xt79w08wdb6v https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dipstest/xt79w08wdb6v/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky College of Nursing Kentucky -- Lexington University of Kentucky College of Nursing 2011  newsletters  English University of Kentucky College of Nursing  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. University of Kentucky College of Nursing publications Nursing Opportunities, Fall 2011 text Opportunities, Fall 2011 2011 2011 2019 true xt79w08wdb6v section xt79w08wdb6v Opportunities

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF NURSING

OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities

OPPORTUNITIES/Fall 2011
OPPORTUNITIESOpportunities

Opportun

egacy

Celebrating a
of care

UK College of Nursing Hall of Fame:

Opp2011_cover.indd 2

celebrating a

Legacy of Care
10/5/11 5:35 PM

� dean’s
LETTER

2011-2012

Fall 2011

egacy

Celebrating

ourAlumni
In reflection, one of the pleasures of serving as dean of the University
of Kentucky College of Nursing is to learn of the amazing work that our
alumni do every day. For many of our alumni, this means making a
difference within the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Others are impacting the health of people in the U.S. and globally. And each alumni
contributes in a unique way, grounded by professional values that were shaped while an
undergraduate or graduate nursing student at UK.
Many of our graduates work within health care teams that care for hospitalized patients
and their families, and others work in communities. We also are very proud of our
graduates who are advanced practice nurses and nurse scientists, as well as those who hold
nursing leadership positions within health care. The College of Nursing also has a long
tradition of preparing the next generation of nursing faculty. The articles in this issue of
Opportunities showcase what it means to be a UK nurse and the many possibilities for
shaping one’s professional career!

Dean Jane Kirschling, Dr. Marcia
Dake (first dean of the college) and
Dr. Carolyn Williams (immediate
past dean)

Celebrating our 50th anniversary this past year, and in 2011-2012 celebrating 25 years
of PhD education and 10 years of DNP education, provides a wonderful lens with which
to view the rich legacy of the College of Nursing and the substantive contributions of
current and past faculty and staff. The leadership of deans Marcia Dake, Marion McKenna
and Carolyn Williams was instrumental in the college’s success thus far and laid the
groundwork for even more success in the years to come. Congratulations to everyone
on reaching these milestones and thank you for your unwavering commitment to truly
making a difference.
As you read this issue of Opportunities, my hope is that you will feel equally proud of what
is happening in the College of Nursing. Thank you for being our partners in bettering
the lives of people in Kentucky and throughout the world by striving for excellence in
professional nursing practice.

page

Feature

CONTENTS

8

UK College of Nursing Hall of Fame: Celebrating a Legacy of Care

16

page

Practice

52%
%

Advanced Nursing Practice In Action

20

page

stayed in Kentucky

th

18

22

Alumni

PhD Program Celebrates 25 years

page

Research

An Early Passion for Research: A New Generation of Nurse Scientists Enters the Field

24

page

Students, Alumni & Faculty

Military Nursing: No Other Opportunity Like It

28

page

Leadership

Executive Decision: The DNP Nurse Leader

Jane Marie Kirschling, DNS, RN, FAAN
Dean and Professor

table of

3
4
32
36

Grant Productivity
Awards
Events
Donors

� FUNDED

RESEARCH

uk
H E A LT H C A R E

New Pavilion at

UK Chandler Hospital
designed for highest level of advanced medicine
Two Patient Care Floors, Public Spaces Dedicated in Public Ceremony
The new 12-story patient care pavilion at UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital was dedicated and
unveiled to the public in May 2011, marking a major milestone for UK HealthCare and the
University of Kentucky.
Two patient care floors with 128 intensive care and acute care beds began serving
patients in May. Also opening were the atrium, chapel, surgical waiting room and a 305seat auditorium.
“Health care is about people taking care of people, and not bricks and mortar,” UK Executive
Vice President for Health Affairs Dr. Michael Karpf said. “If we are going to be an academic
medical center comparable to the best in the country, we have to have the facilities to support
the people we recruit. This hospital puts us on that level.”
Along with providing advanced subspecialty patient care, the new facility also represents
continued expansion of health care-related job opportunities in Central Kentucky. The number
of full-time employees at UK HealthCare, including UK A.B. Chandler Hospital, Kentucky
Children’s Hospital, UK Good Samaritan Hospital and the UK College of Medicine, has
increased by more than 2,100 people in the past seven years.
The pavilion incorporates art, music and landscaping. In addition, the chapel features walls
decorated with art glass inspired by spring in Kentucky, a health education center that also
serves as a gallery for a Kentucky folk art collection and surgical waiting areas that showcase
artwork of some of Kentucky’s most renowned artists.
“These features help make it an empathetic building, and the glass and the light are absolutely
spectacular,” Karpf said. “People can walk in and say, ‘I can relax here for a second. I can get
my thoughts together before I have to go deal with all the complexities that I’ll have to worry
about when I get up on the floor to see my loved one or my friend.’”
Scheduled to be completed in phases over the next 10 years, the new facility will eventually
replace the original UK A.B. Chandler Hospital and is paramount in the plan to become
a premier regional medical center concentrating on cancer, trauma, neurosciences, organ
transplantation and pediatric subspecialties.
The next phase of construction for the pavilion is underway and is set to open in
early 2012 with the addition of eight state-of-the-art operating rooms in addition to one of
the country’s largest hybrid operating rooms that combines the most advanced and
high-quality imaging technology with surgical operative capabilities.
“We hope the people of this state are reassured and proud to have a world-class hospital
and a world-class health care team ready to meet their needs and those of their loved ones,”
Karpf said.

2

OPPORTUNITIES / Fall 2011

Helping Others Toward Positive Emotions
in People with Heart Failure
Assistant Professors Elizabeth Tovar and Rebecca Dekker
received a $20,000 UK Faculty Research Support Grant for
their study, “Helping Others Toward Positive Emotions in People
with Heart Failure.” The goals of this project are to compare
levels of salivary cortisol, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP),
C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 at baseline between
patients with and without depressive symptoms and to compare
salivary levels of BNP, CRP, and IL-6 with serum levels of these
biomarkers to determine the degree of correlation between
salivary and serum values.

Grants awarded

grant
PRODUCTIVITY

Nurse Researcher

international Hall

of Fame

DEBRA MOSER

Freedom from Exposure to Radon and
Secondhand Smoke in the Home (FRESH)
Ellen Hahn, professor, and Sarah Kerscmar, lecturer,
received $6,100 from the Markey Cancer Center for their research
titled, “Freedom from Exposure to Radon and Secondhand Smoke
in the Home (FRESH).” The major goal of this project is to pilot a
home testing program for secondhand smoke and radon exposure.

The Cancer Treatment Side-Effect Index:
A Pilot Study of Efficacy
PhD candidate Celestine Gochette, Professor Dorothy
Brockopp, and Judith Schreiber (PhD 2007) were awarded
a $2,500 grant from the Daisy Foundation for their study, “The
Cancer Treatment Side-Effect Index: A Pilot Study of Efficacy.”

An Unblinded, Parallel-Groups
Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating
an Education Program for Patients with
Newly Diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis
Assistant Professor Elizabeth Salt received $5,000 from
the Center for Clinical and Translational Science for her study,
“An Unblinded, Parallel-Groups Randomized Controlled Trial
Evaluating an Education Program for Patients with Newly
Diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis.” Quality treatment of patients
with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a prevalent rheumatologic
condition, includes patient education. Yet, there are conflicting
reports on the short- and long-term effects of education programs
on arthritis self-efficacy, coping, health behaviors, disease activity,
knowledge, functional status and self-management in patients
with RA. A publicly available, newly developed education program
for recently diagnosed patients with RA has not been formally
evaluated. The research question is: Is the Just Diagnosed (Vance,
James, Young, & West, 2009) program more effective at improving
arthritis self-efficacy, knowledge about RA and RA treatments,
medication adherence and disease activity than standard care?
Ninety patients with recently diagnosed RA (45 in the intervention
group and 45 in the standard care group) will be enrolled.

Karen Morin, DSN, RN, ANEF, 2009-2011 STTI
president; Debra Moser, DNSc, RN, FAAN; and
Patricia Thompson, EdD, RN, FAAN, STTI chief
executive officer

Debra Moser, DNSc, RN, FAAN, professor and Linda C. Gill
Chair in Nursing, was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau
International (STTI) Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in
July 2011.
This prestigious honor recognizes STTI members who are
nationally and/or internationally recognized for research and
scholarship that has had a positive influence on the nursing
profession and the people it serves.
Moser’s program of research focuses on enhancing
outcomes of people with, or at risk for, cardiovascular
disease through improvement of psychological well-being,
quality of life and self-management. She is internationally
renowned for her collaborative research with faculty
and students. Her ability to mentor and role model for
students, faculty and practicing nurses was also recognized
via this award.
Moser has authored or co-authored more than 200 journal
articles, three books and more than 20 book chapters. She
serves as co-editor of the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing.

University of Kentucky College of Nursing

3

� awards
& HONORS

AWARDS
Recipient List

2010-2011

College of Nursing
Student Awards

CONGRATULATIONS
2010-2011

College of Nursing
Annual Award Recipients

Carolyn A. Williams Award for
Outstanding PhD Graduate,
UK College of Nursing (2010)

Dean’s Recognition Award

RECIPIENT: Rebecca Dekker

Employee of the Year Award

First place poster, student division, for
“Quality Improvement, Clinician Attitudes,
and Referrals to Tobacco Treatment
Counseling Programs,” American Public
Health Association (2010)
RECIPIENT: Karma Cassidy
Young Investigator Award, Brain-Heart
Summit Annual Meeting (2010)
RECIPIENT: Kyoung Suk Lee
Eureka (undergraduate research
and creativity) grant, Office of
Undergraduate Research (2011)
RECIPIENT: Ashlei Hardin
Non-service Dissertation Year Fellowship,
UK Graduate School (2011-2012)
RECIPIENT: Kyoung Suk Lee

RECIPIENT: Kathy Wagner

RECIPIENT: Mary Gregory
Excellence in Clinical Practice Award
RECIPIENT: Audrey Darville
Excellence in Graduate Clinical
Precepting Award

College of Nursing
Student Scholarship
Showcase Awards
Best Undergraduate Student
Poster for “Initiating Change in the
Emergency Department”

Other Faculty and
Staff Awards
Book of the Year Award for “High
Acuity Nursing” (5th ed.), American
Journal of Nursing (2010)
CO-RECIPIENTS: Kathy Wagner and
Melanie Hardin-Pierce
Distinguished Visiting Scholar,
Massachusetts General Hospital,
Boston (2010)
RECIPIENT: Debra Moser

RECIPIENT: Samantha Todd
(Saint Joseph Health System)

Fayette County Substance Abuse
Prevention Hall of Fame, Mayor’s
Alliance (2010)

Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award

RECIPIENT: Carol Riker

RECIPIENT: Dorothy Brockopp
Excellence in Part-Time Teaching Award
RECIPIENT: E. Allen Sizemore
Excellence in Research/
Scholarship Award
RECIPIENT: Kristin Ashford
Excellence in Undergraduate
Precepting Award

2011

2010-2011

RECIPIENT: Rachel Scott
(Saint Joseph East)
Excellence in Undergraduate
Unit/Agency Award

First place poster, education category,
for “A Community Mental Health Clinical
Project to Promote Mental Health, Engage
Undergraduate Students and Serve
the Community,” American Psychiatric
Nurses Association (2010)
CO-RECIPIENTS: Ruth (Topsy) Staten,
Joanne Matthews, Leslie Beebe, Bettye
Cheves, and Jeanne Rohr
First place poster, research category,
for “Diabetes Knowledge and Caregiving
Experiences Among Family Members of
People with Schizophrenia and Diabetes
Mellitus,” American Psychiatric Nurses
Association (2010)

RECIPIENT: UK Good Samaritan
Hospital, 5 Main

CO-RECIPIENT: Peggy El-Mallakh

Recipient List

Outstanding Early Career in
Post-Secondary Education Award,
Kentucky Academy of Science (2010)
RECIPIENT: Kristin Ashford
Outstanding Staff Award, University
of Kentucky (2010)

awards
& HONORS

Award
gallery

Recipient

CO-RECIPIENT: Kathy Begley
Research Article of the Year for
“The Effects of Depressive Symptoms
and Anxiety on Quality of Life in Patients
with Heart Failure and Their Spouses:
Testing Dyadic Dynamics Using the
Actor-Partner Interdependence Model,”
American Heart Association, Council on
Cardiovascular Nursing (2010)
RECIPIENT: Misook Chung
State Award for Excellence, American
Association of Nurse Practitioners (2010)
RECIPIENT: Debra Moser
Teachers Who Made a Difference Award,
UK College of Education (2010)
RECIPIENT: Julia Hall
Honorary Doctorate in Public Service,
University of Portland (Oregon) (2011)
RECIPIENT: Carolyn Williams
Inducted Into Delta Omega, National
Honor Society for Public Health (2011)
RECIPIENT: Deborah Reed
Mentor Recognition Award, UK Center for
Clinical and Translational Science (2011)
RECIPIENT: Susan Frazier

Gloe L. Bertram Award

Great Teacher Award, UK Alumni
Association (2010)

RECIPIENT: Amy Coleman

RECIPIENT: Phil Hampton

RECIPIENT: Darlene Welsh

Best Undergraduate Student
Presentation for “Pre-Hospital and
Emergency Department Knowledge of
Evidence-Based Ischemic Stroke Care”

Louise J. Zegeer Award

Inducted as a Fellow, American
Academy of Nursing (2010)

Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching,
UK Provost’s Office (2011)
RECIPIENT: Lynn Kelso

RECIPIENT: Laura Traynelis
Best Graduate Student Poster for “Low
Levels of Depressive Symptoms Predict
the Combined Outcome of Good HealthRelated Quality of Life and No Cardiac
Events in Patients with Heart Failure”
RECIPIENT: Kyoung Suk Lee
Best Graduate Student Presentation for
“An Intervention to Promote Compliance
with a Tobacco-Free Campus Policy”
RECIPIENT: Amanda Fallin

4

OPPORTUNITIES / Fall 2011

RECIPIENT: Wanda Lovitz
Teaching Excellence in Support
of Professional Nursing

RECIPIENT: Patricia B. Howard

Provost’s Distinguished Service Professor,
UK Provost’s Office (2011)
RECIPIENT: Deborah Reed

2010-2011

Other College of Nursing
Special Distinctions
UK College of Nursing for Exceptional
Army Nurse ROTC Support at the 2nd
Annual Bold Warrior Brigade Nurse
Symposium in San Antonio (2010)

Provost’s Public Scholar Award,
UK Provost’s Office (2011)

RECIPIENT: Ellen Hahn

RECIPIENT: Paul Kearney, Jr.
(UK College of Medicine)

Inducted into Researcher Hall of Fame,
Sigma Theta Tau International Honor
Society of Nursing (2010)

RECIPIENT: Marcia Stanhope

Kentucky Nurse Researcher of the Year,
Kentucky Nurses Association (2010)

State Award for Excellence, American
Association of Nurse Practitioners (2011)

RECIPIENT: Kristin Ashford

RECIPIENTS: Jane Kirschling and
Suzanne Prevost

Nurse of the Year Award, Kentucky
Nurses Association (2010)
CO-RECIPIENT: Jane Kirschling

Teachers Who Made a Difference Award,
UK College of Education (2011)
RECIPIENTS: Karen Butler, Gina Lowry
and Mary Jayne Miller

LEFT (TOP TO BOTTOM):
Honorary doctorate in public
service, University of Portland:
Carolyn Williams; Inducted
into STTI Researcher Hall of
Fame: Ellen Hahn; Inducted as
a Fellow, American Academy of
Nursing: Patricia B. Howard;
Great Teacher Award, UK Alumni
Association: Darlene Welsh

TOP: Dean Jane Kirschling and Employee
of the Year Award winner: Mary Gregory
BOTTOM: Provost’s Award for Outstanding
Teaching, UK Provost’s Office: Lynn Kelso;
Provost’s Public Scholar Award, UK
Provost’s Office: Marcia Stanhope;
Provost’s Distinguished Service Professor,
UK Provost’s Office: Deborah Reed

University of Kentucky College of Nursing

5

� faculty

PROMOTIONS

PROFILES

Faculty Transitions

Faculty Appointments

faculty

2011
Martha Biddle,
PhD, RN, APRN,
CCNS

Martha Biddle
received her
undergraduate
degree in nursing
from Thomas More
College in Edgewood, Ky. She received both
her master’s degree and Doctor of Philosophy
in Nursing from UK, where the focus of
her doctoral studies was the role of dietary
antioxidants in patients with heart failure.
Dr. Biddle is an assistant professor and
coordinator for the Clinical Nurse Specialist
Track in the Doctor of Nursing Practice
Program. For the past five years, she has
served as the director of operations for the
RICH Heart Program, a collaborative group
of investigators with multiple NIH and
HRSA funded projects.
Dr. Biddle is also a certified clinical nurse
specialist practicing in the cardiology clinic
at UK HealthCare.
Cathy Catlett,
MSN, RN

Cathy Catlett
received a BSN
from Eastern
Kentucky
University and
her MSN from
McKendree University.
Her nursing career began at UK Albert B.
Chandler Hospital in the intensive care
unit, and she worked at Baptist Hospital
East in Louisville, Ky., for more than 20
years in a variety of positions. She formerly
taught at the University of Colorado
College of Nursing as an instructor
specializing in simulation, while
maintaining a clinical practice at the
University of Colorado Hospital.
Mrs. Catlett is currently a lecturer in the
undergraduate program.

6

OPPORTUNITIES / Fall 2011

Stephanie Fugate,
MSN, RN, APRN

Chizimuzo (Zim) Okoli,
PhD, RN, MPH

Stephanie Fugate
received a BS in
biology and BSN
and MSN degrees
from the University
of Kentucky. She is
certified as an acute care nurse practitioner.

Chizimuzo (Zim)
Okoli earned his
undergraduate
degrees in nursing
and philosophy, as
well as a Master of
Science in Public Health, a Master of Science
in Nursing and a Doctor of Philosophy in
Nursing, all from UK. In 2008, he completed a
Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)
postdoctoral traineeship in tobacco research at
the University of British Columbia. In 2010,
he completed a CIHR postdoctoral fellowship
in gender, mental health and addictions, also
through the University of British Columbia.

Mrs. Fugate worked for UK HealthCare
while completing her nurse practitioner
program. After graduation, she worked at
the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in the
cardiothoracic intensive care units. After
returning to Lexington, she has worked with
the nephrology group at UK HealthCare
and with the hospitalist group at Central
Baptist Hospital.
Mrs. Fugate has worked with the College
of Nursing in a variety of instructional
positions and is currently a full-time faculty
and course coordinator of the senior high
acuity course. She also works with new
graduate nurses in the BSN Residency
Program at UK HealthCare.
Carol Haurlkyo,
BSN, RN

Carol Haurlkyo
received a BS
in biology from
York College of
Pennsylvania and
in 2009 graduated
from the Second Degree BSN Option at
UK. After graduation she worked with
oncology patients at Kentucky Children’s
Hospital. In 2011, she joined the College
of Nursing faculty to teach physical
assessment skills and patient simulations
to first-semester sophomore students.

Dr. Okoli is an assistant professor in the
College of Nursing and directs the Tobacco
Treatment and Prevention Division of the
Tobacco Policy Research Program.
Nora Warshawsky,
PhD, RN

Nora Warshawsky
received her BSN
from the University
of Pittsburgh, a
Master of Public
Administration from
Troy University, a Master of Science in Nursing
from the University of Hawaii, and a PhD in
nursing from the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill.
Prior to joining UK, Dr. Warshawsky taught
in the undergraduate and graduate programs
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill and Duke University schools of nursing.
She has more than 25 years of experience in
health care organizations, primarily in nursing
leadership and quality management roles.
At UK, Dr. Warshawsky teaches health care
systems courses in the DNP Program. She
holds a joint appointment with UK HealthCare
as well. In her practice role, she collaborates
with clinical nursing leaders to strengthen the
quality of the nurse work environment. Her
research interest is the role of the nurse manager
in creating positive nurse work environments
that support quality patient outcomes.

Melanie
Hardin-Pierce

Melanie HardinPierce, DNP, RN,
APRN-BC, ACNP,
assistant professor,
is now coordinator
of the Acute Care
Nurse Practitioner Track in the DNP
Program.
Dr. Hardin-Pierce is a 2006 graduate of
the UK College of Nursing DNP Program.
She has an extensive background in adult
critical care. Her research interests include
improving outcomes in the mechanically
ventilated adult critically ill patient
population, prevention of ventilatorassociated pneumonia and positional therapy
as an adjunct treatment for acute respiratory
distress syndrome. She has written numerous
textbook chapters in the area of high acuity
nursing and is a co-editor of an awardwinning, nationally recognized critical care
textbook, “High Acuity Nursing ”
(5th edition).
She is an acute care nurse practitioner at
Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington and
also is involved in research in the adult
critical care services division at UK Albert B.
Chandler Hospital.

Jennifer Cowley

Jennifer Cowley,
MSN, RN, has
been promoted to
senior lecturer in
the undergraduate
program. She
has worked in
a variety of acute care settings and has
nearly 25 years’ experience as a clinical
instructor and lecturer. She co-initiated, cocoordinated and taught in the undergraduate
pathopharmacology course for five years. She
is currently coordinator, lecturer and clinical
instructor in the adult med-surgical course.
She was awarded the 2010 Provost’s
Outstanding Teaching Award and the
College of Nursing’s Louise J. Zegeer
Award in 2010.

Sherry Warden

Sherry Warden,
PhD, RN, an
associate professor
in the graduate
program, retired
in June 2011. She
is a three-time UK
graduate, where she earned her BSN and
MSN degrees from the College of Nursing
and a PhD in educational psychology from
the College of Education.
Dr. Warden’s interests include psychosocial
issues in the management of pain,
spirituality, healing and alternative/
complementary medicine. While on the
college faculty, she served on numerous
committees, including chair of the Master’s
Program Committee, the Code of Conduct
Committee, Mentoring Committee and the
DNP Program Committee (task force to
develop the MSN/DNP Program).
She was a member of the American
Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists,
the American Nurses Association, the
International Association for the Study
of Pain, the American Holistic Nurses
Association and UK’s Delta Psi chapter of
Sigma Theta Tau International among other
organizations.

DEVELOPMENT

Aimeé Baston

Aimeé Baston joined the College of Nursing in August 2011 as director for alumni and development. She has
worked at the University of Kentucky since 1998, where she began with the annual giving program in Central
Development. Her most recent position was with Kentucky Children’s Hospital where she managed the annual
giving program, worked with corporations through the Children’s Miracle Network and solicited major gifts. She
was awarded the 2010 Terry B. Mobley Development Professional Achievement Award. A UK alumna, she received
a BA in communications from the College of Communications and Information Studies.

University of Kentucky College of Nursing

7

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8

page

Specially honored that night were the
five distinguished alumni selected as members

Opportunities asked the new honorees to share their thoughts
on their UK education—how it shaped them and prepared

of the second cohort to be inducted into the

them for their future careers. And with a focus on the notion of

College of Nursing’s Hall of Fame:

legacies—and the ways knowledge is passed and shared from

Dr. Melissa Avery, Dr. Marla De Jong,

one generation to the next—we asked the inductees to identify

Dr. Vicki Hines-Martin, Dr. Tonda Hughes and
Dr. Juliann Sebastian. These alumni join previous
inductees Mrs. Nancy Dickenson-Hazard, Dr. Sue
Hegevary, Dr. Alice Herman, Dr. Cynda Rushton,
and Dr. Elizabeth “Betsy” Weiner—all of whom
were part of the College’s initial Hall of Fame
induction ceremony in 2007.

mentors at UK who had encouraged them along their career
paths and those who they, in turn, have had a chance to mentor.
Their responses speak to the rich give-and-take that happens
within nursing as teachers and students, mentors and protégés
come together to learn, to advance their mutual understanding
of the field, and to improve the quality of health for their
communities and the world at large.

� melissa avery

marla de jong

{ PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN }

{ PhD, RN, CCNS, Colonel }

bs northern illinois university | msn (1982) university of kentucky | p hd university of minnesota
A native of Illinois, Dr. Melissa Avery is professor and chair, Child and Family Health Cooperative Unit at the University
of Minnesota School of Nursing. She directed the University of Minnesota nurse-midwifery program from 1994-2010,
making substantial contributions to midwifery education, leadership and practice. She is a leader in Web-based
distance learning midwifery and nursing education programs, and her current research examines the role of exercise
and diet in prevention of gestational diabetes in the American Indian population.

1

Q:
Did you
always know
you wanted
to go into
nursing?

3

Q:
What
educational
experiences
at UK
particularly
shaped your
career?

4

Q:
Which UK
professors do
you consider
as mentors?
In what ways
were they
influential?

A:

bs grand view college | ms university of maryland | p hd (2005) university of kentucky
Dr. Marla De Jong was recently appointed dean of the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at WrightPatterson Air Force Base. Previously she served as executive director of the TriService Nursing Research Program,
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md. During her military career, she has served in
various clinical, leadership and research roles. For 10 months in 2006-2007, she was deployed as program manager for
the Joint Theater Trauma System in Iraq. Dr. De Jong’s work has informed and shaped military and civilian nursing
clinical practice, the delivery of health care, nursing education and management, and health policy.

2

I didn’t, actually. My
mother had been a teacher,
and in high school, I
Q:
thought that I might like
Why did
to be an English teacher. I
you choose
loved reading and writing. the University
But I had an aunt who was
of Kentucky
a nurse. She worked in a
College of
physician’s office and pretty
Nursing for
much ran the whole place.
graduate
Her leadership in that office
school?
was an inspiration to me.
And somewhere along the
line, later in high school,
I started thinking about
nursing as a career.

A:
What was so appealing
about Kentucky’s
program was the
requirement to complete a
secondary emphasis either
in administration or
education. And of course
I had always wanted to be
a teacher, so the education
emphasis appealed to
me. Betty Bear, Marilyn
Musacchio, and Marjorie
Dutton were the
midwifery faculty then.
They were wonderful; UK
had a fabulous program.

A:
D
� uring the early 1980s, women weren’t really encouraged to exercise during
pregnancy. But many of us believed it was safe for otherwise healthy women to do
so. A midwifery classmate and I did a small exercise and pregnancy project while
we were at UK that examined women who were exercising during pregnancy
to try to determine if exercise was associated with a difference in their length of
labor. So I had the chance to put into practice my long-term interest in exercise
during pregnancy—which has led to my current work focusing on exercise as an
intervention for gestational diabetes within the American Indian population. It
really began while I was at UK.

Susan Skinner, MS, RN, CNM
a nurse-midwife with the Mayo Clinic in
Minnesota and former graduate student

“Melissa was a wonderful role model. As my faculty
advisor, she made herself available to me day and
night while I finished my studies. I will never forget
the emails and numerous phone calls back and forth
and Melissa’s undying editing support to assist me in
the completion of a project. I was wordy, she was not!
“I have always been impressed by Melissa’s wonderful
ability to be direct with people when there is a conflict.
She is a great role model for direct communication—
always honest and to the point. Further, her love for
research and midwifery is contagious.
“She helped birth my career as a midwife! We remain
in touch, and she continues to inspire me every time we
get together or talk.”

A:
B
� etty Bear was very inspirational. She was the head of our midwifery program,
and I have stayed in touch with her all of these years. Betty studied the history
of midwifery in this country; it really is fascinating. During the program, she
took our midwifery class to visit the Frontier Nursing Service near Hyden, Ky.,
the birthplace of modern nurse midwifery, where Mary Breckinridge started it
all. To us, that was like walking on hallowed ground. Also, during my time as a
student, Betty was vice president of the American College of Nurse-Midwives
(ACNM), our national organization. And that involvement influenced my own
interest. It helped set me on a path of getting involved and feeling part of this
larger organization and profession.

OPPORTUNITIES / Fall 2011

1

Q:
How has the
Air Force
shaped your
nursing
career?

A:

2

I’ve been a nurse for nearly
23 years and an active duty
Air Force officer for more
Q:
than 22. I joined the Air
Why did you
Force because I sought a
choose the
nursing career, not a nursing
University
job. I’ve had opportunities
of Kentucky
to provide patient care,
College of
teach, lead and mentor,
Nursing for
and I have served in many
graduate
capacities—medical/
school?
surgical and ICU clinical
nurse, infection control
officer, clinical nurse
specialist, nurse manager,
program manager, executive
director and nurse scientist.
The opportunities for Air
Force nurses are endless.

3

A:
I was selected for an
education assignment
in which the Air Force
sponsored me for fulltime doctoral education.
I contacted many colleges
of nursing to learn about
their PhD programs. And
I selected UK because
during conversations
with faculty, current and
former students, and
staff during my campus
visit, I was very impressed
with the program. In
addition, I specifically
wanted to work with Dr.
Debra Moser since we
had similar interests in
cardiovascular nursing.

Q:
Which UK
professors do
you consider
as mentors?
In what ways
were they
influential?

A:
Through incredible mentors
like Dr. Moser, Dr. Lynne
Hall, Dr. Terry Lennie, Dr.
Mary DeLetter, and Dr.
David Randall, I learned
about team-based research,
grantsmanship, program
management and writing
data-based publications. I
apply this knowledge to my
work on a daily basis.
Dr. Moser and I worked
together on nearly a daily
basis and I had a fantastic
opportunity to learn from
a distinguished nurse
scientist. That exposure,
and the