School of Nursing News

February 2008

Welcome to the February 2008 issue of School of Nursing News, an informal electronic newsletter for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the Board of Visitors of the University of Maryland School of Nursing.

Faculty & Staff Appointments/Transitions

Sandra McLeskey, PhD, RN, has been named assistant dean for baccalaureate studies, after serving as interim assistant dean for the past two months. She has been a member of the School of Nursing faculty since 2000, serving as a professor in the Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, and as assistant dean for research. Dr. McLeskey also holds an affiliate position at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, and a secondary appointment in the Department of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Jennifer Ruffner, MA, has been named museum curator, Department of Administrative Services. Ms. Ruffner will oversee curatorial, personnel, fiscal, technical, research, and clerical functions of the museum, and also work closely with the museum docents. She holds an MA in Museum Studies, Social History Specialization; a BA in Anthropology; and a certificate in Historic Preservation. She comes to the School of Nursing from the B&O Railroad Museum, Ellicott City Station, where she was responsible for daily operations, exhibits, and staffing of the historic railroad station.

Christine Ward, MS, has been named director of marketing in the Office of Communications. Ms. Ward has been a member of the School of Nursing staff since 2004, most recently serving as manager of nursing professional programs and business development, which involved coordination of print and electronic marketing pieces with the Office of Communications. Prior to joining the School of Nursing, she worked as a manager for Health Solutions, a national provider for corporate wellness.

Faculty & Staff Kudos

Janet D. Allan, PhD, RN, CS, FAAN, dean and professor, was recently published as follows:
Allan, J.D. (2008). Commentary: A tailored internet intervention did not increase physical activity more than a tailored print intervention or publicly available websites. Evidence-Based Nursing, (in print).

Susan Antol, MS, RN, assistant professor, Department of Family and Community Health, and director of the School Wellness program, and Rebecca Wiseman, PhD, RN, assistant professor, Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, and director of the Governor’s Wellmobile program, presented, “Building Partnerships for Integrating Nurse Practitioner Services Into the Primary Health Care System Fabric: Lessons Learned from Nurse Managed Models and Academic and Community Health Centers,” at the Global Healthcare Solutions for Vulnerable Populations, held recently in Auckland, New Zealand. The conference was a joint effort of the Auckland University of Technology, the Community Service and Development Trust, and the National Nursing Centers Consortium, and was supported by the Fulbright New Zealand and Eisenhower Fellowships.

John Distler, MS, FNP-C, DPA, FAANP, assistant professor, Department of Family and Community Health, has been awarded the AstsraZeneca 2007 Nurse Practitioner Asthma Grant for the Second Funding Cycle 2007 by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Foundation.

Dawn Mueller-Burke, PhD, CRNP, RNC, assistant professor, Department of Family and Community Health, was recently published as follows:
Rapid NMDA Receptor Phosphorylation and Oxidative Stress Coexist and Precede Striatal Neurodegeneration after Hypoxic-Ischemia in Newborn Piglets and are Attenuated with Hypothermia. Mueller-Burke, D.M., Koehler R.C., Martin L.J. Developmental Neuroscience, September 2007 (e-pub ahead of print).

Katherine Fornili, MPH, RN, CARN, assistant professor, Department of Family and Community Health, was recently published as follows:
Medicaid Reimbursement for Screening and Brief Intervention: Amending the Medicaid State Plan and Approving State Appropriations for the Medicaid State Match. Fornili, K. and Alemi, F. Journal of Addictions Nursing, 18:225-232, 2007.

On the International Scene

Yoomi Jung, PhD, a student at the College of Nursing, Seoul National University, South Korea, joined the School of Nursing as an International Visiting Scholar in January. During her visit (Jan. 14-Aug. 13, 2008), Dr. Jung will focus on nursing administration, managerial finance, health services leadership and management, including taking graduate coursework for academic credit. Mary Tilbury, EdD, RN, associate professor, Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, is serving as her faculty advisor.

Carolyn F. Waltz, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and director of international activities, has been appointed as an adjunct member of GRISM, the consortium of researchers from McGill University and University of Montreal, Canada, who are engaged in the development and evaluation of nursing interventions, research design, and methodological issues, knowledge transfer, translation and exchange.

Student News

As part of the Komen Maryland Affiliate Nursing Partnership: Advancing Education and Practice, five School of Nursing master’s students attended the 30th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held in December. They include: Kristine Broge, Amy Sidorski, Alicia Tanner, Ted Frankenhouse, and Diana Melendez. In order to attend the all-expenses-paid conference, each conferee had to submit an application detailing how they would disseminate the information they received at the conference.

Master’s student Patience J. Mbulu, BSN ’06, RN, was featured in an article, “Critical Care,” that was printed in the Fall 2007 edition of Insights, the alumni magazine of Montgomery (Md.) College. Mbulu is currently working as a clinical coordinator in the National Institutes of Health Urology Clinic, and will graduate from the School of Nursing’s Health Services Leadership and Management master’s program (Shady Grove) in May 2008. Ralph Tuason, an RN-BSN student at Shady Grove, was also featured in the article.

Alumni News & Notes

Bayla R. Berkowitz, MS ’07, CNM, a nurse midwifery graduate, had an article, “Cultural Aspects in the Care of the Orthodox Jewish Woman,” published in the January/February 2008 edition of the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health. In the article, Berkowitz acknowledged the support and encouragement of Dr. Carol Snapp, BSN ’79, former director of the nurse-midwifery specialty program.

Dee A. Jones, BSN ‘98, RN, completed her master’s degree, with a major in nursing leadership and education, from Wilmington University, Del., in January 2008. Jones is a member of Sigma Theta Tau and works at the Perry Point VA Medical Center in Perryville, Md. She currently serves as care coordinator, Home Telehealth, at the Perry Point and Fort Howard VA facilities. She recently published the newly-released CD, Nurses Anthem, inspired by Florence Nightingale, as a tribute to her nurse colleagues. For more information, visit: cdbaby.com/cd/deejones2.

Sharon E. Kelley MS ‘85, RN, CNAA, BC, was awarded the American College of Healthcare Executives Regent's Award for Senior Leadership. She was also invited to serve on the Strategic Planning Advisory Task Force for the American Organization of Nurse Executives. Kelley is vice president for patient care services and chief nurse executive at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital in Baltimore. She also serves as an associate faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and as president of the Maryland Association of Healthcare Executives.

Ann Warner, MS ‘92, RN, a master's graduate in trauma, critical care, and emergency nursing, completed her PhD, with a major in nursing science, from the Texas Women's University in December 2007.

Attention Nursing Informatics Alumni and Faculty!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of our Nursing Informatics (NI) graduate program! All NI alumni and former faculty members are invited to celebrate at special events during the 2008 Summer Institute in Nursing Informatics (SINI), July 14-19. A reception just for alumni and faculty members will be held Friday, July 18. An additional social event is being planned for Saturday afternoon, July 19, after the close of SINI. Watch the SINI Web page for more details (nursing.umaryland.edu/sini).

In Memoriam

We regret to announce the recent passing of Julia W. Mihelick, MS ’65, and Kathryn A. Brush, MS ’92.

School of Nursing “In the News”

SUBJECT: Hidden Health Hazards
SOURCE: Advance for Nurses Magazine – Jan. 2
SUMMARY: A new survey—the first of its kind that shows workplace exposure may risk nurses’ health and safety—asked nurses across the nation to detail their exposures to chemicals, radiation and medications, and their health.“We are becoming aware of the potential risks, and we are also discovering our great potential to make a change in a way that is going to make a difference not just for nurses but for patients and their families,” said Barbara Sattler, DrPH, RN, FAAN, professor and director of the Environmental Health and Education Center (EHCH) at the School of Nursing. Brenda Afzal, MS, RN, director of health programs in the EHCH, added that “we need to revamp the chemical policies in the U.S. to better protect the public from unintentional exposures to carcinogens, reproductive hazards, asthmagens, and other risks associated with many common consumables.”
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/editorial/content/editorial.aspx?prg=1&cc=104522

SUBJECT: New Book Takes Aim at Alternative Medicine
SOURCE: The (Baltimore) Examiner – Jan. 10
SUMMARY: Most herbal supplements, acupuncture, and other “alternative medicine” treatments have no scientific basis for their claims, says Barker Bausell, PhD, a professor and researcher at the School of Nursing. Bausell takes aim at such treatments in his new book, Snake Oil Science: The Truth about Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1148868~New_book_takes_aim_at_alternative_medicine.html

SUBJECT: Fact or Fiction: Pets: Good for Health
SOURCE: Newsweek – Jan. 11
SUMMARY: Sure, pets provide companionship and unconditional love. But research has shown that they can also help reduce stress and blood pressure in owners, increase longevity in those who've had heart attacks, and even relax and improve the appetites of Alzheimer's patients. “Any disease condition that has a stress-related component to it, we believe pets could ameliorate stress and moderate the situation,” says biologist Erika Friedmann, PhD, a professor at the School of Nursing. “It’s providing a focus of attention that’s outside of someone’s self. They’re actually letting you focus on them rather than focusing inward on yourself all the time.”
http://www.newsweek.com/id/91445

SUBJECT: Hospitals, Nursing Schools Disappointed With Funds for Health Education
SOURCE: The (Baltimore) Examiner – Jan. 17
SUMMARY: Gov. Martin O’Malley included $8.8 million in his budget for an ongoing program to expand the number of nursing graduates in Maryland. But he did not fund the additional $11 million to $34 million hospitals and nursing schools were hoping to get for a new initiative to double the number of nurses educated in Maryland by boosting the number and salaries of faculty. “We are experiencing a public health crisis in Maryland,” said Carolyn Yocom, PhD, RN, FAAN, chair of the School of Nursing’s Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health.

SUBJECT: Three-Minute Interview
SOURCE: The (Baltimore) Examiner – Jan. 18
SUMMARY: More than 57 percent of American households own pets, according to the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook. In the “Three-Minute Interview” column, Erika Friedmann, PhD, a professor at the School of Nursing, is featured for her research on health and pet ownership. “Pet owners have less stress, lower blood pressure, and fare better after heart attacks,” she said.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1165712~The_3_minute_interview__Erika_Friedmann.html

SUBJECT: Today’s Newsmakers
SOURCE: The (Baltimore) Examiner – Jan. 25
SUMMARY: Sue Song, PhD, RN, was appointed to Howard County’s health board. Song is an advanced psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and works as an adjunct assistant professor in the School of Nursing. She established Care Line, an information and training service, for the Korean-American community.

SUBJECT: Nurses Strive to Find Safer Working Conditions
SOURCE: NurseZone.com - Jan. 25
SUMMARY: Surrounded by toxic chemicals, sharp instruments, radiation and sometimes violent patients, nurses have to defend themselves from physical harm on a near daily basis.Referring to findings in a recently-released report about chemical exposure to nurses, Barbara Sattler, DrPH, RN, FAAN, a professor at the School of Nursing and director of the School’s Environmental Health and Education Center, said, “Cleaners, pesticides, medications turned into dust when pulverized, disinfectants, both gas and liquid, all create conditions for health hazards. Almost all of them are severely irritating to the lungs.Interestingly, the nursing profession is seeing increases in the rate of adult onset asthma.”
http://nursezone.com/Stories/Specialseries.asp?articleID=17389

SUBJECT: New Health Board Members
SOURCE: The Washington Post – Jan. 31
SUMMARY: Sue Song, PHD, RN, an adjunct instructor at the School of Nursing, has been named to the Howard County board of health. Song has been active in reducing cultural barriers and securing health services for members of the county’s Korean-American community.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/30/AR2008013001761.html

SUBJECT: Graying of the Workforce
SOURCE: Baltimore Business Journal – January 2008 (published in the supplement)
SUMMARY: With growth in the baby boomer retirement market expected during the next decade and an aging workforce exiting health care professions, hospitals and medical officers could be among the hardest hit in the state. Jane Kapustin, PhD, RN, CRNP, assistant dean for master’s studies at the School of Nursing, said that five faculty members retired last year and that the School turned away roughly 300 students. “We are seeing a graying of nursing faculty,” she said. “The retirement issue is crucial.”

SUBJECT: Some Executives Enjoy Working Into Their 60s and Beyond
SOURCE: Baltimore Business Journal – January 2008 (published in the supplement)
SUMMARY: The “R” word can be a tough pill for a longtime professional to swallow. For Joseph Proulx, EdD, RN, a professor at the School of Nursing, teaching is in his blood. His mother was an elementary school teacher and his dad taught high school. “Fortunately, I seem to have great success in the classroom,” says Proulx, who is over 65. “My health seems to be pretty good and I’d like to stay for a little while longer.”

SUBJECT: Breast Cancer Conference March 8
SOURCE: Cumberland Times – January 2008 (published in the Health Journal supplement)
SUMMARY: The second conference about breast cancer screening, prevention and awareness will be held on March 8 in LaVale, Md. The Governor’s Wellmobile program of Western Maryland, one of the conference sponsors, is mentioned in the article, and Naomi “Bea” Lamm, EdD(c), MS, RN, program coordinator for the Western Maryland Wellmobile program is pictured. Lamm was also pictured receiving a “Breast Cancer Proclamation” from Dale Lewis, Allegany County Commissioner.

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