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Before Brittany Corbin, BSN '14, RN, PCCN, CNE-cl, senior professional development and education support specialist in the University of Maryland School of Nursing’s (UMSON) Department of Partnerships, Professional Education, and Practice, joined the Institute for Educators as a graduate teaching assistant, she had only considered pursuing advanced practice as the next step in her career. “I knew little about the faculty role and hadn’t recognized the significant impact I could make as a nurse educator,” Corbin said. “After spending about a year with the institute, I decided to switch my major - a decision I haven’t regretted. As I learned more about the faculty shortage and the nurse educator's role, I realized how much I could contribute to the profession. Now, as I complete my practicum in leadership and management with a focus on education, I feel incredibly grateful to the institute for inspiring this meaningful career shift.” Transforming students into nurse educators for teaching roles in academic and clinical settings has been the hallmark of the Institute for Educators for two decades. Its 20th anniversary will be formally celebrated at the institute’s Nursing Education Conference, April 25, held in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced such gatherings into the virtual space.  Founded in 2004, under the co-direction of Louise Jenkins, PhD ’85, MS ’81, RN FAHA, ANEF, professor emerita, and Carol O’Neil, PhD, RN, CNE, associate professor, the institute was created to address the critical and growing shortage of nursing faculty in Maryland and across the nation. It centralized nurse education resources to equip nurses with the essential knowledge and skills needed to assume educator roles in both academic and practice settings. The first of its kind in Maryland, the institute became a forerunner in specifically preparing nurses and other health professionals to become educators of their practice. The institute's work has been integral to the state's efforts to educate nurses, providing valuable support and resources, says its current director, Susan L. Bindon, DNP ’11, MS ’96, RN, NPD-BC, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, associate professor and associate dean for faculty development. Since its inception, nearly 800 graduate students have taken academic courses in the Institute for Educators' Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions Certificate. This 12-credit graduate certificate prepares nurses and other health professionals for teaching and faculty roles. “That’s in terms of numbers,” Bindon says. “In terms of impact, each one of those faculty members is able to educate more students, and with the nursing shortage, and now with the faculty shortage, I think we’ve been able to impact both of those avenues. Better faculty lead to better students who become better nurses, which in turn helps the state. As the flagship school for the state, we take that very seriously. The faculty shortage is one of the biggest concerns in nursing education right now.” To help develop, prepare, and support nursing faculty and educators in clinical settings, the institute offers professional development initiatives that include an annual conference, Teaching Grand Rounds, topical workshops, and networking resources. Supported initially by UMSON, the institute has received more than $3 million in total funding from federally supported grants and Nurse Support Program II grants from the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission, administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, to support its initiatives.  Pioneering Faculty Preparation When the institute began, it was staffed by just two faculty members — Jenkins, the founding director, and O’Neil. Bindon joined the team in 2011. Today, the institute has a team of six, with Bindon leading efforts since 2022 to expand the institute’s visibility, accessibility, and inclusivity. At its inception, the Institute for Educators was a pioneer in online teaching, long before the COVID-19 pandemic made virtual learning mainstream. Today's technology makes online learning seem routine, but the institute's early efforts were groundbreaking. “It was a significant innovation at the time,” Bindon says. The institute's early work included making courses asynchronous and online, catering to busy working graduate students. “That was really a great space for us to be in, filling that need to help prepare faculty for teaching roles, because there's nothing more disappointing than coming in as new faculty with all of this expertise in your specialty and stumbling in the actual endeavor of teaching,” Bindon says. “It's a special skill set, and just like anything else, one needs to practice to develop competence and confidence.” The Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions Certificate initially offered both online and classroom courses but eventually transitioned to online only due to higher enrollment. Filling an Education Gap In the 1990s, UMSON offered a Master of Nursing Education, but with the rise of specialization and a movement toward nurse practitioner careers, the program was eventually discontinued, leaving a gap in support for faculty untrained in teaching.  Around 2003, Jenkins and then-Dean Janet Allan, PhD, RN, FAAN, APN, now dean emerita, began discussing ways to prepare advanced practice nurses for teaching roles. O’Neil was part of these early discussions. “One of the strategies that was suggested was to increase the number of nursing faculty because if you increase the number of faculty, you can increase the number of students and have more nurses,” O’Neil says. “But you had these brilliant nurses with expertise in the clinical area who had no idea how to teach, and it became very frustrating for them. Dean Allan's idea was to look at how we can prepare advanced practice nurses to be educators. And that was the start of the Institute for Educators.” Adapting to Technological Advancements Jenkins and O’Neil developed the Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions Certificate program, which for 20 years has remained consistent, focusing on foundational courses of education. What has changed significantly are the program’s teaching methods, which include active learning strategies to help current and future educators meet their goals in online, classroom, clinical, and professional development settings.  “We have passed the test of time by focusing on the foundation of nursing education,” O’Neil says. Classes were originally taught in person in a seminar-type format, with the instructor providing a topic and students sitting around a table discussing that topic. “The students loved it, but they would have to come to campus,” O’Neil says. The institute began offering online and in-person classes (the term ‘hybrid’ would move into common language years later due to the pandemic), but eventually, enrollment in the classroom option dwindled, bringing the program solely online, where it thrives. “We have been online for at least 15 of the past 20 years,” O’Neil says. “We are building a community of educated professionals. Our alumni go out and flourish in the field of education.”

Baltimore, Md. - Joan Carpenter, PhD, CRNP, ACHPN, FPCN, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, has earned the 2024 Excellence in Research Award from the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA). Carpenter was honored at GAPNA’s annual conference in September in San Antonio. The Excellence in Research Award recognizes individuals who demonstrate a strong commitment to nursing research that benefits the geriatric community. The award highlights research as an essential element of nursing’s mission.  “Receiving the GAPNA Research Award is an incredible honor and a testament to the collective efforts of my mentors, colleagues, and the University of Maryland School of Nursing community,” Carpenter said. “I am deeply humbled to be recognized for the work my team and I do in partnership with nursing home communities to improve care for older adults living with serious illness.” A member of GAPNA since 2012, Carpenter leads a program of research focused on improving access to high-quality palliative care for seriously ill older adults.  Known for her expertise in gerontology, palliative care, dementia, clinical trials in nursing home settings, and implementation science, Carpenter has gained national recognition for her work. Nominations for the Excellence in Research Award are blinded, then meticulously reviewed by members of the GAPNA National Awards Committee following a standardized scoring process. “Dr. Carpenter was nominated by colleagues this year whose admiration and respect was evident,” said Brette Winston, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, committee chair. “Her vast contributions to the world of geriatric nursing research and their impact on patient care were indisputably clear, from local to international achievements. GAPNA is proud to recognize Dr. Carpenter as an outstanding nurse scientist with this year’s Excellence in Research Award.” According to the nomination, submitted by Elizabeth Galik, PhD ’07, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, professor and chair of UMSON’s Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, and other colleagues, Carpenter has made outstanding contributions to nursing science as principal investigator, co-principal investigator, or co-investigator on more than16 research grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Veterans Affairs, and private foundations, securing more than $9.5 million in funding. Her work has garnered citations across 159 journals and international platforms. Carpenter has published more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and has delivered over 50 conference presentations nationally and internationally. As part of her work, Carpenter evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of palliative care intervention in 12 nursing homes with community-based nurse practitioners. Results from the study indicate that the intervention is feasible and acceptable. To build on these findings, she is currently conducting a comprehensive qualitative study to examine palliative care consultations in nursing homes. This work will put forth a process model to guide researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to implement palliative care consultations in nursing homes. The nomination also praises Carpenter’s passion for mentorship. She provides research guidance to PhD students, undergraduate nursing students, pre-nursing scholars, and early-career faculty, supporting the next generation of nurse scientists. “Dr. Carpenter is a valued team scientist and actively contributes to interdisciplinary research groups. I enthusiastically submit this nomination to recognize her work and commitment to advancing impactful clinical research focused on improving care for older adults,” Galik wrote. Added Barbara Resnick, PhD ’96, RN, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, professor, Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz Chair in Gerontology, and associate dean for research, “Dr. Carpenter is the perfect candidate for this well-deserved award. She has truly been a leader in palliative care in the long-term care arena as well as serving as a model for doing implementation research in these settings.” Carpenter earned a PhD in Nursing Science from the University of Utah, a Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner degree from the Medical College of Georgia, and a Bachelor of Nursing Science from Pennsylvania State University. She received a postdoctoral research fellowship sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2018 and was awarded a prestigious career development award from NIH/National Institute of Nursing Research in 2019. ### 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. - Charlotte A. Seckman, PhD '08, RN, NI-BC, CNE, FAAN, associate professor, has been named co-director of the University of Maryland School of Nursing’s (UMSON) Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Nursing Informatics specialty and graduate Nursing Informatics Certificate. As co-director, Seckman will share responsibilities for leading the specialty with Cheryl Fisher, EdD, MSN, RN, associate professor. Seckman will support and oversee the nursing informatics curriculum. This includes guiding the programs for compliance with standards, recruiting new students, managing operations, and planning strategically for future growth. She also coordinates, develops, and teaches master’s and DNP nursing informatics courses, mentors and advises graduate-level students, and prepares future generations of nurses with informatics competencies for leadership roles in health care. Seckman joined UMSON as an adjunct faculty member in the Nursing Informatics specialty in 2000 and became a full-time faculty member in 2010. She retired in 2021, served as an adjunct in 2022 and then returned to UMSON in 2023 as an associate professor, teaching in the MSN Nursing Informatics specialty, bringing a wealth of experience from the practice setting, where she directed, designed, implemented, and evaluated numerous electronic health record-related projects. Her prior work at UMSON included coordinating and teaching informatics courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels along with mentoring Doctor of Nursing Practice and PhD students. “I am thrilled that Dr. Seckman has joined Dr. Fisher as co-specialty director for the Nursing Informatics MSN program,” said Lori A. Edwards, DrPH, BSN ’80, RN, CNS-PCH, BC, FAAN, associate dean for the Master of Science in Nursing program. “Dr. Seckman is not only a nationally renowned nurse informatician, she also brings extensive expertise as an experienced faculty member. Her deep knowledge of nursing informatics, curriculum design, and nursing education will undoubtedly be invaluable to the program. It is truly a pleasure to work closely with her, and I look forward to seeing the continued growth and success of the program under her leadership.” Seckman is a board-certified informatics nurse with more than 30 years of experience. Her work focuses on improving care using innovative and emerging technologies and is recognized nationally and internationally through numerous publications, presentations, and book chapters. At the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center from 1999 - 2010, she served as a project officer for the implementation of the Clinical Research Information System and director for EHR support, change management processes, informatics education, evaluation, and research projects. In collaboration with the National Library of Medicine, she was instrumental in the design and implementation of a prototype system for providing evidence-based resources for nurses at the point of care.  Her research interests focus on artificial intelligence, translating evidence into health care practices, developing personalized clinical decision support tools, optimizing EHR systems, reducing documentation burden, evaluating online learning modalities, and exploring informatics competencies to prepare a ready workforce. Seckman earned her PhD in Nursing from UMSON, her MSN in Nursing Education from the University of Pittsburgh, and her BSN from the University of Kentucky. She also holds a master’s certificate in aging and applied thanatology with advanced training in artificial intelligence. ### 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.