GW Nursing Magazine Fall 2016

The George Washington University / School of Nursing 

FALL 2016 

Footprints 

to the Future 

Creating New Paths and 

Destinations for Nursing

Table of Contents 

Features 

12 

Walking the Walk in 

Nursing Research 

The George Washington School of Nursing 

has dedicated itself to a different kind of 

nursing scholarship, whether in education, 

clinical care or research. 

18 

Continuing to Serve 

Students in the George Washington School 

of Nursing Veterans Program find personal 

connections, new professional paths. 

Departments 

From the Dean 5 

GW Nursing News 6 

SON Academic Programs 17 

Policy Updates 23 

Graduation 24 

GW Nursing at Home 

and Around the World 28 

Faculty, Student 

and Staff News 32 

Alumni News 36 

Meet the Advisory Council 40 

Philanthropy News 42 

Grants and Funding News 45 

The George Washington University 

STEVEN KNAPP 

PRESIDENT 

School of Nursing 

PAMELA JEFFRIES 

DEAN AND PROFESSOR 

GWNursing 

CONSULTING EDITOR 

LYNN SCHULTZ-WRITSEL 

PHOTO EDITOR 

ERIN JULIUS 

WRITERS AND CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS 

MARIE BROWN 

AMANDA CHARNEY 

TEDDI FINE 

ERIN HARKINS-MEDINA 

JENNIFER HAYES-KLOSTERIDIS 

PETER HART 

ERIN JULIUS 

MONICA KRZYSZCZYK 

REESE RACKETS 

RUTH STEINHARDT 

JOE VELEZ 

MARY WARING PEARCE 

PHOTOGRAPHERS 

WILLIAM ATKINS 

ERIN JULIUS 

LOGAN WERLINGER 

DESIGN AND EDITING 

DIVISION OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS 

RACHEL MUIR 

MARKETING AND CREATIVE SERVICES 

DOMINIC N. ABBATE 

JOSH SCHIMMERLING 

KELLY SCHNEIDER 

On the Cover 

Graphic by Dominic N. Abbate 

GWNursing is published biannually by: 

GEORGE WASHINGTON 

SCHOOL OF NURSING 

45085 University Drive 

Innovation Hall, Suite 201 

Ashburn, VA 20147-2604 

Telephone: 571-553-4498 

Email: nursing@gwu.edu 

Website: nursing.gwu.edu 

Comments, letters, advertising and change 

of address notices are welcome. 

©2016 The George Washington University 

The George Washington University is 

an equal opportunity/affirmative action 

university.

THE GEORGE WASHIN 

nursing.gwu.edu / 3

4 /

From the Dean 

Our Explorations Continue 

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead 

where there is no path and make a trail.” 

—ralph waldo emerson 

Working with faculty, students, staff, alumni, donors and students over the 

past 18 months has been a journey of excitement, discovery and productivity. 

Together we have made significant strides in identifying and addressing areas 

where we need to grow, pursue opportunities or embrace change as we take 

the George Washington School of Nursing (GW SON) to a new destination. 

Our continuing efforts to enhance and strengthen the school, our 

programs, research initiatives and student learning have begun to brand us as 

a newly emerging school that is increasingly recognized in national rankings. 

Yet, we acknowledge that we are just beginning our explorations; the choices, 

challenges and directions facing us become more urgent and complex with 

each step we take. 

In preparing to take those steps toward a re-imagined GW SON, we asked: 

“How do we lead the school—and the profession—in a new direction while 

remaining a premier destination for nursing education?” 

We debated: “What can we do better to support the needs and 

expectations for faculty and friends and to expand our footprint, visibility 

and contributions to constituents and the community?” 

And we questioned: “What does a GW SON graduate look like?” 

In response, leaders, faculty and students determined: “Our nursing 

programs should be preparing our students with competencies in health 

policy and, most importantly, the PhD program we will build and launch in 

2018 should center on health policy with foci on the areas of health quality, 

workforce and health disparities.” 

This summer, we took a few big steps forward in expanding our physical 

footprint. Our Foggy Bottom office moved into a greatly expanded 

workspace on 1919 Pennsylvania Avenue, a stone’s throw from GW’s 

central administrative offices and the White House. At the same time, we 

strategically built out our facilities on the Virginia Science and Technology 

Campus, providing more resources and expanding service areas to promote 

collaboration across GW SON's two campuses. 

The time is right, and this exhilarating new trail is ours to blaze. 

Pam Jeffries, phd, rn, faan, anef 

Dean and Professor 

nursing.gwu.edu / 5

GW Nursing News 

Work begins on 

the new School of 

Nursing location on 

the Foggy Bottom, 

Washington, D.C., 

campus. 

EXPANDING THE 

NURSING FOOTPRINT 

Pennsylvania Avenue, the 

famous Washington, D.C., 

boulevard that connects the 

White House and the U.S. 

Capitol, is now the address of 

a new occupant: the George 

Washington School of Nursing 

(GW SON). 

Just steps from the 

White House—and the GW 

Foggy Bottom campus—the 

prestigious 1919 Pennsylvania 

Avenue location increases the 

SON’s footprint in downtown 

D.C. by more than 50 percent. 

The sale of 2030 M 

Street, GW SON’s former 

Washington, D.C., location, 

provided an opportunity “to 

review our current footprint 

and make strategic decisions 

about our future in Foggy 

Bottom,” said Joe Velez, GW 

SON director of operations. 

“Our decision to invest in a 

larger, leased office space… 

was made with careful 

consideration to the growth of 

the School of Nursing.” 

The most appealing 

option—found at 1919 

Pennsylvania Avenue—offered 

the opportunity to build out 

6 /

SPACE NUMBERS 

71 

days under construction 

4,030 

more square feet 

(53% INCREASE) 

2 

more conference rooms 

space that specifically met the 

needs of the SON. Working 

with Intec Group, Inc., space 

was designed to “intentionally 

encourage collaboration while 

presenting a professional and 

attractive academic office,” 

Mr. Velez said. 

On the Aug. 1, move-in 

day, faculty, students and staff 

found that, in addition to 

the customized design, the 

new space offers amenities 

not found in SON’s former 

location, including numerous 

and larger meeting spaces, 

break-out rooms for small 

group discussions and 

communal space. But the 

feature Mr. Velez and 

colleagues were most excited 

about is the building’s rooftop 

terrace overlooking the famous 

avenue. “We’ll use it for events, 

lunches or even just to escape 

the office and enjoy 

the weather outside while 

checking email.” 

50% 

more storage space 

56 

new signs 

nursing.gwu.edu / 7


FIRST GW SON 

MOOC IS LED 

BY HEALTH CARE 

QUALITY TEAM 

Jean Johnson and Greg Pawlson, experts 

who have spent decades working on health 

care quality improvement, are the first 

SON faculty to teach a GW massive online 

open course (MOOC). Launched in May 

and offered through Coursera, “Leading 

Healthcare Quality and Safety” is aimed 

at all members of health care teams. The 

course is continuously open for “just-intime” 

learning and, depending on needs 

and schedules, participants can complete 

its requirements in three or more weeks. 

“MOOCs are powerful tools that allow 

someone’s expertise to reach much further 

than in a traditional classroom,” said Dean 

Pamela Jeffries, who developed numerous 

MOOCs prior to coming to GW. “Offering 

the experience through the team approach 

of Dr. Johnson, a nurse, and Dr. Pawlson, a 

physician, brings multiple perspectives and 

effectively reflects how patients are now 

treated by teams.” 

Dr. Johnson has long emphasized 

quality in health care education. As the 

founding SON dean, she initiated the first 

graduate-level degree in health care quality. 

“Health care is complicated; the system is 

complex. Our population is aging and often 

experiencing multiple health challenges 

and complex treatment regimens. It’s no 

wonder that medical error is such a critical 

problem,” she said. “We know we can do 

better with heightened attention to better 

systems of care and getting all health care 

workers focused on safety and quality.” 

Her team colleague, Dr. Pawlson, was 

executive vice president of the National 

Committee for Quality Assurance for 

11 years and chair of the Department of 

Health Care Sciences in the GW School 

of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) 

for 10 years. He is now a senior medical 

consultant for Saxton Stump and SE 

Healthcare Quality Consulting with a focus 

on patient safety and quality improvement, 

and continues to serve as an SMHS clinical 

professor and an SON adjunct professor. 

Guest faculty joining the MOOC 

team include Margaret (Peggy) O’Kane, 

the founding and current president of 

the National Committee for Quality 

Assurance; Jesse Pines, the director of the 

Office for Clinical Practice Innovation, a 

professor of emergency medicine in GW 

SMHS and a professor of health policy 

and management at GW Milken Institute 

School of Public Health; and Esther Emard, 

who has more than 30 years of health care 

executive leadership. 

For more information about “Leading 

Healthcare Quality and Safety” 

and other GW MOOCs, visit 

https://online.gwu.edu/moocs 

8 /

IN BRIEF 

Virginia Honors the SON 

In celebration of the school’s fifth 

anniversary, Delegate John Bell (D-District 

87) submitted to the Virginia General 

Assembly a commending resolution to 

congratulate the GW School of Nursing. 

In June, Delegate Bell visited the school to 

present a framed format of the resolution 

to Dean Pamela Jeffries and Associate 

Dean Billinda Tebbenhoff. A similar 

commending resolution was presented 

to Drs. Jeffries and Tebbenhoff at a July 

meeting of the Loudoun County Board 

of Supervisors. Supervisor Suzanne Volpe 

submitted the resolution that applauded 

the school’s community service and offered 

congratulations on the anniversary. 

To read Delegate Bell’s resolution, visit 

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604. 

exe?161+ful+HJ526ER 

Dean Pamela Jeffries, center, and Associate Dean 

Billinda Tebbenhoff welcome Delegate John Bell. 

SON Joins National 

Aging Center 

The SON Center for Aging, Health & 

Humanities has joined the National 

Hartford Center of Gerontological 

Nursing Excellence. SON will partner 

with the center in its mission of 

enhancing and sustaining the capacity 

and competency of nurses to provide 

quality care to older adults through faculty 

development, advancing gerontological 

nursing science, facilitating adoption of 

best practices, fostering leadership and 

designing and shaping policy. SON faculty 

and students will have access to leaders 

in the aging and gerontological nursing 

field, receiving individualized guidance 

and the opportunity to take advantage 

of educational resources designed to 

strengthen the SON programs. 

To learn more, visit 

http://www.nhcgne.org 

SON to Offer New Programs— 

Accelerated BSN Summer Entry 

and Psychiatric Nurse NP 

Although most students and faculty 

traditionally think of school beginning in 

the fall, summer is a perfect time to begin 

the SON’s accelerated second degree 

nursing program. The May 2017 program 

entry—offered in addition to the 

current August (fall) and January 

(spring) programs—allows 

students to start in mid-May 2017 

and finish in August 2018. The 

program of study is the same as 

other entry points, the clinical 

opportunities are abundant, and 

the class size is limited to 30 

students. 

The new psychiatric mental 

health nurse practitioner 

(PMHNP) certificate program 

will begin in the fall of 2017. 

PMHNPs, also referred to 

as Psychiatric Mental Health 

Advanced Practice RNs, are one 

of the nursing specialties most 

sought after by hospitals, clinics 

and other care centers. Students in the first 

class (fall 2017) will already be certified as 

Advanced Practice Nurses and will be able 

to complete the program in as little as one 

calendar year. 

For more information, visit 

https://nursing.gwu.edu/pursuecareer-nursing 

NURSES WEEK— 

MAY 6-12, 2016 

FACULTY REFLECT ON 

STEPS TO NURSING 

Each year during Nurses Week— 

which begins on May 6 and ends 

on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s 

birthday—faculty members have 

an opportunity to reflect on 

their choice of nursing and how 

their careers led them to their 

current roles. 

Assistant Professor Linda Briggs, 

who worked to launch GW SON’s 

newest field of study in adult 

gerontology acute care nurse 

practitioner, became a nurse because 

she wanted to help patients and their 

families achieve the best possible 

outcomes while taking into account 

their situations. “I made nursing 

my career because I’ve seen the 

significant impact nurses can have on 

patients, their families and the health 

care system.” 

Senior Associate Dean for Academic 

Affairs Mary Jean Schumann 

wanted to be a nurse as far back as 

she can remember, she said. “Nursing 

is a wonderful choice of profession. 

Regardless of setting or position, 

the building blocks of advanced 

knowledge, skills and passion for 

nursing have allowed me to contribute 

to nursing practice, nursing education 

and policy.” 

“Why nursing? Because it was the field 

I was drawn to early in my education, 

the one in which I grew and followed 

my passion for education, and the one 

I continue to explore today,” said Dean 

Pamela Jeffries. 

nursing.gwu.edu / 9


TURNING 

IDEAS AND 

OPPORTUNITIES 

INTO PRODUCTS 

AND REVENUE 

How does a nursing school use the 

ever-present creativity and expertise, 

intellectual capacity and innovative spirit 

of its faculty and staff as an initiative to 

benefit those potential entrepreneurs and 

the school? 

At the George Washington School of 

Nursing (GW SON), a new division has 

been formed to do just that. The Division 

of Entrepreneurial Enterprises (DEE), led 

by Ronna Halbgewachs, the SON assistant 

dean responsible for entrepreneurial 

enterprises and strategic initiatives, is now 

operational and actively packaging and 

promoting SON ideas and opportunities. 

Among the DEE’s most recent 

offerings are two partnership initiatives: 

a faculty- and staff-led nurse leader 

executive program with UnitedHealth 

Group and a national youth leadership 

forum for promising high school students 

with Envision. Current programs are 

prerequisites for prospective nursing and 

other health profession students, massive 

open online course (MOOC), certified 

nurse educator prep course and the use of 

simulation space by other organizations. 

And more products and programs are in 

the pipeline. 

As the ideas stream in, each is being 

evaluated and prioritized. “We use criteria 

developed and recommended to the dean 

by the DEE advisory launch team of faculty, 

staff and business consultant advisers,” said 

Ms. Halbgewachs. “These criteria were 

modeled on the GW Innovation Task 

Force Exploration Committee criteria 

and reflect the mission of the school and 

charge of the DEE.” 

The early success of the DEE can be 

attributed to the careful advance planning 

by Ms. Halbgewachs and the launch team, 

said Dean Pamela Jeffries. “They were 

charged with creating a unit that focuses 

on revenue production, enhanced SON 

visibility, reinforcement of the SON brand 

and leveraging the capacity of the SON. 

And that unit, the DEE, is delivering.” 

Dean Jeffries is now planning use 

of the DEE revenue with the priority 

being reinvestment in academics, 

research and infrastructure; continued 

revenue diversification and growth; 

and other strategic SON initiatives. 

As Ms. Halbgewachs urged her 

colleagues, “Keep those ideas coming, 

the opportunities are everywhere and 

for everyone.” 

For questions or to offer an idea 

or opportunity, please email 

sondee@gwu.edu 

Assistant Dean Ronna 

Halbgewachs reviews SON 

entrepreneurial strategies with 

Dean Pamela Jeffries. 

10 /

NEW FACULTY, STAFF ADD TO 

SON EXPERTISE 

2016 has seen the addition of two new faculty and four 

additional staff, bringing the full-time faculty to 60 and 

staff to 28. 

Trending Now 

SON WELCOMES... 

FACULTY: 

Ashley Darcy-Mahoney and 

Dana Hines are assistant professors 

on the research track. Both joined 

the faculty in July. See their profiles on 

page 15. 

STAFF: 

Jaclyn Crosby is the newest 

admissions coordinator on the 

SON Student Affairs team. Prior 

to joining the SON, she worked 

for the pharmacy program at the 

Shenandoah University’s Ashburn, 

Va., location, right next to SON 

at Innovation Hall on the 

Virginia Science and Technology 

Campus (VSTC). 

Patsy Deyo, the clinical placement 

manager, holds an MSN from GW 

SON, a BSN from George Mason 

University and a BA in management 

from Gettysburg College. She 

previously was a nurse consultant 

to the GetWellNetwork. She will 

supervise the clinical placement 

coordinators and assist graduate 

students in securing clinical 

placement sites. 

Brian Keenan is the simulation 

lab manager on the VSTC. He 

is a graduate of the Shenandoah 

University BSN program and most 

recently served as an administrator 

for the Loudoun Endoscopy Group 

in Lansdowne, Va. 

Miro Liwosz is the director of 

online learning and instructional 

design. He brings to the SON over 

12 years of experience in higher 

education with a focus on advancing 

teaching and learning pedagogies 

through distance learning and 

educational technology initiatives. In 

his most recent position at Alvernia 

University in Reading, Pa., he was 

responsible for the oversight of the 

Distance Learning division. 

Natalia Mikheeva is the 

administrative assistant for the 

Division of Undergraduate Studies 

where she provides assistance to 

faculty, staff and students. She is 

originally from Russia, where she 

earned a master’s in economics with 

a specialty in accounting and auditing 

from Mari El State University. 

Reese Rackets is the 

communications and marketing 

specialist. He previously worked as 

an editor at University of Missouri 

Extension, where he specialized 

in organizational storytelling and 

academic publishing. 

AND SON SAYS FAREWELL TO— 

Deborah Chapa, assistant 

professor and DNP program director, 

who has accepted a position as an 

associate professor with Florida 

Atlantic University in Boca Raton. 

Assistant professor and founding 

faculty member Nancy Falk, who 

is exploring other opportunities in 

academia and practice. 

Jason Fararooei, director of 

digital and visual marketing and 

communications, who has returned 

to his home and former company in 

North Carolina. 

Jessica Greene, professor and 

associate dean for research, who was 

named the Luciano Chair of Health 

Care Policy at Baruch College School 

of Public Affairs in New York City. 

DNP program coordinator 

Sarabeth Morofsky, who is 

now the assistant director of 

admissions and student success at 

the University of Denver-Daniels 

College of Business. 

Juana Vergara, the clinical 

placement coordinator at the 

Foggy Bottom campus, who 

worked in student services on 

the Ashburn campus. 

GW School of Nursing @gwNURSING ∙ May 20 

We hope @VaSecofHealth 

enjoyed his meeting with 

@GWDeanJeffries & @BillindaT 

today! #GWU #nursing 

@GWVirginia 

Steven Rozecki @StevenRozecki ∙ Apr 16 

@gwNURSING Nala checking 

out the new issue of GW 

Nursing 

GW School of Nursing @gwNURSING 

We have faculty in the studio 

today practicing interviews 

so they’re ready to share their 

expertise more broadly! #GWU 

#GWnursing #nurses 

GW School of Nursing @gwNURSING 

A photo from Haiti, 

where three of our BSN 

students participated in an 

interdisciplinary healthcare 

team! #GWU #GWnursing 

#nursing #healthcare 

#nursingschool #BSN #Haiti 

nursing.gwu.edu / 11

WALKING 

THE WALK 

IN NURSING 

RESEARCH 

VIRTUAL LEARNING 

HEALTH POLICY 

12 /

QUALITY OF CARE 

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY 

WORKFORCE ISSUES 

by teddi fine 

The George Washington School of Nursing (GW SON) has 

dedicated itself to a different kind of nursing scholarship, whether 

in education, clinical care or research. In its first five years, the 

school hasn’t just talked the talk; it has walked the walk. A 

distance-learning graduate program with a national, if not global, 

footprint and a unique accelerated baccalaureate program for 

veterans were among the first offered by a school of nursing. The 

simulation labs continue to expand and support clinical learning 

while collecting data that contributes to the scholarship of 

simulation education. Now, under the leadership of Dean and 

Professor Pamela Jeffries, the SON is taking its next big step: 

building a respected research presence around health policy and 

workforce development (access, preparation and cost), quality of 

care and health disparities. 

When she joined the SON, Dr. Jeffries found a natural 

springboard for expanding the SON research program, particularly 

in the faculty’s collaborative nursing education and data analysis 

already underway. Over the past year, she has promoted and 

supported both mentorships and interdisciplinary partnerships 

to build a critical mass for scientific inquiry. Similarly, new faculty 

workload guidelines delineating time spent on scholarship, 

teaching and research have been completed and adopted by 

the faculty and will foster research by including set-aside time 

for scholarship. 

Educational innovation and workforce sustainability are as 

central to the SON’s research agenda as they have been to the 

overall vision and mission of the SON. The most robust element 

of faculty inquiry, educational research, also dovetails with 

Dr. Jeffries’ area of expertise in experiential learning, innovative 


Simulation, an essential element in 

nursing education, is a focus of ongoing 

GW SON research. 

teaching strategies and the delivery of technology-driven 

educational content. 

The SON is moving toward its goal of becoming the 

preeminent school for educational research with the addition of 

new research scholars, among them Angela McNelis, professor 

and associate dean for scholarship, innovation and clinical science. 

Dr. McNelis is renowned for her educational research, including 

work that has resulted in a call to overhaul both hands-on and 

classroom learning to prepare nurses to deliver safer, higherquality 

patient care, as well as investigation that focuses on 

interprofessional education. And as the SON builds toward the 

launch of a PhD program, her ongoing research will help identify 

and implement best practices in post-graduate education to build 

the next generation of faculty and researchers of excellence. 

GW SON is “poised to help make nursing education more 

efficient and effective by identifying best practices in nursing 

education that can be modeled elsewhere, such as, ‘How much 

simulation can be exchanged for practicum face-to-face work?’” 

says Dr. McNelis. “And given the stature of the SON in the 

forefront of distance learning, we have a perfect petri dish for 

testing when, where and what aspects of nursing education can 

take place most effectively in a ‘virtual’ classroom.” 

That kind of research is underway, based on the school’s 

unique educational graduate and undergraduate structures. 

Assistant professors and undergraduate program faculty leaders 

Majeda El-Banna, Malinda Whitlow and Billinda Tebbenhoff 

are exploring the effectiveness of accelerated degree nursing 

students’ satisfaction with the “flipped classroom” model, an 

alternative-learning model that stands traditional didactic 

education on its head. It shifts from primary classroom instruction 

to a learner-centered model that begins with topic-specific student 

study followed by class-time content application and exploration 

that can nurture more meaningful, deeper learning. 

Dr. Jeffries emphasizes that this type of educational research 

informs policies that can better prepare the nursing workforce 

to provide ever-safer high-quality care. “Research, practice and 

education are essential partners to national and international 

health care policy development and implementation,” she says. 

“Through a powerful and symbiotic relationship, each has a major 

role in shaping and impacting the other.” 

Other areas of educational research, similarly are poised to 

help the GW SON and other nursing programs “educate smarter.” 

Limited simulation classroom availability and the SON’s emphasis 

on graduate distance learning have led associate professors Laurie 

Posey and Christine Pintz to undertake a grant-funded study 

that examines whether telehealth-enabled (“virtual”) clinical 

encounters with standardized patients are as effective 

an educational tool as more traditional face-to-face 

standardized encounters. 

A second study—on which Drs. Posey and Pintz are joined 

by Dr. McNelis and faculty members Pearl Zhou, Karen Lewis 

and Pam Slaven-Lee—is underway to determine whether these 

telehealth-enabled encounters provide sufficient predictive 

information for educators to assess distance-learning students’ 

diagnostic reasoning competence. 

Research on the impact of scope-of-practice rules on nurse 

14 /

NEW SHOES ON THE 

GROUND IN GW NURSING 

RESEARCH 

“And given the stature of 

the SON in the forefront of 

distance learning, we have a 

perfect petri dish for testing 

when, where and what aspects 

of nursing education can take 

place most effectively in a 

‘virtual’ classroom.” 

—angela mcnelis 

The blueprint of a robust research capacity at the GW School of 

Nursing is taking shape. Two assistant professors who joined the faculty 

in July are bringing added depth and direction to the SON’s research 

capacity-building initiative. And their respective areas of research 

concentration have significant implications for future health care 

programs, policies and education. 

Dana Hines, whose research focuses on community health, HIV/ 

AIDS and population studies, earned her MSN and PhD from Indiana 

University. Her groundbreaking dissertation on discrimination in health 

care among trans women (born male) living with HIV earned her a Ruth 

L. Kirschstein National Research Fellow Award from the National 

Institute of Nursing Research. She is also a Center for Population 

Health Research fellow, working with its lesbian, gay, bisexual and 

transgender (LGBT) health predoctoral mentoring program. 

She has devoted the majority of her career to public health, 

directing her energies and expertise to community public health 

interventions among those with or at risk for HIV/AIDS. For nearly 

a decade, Dr. Hines worked with the Department of Public Health in 

Marion County, Ind., to improve community standards of care 

and patient outcomes for local, marginalized individuals living 

with HIV/AIDS. 

Professor and Associate Dean for Scholarship, 

Innovation and Clinical Science Angela 

McNelis will contribute to the launch of a SON 

PhD program through her ongoing research, 

collaboration and scholarship. 

Ashley Darcy-Mahoney, the 2014 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year 

and a Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Faculty Scholar, has dedicated her 

research career to studying infant health. Formerly on faculty at Emory 

University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, she earned 

her neonatal nurse practitioner MSN and PhD from the University 

of Pennsylvania and works in developmental outcomes for high-risk 

infants, including those born preterm or diagnosed with an autism 

spectrum disorder. 

In addition to her SON duties, she is a Children’s National Medical 

Center (CNMC) Conway Fellow, working with Pamela Hinds, director 

of the CNMC Department of Nursing Research. This fall, she will join 

GW’s Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute headed by 

Kevin Pelphrey and created in partnership with CNMC. As the director 

of infant research, she will help boost cross-departmental initiatives. 

In welcoming the new faculty, Dean Pamela Jeffries noted that 

each brings a valued research perspective and portfolio to GW. She 

added, “Each will demonstrate the impact nurse researchers have on 

advancing science and health care practice. And they will contribute to 

GW Nursing’s unique history of excellence in nursing education, policy, 

clinical care and the spirit of inquiry.” 


STEPPING ONTO 

FERTILE SOIL: 

GROWING RESEARCH 

INTO PRACTICE 

The GW SON faculty members are not only conducting 

research but are working to translate it to practice and policy. 

The faculty’s inquiries have the potential to effect change in 

health care education, lead to new best practices in care and 

better serve underserved populations. 

To help newborns get the best possible start, assistant 

professor Mayri Sagady Leslie is assessing if U.S. 

physicians and nurse midwives are delaying umbilical 

cord clamping by two to five minutes for pre- and 

full-term newborns, a practice that can lower risks for 

infections, anemia and potential learning delays. 

Beverly Lunsford, assistant professor and director 

of the GW Center for Aging and Health, leads a 

series of studies to improve health care practices and 

outcomes for older adults. The goals are to assess 

how and what kinds of “meaningful activity” for older 

patients in long-term care facilities can help improve 

their mental health; explore the effectiveness of an 

evidence-based falls curriculum in changing health 

professional falls assessment and prevention practices 

for older adults; and determine if an interdisciplinary 

palliative care services framework can improve the 

care of older adults with multiple serious illnesses. 

With a nursing and health services research 

background, assistant professor Jeongyoung Park is 

evaluating the effect of new care models on the health 

care workforce. One of her recent Health Resources 

Services Administration-funded studies found that 

when adopting a patient-centered medical home 

model—now becoming a best practice—community 

health centers expand by adding nurse practitioners, 

medical assistants and care coordinators. 

At the request of the World Health Organization, 

SON research instructor Edward Salsberg, 

who also directs health workforce studies at the 

multidisciplinary GW Health Workforce Institute, has 

developed a critical policy brief on the future demand 

and distribution of the global health workforce in a 

rapidly aging world. 

“ ... our research also will stamp 

a nursing footprint on health 

policy and advocacy.” 

— dean pam jeffries 

practitioner (NP) autonomy and future workforce 

growth has distinct implications for policy and 

workforce deployment and, as a result, has been 

central to SON faculty activity. In addition to the 

publication of a broad-based paper on the topic by 

a collaborative group of faculty, assistant professor 

Linda Briggs is surveying recent NP graduates to 

learn if and how state scope-of-practice laws may have 

influenced where they sought employment. 

Associate professor Ellen Kurtzman is preparing 

the publication of her study comparing NP-delivered 

care in states with and without restricted scope 

of practice. The study assesses the effect practice 

restrictions may or may not have on quality of care, 

service utilization and referral patterns. And in a 

recent American Nurse Today article, adjunct professor 

Nancy Rudner reports that professional autonomy 

for female-dominated professions, such as nurse 

practitioners, lags markedly in states that didn’t 

support the Equal Rights Amendment of the 1980s. 

Only 20 percent of non-ERA adopting states support 

full practice authority for NPs compared with over 

50 percent among ERA-adopting states. The health 

professional glass ceiling remains a challenge, despite 

the dearth of front-line clinicians in many areas of 

the country. 

The footprint of SON research has been growing 

rapidly and flourishing. “The school’s aspiration to 

be the preeminent nursing school for educational 

research is in the hands of its faculty,” says Dean 

Jeffries. “Our research future and strength are ours to 

build and to own. With our unique geographic location 

and capacity, our research will be similarly unique. 

Not only will we shine a spotlight on the triple aim 

of health care cost, quality and access in workforce 

development and service delivery, but our research also 

will stamp a nursing footprint on health policy 

and advocacy.” 

16 /

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY 

SCHOOL OF NURSING 

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS 

Academic opportunities at the GW School of Nursing reflect the changing nature of the field and the increasing 

diversity of the nursing profession. The school offers opportunities for nurses in all stages of their careers through 

several Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) options, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), the Doctor of 

Nursing Practice (DNP), multiple post-graduate certificates and extensive distance-based learning programs. 

Bachelor of Science in 

Nursing (BSN) 

✚✚ 

Accelerated Bachelor of 

Science in Nursing (ABSN) 

✚✚ 

Veterans Bachelor of 

Science in Nursing (VBSN) 

✚✚ 

✚✚ 

✚✚ 

✚✚ 

RN Pathways 

RN to BSN 

RN to BSN/MSN 

»» 

Family 

Nurse Practitioner 

»» 

Adult Gerontology 

Primary Care 


»» 

Nurse Midwifery 

RN to MSN - Bridge 

(includes all MSN tracks) 

Master of Science in 

Nursing (MSN) 

✚✚ 

Family Nurse Practitioner 

✚✚ 

Adult Gerontology Primary 

Care Nurse Practitioner 

✚✚ 

Adult Gerontology Acute 


✚✚ 

✚✚ 

Nurse Midwifery 

Nursing Leadership & 

Management 

Doctor of Nursing Practice 

(DNP) 

✚✚ 

✚✚ 

✚✚ 

✚✚ 

✚✚ 

✚✚ 

✚✚ 

Post-BSN DNP Family 


Post-BSN DNP Adult 

Gerontology Primary Care 


Post-BSN DNP Adult 

Gerontology Acute Care 


Post-MSN DNP (Generic) 

Post-MSN DNP 

Executive Leadership 

Post-MSN DNP Health 

Care Quality 

Post-MSN DNP 

Nursing Education 

Post-Graduate Certificates 

✚✚ 

Family Nurse Practitioner 

Certificate (FNPc) 

✚✚ 

Adult Gerontology Primary 


Certificate (AGPCNPc) 

✚✚ 

Adult Gerontology Acute 


Certificate (AGACNPc) 

✚✚ 

✚✚ 


Education Certificate 

Psychiatric/Mental 

Health Nurse Practitioner 

Certificate (PMHNPc) 

GW SON VOICES 

“I chose the GW MSN-FNP program because 

I had such a wonderful experience in my 

ABSN program here… The GW name in the 

D.C. nursing/medical community is very well 

respected…making clinical rotations easier and 

really carrying a lot of weight when applying 

for jobs outside of the D.C. area.” 

—WILL SMITH, BSN ’14, MSN FNP ’16, 

Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner, 

Erie Family Health Center, Chicago, Ill. 

“The simulation laboratory run by the faculty 

truly mimicked real-life situations that nurses 

encounter on a daily basis. Practicing on the 

mannequins helped me learn the necessary 

skills so as to ease my transition into the 

clinical setting… I credit my nursing success to 

GW SON.” 

—MELISSA BRODER, BSN ’14, 

Registered Nurse, High Risk Perinatal 

Unit, Holy Cross Hospital, 

Silver Spring, Md. 

“GW SON encourages and supports dreams. 

The DNP program helped to open my mind 

to all kinds of possibilities and experiences 

both nationally and internationally…and the 

location at the very center of the free world 

incorporates and encourages a very diverse 

student population.” 

—KELLEY MILLER WILSON, DNP ’15, 

Clinical Associate Professor, University 

of South Carolina College of Nursing, 

Columbia, S.C. 

APPLY NOW 

Office of Admissions 

571-553-0138 

email: sonadmit@gwu.edu 

REQUEST INFORMATION 

Graduate Programs 

1919 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Ste. 500, Washington, D.C., 20006, 202-994-7901 

NURSING@GWU.EDU 

Undergraduate Programs 

Innovation Hall, 45085 University Dr., Ste. 201, Ashburn, VA, 20147, 571-553-4498 


CONTINUING 

TO SERVE 

Students 

in Veterans 

Program 

Find Personal 

Connections, 

Professional 

Paths 

18 /

y ruth steinhardt 

As a Special Forces communications sergeant, Jeff Graham was 

cross-trained in every function of his unit, including weapons, 

engineering and demolitions. But he had a particular gift for 

medical work, serving in combat as a backup medic in case his 

team’s medic was injured. 

Now Mr. Graham is a student in the Veterans Bachelor of 

Science in Nursing (VBSN) program at the George Washington 

University School of Nursing (GW SON). 

In spite of the heart-stopping challenges he faced on the 

battlefield, Mr. Graham said becoming a full-time nursing student 

was not automatically a walk in the park. 

“In terms of the technical stuff, the hands-on of nursing, it’s 

very different to treat a trauma patient in the field than someone 

in the hospital,” Mr. Graham explained. “If someone was hurt on 

the side of the road, I could probably stop the bleeding or help 

identify a collapsed lung. But on day one [of class], I felt just as 

inexperienced as somebody who’d never seen a syringe before,” he 

said, laughing. 

An Easier Path to Education 

The VBSN, an intensive, full-time accelerated degree program 

based at GW’s Virginia Science and Technology Campus in 

Ashburn, Va., began in 2014 with a $1 million grant from the U.S. 

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). 

“The premise goes back to a presidential initiative to help fasttrack 

military veterans into the civil workforce,” said Gretchen 

Wiersma, a 10-year Army veteran and the director of the VBSN 

program. “The idea was to look at what veterans did within the 

military and figure out how to build on those skills instead of 

reinventing the wheel.” 

An accelerated BSN not targeted specifically to veterans has 

existed at SON since 2009, Dr. Wiersma said. The nursing field 

is a promising one for workforce entrants, with projections from 

the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating a 16 percent growth in 

employment of registered nurses between 2014 and 2024—much 

faster than the average for all occupations. 

But the VBSN takes a unique admissions approach to 

streamline veterans’ transitions to school and, eventually, to 

a career. Veterans can receive credit not only for universitylevel 

courses they have taken, but also for their military and 

professional experience. And the program is open to all veterans, 

not just those with a medical background. Applicants just need 

60 credit hours of college-level classes as well as certain 

prerequisite courses. 

“We have some students who went to West Point or the Naval 

Academy or have a master’s degree,” Dr. Wiersma explained. “And 

we have others who do not have a bachelor’s degree, who may have 

an associate degree or may not.” 

Admissions staff work directly with veterans and service 

members to help them figure out what classes they need to take 

and how they can get access to them. That guidance is important, 

since veterans themselves say that the approach to coursework 

during military service can be anything but cohesive. 

Peter Hart, SON’s associate director of enrollment 

management and primary logistics officer for the VBSN program, 

said he and his staff try to give each prospective student a 

“customized game plan” to make sure they are prepared to apply 

and to enter the school. That individual-level support continues 

when students start at GW, he said. 

“We want every student to have a specific point person they 

always talk to, from the time they enter to the time they graduate,” 

he said. “It’s a simple thing, but it makes a difference.” 

Shared Experiences Along the Way 

Allen Bigornia, a Navy veteran and current VBSN student, said 

that personal connection has been “instrumental,” in more ways 

than one, in getting him to and through nursing school. 

Admissions staff went “above and beyond the call of duty” in 

helping Mr. Bigornia apply and be accepted to the VBSN program, 

he said. But beyond that, working with fellow veterans has helped 

give him a sense of community as he studies across the country 

from his family. He now sees his wife and young son mostly over 

Skype and on occasional visits from their home in San Diego. 

“It felt like we knew each other from day one, and we’re like a 

big family now,” he said of fellow veterans in his cohort. Other 

students agree: When asked what they liked best about the 

program, almost every VBSN student interviewed used the 

word “camaraderie.” 

Mr. Bigornia said that sense of connection goes beyond his 

fellow students to his teachers and mentors as well. “Some of the 

faculty are veterans themselves, and it makes a huge difference 

working with people who know what you’ve been through.” 

Paul Tschudi, a lecturer in counseling at GW’s Graduate School 

of Education and Human Development who serves as an adviser 

to VBSN students, is one such veteran. After serving for 15 months 

as a combat medic in the Vietnam War, his first plan was to get a 

job in a hospital operating room. But he found himself unable 

to adjust to his new circumstances. “I was used to trauma,” 

he said. “I had a hard time letting go of that role.” 

Mr. Tschudi eventually “fell in love” with counseling 

and channels that healing impulse into 

helping men and women in search 

of a professional path after military 

service. 

Dr. Wiersma agreed that her 

military experience “100 percent” 

strengthens her rapport with 

her students. “I understand 

and can appreciate the 

things that they’ve done and 

the places they’ve been and 

whatever sacrifices they’ve 

made,” she said. 

Not only is she familiar 

with the language and 

culture of military life, but 

as a commissioned officer in 

the Army Nurse Corps, she 

also carries a certain level of 

authority beyond the classroom. 

Some enlisted students, she said 

with amusement, automatically 

address her as “Ma’am.” 

20 /

SON VETERANS: A UNIQUE PROFILE 

AVERAGE AGE 

32 

NUMBER OF 

GRADUATES 

10 

WOMEN 

24 

MEN 

17 

MILITARY 

MEDICAL 

EXPERIENCE 

39% 

BRANCH OF SERVICE 

AIR FORCE 

10% 

(4) 

ARMY 

49% 

(20) 

10+90+R 49+51+R 2+98+R 5+95+R 34+66+R 

ARMY 

RESERVES 

2% 

(1) 

MARINES 

5% 

(2) 

NAVY 

34% 

(14) 

ACADEMIC 

BACKGROUND 

17% 

56% 

27% 

(7) 

(23) 

(11) 

ASSOCIATE’S BACHELOR’S NO DEGREE 


“So many have literally 

grown up in the military 

and have absorbed and been 

shaped by that community’s 

commitment to service. 

They’re mature, focused, 

disciplined… and they have 

been trained that lives depend 

on their actions and those of 

their team.” 

— mary jean schumann 

Support at Each Step 

The HRSA grant also provides on-site support services for 

veteran nursing students at the VSTC, including dedicated study 

spaces, tailored academic advising, counseling and tutoring. In the 

first few years of the VBSN’s existence, Dr. Wiersma said, a major 

focus has been on figuring out what resources students need to 

have within reach. “You don’t know what you need until you need 

it,” she said. 

Many veteran students found they needed extra review with 

math, for example, so VBSN administrators have ensured that 

a math tutor is on the Virginia campus at set times during each 

semester. Dr. Wiersma said even non-VBSN students have also 

been eager to take advantage of the tutor’s availability. “It’s kind 

of like VBSN is leading the way to get resources, not just for 

themselves but for other students as well,” she said. 

Staff and students agree that ease of access is crucial, especially 

since some of their most important support comes from the 

informal connections that arise from on-campus spaces and 

resources. VBSN cohorts hold monthly meetings in their own 

space, for example, and Mr. Tschudi—who moderates many of 

them—said these are some of students’ most productive hours. 

“People will say things like, ‘I really had trouble with this topic,’ 

and somebody else will say, ‘I happen to be good at that, I can 

help,’” he said. 

“A lot of us have come from previous medical backgrounds,” 

said VBSN student Vincent Tubayan, a 14-year Navy veteran who 

worked for five years counseling a range of patients from high-level 

veterans to Washington, D.C.’s, homeless population. “There are 

guys who were working on battlefields, having to stop someone’s 

bleeding by holding them in their arms, really visceral stuff. But to 

their credit, the staff and school recognize that and they allow us 

to perform at our own level and to help other students who may 

not have had our experience.” 

A Lifelong Commitment 

Students in the VBSN program see nursing as a way to 

directly impact the lives of people who, in Mr. Bigornia’s words, 

may be suffering “the worst time of their lives. People are very 

vulnerable at that point and looking to you for guidance and 

advice,” he said. “I think it’s that human connection that I actually 

like—that intimate connection you have with your patients. It’s 

intrinsically motivating.” 

Mary Jean Schumann, SON associate dean for academic affairs 

and the lead on the HRSA grant, sees this attitude from each of 

the students and believes they give back as much as they receive. 

“So many have literally grown up in the military and have absorbed 

and been shaped by that community’s commitment to service. 

They’re mature, focused, disciplined… and they have been trained 

that lives depend on their actions and those of their team,” 

she said. 

Billinda Tebbenhoff, SON’s associate dean for undergraduate 

studies, agreed. “Our veterans exemplify service and dedication,” 

she said. “They are prepared and grateful to serve in leadership 

roles; they are resilient and compassionate. It is an honor to work 

with them.” 

22 /

Policy Updates 

NEW NURSING CENTER STEPPING OUT 

AND UP IN HEALTH POLICY 

BY TEDDI FINE 

“Location, location, location,” a phrase 

often heard in real estate, also explains why 

the George Washington School of Nursing 

(GW SON) is bringing nursing health 

policy to the forefront in its education, 

research and professional services. 

The school’s location in Washington, 

D.C., the nation’s public policy nerve 

center, makes health policy a natural focus, 

a leading-edge part of its growing footprint, 

evidenced in its mission, its imprimatur. 

Policy, according to SON Dean Pamela 

Jeffries, “Is a touch point for us, a catalyst 

for what we do and who we are, cementing 

our role as a leader in driving nursing and 

health care policy.” 

Today, important steps are underway 

to build the school’s policy expertise. Not 

only is the development of this expertise 

being integrated into the SON nursing 

curricula, but in an example of being in 

the right place at the right time, a key 

leader, Diana Mason, has joined the SON, 

bringing her experience as creator and 

co-director of a unique nursing policy 

forum, the Center for Health, Media 

and Policy located at New York’s Hunter 

College. 

That center will be a model for GW 

SON to follow in amplifying its voice and 

disseminating messages about nursing and 

health policy. The Hunter College center 

got the word out about policy-salient 

information through a long-time, weekly 

radio show on WBAI (99.5 FM New York 

City), and through blogs, op-eds and 

other social networking tools. Specialized 

training programs and input from visiting 

scholars at the center gave nurses new tools 

to communicate more successfully with the 

media and with policymakers. 

Dr. Jeffries believes this model and Dr. 

Mason’s expertise will provide “GW SON 

a springboard for the broader work we’re 

doing to build a health policy presence 

here—and will help initiate our own Center 

for Nursing Policy and Media Engagement. 

Diana’s presence will assist nurses on the 

frontline of health care services, research 

and education become sought-out health 

care change agents in how that care is 

delivered, paid for and evaluated.” 

To jumpstart GW SON’s new center, 

Dr. Jeffries has asked Dr. Mason to act as a 

personal bridge by bringing transportable, 

virtual elements of the Hunter College 

model from New York to Washington, 

D.C. Dr. Jeffries says, “Her media and 

policy elements are a brilliant fit for GW, 

particularly given where we’re going and 

what she’s brought to the table in nursing 

policy and program over the years.” 

Dr. Jeffries also has tapped SON 

associate professor Mary Jean Schumann 

to collaborate with Dr. Mason and across 

the larger GW community in bringing 

the program to its full potential in policy 

information and education dissemination. 

Dr. Schumann sees the new center and Dr. 

Mason’s involvement as “a win-win. She 

brings media savvy expertise and training 

to a nursing school with the location, 

reputation and presence for policy 

development excellence. And the new 

center will help us morph our long history 

of policy interest into a driving force in 

healthcare policymaking.” 

However, the center is just one 

element—a first step—in building a 

larger policy foundation within the SON. 

Dr. Schumann is working in that realm, too, 

serving as a de facto policy advancement 

architect to create academic programs as 

well as a physical presence at the SON that, 

she says, “Can capture the minds of nurses 

nationwide to become a proactive part of 

the changes in health care policy.” 

With its roots in the SON, the 

center will reach across the university, 

across nursing and beyond to create a 

unique policy forum to help inform the 

future of nursing and of healthcare. An 

interdisciplinary advisory board of thought 

leaders in health care will help guide its 

work. Policy knowledge and competency 

will become an integrated part of curricula 

from the baccalaureate to the doctoral 

levels, with a graduate level certificate in 

health care policy focused on nurses, as 

well as other programs for current DNP 

and future PhD candidates. Clinical and 

research knowledge—and their policy 

implications—will be explained and 

disseminated to the media and others by 

nurses well-versed in communications 

skills. Current and future nursing leaders 

will expand their portfolios to become 

spokespersons for nursing policy, too. 

Through this entity, policy and advocacy 

will be melded inextricably with SON 

research, academic programming and 

leadership. 

Ultimately, Dr. Jeffries says, “In this 

time of ever-changing health care, the 

goal is to give nurses, individually and as 

a discipline, the tools and expertise to be 

a visible and vocal policy presence in the 

statehouse and the board room, as well as 

in the treatment room.” 


Graduation 

GRADUATION, 

COMMENCEMENT 

AND CELEBRATIONS— 

MAY 2016 

TAKING THE NEXT STEPS TO 

THE FUTURE 

Graduation, commencement, the awarding of 

a degree—all seem to signify a conclusion. To 

the 281 students receiving bachelor’s, master’s 

or doctorate degrees on May 15, 2016, it is a 

beginning: the start of a career, a step up in 

their profession or the achievement of the 

terminal degree in their field. 

The George Washington School of 

Nursing graduates were among the 6,400 

graduates to earn degrees in the 195th 

academic year of the university. They and 

nearly 25,000 attendees gathered on 

the National Mall in Washington, 

D.C., for the processionals, 

awarding of degrees and a 

rousing “We need to change 

the world” charge from 

Commencement speaker 

U.S. Sen. Cory A. Booker 

(D-N.J.). 

281 

Graduates 

Dean Pamela Jeffries joins 

Sen. Cory A. Booker at GW 

Commencement ceremonies.

GW SON graduates and faculty celebrate 

degree conferral during a school 

graduation ceremony on the Foggy 

Bottom campus and at the university-wide 

Commencement on the National Mall. 

122 124 34 1 259 22 

Bachelor of 

Science in 


Master of 

Science in 


(98 Nurse 

Practitioners) 

Doctor of 


Practice 

Post-Graduate 

Certificate 

women 

men 


Graduation 

HONOR SOCIETY 

INDUCTS SON 

GRADS 

At a ceremony May 13 in the Jack Morton 

Auditorium on the Foggy Bottom campus, 

95 graduating George Washington School 

of Nursing (GW SON) students were 

inducted as members of the honor society 

of nursing Sigma Theta Tau International. 

Joining the nearly 400,000 nurses 

worldwide who have been inducted since 

the society’s founding in 1922, GW SON 

students were honored for their scholastic 

achievements and service. The GW Phi 

Epsilon chapter, chartered in 2011, was 

modeled on the structure and goals of 

Sigma Theta Tau to stand for “love, courage 

and honor” in all its members’ endeavors as 

health care professionals. 

top Arlene Pericak, Cameron Hogg and Esther Emard become Sigma Theta Tau officers. 

below Jackie Wavelet welcomes students into Sigma Theta Tau. 

26 /

PINNING 

WELCOMES 

STUDENTS TO 

NURSING 

Professors and mentors applauded the 

2016 George Washington School of 

Nursing Bachelor of Science in Nursing 

graduating students at the spring GW 

SON Pinning Ceremony held May 13 

on the Foggy Bottom campus. Pinning 

ceremonies, where these new nurses 

take the Nightingale Pledge and receive 

a special pin designed by their school, 

are a traditional welcome into the 

nursing profession. 

top A student is pinned during May's 

Pinning Ceremony. 

middle GW Hospital CNO Johnny 

Veal speaks to students at the May 

Pinning Ceremony. 

bottom Pinning is a cause for celebration. 


GW Nursing 

at Home and Around the World 

GW NURSING STUDENTS GO TO CAMP 

BY ERIN JULIUS 

George Washington School of Nursing 

BSN students dove right into life as 

nurses at Camp Dogwood in Madison, Va. 

Through a GW SON partnership with 

Camp Dogwood, each day students helped 

some two dozen summer campers deal 

with tummy aches, asthma, homesickness 

and taking their medication while at camp. 

“It’s a wonderful experience for the 

students,” said Karen Dawn, an assistant 

clinical professor at GW SON. “In a 

hospital, they might only give medication 

to one patient. Here they’re seeing the 

campers every morning.” 

Working under the close guidance of 

Dr. Dawn and another faculty member— 

who each spend a week at camp with 

different groups of students over the 

course of the summer—students took 

their responsibilities seriously. “We have 

to be extra cautious giving out medications 

because we don’t have electronic health 

records,” said Allen Bigornia, a 

VBSN student. 

The students’ time at camp was 

structured similarly to what they will 

encounter in professional settings. They 

took turns at being the charge nurse for a 

day and handing out assignments and being 

on call to tend to campers who have health 

issues overnight. Each morning, they had 

prepared a quick lesson for the campers, 

for example, teaching them to stay wellhydrated 

during the hot summer months 

and how to look for ticks after hikes. One 

morning, the students missed breakfast 

because each was dealing with different 

campers’ injuries and illnesses. 

“They’re really practicing being nurses,” 

Dr. Dawn said. 

Camp Dogwood is run by the 

AnBryce Foundation, providing 

educational opportunities for children 

and young adults who otherwise could 

not participate in camping and other 

enrichment experiences. 

For more photos from 

Camp Dogwood, visit the 

GW SON Facebook page 

(facebook.com/GWnursing) 

28 /

Students Allen Bigornia, Danni 

Baird and Kendall Mello at Camp 

Dogwood in July. 


GW Nursing at Home and Around the World 

SON MAKES FOOTPRINTS AT HOME, 

ACROSS THE GLOBE 

December 2015-June 2016 

CANADA 

1 Toronto DEAN PAMELA JEFFRIES 

gave the invited keynote, “Multi-site 

Simulation Research and Implications for 

Substituting Simulations for Real Clinical 

Time,” at the Canadian Society for Medical 

Laboratory Science in April. 

CHINA 

2 Guangzhou PROFESSOR JOYCE 

PULCINI presented “Impact of Advanced 

Practice Nursing on Community Health 

Practice” at the Guangzhou Advanced 

Practice Nursing Conference in September. 

5 Bonita Springs, Fla. CLINICAL 

PROFESSOR CATHIE GUZZETTA 

presented the poster “Impact of the 

Electronic Health Record on Patients’ 

Perception of Feeling Known by Their 

Nurse,” at the May American Holistic 

Nurses Association 36th Annual 

Conference: Interconnectedness: The Soul 

of Holistic Nursing. 

15 

16 

14 

9 

8 

11 

5 

7 

13 

17 

10 

12 

1 

4 

3 

6 

UNITED STATES 

3 Baltimore, Md. ASSISTANT 

PROFESSOR BRENDA SHEINGOLD 

presented “Designing an Evidenced-based 

Tool to Assess Bruising as a Forensic 

Biomarker of Abuse in Long-term Care 

Settings” at the National Academies of 

Practice Conference in April. 

6 Boston, Mass. At the Academy 

Health Annual Research Meeting in June, 

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR JEONGYOUNG 

PARK participated in a podium panel 

titled “Advance Practice Registered 

Nurses: Barriers, Outcomes, and Optimal 

Use,” and presented “To What Extent 

Are State Scope of Practice Laws Related 

to Nurse Practitioners’ Day-to-Day 

Practice Autonomy?” 

4 Bethesda, Md. In January, 

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ELLEN 

KURTZMAN was a co-presenter of “The 

National Health Care Surveys and Nurse 

Workforce Research” at the Interagency 

Collaborative on Nursing Statistics Meeting. 

ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR ESTHER EMARD 

gave the keynote, “We Are the Patient’s 

Experience of Care,” at the Home Care 

Alliance of Massachusetts Annual Meeting 

and Awards Ceremony in June. 

7 Chicago, Ill. In March, ASSOCIATE 

PROFESSOR DALE LUPU presented “What 

Are the Facilitators of Public Reporting of 

Hospice Quality?” at the Annual Assembly 

of the American Academy of Hospice and 

Palliative Medicine. 

8 Coralville, Iowa At the 23rd 

National Evidence-Based Practice 

Conference, Changing Landscapes: 

Contemporary Issues Influencing Nursing 

Care, in April, CLINICAL PROFESSOR 

CATHIE GUZZETTA presented the poster 

“The Urgent Care Center: A Cost-Effective 

Alternative to the Emergency Department 

for Non-Emergent Medical Care.” 

30 /

9 Houston, Texas In February, 

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR CAMERON 

HOGG presented “Interprofessional 

Education’s Impact on Interprofessional 

Competencies Among Health Professions 

Students” at the American Association 

of Colleges of Nursing Master’s 

Education Conference. 

10 Hyattsville, Md. ASSISTANT 

PROFESSOR ELLEN KURTZMAN served 

as a panelist in January on “Awaken 

the Analytic Force Within: Hierarchical 

Modeling” at the National Center for 

Health Statistics, Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention. 

11 Nashville, Tenn. At the ATI 

National Nurse Educator Conference 

in April, INSTRUCTOR PATRICIA DAVIS 

presented “Simulation Innovations 

BLAST Basics.” 

12 Orlando, Fla. In May, ADJUNCT 

PROFESSOR NANCY RUDNER attended 

two conferences: the Regional Meetings of 

Medical Assistants, where she presented 

“Your Health, Your Patients’ Health and 

Our New Health System,” and the Central 

Florida Chapter of AARP Advocates, 

presenting “Navigating the Health System, 

Health Care Reform, and Saving Florida.” 

13 Pittsburgh, Pa. ASSISTANT 

PROFESSORS MAJEDA EL-BANNA , 

BILLINDA TEBBENHOFF and MALINDA 

WHITLOW and PROFESSOR KAREN 

WYCHE presented “Motivated Strategies 

for Learning in Accelerated Second 

Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing 

Students” in April at the 28th Annual 

Eastern Nursing Research Society 

Scientific Sessions. 

2 

14 San Antonio, Texas At 

the American Association of Nurse 

Practitioners Conference, ASSISTANT 

PROFESSOR BRENDA SHEINGOLD 

presented “Use of Curated Conversations 

from an Online Oncology Support 

Forum to Teach Caregiver Care to Nurse 

Practitioner Students: A Pilot Study.” 

15 San Diego, Calif. DEAN PAMELA 

JEFFRIES was an invited panelist on “The 

Nuts and Bolts to Building Your Simulation 

Program” at the 16th Annual International 

Meeting on Simulation in Health Care 

in January. 

16 Seattle, Wash. At the April 2016 

National Organization of Nurse Practitioner 

Faculties Conference, ASSISTANT 

PROFESSORS ARLENE PERICAK and 

MARJORIE GRAZIANO led the symposium 

titled “The Students’ Voice Regarding 

Faculty Site Visits.” 

17 Washington, D.C. 

CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR 

2 

JOANN CONROY presented 

“Does Educational Level or 

Certification Status Impact the 

Level of Breastfeeding Support 

that Nurses Intend to Provide to 

Newly Delivered Mothers?” at GW 

Research Days in March. 

In April, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR 

MAYRI LESLIE attended the 

American College of Nurse- 

Midwives Affiliate Women’s 

Health Symposium and presented 

“Don’t Go Breaking my Heart: 

Hypertension in Pregnancy and 

Future Cardiovascular Disease.” 

In May, at the American Congress of 

Obstetricians and Gynecologists Annual 

Clinical and Scientific Meeting, she 

presented the poster “Systematic Review 

of Umbilical Cord Clamping Practices 

World Wide.” 

Worldwide In July, PROFESSOR JOYCE 

PULCINI participated in the webinar 

“Advanced Practice Nursing Education in 

the United States,” presented to audiences 

throughout the world by the PAHO APN 

Webinar Series. 

ON CAPITOL 

HILL 

On June 23, George Washington 

School of Nursing students and 

faculty joined nearly 350 nurses 

participating in the American 

Nurses Association’s Lobby 

Day. On Capitol Hill they met 

with lawmakers and their staff 

to discuss several major issues, 

including staffing, workforce 

education funding, expanding 

access to home health benefits 

and research on gun violence. 

Thousands more advocated 

virtually through online, phone 

and social media efforts 

throughout the day. 


Faculty, Student and Staff News 

SON RESEARCHER NAMED TO 

MATCHING PROGRAM 

BY REESE RACKETS 

Edward (Ed) Salsberg, a research instructor 

in the George Washington School of 

Nursing and a founding director of the 

GW Health Workforce Institute, has been 

selected to join the National Resident 

Matching Program (NRMP) board 

of directors. 

Mr. Salsberg brings to the NRMP 

decades of experience in different aspects 

of health care and a background in 

analyzing data to reveal trends in the health 

care workforce. “Given my extensive 

work with data and my familiarity with 

the NRMP and data needs of training 

programs, I hope to be 

able to promote 

continued and 

improved data 

collection and 

reporting to inform training program 

directors and applicants as well as 

policymakers,” he said. 

His expertise on health care 

workforce issues will help guide NRMP 

conversations on some of the challenges 

faced by physicians in training as well 

as the NRMP itself. “One of the major 

challenges is the implementation of a 

single accreditation system for graduate 

medical education, combining what has 

previously been two systems. As part 

of this process, thousands of additional 

doctors of osteopathic medicine will be 

going through the NRMP in the coming 

years,” Mr. Salsberg said. “I hope I can be 

helpful during this period of growth.” 

NRMP is best known for its annual 

main residency match program that 

aligns the preferences of applicants 

for U.S. residency positions with the 

preferences of residency program 

directors. As the training patterns 

created by the match directly impact 

specialty distribution of the physician 

workforce, the NRMP becomes 

the crucial bridge between medical 

education and graduate medical 

education training in the U.S. 

Mr. Salsberg will serve a four-year 

term on the NRMP board, joining 

other leading voices representing a 

wide range of perspectives across the 

medical community. 

“The NRMP historically has 

attracted many diverse, highly qualified 

individuals for governance positions, 

and this year was no exception. We 

look forward to working with them,” 

said NRMP Board Chair Maria C. 

Savoia in the announcement about 

this year’s appointees. 

FACULTY, 

STUDENTS 

ACHIEVE GOALS, 

RECEIVE AWARDS, 

EARN HONORS 

The GW SON congratulates 

faculty and students on their 

recent achievements and the 

numerous honors and awards 

bestowed on them during the 

first half of 2016. 

✚✚ 

Associate professor Kimberly 

Acquaviva collaborated in the 

development, implementation and 

analysis of the MetLife national survey 

of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 

baby boomers. Her soon-to-bepublished 

book, “LGBTQ-Inclusive 

Hospice & Palliative Care: A Practical 

Guide to Transforming Professional 

Practice,” was crafted to help clinicians 

and other health care providers rethink 

and revise their approach to working 

with LGBTQ patients in end-oflife 

situations. 

✚✚ 

Assistant professor Erin Athey is a 

finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson 

Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, 

a three-year fellowship for clinically 

active health care professionals. Her 

project, Mental Health Improvement 

through Screening, Training, Referral, 

Empowerment, Education and 

Treatment (MHI-STREET), will be 

implemented in Ward 8 of Washington, 

D.C., with the overall goal of building a 

culture of health. 

✚✚ 

Clinical instructors Linda Cassar and 

JoAnn Conroy graduated from the 

George Washington University School

of Nursing in May with Doctor of 

Nursing Practice degrees. 

✚✚ 

Assistant Professor Sandra Davis has 

been selected to participate in the 

2016 Cohort of Fellows for the 

American Academy of Colleges 

of Nursing/Wharton Executive 

Leadership Program. 

✚✚ 

Assistant professor Majeda 

El-Banna was named the 2016 GW 

SON Research Award recipient for 

her project, “Flipping Around the 

Classroom: Accelerated Bachelor 

of Science in Nursing Students’ 

Satisfaction and Achievement,” a 

collaborative effort with assistant 

professors Malinda Whitlow 

and Billinda Tebbenhoff. Dr. 

El-Banna and colleagues from the 

GW School of Medicine and Health 

Sciences and Center for Career 

Services received funding from the 

center to develop a project on interprofessional 

communication. 

✚✚ 

Adjunct instructor Esther Emard 

received several honors this year: 

President Obama’s Gold Volunteer 

Service Award, the GW Bender 

Teaching Award and induction as the 

graduate counselor for GW SON 

Sigma Theta Tau International Phi 

Epsilon Chapter. 

✚✚ 

Kelley Finnegan (BSN ’16) was 

honored as SON’s distinguished scholar 

at the GW Honors Dinner. 

✚✚ 

DNP student Ann Hoffman 

was chosen to represent SON at 

GW Research Day. Her podium 

presentation was titled “Adverse 

Childhood Experiences and Binge 

Drinking in Adulthood.” 

✚✚ 

Assistant professor Dana Hines has 

been selected to participate in the 

Mentoring Day of the 2016 Social 

and Behavioral Sciences Research 

Network, 10th National Scientific 

Meeting, “Integrating Social, Behavioral 

and Biomedical Strategies in HIV 

Prevention and Health Equity.” 

✚✚ 

Dean Pamela Jeffries has been 

invited to serve on the National League 

for Nursing Institute for Nursing 

Leadership National Advisory Council. 

✚✚ 

The National Organization of Nurse 

Practitioner Faculties has appointed 

professor Jean Johnson as interim 

executive director. Dr. Johnson replaces 

Kitty Werner, who served as executive 

director for 21 years. 

✚✚ 

Assistant professor Mayri Leslie 

received the Excellence in Writing 

Award from Nursing for Women’s 

Health, the clinical nursing journal of 

the Association of Women’s Health, 

Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, for her 

article, “Perspectives on Implementing 

Delayed Cord Clamping.” 

✚✚ 

Kate Malliarakis has been promoted 

to associate professor. 

✚✚ 

Professor Angela McNelis has been 

appointed to a George Washington 

University institutional review board 

(IRB) and is the only nursing faculty 

member on either of the GW IRBs. 

With more than 10 years of experience 

as an IRB member and chair at her past 

university, Dr. McNelis brings a wealth 

of knowledge and expertise in her role 

as a review member. 

✚✚ 

Assistant professor Arlene Pericak 

was awarded the Global Women’s 

Institute’s $5,000 research fellowship 

for research in Haiti. 

✚✚ 

Laurie Posey has been tenured and 

promoted to associate professor. 

✚✚ 

Professor Joyce Pulcini was 

reappointed to the Virginia Board of 

Nursing by Gov. Terry McAuliffe and 

will continue in her current role as 

president of the board. Dr. Pulcini also 

received the American Association of 

Nurse Practitioners Advocate State 

Award for Excellence for the District of 

Columbia. 

✚✚ 

Mary Jean Schumann has been 

promoted to associate professor. 

✚✚ 

Assistant professor Pamela Slaven- 

Lee has been named to the Sigma 

Theta Tau International Experienced 

Nurse Faculty Leadership Academy. 

✚✚ 

Students Kathron Thomas and 

Kimberly Demirhan were named 

Susan D. Flynn Oncology Nursing 

Fellows at Children’s National Medical 

Center. The fellowship is designed to 

help stimulate the career interest and 

foster the professional development of 

potential oncology nurses. 

✚✚ 

DNP student Margaret “Maggie” 

Hadro Venzke won the DNP 

Research Poster award for her project, 

“Evaluation of an Education Module 

that Addresses Patient Hesitancy and 

Refusal of Vaccines.” 

✚✚ 

Professor Karen Wyche has been 

selected as co-editor for “The 

Handbook of the Psychology of 

Women,” Volume 2, to be published by 

the American Psychological Association. 

✚✚ 

Assistant professor Malinda Whitlow 

has been selected for the National 

Faculty Leadership Academy sponsored 

by Sigma Theta Tau. Her academy 

mentor is SON Advisory Council 

member Diane Billings. 

✚✚ 

Professor Stephanie Wright, who 

retired in July, received the professor 

emerita honor from the university. 


Faculty, Student and Staff News 

ACADEMIES INDUCT FELLOWS 

Each year, GW SON faculty members 

are inducted to prestigious 

nursing academies. 

✚✚ 

Professor Stephanie Wright and assistant 

professor Linda Briggs were inducted into the 

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. 

✚✚ 

Assistant professor Beverly Lunsford has been 

inducted as a fellow in the American Academy 

of Nursing (FAAN). Joining her as an honorary 

fellow is research instructor Ed Salsberg. Ten 

SON faculty are now FAANs. 

NEW TO THE SON FAMILY 

Instructor Whitney Shanley and husband, 

Brian, welcomed a baby girl, Campbell Rose 

Shanley, on Dec. 1, 2015. 

DEAN AND FACULTY WIN 

MAJOR NURSING AWARDS 

The accomplishments and contributions of the 

George Washington School of Nursing dean 

and two faculty were recognized with 

prestigious awards. 

✚✚ 

Dean Pamela Jeffries was selected to receive the National 

League for Nursing Mary Adelaide Nutting Award for 

Outstanding Teaching or Leadership in Nursing Education. 

Ms. Nutting, a famous American educator, administrator 

and author in the field of nursing, is considered the 

world’s first professor of nursing. The award recognizes 

the accomplishment of nurses who lead through scholarly 

activities; contribute as leaders in nursing education; encourage 

creative interactions with students from diverse backgrounds; 

mentor and serve as role models for junior faculty; and publish 

scholarly works that advance nursing education knowledge. In 

the letter notifying Dr. Jeffries of her award, the committee 

wrote: “We received a number of impressive nominations 

this year and…unanimously selected you as the recipient of 

this honor.” 

✚✚ 

This year’s recipient of the American Association of Critical- 

Care Nurses Visionary Leadership: Pioneering Spirit Award 

is clinical professor Cathie Guzzetta. The award honors 

significant contributions that influence high acuity and 

critical care nursing and relate to the association’s mission, 

vision and values. Dr. Guzzetta was recognized for significant 

contributions to critical care cardiovascular nursing and her 

numerous publications on issues in critical care. “Already widely 

respected as a master educator in critical care nursing of adults, 

a pioneer in introducing a holistic perspective to critical care 

and an award-winning author, Cathie further distinguished 

herself as the consummate mentor of pediatric patient care 

research by nurses at the bedside,” said AACN Chief Clinical 

Officer Connie Barden in the announcement of the award. 

✚✚ 

The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties 

named assistant professor Arlene Pericak the 2016 

Outstanding NP Educator. The award recognizes faculty who 

contribute to the advancement of nurse practitioner education 

at the local, regional, national or international level. The 

nomination cited Dr. Pericak’s strongest characteristics as her 

passion for teaching and for students and her calm leadership 

style. She is dedicated to helping her students progress, and one 

student noted that her unique gift is “her ability to understand, 

integrate and teach advanced nursing theory in a very real 

and tangible way.” The student said that it was Dr. Pericak’s 

expertise and dedication that provided her with the tools and 

guidance she needed to evolve from student to provider. 

34 /

Faculty Publications— 

December 2015-June 2016 

Articles and Editorials 

CATHIE GUZZETTA. AACN Practice 

Alert: “Family presence during 

resuscitation and invasive procedures.” 

Critical Care Nurse, February. 

…and S. Hott. “Resuscitation and 

invasive procedures: AACN suggests 

new guidelines on family presence at the 

bedside.” Advance for Nurses, May. 

PAMELA JEFFRIES. Editorial: “The Good 

News—Simulations Work, so Now What!” 

Journal of Nursing Education, December. 

…and C. Foronda, S.M. Swoboda, K.W. 

Hudson, E. Jones, N. Sullivan, J. Ockimey. 

“Evaluation of vSim for nursing: A trial of 

innovation.” Clinical Simulation in 

Nursing, April. 

…and J.R. Bauchat, M. Seropian. 

“Communication and empathy in the 

patient-centered care model–Why 

simulation-based training is not optional.” 

Clinical Simulation in Nursing, June. 

ELLEN KURTZMAN and J. Greene. 

“Effective presentation of health care 

performance information for consumer 

decision making: A systematic review.” 

Patient Education and Counseling, January. 

DALE LUPU and S. Culp, C. Arenella, N. 

Armistead, A.H. Moss. “Unmet supportive 

care needs in U.S. dialysis centers and lack 

of knowledge of available resources to 

address them.” Journal of Pain and Symptom 

Management, April. 

ASHLEY DARCY-MAHONEY and M. 

Baralt. “Bilingualism and executive 

inhibitory control in 4- and 5-year-old 

preterm born children: A pilot study.” 

Advances in Neonatal Care, June. 

ANGELA MCNELIS. “Students’ 

perceptions of a tobacco education 

intervention.” Archives of Psychiatric 

Nursing, April. 

JOYCE PULCINI and A. Sonenberg, H. 

Knepper. “Implementing the ACA: The 

influence of nurse practitioner regulatory 

policies on workforce, access to care, and 

primary care health outcomes.” Poverty and 

Public Policy, December. 

NANCY RUDNER. “Full practice authority 

for advanced practice registered nurses is 

a gender issue." Online Journal of Issues in 

Nursing, May. 

BRENDA SHEINGOLD and O. Ekmekci, 

M. Plack, S. LeLacheur, J. Halvaksz, 

K. Lewis, K. Schlumpf, L. Greenberg. 

“Assessing performance and learning and 

in interprofessional health care teams.” 

Journal of Allied Health, December. 

Book Chapters 

MAJEDA EL-BANNA and CAROL LANG. 

“Global nursing: Primary health perspective 

in caring for populations.” Practicing 

Primary Health Care in Nursing: Caring for 

Populations. Burlington, Mass.: Jones & 

Bartlett Learning. 

DANA HINES. “It’s not just about 

condoms and sex: Using syndemic theory 

to examine social risks of HIV among 

transgender women.” Understanding the 

HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States: 

The Role of Syndemics in the Production of 

Health Disparities. New York, NY: Springer 

Publishing Co. 

ELLEN KURTZMAN, JEAN JOHNSON 

and L. Hevenor. “Quality and safety in 

healthcare: Policy issues.” Policy & Politics 

in Nursing and Health Care. Philadelphia, 

Pa.: Elsevier. 

MAYRI LESLIE. “VBAC: Emotion and 

reason.” Best Practices in Midwifery: Using 

the Evidence to Implement Change. New York, 

NY: Springer Publishing Co. 

JOYCE PULCINI and S. Cassiani, D. 

Oldenburger, L. Rosales. “International 

collaboration and the state of advanced 

practice nursing in Latin America.” 

Introduction to Advanced Nursing Practice: An 

international focus. Paris: Springer-Verlag. 

MAYRI LESLIE and LINDA BRIGGS. 

“Preeclampsia and the risk of future 

vascular disease and mortality: A review.” 

Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 

May-June. 


Alumni News 

Meet Ann Marie Matlock, DNP ’13, captain, 

United States Public Health Service (USPHS). 

Dr. Matlock shares with GWNursing magazine 

(GWN) her experiences as a member of the National 

Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center Nursing 

Department Executive Team. She also offers a 

look at the recently published American Academy 

of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) Nurse- 

Sensitive Indicators industry report she helped 

develop as a member of AAACN Nurse-Sensitive 

Indicators task force. 

GWN: You began your NIH Clinical Center career in 2000 

and became a Commissioned Corps officer in the USPHS in 

2007. What has been your experience in these roles? 

Spotlight On… 

Ann Marie Matlock, 

DNP, RN 

Service Chief for Medical 

Surgical Specialties, National 

Institutes of Health Clinical 

Center Nursing Department 

Dr. Matlock: Both experiences have been the best of my 

professional career. When I started at the Clinical Center, I was a 

direct care nurse in the ICU. While the clinical knowledge I had 

gained at a large inner-city hospital prepared me for the clinical 

nursing care of patients, nothing—except for hands-on practice— 

prepared me for the added complexity of the research protocol for 

patients. Unlike most other hospital patients, each patient in the 

NIH ICU made a choice to come to the Clinical Center to seek 

treatment. They were critically ill and in the ICU because they 

needed close monitoring and care. 

While at the Clinical Center, I noticed health care workers in 

uniform. I asked what service they were in and learned about the 

USPHS. In my undergraduate program, I was in the Army ROTC 

program, but had not made the decision to enter the military right 

out of nursing school. However, I continued to hold a strong belief 

that I wanted to serve my country in some capacity. The more I 

learned about the USPHS, the more I was convinced it was the 

right path for me. I was successfully commissioned in January 2007. 

As a captain in the USPHS and service chief at the NIH 

Clinical Center, I believe I am able to embody the mission of the 

USPHS to advance, promote and protect the health and safety 

of the nation—and I continue to practice nursing and serve my 

country at the same time. I have had some unique and rewarding 

experiences as both a nurse and a Commissioned Corps officer, 

including supporting the nursing staff caring for Ebola patients at 

the Clinical Center with the resources and information required to 

provide safe care to multiple patients over several months. 

36 /

GWN: What do you see as opportunities for nurses 

at NIH and within the USPHS? 

Dr. Matlock: At the NIH Clinical Center, we have a 

200-bed inpatient hospital along with ambulatory care 

clinics that provide care to patients on research protocols 

(www.cc.nih.gov/nursing/). Nursing expertise is needed in 

almost every area, and a nurse could work here for their 

entire career, starting at the bedside providing direct 

patient care and moving up into leadership or research 

positions. 

Within the USPHS, numerous agencies hire 

Commissioned Corps officers. The NIH is just one. In 

the USPHS, nurses have an opportunity to provide 

direct patient care, serve as leaders, make policy changes, 

influence public health decisions and so much more. As 

a USPHS Commissioned Corps officer you are in charge 

of your career, and there are so many opportunities you can do just 

about anything. 

GWN: Do you have advice for nursing students and others 

wishing to follow in your footsteps? 

Dr. Matlock: Honestly, if I had known about the USPHS in 

nursing school, I would have applied for the Junior/Senior 

COSTEP program (www.usphs.gov/student) and hopefully begun 

my nursing career as a Commissioned Corps officer. However, the 

more traditional path I took was also a great way to go. 

The best advice I can offer for anyone considering a nursing 

career is to obtain a bachelor’s degree as your first degree. This 

opens so many doors and makes obtaining the next-level degree 

that much easier. I also highly recommend that new graduates 

apply for a residency/internship program in a large inner-city 

hospital, a worthwhile experience that provides a strong clinical 

background to help you throughout your career. 

When beginning the search for a master’s program, think 

carefully about which program and where your interests 

lie. When I mentor new nurses, I tell them that they will first 

decide what they don’t want to do when they grow up versus 

immediately deciding what path they want to choose. For those 

who want to remain in a clinical setting, I see four paths: clinical, 

administration, research and education. Depending on your area 

of interest, there are a variety of degree options. 

GWN: You recently co-edited the landmark AAACN 

Ambulatory Care Nurse-Sensitive Indicators (NSI) Industry 

Report, Meaningful Measurement of Nursing in the 

Ambulatory Patient Care Environment. What are some of the 

highlights of this evidence-based report? 

Dr. Matlock: This report provides a history of the work on 

NSIs and outlines measures that can be used in the ambulatory 

environment, can be modified to fit into that environment and 

have been tested/piloted in ambulatory areas in the United States, 

as well as measures that are novel and need further development 

and piloting. 

GWN: How will this report be used by nurses in the 

ambulatory care environment? 

Dr. Matlock: This will be a launching pad for AAACN and the 

Collaborative Alliance for Nursing Outcomes (CALNOC)—the 

leading provider of actionable information and research on NSIs— 

to further develop metrics and outcomes for the ambulatory 

care environment. As the health care industry continues to shift 

patients from the inpatient to the outpatient setting, metrics 

that are nurse sensitive and can be tied to patient outcomes will 

help organizations validate the role of the RN in the ambulatory 

setting. And as organizations move toward obtaining Magnet 

status, having meaningful measures in the ambulatory care 

setting—similar to those that have been tested and developed for 

the inpatient setting—is imperative. 

To read the report, go to: www.aaacn.org/NSIReport 


Alumni News 

SON CELEBRATES 

ALUMNI AT 

THE GEORGE 

WASHINGTON 

HOSPITAL 

George Washington University School 

of Nursing undergraduate and graduate 

alumni gathered July 12 for a happy hour 

at Circa, a popular bistro across the street 

from the GW Hospital, to network with 

faculty, staff and Dean Pamela Jeffries. 

The event was the first in a series the 

SON development and alumni relations 

staff hope to hold at hospitals and other 

facilities employing GW alumni. 

Dr. Jeffries urged all to stay connected 

with each other and with other alumni at 

the hospital and to be in touch with the 

GW Alumni Association and the SON 

development and alumni relations staff. “As 

you build your careers, we are here for you… 

and we want to hear from you.” 

HELP BUILD 

YOUR ALUMNI 

COMMUNITY 

Do you work with other George 

Washington School of Nursing 

alumni? Are you interested in 

holding an alumni community 

celebration at your workplace? 

Contact Monica Krzyszczyk, 

GW SON Development and 

Alumni Relations, 571-553-0122, 

monicak@gwu.edu to plan your 

local workplace celebration. 

38 /


Advisory Council 

MEET THE GW NURSING 

ADVISORY COUNCIL 

Professionals, Alumni and Friends Advising and Guiding 

the School of Nursing Along the Way 

Co-Chairs 

Members 

Mary-Michael Brown, 

DNP, RN 

MedStar Health 

Karen N. Drenkard, 

PhD, RN, FAAN 

GetWell Network 

Diane Billing, 

EdD, RN, FAAN 

Indiana University School 

of Nursing 

Alan Schurman Cohn, JD 

AbsoluteCare 

Ellen Dawson, PhD, RN 

Malcolm Harkins III, JD 

St. Louis University School 

of Law 

Lucas Huang, BEE, BAE 

B-Line Medical 

Robin Kaplan, MSN, RN 

Kushner Hebrew Academy 

Molly McCarthy, MBA, RN 

Microsoft US Health 

Lynn Mertz, PhD 

AARP Center to Champion 

Nursing in America 

Angela Patterson, DNP, RN 

CVS MinuteClinic 

Sandra Ryan, 

MSN, RN, FAAN 

Walmart Care Clinic 

Janet R. Southby, PhD, RN 

Interagency Institute for Federal 

HealthCare Executives 

X. Philip Spector, JD 

Talemi, LLC 

40 /

CO-CHAIR MARY-MICHAEL BROWN 

DR. BROWN is vice president of nursing practice innovation 

for MedStar Health in the Washington, D.C.- Baltimore region. 

She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Georgetown 

University, her master’s degree from Boston College School of 

Nursing and her doctoral degree from the George Washington 

University. She is the recipient of the 2011 George Washington 

University Alumni Association Award for the School of Nursing 

and is an adjunct faculty member for the Doctor of Nursing 

Practice program. 

HOME: Silver Spring, Md. 

PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Teaching George 

Washington doctoral students and developing a safe patient 

handling and mobility program and chairing a system-wide 

Nursing Peer Review Committee for MedStar Health. 

LAST BOOK [RE]READ: “Team of Teams” by General Stanley 

McChrystal (U.S. Army-Ret.). 

NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THAT... Dr. Brown is a 

Washington, D.C., native. 

GREATEST WISH FOR GW SON: To achieve a top 10 ranking 

among schools of nursing. 

CO-CHAIR KAREN DRENKARD 

DR. DRENKARD is the senior vice president/chief clinical 

officer and chief nurse of the O’Neil Center at GetWellNetwork 

Inc. in Bethesda, Md. She received her doctorate in nursing 

administration from George Mason University, is a Wharton 

Nurse Executive Fellow and a Robert Wood Johnson Executive 

Nurse Fellow. Dr. Drenkard is currently the chair of the Advocacy 

Committee and president-elect of the Friends of the National 

Institute for Nursing Research and she serves as an editorial 

advisor to the Journal of Nursing Administration. 

HOME: Fairfax, Va. 

PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Serving as ANCC executive 

director, leading the national Magnet Recognition Program to 

new heights with 7,500 Magnet conference attendees, increased 

emphasis on patient outcomes in the standards and creating interrater 

reliability standards for all appraisers. 

LAST BOOK [RE]READ: “n=1: How the Uniqueness of Each 

Individual Is Transforming Healthcare” by John Koster and 

Gary Bisbee. 

NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THAT... Dr. Drenkard plays 

the violin and her daughter is in the GW SON family nurse 

practitioner program. 

GREATEST WISH FOR GW SON: To be nationally recognized 

for excellence in clinical practice, education and research. 


Philanthropy News 

POWER & PROMISE 

SCHOLARSHIPS SUPPORT 

STEPS TO NURSING CAREERS 

Florence Nesh 

Foundation Scholarship 

“A plethora of experiences led me to 

pursue a second degree in nursing,” says 

Amy Coicou, BSN ’17, of New Platz, 

N.Y., but she said her most immediate 

inspiration came from the two years 

she lived in Philadelphia. “While there, 

my heart fell every time I witnessed 

homeless individuals living in the 

City Hall subway station and seeing 

the despondence on people’s faces in 

marginalized communities.” 

She found it painful to live with 

their despair and promised herself that 

she would get involved in health policy. 

Nursing became her path for pursuing 

her goals; its hands-on curriculum and 

promotion of patient advocacy would 

prepare her for making a difference in 

areas similar to those in which she lived 

in Philadelphia. 

But it was difficult for her, as a seconddegree 

student, to find the type of financial 

aid she had received during her first 

degree. The Florence Nesh Foundation 

Scholarship brought her to the George 

Washington University. 

“The funds that I received through this 

scholarship…have given me the chance to 

enter into one of the most intimate and 

trustworthy professions I know. More 

than anything, the scholarship donors 

have inspired me to do the same for other 

students in the future. I would not be in 

school if it were not for their generosity,” 

she said. “I know that it must take a lot 

of courage to give money that you have 

earned to people you do not know, but the 

risk each has taken is helping to save a life. 

It is helping to save my life.” 

The Johnson-Paulson Scholarship 

Juan Torres, BSN ’17, decided to seek 

a nursing degree because of its diversity 

in both the variety of patients cared for 

and the opportunities to work in a range 

of settings, from ICUs to nursing homes 

and schools. He sees nursing as a career 

with flexibility, challenges and upward 

mobility, but most importantly, he said, 

“one with widespread impact on thousands 

of patients’ lives, including the lives of 

their families, not only in helping them 

through sickness and healing but also 

through education.” 

He was attracted to GW because of 

its reputation and first-time NCLEX 

passing rate. When he and his wife were 

both accepted into the accelerated BSN 

program, the decision was a “no brainer.” 

With a toddler, a fast-paced workload and 

no opportunity to work part-time, “this 

scholarship came at an opportune moment 

in our life. It’s not only helping me but my 

whole family.” 

After graduation, he will be working at 

the Washington Hospital Center and hopes 

to be on the cardiac floor. Mr. Torres plans 

to eventually pursue a DNP and is 

considering a career as a nursing educator, 

giving back “as a professor who will guide 

and inspire future nurses,” he said. 

42 /

Morgan Rollo, BSN ’17, always knew 

she wanted to be in the medical field. The 

idea of more holistic care combined with 

the uniquely dynamic role the nurse plays 

as an educator, healer and advocate, drew 

her to the profession. The simulation 

labs, the Global Initiative Program and 

the scholarship drew her to GW SON. 

“As someone who is a hands-on learner, 

being able to practice my skills in the safe 

structure of the lab allows me to build 

my confidence before I use these skills 

on patients in the hospital,” she said. 

“And I have always wanted to travel and 

experience global health care.” 

Although she once planned a career 

as a physician, Ms. Rollo now aspires 

to be a trauma ICU nurse. She said the 

pieces never came together to pursue 

medical school. “I think the quote by 

Albert Einstein perfectly describes how 

nursing found me: ‘Everyone is a genius, 

but if you tell a fish to climb a tree, it will 

spend its entire life believing it is stupid.’ 

I was terrified that I had made the wrong 

choice… it took less than a day [at GW 

SON] for me to realize that I am exactly 

where I am supposed to be,” she said. 

Dr. Ellen M. 

Dawson Scholarship 

Ikaika Moreno, BSN ’17, MSN ’19, 

a Hawaiian single father, says it was 

his daughters who inspired him to go 

into a medical field. He described the 

helplessness he felt when they fell ill or 

were injured and the joy and relief when 

they became better with the help of either 

a nurse or doctor. Those experiences 

touched him in ways his interactions 

with other jobs or careers did not and led 

him from the hospitality industry to the 

nursing profession. 

Extensive research on nursing schools 

brought him to GW SON. “This fall is the 

final semester of my bachelor’s program, 

and I hope to continue on to earn a family 

nurse practitioner degree. Without this 

generous scholarship, it wouldn’t be 

possible for me to continue to pursue my 

dreams,” he said. 

In describing those dreams for his 

career and his home, he explained, 

“Becoming a family nurse practitioner will 

give me the opportunity to help treat, 

educate and create awareness about the 

preventable and communicable diseases 

that plague native Hawaiians and other 

underrepresented ethnicities. And 

eventually, working with health care teams 

throughout Hawaii, I can help the native 

populations to overcome these diseases 

and once again flourish. My philosophy of 

life is teamwork and helping those who 

help others.”

Philanthropy News 

✚✚ 

The Jonas Center has named two 

GW SON students as scholars in their 

programs to create nursing excellence 

throughout the United States. 

Sabena Richter Passarello, MSN ’18, 

DNP ’21, is a Jonas Nurse Leaders 

Scholar in the Jonas Center program 

created in 2008 to support educational 

development of new nursing faculty 

and stimulate models for joint faculty 

appointments between schools of 

nursing and clinical affiliates. The 

goal of the program is to increase the 

number of doctorally prepared faculty 

available to teach in nursing schools 

nationwide as well as the number of 

advanced practice nurses providing 

direct patient care. Since the program’s 

inception in 2008, it has supported 

more than 1,000 Jonas Nurse Leader 

Scholars at 140 schools across all 50 

states plus Washington, D.C. 

Laura Bland, MSN ’18, DNP ’21, is a 

Jonas Veterans Healthcare Scholar. 

Launched in 2011, this Jonas Center 

program supports the doctoral-level 

training (PhD and DNP) of nurses who 

focus on veteran-specific health care 

needs, ranging from clinical to policy to 

administration to education, helping to 

ensure veterans are receiving the best 

possible care. The first cohort included 

59 nurses at 31 universities across the 

country; the second welcomed 120 

scholars at 60 universities across the 

country. Ms. Bland joins the fourth 

cohort starting in fall 2016, which 

will bring the total of Jonas Veterans 

Healthcare Scholars to 300. 

The scholars are provided $10,000 

in financial assistance, leadership 

development and networking support. 

As part of their scholarship experience, 

they will attend the Jonas Nurse 

Scholar Conference, a three-day 

event in Washington, D.C., designed to 

convene the current Jonas Scholars for 

networking, mentoring and educational 

opportunities with prominent nurse 

educators, executives and policy experts 

in the field. 

For more information on 

the programs, visit 

www.jonascenter.org/ 

program-areas/scholars 

44 /

Grants and Funding News 

GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS CREATE AND GUIDE 

NEW DIRECTIONS IN LEARNING—FOR PATIENTS 

AND NURSES 

by erin julius 

✚✚ 

With a $600,000 Donaghue 

Foundation grant, GW SON’s Dale 

Lupu is undertaking a clinical research 

project aimed at improving advanced 

care planning. Through her testing of 

how one-on-one coaching by a nurse or 

social worker may affect older patients’ 

dialysis decisions and treatment 

satisfaction, Dr. Lupu is exploring the 

best methods for empowering patients. 

“My hope is that when we guide patients 

through the advanced care planning 

process, we will help people articulate 

what is really important to them,” she 

said. “There’s a lot of interest in how 

planning can work most effectively 

since Medicare now covers patients 

who want to have these advanced 

care planning conversations with 

their doctors.” 

Her research project focuses specifically 

on patients with advanced kidney 

disease who have not already started 

dialysis. In the first phase of the project, 

she is developing educational materials 

in collaboration with the Coalition for 

Supportive Care of Kidney Patients. In 

the second, she will test whether it’s 

more effective to simply give patients 

those materials and encourage them 

to have discussions with their doctors 

or to connect patients with a coach to 

have conversations about advanced 

care planning before addressing it with 

a doctor. 

The effectiveness of coaches is 

important to test, Dr. Lupu said. “It’s 

expensive to hire a coach, and it’s not 

clear that it’s worth medical offices 

doing so. It seems like common 

sense, but no one has compared its 

effectiveness in this population,” 

she said. 

✚✚ 

GW’s Cross-Disciplinary 

Research Fund has awarded $33,901 

to a team led by Laurie Posey to 

focus on increasing opportunities for 

health care students to engage with 

standardized patients through an 

online format. Driving this exploration 

is the current practice of GW SON 

clinical graduate students traveling 

to Washington, D.C., for testing in 

scripted clinical scenarios, a logistically 

challenging and expensive process. 

Virtual clinical encounters would place 

less of a burden on the students. 

The team is now focusing on developing 

and pilot testing a Virtual Patient Portal 

on the Adobe Connect platform; one 

that includes a custom-developed 

Electronic Health Record pod, as well 

as specially designed effective interface 

to support virtual standardized 

patient encounters. 

IN BRIEF... 

✚✚ 

Assistant professor 

Ashley Darcy- 

Mahoney and 

colleagues working 

on the Bridging the 

Word Gap network 

funded by the Health 

Resources and Services 

Administration have 

received a new fiveyear 

grant to continue 

the network. 

✚✚ 

Assistant professor 

Brenda Sheingold 

has been awarded a 

new contract by the 

Maryland Office of 

Healthcare Quality 

on “Designing an 

Evidenced-based Tool 

to Assess Bruising as 

a Forensic Biomarker 

of Abuse in Long-term 

Care Settings.” 

✚✚ 

A second, larger grant of $245,624 

was awarded by the National 

Council of State Boards of 

Nursing Center for Regulatory 

Excellence. The grant provides 

funds to compare learning outcomes 

from telehealth-enabled standardized 

patient encounters (TSPE) with 

learning outcomes from face-to-face 

standardized patient encounters. This 

team—which includes Dr. Posey and 

GW SON research faculty Christine 

Pintz, Pearl Zhou, Karen Lewis, Pamela 

Slaven-Lee and Angela McNelis— 

will also develop evidence for best 

practices in teaching and learning and 

evaluate whether TSPEs are a viable 

method to teach and assess graduate 

nursing students’ diagnostic reasoning 

competency in an online graduate 

nursing program. 

✚✚ 

Associate professor 

Christine Pintz, 

professor Joyce 

Pulcini and assistant 

professor Majeda 

El-Banna were 

awarded for the 

second year $2,000 

in GW funding to 

conduct university 

seminars titled 

“Innovation in 

Interprofessional 

Health Education.” 


WELCOME FUTURE GW 

ALUMNI! 

Orientation August 2016 

Alumni Resources 

Our more than 1,400 alumni are a 

vital part of the School of Nursing 

community, actively giving back by 

offering their time, talents and expertise. 

GW offers a variety of programs 

and services tailored especially for 

alumni. We invite you to explore these 

resources and opportunities and to stay 

involved with the community. 

Update your information and share your 

news! 

www.alumni.gwu.edu/update-yourcontact-info 

Benefits & Services— 

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www.alumni.gwu.edu/alumni-benefits 

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News & Updates— 

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Connections— 

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Directory 

www.alumni.gwu.edu/alumni-directory 


Office of Development and Alumni 

Relations 

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Ashburn, VA 20147 

Phone: 571-553-0122 

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Coordinator 

monicak@gwu.edu

From practice to 

policy, bring your 

vision to life. 

nursing.gwu.edu


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GW Nursing Magazine Fall 2016

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