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Baltimore, Md. – Veronica "Ronnie" Quattrini, DNP, MS ’99, BSN ’85, FNP-BC, associate professor and senior director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, has been selected to participate in the National League for Nursing 2025 LEAD program, a yearlong initiative of the National League for Nursing (NLN) Leadership Institute. Quattrini is one of 22 nurse leaders nationwide selected to participate in the 2025 program.  “I am excited to be part of the NLN LEAD program and eager to develop leadership strategies that will enhance nursing education and workforce development,” said Quattrini, who recently returned from the program’s two-day orientation session in Washington, D.C. “I look forward to advancing as a transformational leader, influencing nursing education, faculty development, and workforce sustainability.” The program is designed for nurses in education and practice who have recently been challenged with rapid transition into leadership positions, those in leadership positions who desire a formal leadership program, and those aspiring to lead. It represents a significant investment in professional leadership development, with participants spending a year engaged in activities identifying personal and professional goals, learning about what makes an effective leader, and strategizing how to retool skill sets and experiences to achieve individual and institutional benchmarks.  Participants, selected through a highly competitive process, receive one-on-one executive coaching and attend group coaching sessions and leadership webinars, where they study leadership theory and development. Following an intensive leadership retreat in  D.C in June, the LEAD group will reconvene at the 2025 NLN Education Summit in September in Orlando, Florida. The program also helps members create a three-year, focused career plan; examine key issues in organizational dynamics; and implement an individual yearlong project for leadership development aligned with their institution’s mission and goals. With more than 40 years of nursing experience and more than 25 years of experience as a nurse practitioner, Quattrini practices as a board-certified family nurse practitioner in the University of Maryland Medical Center’s adult and pediatric emergency departments and Urgent Care, where she also precepts DNP nurse practitioner students. Her background spans primary care, occupational health, gastroenterology, corrections, retail health, urgent care, and emergency medicine. An accomplished educator and researcher, she has held numerous leadership roles, including vice president of clinical support and training at ChoiceOne Urgent Care. She has secured grants for interprofessional education initiatives and contributed extensively to scholarly research, with publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at international, national, and regional conferences. Recognized for her excellence in teaching and leadership, Quattrini received UMSON’s New Faculty Award in 2019 and its DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty in 2023, and she was invited to the White House on July 4, 2020, to represent frontline workers. Her research interests include simulation in diagnostic reasoning and AI-driven strategies . Quattrini holds a DNP from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and both a Master of Science in the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UMSON. She is an active leader and member in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners, and Sigma international honor society of nurses. ### The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.  

Baltimore, Md. - Nine University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) faculty members have been named Maryland state New Nurse Faculty Fellows. These awards are part of the Nurse Support Program (NSP) II, a statewide initiative funded by the Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The New Nurse Faculty Fellowship is for new nursing faculty members and helps cover the expenses of their graduate education. It was designed to assist Maryland nursing programs with recruiting and retaining new nursing faculty, to produce the additional nursing graduates Maryland’s hospitals and health systems need. The following UMSON faculty received the maximum award amount of $50,000 for fiscal years 2025 - 29, assuming continuous employment as faculty in good standing and the availability of funding: Kelly Bates, DNP, FNP-BC, assistant professor Ozioma Erondu, DNP ’20, BSN ’14, CRNP, AGNP-C, assistant professor Molly McComiskey, DNP ’21, CNP-AC, assistant professor Sun Young Park, DNP ’22, MS ’17, CNE, FNP-C, assistant professor Sarah Rangelov, DNP ’23, MS ’14, BSN ’09, CRNP, CPNP-PC, FNE-AP, assistant professor Sara Robinson, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC, assistant professor and director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner – Family specialty Jessica Sullivan, MS ’14, PMHNP-BC, clinical instructor Victoria Vykol, DNP ’21, MS ’15, BSN ’12, CRNP, NNP-BC, assistant professor Nyree Williams, DNP ’21, MS ’16, PMHNP-BC, assistant professor NSP II helps increase Maryland’s nursing capacity by supporting initiatives that advance the recommendations outlined in the National Academy of Medicine’s Future of Nursing reports. ### The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.

Baltimore, Md. - Michelle R. Spencer, DNP ’19, MS ’06, BSN ’84, RN, assistant professor and director of the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Community/Public Health Nursing specialty at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON), has been awarded the Dr. Peg E. Daw Nurse Faculty Annual Recognition Award in recognition of her contributions to nursing education. Spencer was recognized for demonstrating excellence in “Contributions to Nursing Education,” one of five categories for recognition. The award is part of the Nurse Support Program (NSP) II, a statewide initiative funded by the Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). In 2024, the award was named in memory of Daw, DNP, RN-BC, CNE, FAAN, who significantly contributed to and made an impact on nursing and health care throughout the state of Maryland as the MHEC NSP II grant administrator for 12 years. Deans and directors of Maryland nursing programs may nominate one nurse faculty member at their institution for the one-time $10,000 award annually.  “Receiving the Dr. Peg E. Daw Nurse Faculty Annual Recognition award for Contributions to Nursing Education is a great honor,” Spencer said. “It affirms my commitment to excellence in nursing education. I sincerely appreciate this recognition and the support from my colleagues and institution." Spencer joined UMSON in 2010 as an adjunct faculty member, and in 2012 she was appointed to full-time faculty as a clinical instructor, bringing more than 28 years of clinical experience to her teaching role. Her work focuses on addressing health disparities and serving vulnerable populations. After earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from UMSON in 2019, she was promoted to assistant professor. She previously earned her Master of Science in Community/Public Health Nursing and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), both from UMSON. Spencer is responsible for the community/public health courses and clinical experiences for the BSN program, RN-to-BSN program, and entry-into-nursing master’s programs, as well as having responsibility for the MSN in Community/Public Health. Collectively, these programs prepare nearly 1,100 students each year. “Too often exceptional nursing faculty are not recognized for their consistent day-in and day-out contributions to nursing education,” Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD ’11, MS ’05, BSN ’04, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing and professor, wrote in a letter of nomination. “Therefore, it is my privilege to nominate Dr. Spencer as an exemplary faculty member and frontline educator helping to shape the preparation of the next generation of nurses.” As an example of her contributions to nursing education and fostering innovative student learning opportunities, Ogbolu cited Spencer’s work over a period of nine years with the Christopher Place Employment Academy, a residential employment program focused on men who are experiencing or are at risk for homelessness, have a history of substance use disorders and related health conditions, or who may be transitioning from jail or prison to the community. Spencer led a clinical group of UMSON students to provide student-led health promotion activities, health assessments, care coordination and care navigation, and connect residents to primary and specialty care, health and social resources, and health management programs. Ogbolu also described Spencer’s leadership role in developing Health Care in the Library, which provides opportunities for small cohorts of BSN students to spend one day per week on site at a branch of Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library. Under the supervision of a clinical instructor, students provide a variety of services, including general health assessments, blood pressure screenings, referral services, support in finding health care providers, health education, and medication education. Students report that the program helps them understand different populations and their varying health care needs, as well as the importance of making care comfortable for the patients they serve.  “The development, implementation, and dissemination of new ideas for community-centered education for nursing students can be of tremendous benefit, and Dr. Spencer's work and that of other School of Nursing faculty members has potential implications for nursing education in Maryland and also at a national level,” Ogbolu wrote. ### The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.