updating the Simulation Center and expanding
its research mission is key to the McLeod renovation. One of the
center’s goals focuses on measuring its own effectiveness with studies
that seek to demonstrate how learning is improved and patient
outcomes are enhanced through nursing simulation training. The
results of this research, in turn, will influence future teaching methods.
“A lot of practices in the hospital and health care setting can be
replicated in the simulated setting to see how effective they are at
improving outcomes,” Childress explains. “We can use simulation
to educate current clinicians on how to improve performance and
Reba Childress (right) helps students hone their skills in the
Clinical Simulation Learning Center.
• 8 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

on how to manage challenging situations such as high-risk births
or allergic reactions to dyes and medications. Through our research
at the center, we hope to see what causes certain issues and then
change how we teach and practice based on what we’ve learned. It’s
another way that we can serve the greater good.”
Changes Under Way
Thanks to the generous contributions of School of Nursing alumni,
faculty, and friends, the first phase of the McLeod renovation is
already under way. To complete the project, an additional $7.3
million in private support is still needed.
The initial phase of the McLeod renovation focuses on a
complete overhaul of floors one, four, and five. The first milestone
in the renovation will be the reopening of the first floor this fall.
Floor one houses the Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry—one of
only a few centers in the country dedicated to the preservation and
study of the history of nursing and health care. Within its extensive
collection, the Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry includes
resources on health crises of the past, such as flu pandemics,
that may reveal new insights for future public health threats. The
move to the first floor will provide more room for vital collections
and better space for researchers to work. McLeod’s first floor will
retain its existing auditorium, along with technologically enhanced
classrooms. Nearby, a new coffee bar and café will foster informal
gatherings among faculty, students, and interprofessional colleagues
from next door in medicine and the sciences.
The fourth floor of McLeod will house the Center for the Study
of Complementary and Alternative Therapies. This center evaluates
and shares information about nontraditional complementary and
alternative health care practices and products for managing pain and
pain-related symptoms, a rapidly growing area of interest. Also on
this floor, faculty collaborating within the Rural Health Care Research
Center will conduct and share studies focused on the health care
needs of impoverished individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, and
the elderly living in rural areas. This research is a particular strength
at UVA, partially because of its location in a largely rural area with
extensive health needs. The fourth floor will also provide space for the
nursing oncology research team. This group looks at a variety of issues
related to cancer care, including the effectiveness of hospice care.
Floor five will house the Center for Nursing Research, which
facilitates the development of research activities across the School
of Nursing; and the Health Care Product Evaluation Center, which
provides impartial, systematic, and in-depth evaluation of medical
devices and products in development. Also on the fifth floor, the
Southeastern Rural Mental Health Research Center will pursue its
mission of improving the availability and quality of mental health
care for rural minority persons, the elderly, seriously mentally ill
adults, and women and children.
Both the fourth and fifth floors will include offices for faculty
and staff. The fifth floor will also include rooms equipped with video
technology and other computing capabilities that facilitate efficient
and cost-effective collaboration with researchers at other institutions.
From the
Front Lines
Assistant nursing professor
Cathy Campbell knows the
importance of great working
space. She also feels strongly
about having her mentor and
colleagues working close by. Cathy Campbell expects the McLeod
renovation to accelerate research
Campbell is a researcher
progress.
with the Rural Health Care
Research Center. Since
coming to UVA, she has benefited from the mentorship of Patricia
“Pat” Hollen, the Malvina Yuille Boyd Professor of Oncology
Nursing. With Hollen’s assistance, Campbell has successfully
acquired internal UVA research funding and external funding from
the American Cancer Society and the NIH National Cancer
Institute for her research.
Why is completing the renovation of
McLeod Hall important to you?
My current research focuses on end-of-life decision making
among rural and ethnically diverse patients in hospice care.
Outcomes from our studies could significantly improve care and
reduce suffering for many individuals with cancer and other
diseases who are approaching the end of their lives. But, because
of our lack of space, it can sometimes be hard to get to the
research. For example, my research assistant has no dedicated
workspace. Today, she started work in a conference room at the
end of hallway. Someone then needed the conference room, so I
let her use my office. Every morning, that’s how my day starts:
thinking about where to put my research assistant and not about
how to advance our research.
The current lack of space slows down productivity. It’s difficult to
get the physical resources you need—or even to find the people
you want to talk to because they’re located in so many different
places, and always moving around. E-mails and phone calls are
not enough. We need space to sit down and review drafts and
discuss ideas with our colleagues.
My mentor, Dr. Hollen, is across the street at the Claude Moore
Nursing Education Building. Another colleague is working upstairs,
and another is working out of the Cancer Center. When the
renovation is complete, we will have all of our resources together
in one place—including our administrative support. It will make it
easier for us to collaborate with each other and with researchers
from other institutions. We will have sufficient office space and a
central conference room where we can get together and talk
about new projects or the status of ongoing projects.
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 9 •

Moving Forward
Stepping into the Future
Plans for the third floor include enhancing and expanding the
School’s Clinical Simulation Learning Center, which has become a
core part of the nursing curriculum. Changes planned for the center
include incorporation of new high-fidelity simulation technologies,
women’s health and pediatric simulation units, a virtual reality
lab, and an operating suite that will encompass a scrub area for
simulation of general operations, Caesarian sections, and other
invasive procedures. The center will also include procedure labs that
will simulate acute care inpatient bed units, as well as a hospital
nurses’ station and isolation room.
The second floor will house the School’s information
technology department, several classrooms, and the existing
resilience room, which is equipped for yoga, meditation, and other
activities. Upgrading technology resources is essential to meet the
21st-century needs of a successful and competitive nursing school.
The resilience area reflects a commitment to health and wellness
aimed at creating better work-life balance and retention within the
nursing profession.
The newly renovated
Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry
In McLeod Hall
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
1 p.m. (following the noon Nursing History Forum)
Open to the public.
For more information, e-mail nurs-hxc@virginia.edu
or call (434) 924-0083.
McLeod construction,1971, from the Center for Nursing Historical
Inquiry collection
When the renovation is complete, McLeod Hall will be equal to
the demands being placed upon it. Improvements to the building
will help accelerate research and increase collaboration among
the School’s faculty through contiguous and shared research and
education space. It will also provide space for partnering with visiting
faculty.
“We’ve designed conference rooms on every floor to be shared
by faculty and centers,” Merwin says. “The conference rooms will be
fully equipped with up-to-date equipment that will allow faculty to
quickly share research data with one another.”
Close proximity also fosters opportunity. Recently, Merwin and
another faculty member affiliated with the Center for the Study of
Complementary and Alternative Therapies wrote and submitted an
NIH grant as co-principal investigators. According to Merwin: “That
collaboration wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t seen each other
daily. My office is on one side of the hall, and the center is on the
other. Our close proximity allowed this opportunity to take place.”
McLeod renovations will support approximately $12.8 million
in currently funded research, and around $5.8 million in potential
funding for studies that are currently in review. By enabling increased
collaboration and efficiency, the new space is also expected to help
faculty attract future research funding. And it will help the School
become more competitive in attracting and retaining top-notch
nursing faculty who are actively engaged in research.
In addition, a research-oriented facility with state-of-theart
computer capabilities will provide a better environment for
educating the next generation of nursing researchers. This is true in
the PhD and NIH-funded postdoctoral research programs, as well as
for a number of undergraduates who have recently been encouraged
to participate in the School’s research activities. Last summer, 15
undergraduate students worked as research interns with School of
Nursing faculty.
“Because we don’t have enough spaces equipped with
computers, we had 12 of these interns working out of one
classroom,” Merwin recalls. “In the future, we could enhance this
experience for them if we had more space in the centers for research
assistants and undergraduate students.”
“These days, faculty and students expect schools to have the
most current technology in place,” Merwin says. “As we compete
with the other top schools for the best graduate students, technology
becomes a key factor. These students look critically at the physical
space of any school they are considering. Outstanding curriculum
and excellent faculty are important to their choice of school, but so is
an outstanding research setting.”
“Across the board, the renovation of McLeod Hall will raise the
level of our research enterprise to a level commensurate with the
nation’s top nursing schools,” concludes Dean Fontaine. “We will
create a building that reflects the research stature of our faculty and
helps us attract outstanding students. The building we have today is
not sufficient for our research, for studying and evaluating clinical
simulation, or for meeting our goals in education and service.”
• 10 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

Lauren Starkey had to make
a few changes before finding
just the right fit as an acute care
pediatrics nurse.
First Year Out:
Surviving the Transition from Student to Nursing Professional
By Linda J. Kobert
or Lauren Starkey (BSN ’09), the first few weeks
after nursing graduation were a blur. After the whirlwind of
celebrations, the transition from student life to the real world
was full of changes: moving back home to live with her parents,
starting her first job as a graduate nurse, working on a neurology/
telemetry unit at a private hospital, and studying for and taking
the National Council Licensure Exam.
About a month into her new job, Starkey became worried
that something was wrong.
“It was so different,” she recalls. “When I was in nursing
school, I really enjoyed learning. But when I started working on
the unit, I would get strong feelings of anxiety. Things were very
chaotic and fast paced. There wasn’t enough time to get things
done, and the patient population on the unit was difficult for me.”
Starkey’s experience is not unique. The first year out of
nursing school can be extremely challenging, according to Amy
Chenoweth (BSN ’95), UVA Hospital’s manager of new graduate
programs. “I think most new grads expect to be able to come in
and hit the ground running and be able to do everything that
a nurse does. They are surprised when that is not possible. For
many, this can be their first professional experience ever, so there
is a lot of learning that goes along with that.”
During her first weeks on the neurology unit, Starkey did not
have a consistent preceptor, so there was no specific person to
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 11 •

whom she could go for support and guidance. And because her
colleagues were also very busy, she didn’t always get the help she
needed as a new grad. She often felt like she was falling behind,
and was sometimes uncomfortable doing things on her own,
with no one available to ask for help.
Making the Transition
According to Chenoweth, it can take up to a year before a new
graduate nurse feels competent and capable. In addition to
learning their way around an unfamiliar physical environment
and getting to know their colleagues, new grads must also master
the skills of the profession. They must become adept at physical
assessment, figure out how to manage their time efficiently, learn
to delegate tasks to others in order to maintain adequate patient
care, and develop ways to effectively communicate with all the
different members of the health care team.
“There’s almost a translation process,” Chenoweth says.
“By the time [students] graduate, they’re beginning to think like
nurses, but there’s a huge transition that happens in that first year
of practice where they have all this book knowledge, but it’s not
second nature yet. They have to translate that book knowledge
into practice knowledge, and it’s not at all uncommon for new
grads to have difficulty feeling successful.”
Tim Cunningham (MSN ’09) agrees. “You can learn all
the numbers and all the theory, but until you’re using all that
information with a living human being, it’s hard to put all those
pieces together,” he says.
Cunningham came to UVA School of Nursing after nearly ten
years of life experience that provided him an invaluable sense
of perspective during his first year working in the Emergency
Department at the UVA Medical Center. He participated in the
School’s Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program, a direct-entry
MSN program that prepares individuals with degrees in other
disciplines to become registered nurses.
“I don’t know how new nurses go straight from undergrad
into nursing,” Cunningham says. “I’m so glad I’ve had almost a
decade of life outside of school, where I’ve been able to interact
with people, to learn how they communicate and how to work
with people who are suffering without the pressure of needing to
save their lives.”
Investing in New Nurses
After five months of struggling, Starkey decided to leave her
first job for another position on an acute care pediatrics unit at
Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems in Richmond.
According to Chenoweth, changing jobs in the first year is
common among newly graduated nurses.
“When you look at the literature,” she says, “within that
first year of practice, [the studies] say there is anywhere from
35 percent to 50 percent turnover, because it can be such a
“It’s important to find something outside the health care profession that you can
do to distract yourself: swimming, sewing, running, church … things that remind
you that you are more than a new nurse, that you are a person.”—Alicia Dean
Alicia Dean
“Don’t feel pressured to take the first thing that’s offered to you just because it’s
a job. It has to be the right fit. If you have any inkling about what you want to do,
that’s what you have to go for.”—Lauren Starkey
“Take it one day at a time. It’s a bit overwhelming at first, and you can
feel out of your element. But you are prepared for it. Always believe in
yourself.”—Anne Marie Chartrand
“When you get away from work, really get away and recognize there is a forest
Anne Marie Chartrand
beyond these trees.”—Tim Cunningham
• 12 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

Ten years of life experience before
nursing school helped prepare
Tim Cunningham for his
job in in UVA’s
Emergency
Department.
ALUMNI LEND SUPPORT
Frances White Vasaly (BSN ’69) and Linda Smith Halpin (BSN ’75)
take their role as UVA alumnae very seriously. Both work as clinical
specialists at Inova Fairfax Hospital, and they regularly reach out to
the UVA School of Nursing graduates working in northern Virginia to
lend a supporting hand.
“I want new grads to have such a positive experience that they will
stay in nursing,” says Vasaly, who serves on the Nursing Alumni
Council. “This is hard work. It’s physically and emotionally
challenging. I haven’t forgotten that.”
Vasaly, Halpin, and a network of other School of Nursing alumni
provide informal mentoring and networking opportunities for fellow
UVA grads. Through individual meetings over coffee or at the “’Hoos
Coming to Dinner” alumni gatherings they host at Inova, they offer
career advice, answer questions, lend a sympathetic ear when
needed, and help new nurses adapt to their professional role as
well as the challenges of living in a big city.
“Nurses are not particularly known for supporting each other,”
Vasaly says. “One of the things we feel very strongly about as UVA
alumni is that we can and should reach out and support new grads.
The rewards are enormous.”
traumatic experience. Most just change jobs within nursing, but
there is that group that chooses not to continue in nursing at all.”
Helping new nurses succeed in their profession, therefore,
has become a primary focus for health care institutions. This
professional support is among the most important factors that
make a difference for the novice.
“What we see,” says Chenoweth, “is that in institutions
where the orientation process—that precepted, one-on-one
experience—is extended, the [new grad] has a better experience,
has a better sense of transitioning into those professional
responsibilities. It’s at those institutions where orientation may
be three to six weeks—rather than three to six months—that
there is pretty heavy turnover.”
Caring for the Caregivers
The extended new graduate orientation at Duke University
Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, made the difference
for Alicia Dean (BSN ’09) when she started her first nursing
job. She knew from the start that the stress would be high on a
pediatric progressive care unit.
“We have a lot of chronic kids who stay a long time,” Dean
explains, “kids on ventilators with tracheotomies, kids with cystic
Alumni gatherings, such as this ‘Hoos Coming to Dinner event, can provide friendship
and support for new nurses. Pictured are (l to r) Kristen Smith, Anne Marie Neatrour
Chartrand, Fran White Vasaly, Cindy Phillips Rubino, and Michelle Vassallo. (The 1975
UVA nursing uniform was donated by Linda Smith Halpin.)
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 13 •

fibrosis who are in and out of the hospital constantly, kids with
cardiac conditions who have surgery. They all require a lot of
nursing care—true nursing care, caring for the whole patient.”
Part of what helped make Dean feel successful in this
environment was a 12-week orientation program (the hospital
has since increased this to six months) that included classes, an
orientation to the unit, and a one-on-one preceptorship with an
experienced nurse. In addition, for a full year, new nurses from all
over the hospital get together once a month for a four-hour class
designed to teach new concepts and provide an opportunity for
novice nurses to share their experiences with each other.
Dean admits that her first year has been difficult. There have
been times when she has left her shift in tears, and she still has
anxious dreams about forgetting to give a medication. But she is
confident that she is not alone in her struggle; there are plenty of
experienced colleagues on whom she can call for assistance and
answers to her many questions.
Anne Marie Chartrand (BSN ’08), too, knows the importance
of support from her colleagues. She was still in the preceptor
phase in her job as a NICU nurse at Inova Fairfax Hospital when
she cared for a newborn who died. The death of a patient is an
experience that every nurse encounters at some point in her or his
career, one with which it is always difficult to cope. Chartrand’s
preceptor and other staff members, however, encircled her with
all the support she needed to help ease her grief.
“I was just blown away by how much of a team we are,”
Chartrand says. “[My colleagues] said, ‘We’re here for you, you’re
here for us, and we’re all going to get through this together.’”
Several months later, when another new grad on her unit
was similarly affected by the death of a baby, Chartrand found
herself in the position of caring for the caregiver. The incident
highlighted for her the need for grief support for all nurses and
inspired her to start an initiative to reach out to colleagues
anytime one of their patients passes away.
Web Exclusive
Share Your First-Year Stories
What do you remember most about your first year out of
nursing school?
What do you do in your current practice to help new nurses?
Share your stories—funny, sad, outrageous, uplifting,
whatever—with the Alumni office.
We’ll publish some of them to our website and share your
advice with future graduating classes!
Close alumni friendships help Alicia Dean and Lindsey Wilson, two of eight 2009 nursing
graduates currently working at Duke.
Hugs Make a Difference
Social support outside the work environment can be just as vital to the
new grad’s success. Dean feels fortunate in this regard as well; she is one
of eight members of the UVA School of Nursing class of 2009 working
at Duke. During this time of transition into the real world of nursing in
a completely unfamiliar city, having a collection of friends with whom
she is able to share the experience has made a huge difference. The
fact that they are all UVA nursing alumnae makes their connection
even stronger.
“They were the only people I knew when I came down
here,” Dean says. “It was really a lifesaver. It’s great to just have
a familiar face from the beginning, someone to go through
orientation together, someone to talk with about how hard it
is, or something funny that happened. We all hang out together
and talk about work, and we all do other things together: explore
downtown Raleigh, go to the zoo or the beach. We’ve all made
trips to Charlottesville together, too.”
Starkey had lots of outside support from her family, her
boyfriend and hometown friends, so it was the professional
support and the familiarity of a university teaching hospital that
made the difference for her. She is much happier now. The selfdoubt
is gone, and she’s starting to regain the confidence and
competence she felt as a student. Now she’s philosophical about
her early challenges:
“The first year out, especially the first six months, was a
really good experience for me to have,” she says. “As much as it
was upsetting and difficult, I think it’s made me a better person
today. I’ve learned that I need to do things for myself, I’ve learned
that you can’t please everybody, and in the end you have to do
what makes you happy.”
See www.nursing.virginia.edu/alumni/FirstYearStory,
or e-mail nursing-alumni@virginia.edu.
• 14 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

A Generous Spirit, A Lasting Legacy
LeRoi H. Moore Scholarship Program Launches
at the School of Nursing
Philanthropy
Although LeRoi Moore was perhaps best known for his skills on the saxophone and as
a founding member of Dave Matthews Band, his friends and family also cherish their
memories of his quiet and generous spirit. Throughout his life, Moore was an active—albeit
private—philanthropist, regularly supporting a number of charities in central Virginia and
nationwide.
This legacy has continued even after his untimely death two years ago. In 2008, Moore
was in an ATV accident on his Charlottesville farm, and received treatment at University of
Virginia Medical Center. A few weeks later, Moore passed away suddenly at his home in Los
Angeles from complications stemming from
the accident. His death was sudden and tragic,
and his family, friends, and fans worldwide are
still mourning his loss.
In his estate planning, Moore provided
for a fund to ensure that his philanthropic
activities would continue in perpetuity. A
year after his death, the Charlottesville Area
Community Foundation (CACF) announced
the creation of a four-year college scholarship
program at the School of Nursing, through
this fund.
“LeRoi never forgot the care he received
at UVA,” says John R. Redick, president of the
CACF. “This scholarship truly reflects his desire
to honor the efforts of all those who had helped
him during his time there.” The LeRoi H. Moore
Scholarship is just one of many programs
managed by the CACF that benefit the School
of Nursing.
LeRoi Moore’s legacy includes a new scholarship at the
School of Nursing, designed to support students who share
his passion for community service.
Inspiring Others
The LeRoi H. Moore Scholarship launched this
fall and provides $5,000 a year, for four years,
to a nursing student demonstrating financial need and a history of community service.
By 2013, the scholarship will be assisting four students within the School every year.
Kaitlyn McQuade, the first recipient of the Moore scholarship, spent her senior year of
high school volunteering weekly at Putnam Hospital, close to where she lives in Patterson, NY.
Now, she’s settling into her first year at UVA and looking for opportunities to get involved.
“When I found out I was receiving this scholarship, I was ecstatic!” says McQuade. “It
will make a huge difference in my time here at UVA, and continues to inspire me to give
back to those around me.”
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 15 •

Nursing research plays a vital role in preventing illness, improving clinical
practice, and influencing health policy. By integrating research into the
undergraduate curriculum, we create a fertile training ground for inspiring
young scholars. Teamed with faculty mentors, students learn essential research
Impact
methodologies while advancing innovative projects.
Nursing Research Effecting
Changes in Prevention, Practice,
and Policy
Opening Doors to Undergraduate Research
Beth Merwin works with Michelle Dorsey and Megan Stiles
(standing) in the Rural Health Care Research Center.
At the UVA School of Nursing,
two unique programs
provide special summer research
opportunities for undergraduate
and recently graduated students.
Although nursing students already
take a required research course in
their third year, these programs
offer an opportunity earlier in their
careers to participate in real studies
and, perhaps, discover a passion for
research.
The Nursing Undergraduate
Research Initiative, f u n d e d
through a grant from the UVA
Alumni Association’s Jefferson Trust,
supported four summer research
students in 2010. The program
is designed to create a four-year
experience that progressively exposes
students to nursing research, sparks
their spirit of inquiry, and encourages
their pursuit of evidence-based
practice. Theresa Carroll, assistant
dean for academic and student
services, and associate professors
Emily Drake (BSN ’85, MSN ’93) and
Sarah Farrell (BSN ’81, MSN ’83)
designed the UVA program. It includes teambuilding
exercises for first-year students,
followed by mentoring opportunities with
local nurses, roundtables with research
and clinical faculty, and summer financial
support for research teams. Teams typically
include an undergraduate nursing student, a
graduate student mentor, and a nursing faculty
advisor.
Director of the Rural Health Care Research
Center Beth Merwin, Madge M. Jones Professor
of Nursing and associate dean for research,
wrote a grant proposal to NIH to acquire funding
for the Rural Health Care Research Summer
Internship Program, which she also oversees.
In 2010, 15 students and approximately 15
faculty members participated in the program
with a broad variety of research studies. Two
recent nursing graduates used the opportunity
to complete their distinguished major projects
and move toward publishing their findings. For
the past two years, this unique program, judged
a resounding success by students and faculty
alike, has been funded through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That funding
cycle is now complete, and fresh underwriting
is needed to sustain the program.
The Nursing Undergraduate
Research Initiative: Inspiring
Student Scholars
Second-year student Samantha Hudgins
first became interested in this initiative
through a general class announcement. Keen
to do research, she was able to participate
because it was a paid internship. She worked
with associate professor Emily Drake and
DNP student Sharon Corriveau on a prenatal
education study aimed at increasing the rates
• 16 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

Impact
Kimberly Prosser, Samantha Hudgins, and Eliza Peak interned over the summer through the Nursing Undergraduate Research
Initiative, a program designed in part by Emily Drake (top right), and funded by the Jefferson Trust.
of breastfeeding among low-income women.
The two-year project involved researchers from
UVA and Virginia Commonwealth University
in a randomized clinical trial testing a prenatal
video education tool. Hudgins worked to
enroll women in the study by identifying and
recruiting eligible patients at UVA’s OB-GYN
clinic and following up after delivery to see if
they were breastfeeding their babies. If they
weren’t, she asked questions to find out why.
“It’s great to be doing research as an
undergraduate,” says Hudgins, who has
developed a growing interest in maternal and
child health, especially in the global context.
“This is so important to the third world.”
Third-year Kimberly Prosser was
thrilled to participate in the undergraduate
research initiative, because she sees nursing
as underrepresented in research. “The public
doesn’t see that side of nursing—the scientific
knowledge,” says Prosser. “The ability to
synthesize information is an important skill
for clinicians as well as for researchers.”
Working with graduate student Jamela
Martin (BSN ’04) and associate professor
Kathryn Laughon (BSN ’98, MSN ’99), Prosser
helped conduct focus groups with battered
women. Their ultimate goal is to develop
content and language for a brochure aimed
at reducing the risk of HIV/sexually transmitted
infections and intimate partner violence in
at-risk women. Prosser is now thinking of
becoming a nurse practitioner or a sexual
assault nurse examiner.
Rising second-year student Eliza Peak
returned from a public health course in
Guatemala just in time to plunge into her
summer research with former nursing instructor
Elke Zschaebitz and associate professor Sarah
Farrell (BSN ’81, MSN ’83). The study focused
on using telehealth initiatives at the School of
Nursing to address cervical and breast cancer
issues among rural women in southwest
Virginia. In her first weeks on the project, Peak
sat in on breast consults, watched an MRI, met
with other researchers, shadowed Zschaebitz
on patient visits, and visited a high-risk breast/
ovarian cancer clinic. Peak eagerly observed
research techniques that she may use in the
future to conduct her own research.
Students clearly benefit from an early
exposure to research, and busy faculty members
juggling multiple assignments appreciate
the program as well. According to assistant
professor Cathy Campbell, a great weight
was lifted from her when student researcher
Becky Wendland helped her prepare data to
be analyzed. “What she has been able to do
in three days would have taken me weeks to
do,” says Campbell. “We are weeks ahead of
“The public doesn’t see
that side of nursing—the
scientific knowledge.
The ability to synthesize
information is an
important skill for
clinicians as well as for
researchers.”
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 17 •

impact
The Rural Health Internship Program brought together a
host of students and faculty. Pictured are (l to r) Chantal
Nizam, Rebecca Wendland (front row), Michelle Dorsey,
Katy Bagley, Samantha Hudgins, Diane Naim, Beth Merwin
(middle row), Jack Thorman, Di Umoh, Sam Hilsman, Megan
Stiles, and Matt Truwit (back row).
“The students bring unique
and interesting questions
and help us to see our
project in new ways.”
where I thought we would be.” Campbell’s
research team, which also includes graduate
student Erica Lewis, studies patient and family
satisfaction with hospice care.
The Rural Health Care Research
Summer Internship Program:
Involving a Diversity of Students
and Projects
The Rural Health Care Research Summer
Internship Program offers a unique
research partnership made up of seasoned
researchers and a broad mixture of students
from UVA’s School of Nursing, other UVA
schools, and outside universities. Students
working as 2010 summer interns included
Katy Bagley, Sarah Borchelt, Michelle Dorsey,
Sam Hilsman, Diana Naim, Chantal Nizam,
Emily Sisa, Megan Stiles, Matt Truwit, and
Di Umoh. This highly successful program
was piloted with federal stimulus funding.
Additional funding is now required to ensure
the program’s future.
Di Umoh and Chantal Nizam
Two nursing student interns worked with
faculty teams on interrelated diabetes studies,
one in Louisa County, Va., and the other in rural
Grand Bahama Island. Both studies looked at
cultural issues interwoven with data studies.
Di Umoh worked with investigators
to test a new approach to diabetes selfmanagement
among African Americans living
in rural areas. Previous research has shown
that individuals in this ethnic and geographic
profile have a higher incidence of diabetes and
its complications. Umoh updated background
literature on diabetes self-management and
transcribed audiotapes from weekly group
sessions held in rural Louisa County. Her
mentors included associate professor Sharon
Utz and assistant professor Ishan Williams,
along with assistant professor Kathryn Reid
(BSN ’84, MSN ’88, FNP ’96) and PhD student
Myra Clark.
“The students bring unique and interesting
questions and help us to see our project in
new ways,” says Utz. “Their backgrounds and
experiences add to the richness of the team
and our understanding of the clinical problems
we study.”
Umoh sees the experience as an important
one for students. “As nursing students, we often
fail to acknowledge just how crucial research
is to our practice,” says Umoh.
Chantal Nizam, a rising third-year nursing
student, participated in a study set on Grand
Bahama Island. The project focused on
enhancing collaboration in rural international
research, while addressing the global need for
diabetes self-management training. Under
the guidance of assistant professors Ishan
Williams and Kathryn Reid, Nizam assisted
in gathering data and organizing materials
to help meet the grant’s short timeline.
Like most of her peers, Nizam did not have
previous research experience. She valued the
introduction to research methodology and
seeing its potential impact on clinical practice.
She also liked the opportunity to work more
closely with faculty and staff. For Williams,
Nizam’s assistance was critical and she sees the
program as useful for grooming new scholars.
“This program clearly puts undergraduates
into research,” says Williams, which is a great
path for encouraging new graduate students,
especially in nursing.”
• 18 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

Impact
Katy Bagley collected information on patient satisfaction while volunteering at this year’s RAM clinic in Wise, Va.
Michelle Dorsey and Katy Bagley
For two nursing student interns, the summer
program was a chance to take their distinguished
major projects to fruition and
professional publication. Michelle Dorsey
(BSN ’10), the School’s first winner of the
University-wide Harrison Undergraduate
Research Award, worked with professor Beth
Merwin and assistant professor Mary Gibson
(BSN ’75, MSN ’86) to complete her own research
on the strengths and weaknesses of rural
prenatal health care, especially as compared
with nonrural care. Professionally, Dorsey plans
to combine clinical practice and research.
She is considering a doctoral degree, perhaps
centered on women’s health, public health,
primary care, or family health care.
Katy Bagley’s rural research is more
personal—she has family in southwest Virginia
and eastern Tennessee. Her distinguished major
project was inspired by a culture and health
care class taught by assistant professor Audrey
Snyder (BSN ’89, MSN ’91, ACNP ’98, PhD ’07)
and through firsthand experience at the annual
Remote Access Medical (RAM) Clinic in Wise,
Va. Bagley studied patient satisfaction with
the RAM Clinic, the factors that determined
whether or not a patient would return the
following year, and the patients’ ongoing use
of community health resources. With one
manuscript ready to submit to journals, Bagley
expects her follow-up summer study to result
in a second paper. It will also provide valuable
insights to improve patient experiences and
access to RAM and to assist local community
health providers. Bagley’s career plans include
becoming a nurse practitioner working
with children. She also loved working with
underserved populations and expects
eventually to return to academia.
Matt Truwit
Matt Truwit came to the program from Duke
University. The son of a physician father and
nurse mother, Truwit had a special interest in
health care, but the research was new to him.
Truwit worked with associate professor Pam
Kulbok on a study of teenage boys, assessing
how they make decisions to smoke or not to
smoke. He also assisted associate professor
Sarah Farrell (BSN ’81, MSN ’83) with several
projects focused on new ways to provide
readily accessible health care information.
One project explored the use of iPod Touches
by nursing students for bedside nursing care
and research. The other examined the concept
of establishing health information kiosks in two
rural, international areas. Truwit helped write
grant proposals and assisted with international
travel plans related to the research goals.
“This was my first exposure to a true,
granted research study,” he says. “I look forward
to conducting my own research and obtaining
my own grants in the future, so the experience
in writing helped to prepare me.”
Megan Stiles
For nonnursing students, the summer
internship offers an opportunity to explore
related interests and learn basic research
techniques. Intern Megan Stiles, for example,
was a recent UVA chemistry and philosophy
graduate, an active EMT, and a teaching
assistant in a chemistry lab. Working with
assistant professors Sarah Delgado and Mary
O’Laughlen (PhD ’06), Stiles entered data for a
pediatric asthma study. The research centered
on interpreting a survey given to health
care providers about adherence to national
education and prevention guidelines.
Not Either, But Both
“The Rural Health Care Research Summer
Internship Program has been a tremendous
success for the School,” says Beth Merwin,
associate dean for research, “and I sincerely
hope we can find a way to sustain it. Through
these experiences, students learn that they
don’t have to make a choice between clinical
practice and research. They can combine both.
The research can become a foundation for their
entire careers. It will likely influence some to
pursue graduate and doctoral studies.”
“This was my first exposure
to a true, granted research
study. I look forward to
conducting my own research
and obtaining my own
grants in the future, so the
experience in writing helped
to prepare me.”
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 19 •

Shaping the Future of UVA
Nursing Research
A Strategic Planning Update
Participants left last year’s Appreciative Inquiry (AI) planning
summit with loads of enthusiasm and a commitment to making
the most of the School of Nursing’s many strengths. As part of the
summit, research was identified as a key area of strategic opportunity. Since then, first Ann Gill
Taylor (BSN ’63), and then Marianne Baernholdt have been leading a group of faculty to discuss
how to enhance and develop research opportunities within the School of Nursing. Baernholdt
shares the following:
What are your group’s overall aspirational goals for research?
We want to cultivate a community of scholars and researchers to lead initiatives in health care
interventions, improve health outcomes, and inform health policy globally.
What has the committee been doing since the summit?
We have been very active. Much of what we want to do has to do with evaluating our strengths,
building on them, and thinking about how to put new processes in place.
Any specific accomplishments to share so far?
Yes, we have been working to enhance the internal review of grant proposals. Any time that a
School of Nursing researcher is preparing to submit a proposal, she or he has the option to have
it reviewed by other researchers in and outside of the School. We have taken steps to make this
process better.
We are also working to make School of Nursing research more visible across Grounds
and beyond. We found that a model for enhancing publicity already exists among some of our
research teams. A more standardized approach led by the Center for Nursing Research is one
of our developing ideas.
Target Goals for Research
In addition, we are moving forward to
create a research support center. Right now,
we are using a shared website to generate ideas
and facilitate discussion of what is needed. This
center would be a critical resource for all the
behind-the-scenes work that goes into writing
grant proposals and coordinating research
studies.
Finally, we are discussing ideas about
how to keep faculty engaged as they approach
retirement. The growing number of nursing
faculty approaching retirement is a national
challenge. We are talking about how to make
these retirements more gradual, so that faculty
can continue to contribute their expertise, even
as they cut back on working hours.
What’s next for your group?
One focus that especially interests me is
international research collaborations. We have
new opportunities for global projects, thanks to
some recent funding through the International
Rural Health Research Faculty Scholar Awards
and the federal stimulus program. These
funds can help us address one of the other
big ideas from the AI summit—to enhance our
international programs in education, service,
and research.
To design, implement, and disseminate research by
n Providing mentoring to junior faculty
members
n Endowing centers and chairs for each
center
n Keeping retired faculty active
n Forging collaborations across Grounds,
nationally, and internationally
n Creating and enhancing research publicity
n Creating a research support center to help
set up research studies, provide assistance
between grants, and conduct internal
reviews of grant proposals
n Implementing a global research plan to
build on existing strengths
n Mentoring non–tenure track faculty in
active research
n Recruiting PhD students with research
interests matched to faculty expertise
Marianne Baernholdt leads a group exploring
School research opportunities.
• 20 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

From the Nursing Alumni
Association
From the President
It’s fall and another new class of nursing students has started at UVA, eager to pursue their
dreams of a nursing career. They are enjoying the still new Claude Moore Nursing Education
Building and the newly renovated spaces that are beginning to open up in McLeod Hall,
including the first floor lobby with its small café, and the Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry
with its wonderful display areas. As you read about McLeod in this issue, it may prompt some
memories of the building through the years. I know it has for me.
We welcomed 180 new members into our Alumni Association last spring. As in past years,
they were grateful for the alumni who offered advice on job hunting in particular locations and
who have welcomed and supported them in their new workplaces. Our Legacy feature
story, “First Year Out,” will surely bring back a flood of memories! I hope
you will go to the alumni website and share your story—or share
your experience of mentoring a new nurse in her/his first year.
Three alumni are also experiencing a “first year” on
the Alumni Council (see related story). Please thank and
congratulate these alumni for their service. Be sure to let
us know if you are interested in becoming involved with
Council activities.
Finally, I hope you’ll take note of the remarkable women
who received Alumni Awards this year. We are so proud to
have them among us. I’m sure you know other
UVA nursing alumni who deserve recognition.
You can let us know by nominating them
at any time throughout the year. And be
sure to let us know of your successes and
accomplishments, too.
Patricia Booth Woodard (BSN ’69)
Norfolk
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy
21 •

from the NAA
Dean Fontaine and Patricia Booth Woodard present Alumni Awards to Cindi Allen and
Sharon Watkins.
2010 Alumni Award
Winners
At the June Reunions luncheon, the
School of Nursing Alumni Association
announced the winners of this year’s Alumni
Awards.
The Decade Award (formerly the Young
Alumni Award) recognizes a practicing nurse
who received their entry-level nursing degree
(BSN or MSN-CNL program) within the past
10 years. This year’s recipient is Sharon Watkins
(BSN ’01). Watkins, who received her BSN
through the second-degree program at the
age of 58, manages the Health & Wellness
Center at N Street Village, Inc., which serves
homeless and low-income women in inner-city
Washington, DC.
The inaugural Alumni
Achievement Award,
which honors an alum
who has shown superior
achievement in a field
other than nursing, went
to Ann Anderson Kiessling
(BSN ’64). Kiessling is a nationally
recognized scientist
with a PhD in biochemistry.
She is an associate professor of surgery
at Harvard Medical School and founded the
Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation, a
private research foundation that has made
promising advances in disease treatment while
also tackling the moral
and ethical issues in
stem cell use.
The
Distinguished
Alumni Award
is the Association’s
highest award. It
goes to an alum who
has demonstrated
o u t s t a n d i n g
contributions to the
profession of nursing,
showing distinction
i n t e a c h i n g a n d
scholarship, clinical
practice, leadership,
research, and/
or contributions to the School of Nursing
or Nursing Alumni Association. This year’s
recipient, Cindi Colyer Allen (BSN ’75), was
surprised with her award during her 35th
class reunion, which she co-chaired for the
UVA Alumni Association and the University’s
Class of 1975. Allen has had a major impact on
the School and Alumni Association through
multiple volunteer roles, including president
of the Alumni Council for a full two terms and
a year as president emerita, former member of
the Dean’s Advisory Board and active emeritus
member, and key alumni representative to
search committees for the current director of
alumni affairs and the current dean. Allen spent
her early career in a variety of clinical positions
and as a clinical instructor for Piedmont
Virginia Community College. Currently she
teaches in the Henrico County Public School
system, working with developmentally delayed
preschoolers.
Nominations for Alumni Awards are accepted
throughout the year; those received by March 15
will be considered for that spring’s award cycle.
Additional information about the awards and
this year’s recipients, as well as guidelines for
nominations, may be found at
www.nursing.virginia.edu/alumni/awards.
2010 Faculty Awards
The School of Nursing Alumni Association
sponsors annual awards to recognize
faculty for superior accomplishments in
teaching, research, and/or service. Winners are
given a $1,500 cash award and are recognized
at the fall recognition ceremony.
Distinguished
Professor Award
Sharon Utz has made a
major impact on the School
through her teaching,
research, and program
development, in particular
with the RN to BSN program.
She is also recognized as an
outstanding mentor to other
faculty members. Utz stepped down from
directing the RN to BSN program this past
summer as she moves to semiretirement.
Excellence in Teaching
Award Kathy Haugh was
recognized in comment
after comment by students
as “amazing,” “one of the
best at UVA,” “my favorite.”
She was lauded for her
clarity, organization,
enthusiasm, flexibility, and
Apply for the Alumni Scholarship
Each year the Nursing Alumni
Association is pleased to offer a
$3,000 scholarship to an alumna/us
returning to school to receive an
additional nursing degree. Funding for this
scholarship is made possible by generous
gifts from alumni and friends to the
Nursing Annual Fund. All UVA nursing
alumni enrolled in a degree- or certificategranting
program in nursing at any
institution may apply.
Applications are due June 1.
Applications may be downloaded from
the web at www.nursing.virginia.edu/
alumni/scholarships, or by calling (434)
924-0138 to request an application.
• 22 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

from the naa
approachability as a teacher. Her students
repeatedly noted her classes as tough—but
where they learned the most. Her faculty
colleagues noted her as a teaching mentor—
and confirmed everything the students
reported.
Faculty Leadership
Award
Ann Hamric
The past year was a
particularly remarkable
one in Ann Hamric’s
distinguished career. In
addition to her excellent
and dedicated teaching
and advising of graduate
students, she has taken a leadership role
nationally in issues surrounding the evolution
of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and
as a scholar of nursing ethics. She served as
the first nursing faculty member to chair the
University’s Faculty Senate during a crucial
year that included the search and selection
of a new University president and faculty
response to a controversial investigation by
the attorney general of the Commonwealth
of Virginia into the research of a former UVA
professor, a case that drew national attention
to issues of academic freedom.
Additional information on the Faculty Award
winners is available online at www.nursing.
virginia.edu/alumni/awards.
New Alumni Council Members Named
On July 1, three new Council members began their first terms.
Elizabeth “Betty” Sydrock Dunning (BSN ’74) ) recently received
her certification as a clinical nurse specialist. At that time, she
served as a clinical leader in cardiac-thoracic-vascular surgery at
the Inova Heart & Vascular Institute in Falls Church, Va. Currently,
Dunning is pursuing a clinical nurse specialist position in acute/
critical care, while also planning to enroll in a DNP program.
Dunning received her master’s degree from the Medical College
of Virginia and has regularly conducted evidence-based practice
research and presented at national and regional conferences. At
Inova Fairfax Hospital, she chaired the Nursing Practice Congress
and received nominations for and won several Nurse of the
Year awards. Dunning and her husband, David, a hematologistoncologist,
reside in Fairfax, Va.
Gerald “Joe” Montoya (MSN ’94, PCNP ’96, DNP ’08) is the second
person to receive a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from UVA.
He received associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from
the University of Southern Colorado in his native state. After
moving to Virginia and beginning his graduate work, he held
a number of clinical positions in the Charlottesville area and
at UVA and taught at Piedmont Virginia Community College.
Currently he is assistant professor of nursing at Longwood
University in Farmville, Va., and a nurse practitioner at the
Charlottesville Wellness Center. His research interests include
weight management/obesity and cultural disparities in
wellness issues.
Want to get more
School of Nursing news? Make sure we
have your correct e-mail address. Send it
to nursing-alumni@virginia.edu
Martha Coupe Schneider (BSN ’04, MSN ’08) began her career
with degrees in sociology (from UVA) and public health/health
services management (University of California, Los Angeles).
Fifteen years later, she transitioned to nursing, beginning with
an associate degree, followed in quick succession by her BSN and
MSN degrees from UVA, where she is currently in the Doctor of
Nursing Practice degree program. She has held various clinical
and management positions in acute and critical care units at
Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville and Prince William
Hospital in Manassas, Va. Currently she is director of critical
care, progressive care and telemetry services, at Rockingham
Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg, Va. Nursing is a family
business for Schneider and her husband, David (BSN ’09), an
oncology nurse at the UVA Cancer Center.
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 23 •

Reunions 2010
Reunions 2010
School of Nursing Events
Left, Class of 1980—in 1980.
Immediately below, some of
the Class of 1980 today.
Alumni enjoyed two successful reunions
this past spring at the School of Nursing.
The Diploma and BSN Classes of 1960 were
welcomed into the Thomas Jefferson
Society at their 50th reunion in May. A
highlight was the announcement of the
successful endowment of the Margaret G.
Tyson Innovative Teaching Fund, spearheaded
by the BSN Class of 1960 during their 45th
reunion in 2005.
June 5th brought 130 alumni and guests
together for the traditional School of
Nursing luncheon during June Reunions
Weekend. Warm weather and warm
friendships ruled the day as old friends enjoyed
reconnecting and sharing stories.
Reconnect in 2011!
THOMAS JEFFERSON SOCIETY
REUNION May 16–18, 2011
Welcoming the Class of 1961 into the society
and honoring all current Thomas Jefferson
Society members
UNDERGRADUATE CLASS
REUNIONS June 3–5, 2011
Celebrating the classes of 1966, 1971, 1976,
1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006
Visit www.virginiareunions.com
for registration and complete weekend details on the UVA Alumni Association website.
• 24 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

Class Notes
and News
1950s
grant support for VCU’s nurse practitioner
program. She retired as associate dean for
academic programs, a position she held for
18 years.
’74 BSN Suzie Downey Rutledge of Cornelius,
NC, received her certification in infection
control in 2009.
’75 BSN Ellen Shaid Deppe of Virginia Beach,
VA, is a nationally certified school nurse.
Ellen works for the Virginia Beach City Public
Schools.
’54 DIPLO Catherine “Katie” Rippey Hager
of Chesapeake, VA, shares that she is healthy,
active, and having fun volunteering for her
church and Meals on Wheels, while also enjoying
the company of many friends.
’54 DIPLO Charlotte Landford Newcome of
Virginia Beach, VA, retired as a nurse manager.
She volunteers as a Meals on Wheels
coordinator and stays busy with church
activities, six children, and seven grandchildren.
When she needs to “time to recharge
her batteries,” she has a wonderful place in
Corona, NC, where she can “run away.”
’59 BSN Bernice Crockett Davenport of
Staunton, VA, is retired and enjoys volunteering
for the Red Cross, the Free Clinic, and the
Wildlife Center.
1970s
’70 BSN Bridget Breen Whitson of Ballwin,
MO, has been working as an RN for 40 years
and says her education has served her family
very well. Bridget is sorry to have missed her
40th reunion, but plans to make a pilgrimage
to Charlottesville soon.
’71 BSN Betty Lynne Sparks Mann is currently
teaching on the BSN faculty of Baylor
University Louise Herrington School of
Nursing. She resides in Corsina, TX.
’75 BSN Karen Minyard
is executive director of
the Georgia Health Policy
Center, one of the nation’s
premier public
health institutes. She
serves as an advocate for
basic restructuring of
local health care systems
to focus on access to care and health status
improvements. Karen will also serve as
mentor to UVA’s Healthy Appalachia
Institute during the term of a grant received
from the National Network of Public Health
Institutes, with support from the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation. Healthy
Appalachia, aimed at fostering a healthier
citizenry in southwest Virginia, is a joint
venture drawing on the resources of the
University of Virginia, including the School
of Nursing, and UVA’s College at Wise.
’77 BSN Ellen Witscher Trovillion from
Clayton, MO, is a proud mother of three: son
Drew graduated from UVA McIntire School
of Commerce in May; daughter Caroline lives
and works in New York City; and son Tim attends
Miami University in Ohio. Since Drew’s
graduation, Ellen is now looking for excuses
to come to Charlottesville.
’73 PNP Janet Browning Younger of
Richmond, VA, retired after nearly 40 years
at Virginia Commonwealth University’s
School of Nursing. Janet was instrumental
in establishing and obtaining federal
1980s
’80 BSN Karen Harris Keeter of Atlanta, GA,
is celebrating her 30th year with IBM. Karen
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 25 •

Class notes
currently works as an innovation strategist in
the office of IBM’s chief information officer.
Her son, Matthew, is a junior at Harvey Mudd
College.
’87 BSN Vanessa Bertini of Scottsdale, AZ,
has worked for the past 22 years at Phoenix
Children’s Hospital (PCH) where she is a clinical
education resource nurse. She won nurse excellence
awards at PCH in 2007 and 2010. Vanessa
is a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse
and chemotherapy instructor, certified by the
Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Nurses (APHON) and is the current president of
APHON’s Arizona chapter. In addition, Vanessa
created “The Facts: Plain and Simple,” a curriculum
of sex education for middle schools that
she teaches in a seminar format. She has three
daughters: an 18-year-old at Whittier College in
Los Angeles, and two younger ones, 15 and 11,
attending Scottsdale Preparatory Academy.
’87 MSN, ’97 PhD Susan Cramer Winters of
Carbondale, IL, has been named director of
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s
regional nursing program located on the SIU
Carbondale campus.
’89 MSN Rick Martin is senior vice president
and CNO of Hoag Hospital Newport, a
498-bed acute care, not-for-profit hospital in
Newport Beach, CA, as well as a new 154-bed
Hoag facility opening in nearby Irvine.
1990s
’90 PhD Rita Hundley Pickler of Richmond,
VA, is one of four faculty at the Virginia
Commonwealth University School of Nursing
to be appointed to inaugural Nursing Alumni
Endowed Professorships. Rita’s research for
the past 20 years has focused on infant and
maternal health, specifically feeding patterns
of preterm infants. She is the principal
investigator on a $1.6 million grant through
the National Institute of Nursing Research to
study feeding approaches for preterm infants.
’94 BSN Kimberly Elmer Nohilly is a health
care attorney at Greenwich Hospital, part of
the Yale-New Haven Health System. Kimberly
has three children: a 12-year-old and two
10-year-olds. The family resides in Goldens
Bridge, NY.
Christa Hartch and her family recently returned from a year
living abroad.
’95 BSN, ’98 MSN Lois Perry was one of
three UVA Medical Center nurses recognized
in May at its Nursing Excellence
Awards Ceremony, held annually during the
National Week of the Nurse. Lois received the
Excellence in Clinical Practice award.
’97 BSN, ’05 MSN Janet Jumper Braziel, of
Arlington, VA, married Major Sean C. Braziel,
USMC, in December of 2009. She is now
the proud stepmom to Sean’s 10-year-old
son, Collin. Janet left transplant surgery at
IN MEMORIAM
’35 DIPLO Lois Nichols Long of Tampa, FL, died on March 17, 2010.
’36 DIPLO Alice Law Breitner of Norfolk, VA, died on January 28, 2010.
’40 DIPLO Margaret Tucker Scott of Fredericksburg, VA, died on
April 14, 2010.
’44 DIPLO Margaret Martin MacKenzie of Natchitoches, LA, died on
April 9, 2010.
’47 DIPLO Doris Blatchley Swaim of Charlottesville, VA, died on
April 24, 2010.
’48 DIPLO Lovedy Ellis Erwin of Bryson City, NC, died on April 20, 2010.
’49 BSNED Felia K. Douros of Waterford, CT, died on March 29, 2010.
’51 DIPLO Dorothy Blackwell Hoffman of Charlottesville, VA, died on
March 29, 2010.
’53 DIPLO Mary Ann Frankhouser Spring of Fredericksburg, VA, died on
August 9, 2010.
’55 DIPLO Frances Lee Turner Martin of Bonifay, FL, died on
April 30, 2010.
’57 DIPLO Patricia Griffith Rinker of Lynchburg, VA, died on
May 28, 2010.
’57 DIPLO Peggy Walker Sydnor of Charlottesville, VA, died on
July 17, 2010.
’58 DIPLO Sarah “Sally” Hutton Blanton of Bristol, TN, died on
August 13, 2010.
’62 DIPLO Jane Pendleton Garth Davis of Charlottesville, VA, died on
June 20, 2010.
’63 BSN Mary Blackwell Sheridan of Crozet, VA, died on May 15, 2010.
’70 BSN Peggy Trollinger Adams of Richmond, VA, died on
March 28, 2010.
’73 DIPLO, ’81 MSN Mary Fainter Vines of Lexington, VA, died on
July 27, 2010.
’88 BSN Mary Ann Early of Charlottesville, VA, died on August 22, 2010.
’89 BSN, ’90 MSN Hope Island Sayas of Arrington, VA, died on
August 21, 2010.
• 26 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

class notes
Georgetown Hospital in August of 2009 and
is currently working as a critical care nurse
practitioner at Washington Hospital Center.
She also serves as a critical care flight nurse
in the United States Air Force Reserve.
’97 BSN Christa Jankowski Hartch and her
family lived in Paris for almost a year as part
of her husband Greg’s work. They returned to
the United States recently, when his assignment
ended. Their children—Christian (9),
Annabelle (7), and Caroline (4)—attended
Marymount School Paris. The family had many
wonderful adventures together in France.
’99 BSN, ’05 MSN Kristi
D. Kimpel, an advanced
practice nurse on the
UVA Medical Center’s
surgical trauma burn
intensive care unit,
received the 2010 Circle
of Excellence Award
from the American
Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).
The award recognizes excellent outcomes
in the care of acutely and critically ill
patients and their families. Kristi is
president of the Monticello chapter of the
AACN and a research mentor in the Medical
Center’s nursing research program.
2000s
’00 BSN Beth Hooton Gordon is planning a
trip to Kenya with Mercy Medical Team in
November 2010. She works as a staff nurse
and clinical instructor for Jefferson College
and resides in Chesterfield, MO.
’02 MSN Rachel Lindell Peck of Ft. Mitchell,
KY, was promoted to vice president at Burke
Inc. “Rachel’s expertise in health care and
her tireless commitment to the quality of her
research product have helped her create lasting
relationships with her clients,” said Tara
“Looking back, I am amazed at the strength
and resiliency of the people we treated.”
Alumni in Action
Mark Marino (MSN ’99)
The USNS Comfort became a floating hospital after the Haiti earthquake.
U.S. Navy Commander Mark Marino has served as
the director of nursing aboard the USNS Comfort for the
past two years and during its relief mission in Haiti earlier
this year. The 1,000-bed “floating hospital” arrived in the
waters surrounding Port-au-Prince just eight days after the
January 12 earthquake.
“We started receiving patients as soon as we were
within helicopter range,” remembers Marino. “Every six
minutes, a helicopter would land on deck, with anywhere
between three and six injured. My goal was to get as many
patients on the ship as we could manage.”
Mark Marino holds a young patient who was As patients arrived on board, they brought heartbreaking
stories—enough, says Marino, to fill volumes. One
treated for burns to his upper lip and nose.
in particular struck close to home—a four-story concrete
building that housed the country’s largest nursing school had collapsed during the earthquake.
Most of the school’s students were in class at the time, on the first floor. None survived.
“That’s a whole generation of Haitian nurses—gone,” says Marino. “It’s hard to recover from
a loss like that, especially in a country where nurses, doctors—really, any sort of health care
infrastructure—are already in such short supply.”
“Looking back, I am amazed at the strength
and resiliency of the people we treated,”
Marino says.
This fall, Marino will be retiring from the
Navy after 24 years. He’s ready for something
new and would like to shift his focus to
palliative care. It was a decision he made
before his time in Haiti, but his experiences
aboard the Comfort confirmed that desire.
“We saved a lot of people, but we couldn’t
save them all,” Marino remembers. “I had to
keep encouraging my staff that even if all we
were able to do was ease a person’s pain, give
them food and clean water, and make them
comfortable—this was a tremendous gift.”
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 27 •

Class notes
Marotti, senior vice president, client services
management. Founded in 1931, Burke is an
independent, full-service marketing research
and decision support company.
’03 BSN Emily Miller Hall of Front Royal, VA,
worked as a staff nurse in the Intermediate
Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia,
PA. In 2007, she completed an MSN Family
Nurse Practitioner Program and MPH from
the University of Pennsylvania. From 2008 to
2010, Emily worked with Partners in Health
as a clinical nurse mentor in Rwanda. In
this position, she focused on training efforts
aimed at improving quality of care in inpatient
and outpatient settings.
’06 BSN Jane Fellows of Batesville, VA, is
enrolled in a certification program through
Emory University as a certified wound care/
foot care nurse.
’06 BSN Alyssa Jiu Nolan of Atlanta, GA,
recently became engaged to UVA alumnus
Stephen Carlson. Alyssa earned her Neonatal
Nurse Practitioner certification from
Vanderbilt University in 2008.
’09 BSN Michelle Dunn was a member of
the team of cath lab workers to perform the
very first emergency stenting for an acute MI
at the newly opened Spotsylvania Regional
Medical Center in Fredericksburg. The hospital,
affiliated with HCA Virginia, opened its
doors only the day before. Michelle lives in
Stafford, VA .
Thank You!
To Our 2010 ’Hoos Coming to Dinner Hosts
Thanks to planning and a strong sense of camaraderie, this spring’s ’Hoos
Coming to Dinner event was another success. The School of Nursing is
grateful to the following alumni from around the world for hosting their
fellow alumni and friends in 17 different locations during the week of Mr.
Jefferson’s birthday in April. Together, they helped to maintain the bond
among UVA nursing alumni.
After volunteering to host a ‘Hoos Coming to Dinner event in Sydney,
Australia, Gabrielle Bergmann (BSN ‘95) learned that she was the only
UVA nursing alum currently known to be living in that country. But with
generosity of Wahoo spirit, she hosted a dinner for other, nonnursing
UVA alumni in Sydney. One guest (we won’t say who), impressed with
the ‘Hoos Dinner concept, stated that he was going to call the people at
his school to let them know that Nursing was getting ahead of them!
The bounty at Amanda Faircloth’s event in Richmond included this
custom Virginia Nursing cake.
Charlottesville, VA:Susan Andresen Winslow (MSN ’87), Jean Sparks Blankenship
(BSN ’00, MSN ’01), Kelly Keegan (BSN ’09)
Alexandria, VA:Suzanne Stock Pitkin (BSN ’94), Keuri Patel (BSN ’94)
Beaverdam, VA:Nancy Wallace (BSN ’96), Susan White (BSN ’68)
Falls Church, VA(at Inova Fairfax Hospital): Fran White Vasaly (BSN ’69) and other
members of the School of Nursing Alumni Association Scholarships
Committee
Richmond, VA:Amanda Faircloth (BSN ’00)
Virginia Beach, VA:Patricia Booth Woodard (BSN ’69), Ellen Shaid Deppe (BSN ’75),
Cathy T. Miller (BSN ’74)
Washington, DC:Lyndsay Wilson Anderson (BSN ’06), Jenna Centini (BSN ’06)
Waynesboro, VA:Betsy Crockett Smith (BSN ’76), Therese Podgorski (MSN ’08)
Atlanta, GA:Carey Lowe Waters (BSN ’99), Alyssa Nolan (BSN ’06)
Bedford, NY:Julia Mazurak (MSN ’83)
Charlotte, NC:Lisa Kelley (BSN ’99)
Jacksonville, FL:Debi Adams Cassidy (BSN ’76), Karen Michael Slagle (BSN ’76)
Rochester, NY:Bridget Platania (MSN ’00)
Scottsdale, AZ:Lisa Murphy Hammond (BSN ’79)
Sydney, Australia:Gabrielle Bergmann (BSN ’95)
Interested in hosting a ’Hoos Coming to Dinner event for spring 2011?
Sign up online at www.nursing.virginia.edu/alumni/hoosdinner.
• 28 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

Your gifts matter!
School of Nursing Annual Report
Fiscal Year 2009–10
These charts and graphs provide a brief snapshot of revenues and expenditures
and a summary of private giving for fiscal year 2009–10 (the fiscal year runs from
July 1 to June 30). If you have questions about any of this information, please
contact the School of Nursing Alumni & Development Office at (434) 924-0138
or e-mail nursing-dev@virginia.edu. Thank you for your support!
School of Nursing Revenues 2009–10
Funding Sources
Total = $13.77 million
Endowment 13%
Gift 7%
Medical Center 6%
“As I was finishing my BSN, I gave
$20.10 toward the Class of 2010 gift.
The clever idea of giving that special
Sponsored Programs 17%
Other 1%
State Support 56%
amount caught my attention—it
was very doable and allowed me
to participate. And I like to think it
gave me a great start as an alum.”
— Maur a Rodriguez (BSN ’10)
first-time annual fund donor
School of Nursing Expenditures 2009–10
Program Expenditures
Total = $13.55 million
Scholarships and Fellowships 11%
Public Service 1%
Student Services 4%
Development 5%
Note: This report captures income and operating expenditures only for Rector & Visitors
gift and endowment accounts. It does not include income and expenditures from
accounts held at independent entities (the UVA Fund at the Alumni Association or the
UVA Health System Foundation), nor does it include pledges or expenditures associated
with the McLeod Hall renovation (capital expenditures).
Research 13%
Academic Support 22%
Instruction 44%
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 29 •

Annual Report 2009–10
“As our son started the college application process, I realized how fortunate I was to attend
UVA. I loved being a nurse and now spend many hours raising money for causes that I
believe will make a difference in a child’s life. The nursing students are the future, and it
is our responsibility to give back. As our class advocate, I have loved catching up with old
friends and we are all planning on attending the reunion in 2012!”
— Diane Kuhn Hynes (BSN ’82)
Dean’s Circle member
Market Value of School of Nursing Endowments
At Fiscal Year End (June 30)
Market Value of School of Nursing Endowments
45
Endowments created through the generosity of donors provide
permanent sources of revenue for the school to draw upon in perpetuity.
These funds, often restricted in purpose by the donors, are invested by
the University. The income earned each year is used to address many of
the School’s most important priorities, including financial assistance for
students, research, professional development for faculty, honoraria for
guest lecturers, and many other programmatic needs.
Millions of Dollars
40
35
30
25
20
15
$30,252,295
$38,891,199
$39,983,649
$30,219,281
$33,474,376
10
To make a tax-deductible gift to the School of
5
Nursing, you can
0
n Return the envelope provided with this issue
of Virginia Legacy.
n Contact
Alumni & Development Office
P.O. Box 801015
Charlottesville, VA 22908-1015
(434) 924-0138
nursing-dev@virginia.edu
n Give immediately and securely online at
www.campaign.virginia.edu/supportuvaschoolofnursing
Annual Fund
FY 06 FY 07 FY 08 FY 09 FY 10
Each year, gifts from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends made
to the Nursing Annual Fund provide the School an invaluable source of
unrestricted income. This allows the School flexibility to respond to the
emerging needs of students, faculty, and academic programs through
scholarships, fellowships, support for innovative teaching ideas, faculty
professional development, funding for student and alumni outreach, and
so much more. For a detailed listing of Nursing Annual Fund expenditures,
please contact the Alumni & Development Office.
• 30 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

Annual Report 2009–10
Annual Fund Totals—Five-Year Comparison
Number of Annual Fund Donors—Five-Year Comparison
thousands of Dollars
400
350
300
250
200
150
$352,549
$390,763
$379,444
$307,403
$333,565
Dollars
2000
1500
1000
500
1,951
1,686
1,448
1,496
1,664
100
50
0
0
FY 06 FY 07 FY 08 FY 09 FY 10
FY 06 FY 07 FY 08 FY 09 FY 10
Total dollars rebounded from the economic downturn of FY ‘09, allowing
us to exceed our goal of $325,000.
For the third year in a row,
participation in the Annual Fund has increased
as the number of donors has risen steadily.
Among these donors, nearly 140 joined the Nursing Dean’s Circle
with a leadership gift of $1,000 or more to the Nursing Annual Fund
or other expendable accounts. Current students and undergraduate
alumni from the past ten years can join the Nursing Dean’s Circle at
the Genesis level with a contribution of $250 or more.
“Last spring the Class Giving Campaign asked
the fourth-year class to make a contribution
back to UVA. I, of course, wanted to designate
The nursing class with the highest percentage of participation for 2009–10
was the Diploma Class of 1963: 37% of the class members made a
gift last year. And, congratulations to the BSN Class of 2010, whose
members launched into alumni status with a class gift to the annual fund
that represented 65% participation!
Your gifts matter! To see a complete list of our Honor Roll of donors for
2009–10, please visit www.nursing.virginia.edu/HonorRoll. In an effort
to become more environmentally responsible and cost-effective, the
School of Nursing will publish this year’s full list only online. However, if
you do not have web access, please contact the Alumni & Development
Office at (434) 924-0138 to receive a printed copy.
my gift to the School of Nursing because it
gave so much to me. My parents also made a
gift to the School of Nursing because they saw
how much I loved my time there. As a new
graduate nurse, I am so thankful for my UVA
experience. My parents and I are proud to be
part of the UVA School of Nursing community.”
—Thornton Beale (BSN ’10)
www.nursing.virginia.edu Virginia Legacy 31 •

School Celebrates
New Nursing Graduates
Last May, the School of Nursing granted 116 new bachelor’s degrees, 77 master’s degrees
(including 22 CNLs), and 18 doctorates. At the annual Hooding and Pinning ceremonies, the
following members of the Class of 2010 received special honors for their achievements:
Nursing Student Contributing the Most to the
School of Nursing
Katy Bagley
Two hundred and five new nursing students graduated from
the School last spring, receiving their diplomas on the steps
of the Rotunda.
Nursing Student Contributing
the Most to UVA
Brittany Moore
Edgar F. Shannon Scholar Award
Carolyn Lawson
Anne Pollok Hemmings
Clinical Excellence Award
Sabrina Lane
Distinguished Majors Awards
Laura Spurlock
Caitlin Hogan
Alison Miles
Michelle Dorsey
Jessica Brown
Katy Bagley
In addition, the following graduate students
received special awards:
Graduate Teaching Assistant Award
Anna “Kate” Clark (MSN ’11)
Barbara Brodie Scholars
Nurse Practitioner Award
Leslie Stirn (BSN ’06, MSN ’10)
Armeen Jamal-Kabani (MSN ’10)
Barbara Brodie Scholars Doctoral Award
Bethany Coyne (BSN ’94, PhD ’10)
Verhonick Research Award
Devon Noonan (PhD ’10)
Global Visionary Award
Andrea Knopp (PhD ’10)
• 32 Virginia Legacy Fall 2010

Virginia Moments
In 1969, Dr. Phyllis Verhonick taught UVA nursing students the basics of research.
Today, UVA’s research centers have grown so extensive that they fill McLeod Hall.
Photo courtesy of the Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry collections. Learn more about resources and
opportunities to support the history center at www.nursing.virginia.edu.
the photo in our Spring 2010 issue prompted several calls.
The class was identified as neuroanatomy, taught by Barbee
Bancroft (PNP ’76, MSN ’78), in fall 1980. The students in the photo
are Karen Saunders (PNP ’81, MSN ’82), Andrea Lewyn
Krakovsky (MSN ’82), Annabel Kim Downs (BSN ’77, PNP ’81,
MSN ’82), Joan Ascheim (MSN ’82), and Dierdre O’Connor
Sheets (MSN ’82).
For their help in identifying these fellow alumni, thanks to
Patti Heid Smouse (BSN ’79, MSN ’82), Jackie Tebben (MSN
’80), Wendy Wolf (MSN ’78), Beth Hoffman Stein (BSN ’77), Janet
Lynn Baker King (BSN ’78), Lee Jones Farrar (BSN ’78), Jennifer Smith Wilhoit (MSN ’81),
and Nancy McDaniel (BSN ‘77).

University of Virginia Hospital
P.O. Box 801015
2410 Old Ivy Road, Suite 207
Charlottesville, VA 22908-1015
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Calendar
of Events
OCtober
9 School of Medicine’s Claude Moore
Medical Education Building Dedication
(new building next to McLeod Hall)
12 Nursing History Forum: “Sir, can you
help me out?”: An analysis of EMIC
program letters, 1943–1947
16 UVA Homecomings
23 Admissions General Information
Session: Undergraduate/Graduate
Programs
november
2 Admissions Information Session:
PhD/DNP Programs
3 Zula Mae Baber Bice Memorial Lecture:
Cynda H. Rushton, PhD, RN, FAAN,
Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins
University School of Nursing
3–7 Virginia Film Festival
5–7 UVA Family Weekend
6 School of Nursing Recognition
Ceremony
13 Admissions General Information
Session: Undergraduate/Graduate
Programs
16 Nursing History Forum: Healers,
heroines and harpies: Literary nurses
of the First World War. Forum will be
followed by the grand opening of the
newly renovated Center for Nursing
Historical Inquiry.
december
7 Admissions Information Session: PhD/
DNP Programs
17 End of Examinations, Fall Semester
january
19 Spring 2010 Semester Begins
february
5 Alumni Council Winter Meeting
march
6–14 Spring Recess
15 Agnes Dillon Randolph International
Nursing History Lecture: Sandra B.
Lewenson, EdD, RN, FAAN, Professor
of Nursing, Lienhard School of Nursing,
Pace University
16–20 Virginia Festival of the Book
april
3 Black Alumni Weekend, sponsored by
UVA Alumni Association
6 Catherine Strader McGehee Memorial
Lecture: Barbee Bancroft RN, MSN,
PNP, Executive Director and President
of CPP Associates, Inc., Chicago,
Illinois.
16–23 Historic Garden Week in Virginia
may
16–18 Thomas Jefferson Society Reunions:
Classes of 1961 and earlier
18 T.J. Society School of Nursing Luncheon
21 Pinning & Hooding Ceremonies, School
of Nursing
22 Final Exercises
June
3–5 Reunions Weekend: Celebrations for
the Classes of 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981,
1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006.
Save the Date!
For details on Nursing History events, please
contact the Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry,
nurs-hxc@virginia.edu, or (434) 924-0083.
For details on Admissions information sessions,
see www.nursing.virginia.edu/admissions, or call
(888) 283-8703.
For all other events, please contact the School of
Nursing Alumni & Development Office at nursingalumni@virginia.edu,
or (434) 924-0138.
Please check the School of Nursing website
for more details as they become available:
www.nursing.virginia.edu.