News & Events

Baltimore, Md. – University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) assistant professor Rachel Blankstein Breman, PhD '18, MPH, RN, FAWHONN, has been named a 2024 Fellow of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). She was inducted during the organization's annual convention in Phoenix on June 8. The designation as an AWHONN Fellow recognizes nurse leaders who have made substantive and sustained contributions to the health of women and newborns beyond expectations of their role. AWHONN Fellows have demonstrated outstanding contributions to clinical practice, research, education, advocacy, or policy at the regional, national, or global level that reflect AWHONN’s mission. These contributions to the profession have a wide-reaching impact on the care of women and newborns. AWHONN Fellows also demonstrate extended involvement in AWHONN beyond attendance at events, such as involvement at the state or national level. Overall, becoming an AWHONN Fellow demonstrates a nurse’s commitment to the profession and to the highest standards of nursing care in the specialty of women’s health, obstetric, or neonatal nursing. In 2024, there were 14 Fellows inducted into the program. Breman, who joined UMSON in 2018, specializes in maternal health, intrapartum care, shared decision-making, implementation and dissemination research, and outcomes research. Last fall, Breman received a grant of $1,055,563 from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality to validate the reliability of the CHOICEs: CHildbirth Options, Information, and Person-Centered Explanation shared decision-making protocol. She also received a $60,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Public Health in collaboration with the Maryland Patient Safety Center and Your Birth Partners, a nonprofit organization. This grant will fund interactive webinars on how to implement trauma-informed care for all birth workers in Maryland. pictured, from left, Cheryl Bellamy, president of the board of directors of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN); Rachel Blankstein Breman; and Jonathan Webb, CEO of AWHONN. ### 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. – Retired COL. Jacqueline C. Mitchell, MS ’07, CRNA, FAANA, director of clinical education in the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesia specialty, has been selected for induction as a 2024 Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA). She will be inducted during AANA’s Annual Congress in San Diego on Aug. 3.  As a Fellow of the AANA, she is recognized as one of the most accomplished leaders in the nurse anesthesia profession. Earning the FAANA designation is a major career achievement that opens doors for certified registered nurse anesthetists as practitioners, educators, researchers, and advocates for the profession. The FAANA designation communicates a commitment to excellence, and acceptance criteria include contributions that have made a sustainable impact in the areas of clinical practice, education, research, and professional advocacy. “Being recognized is exciting and a humbling experience. It is a gift of inspiration to keep moving the profession forward,” Mitchell said. Mitchell joined the UMSON faculty as a clinical instructor in 2009. In her present role, she has oversight responsibility for 25 clinical rotation sites. Additionally, she lectures in several anesthesia practicum courses and works with students in simulation lab activities, workshop exercises, and competency sessions. Mitchell retired as Colonel from the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in 2021. She served in the military for 30 years in a variety of clinical and command leadership assignments and deployments, including four years of active duty and 26 years of Reserve time. Mitchell most recently served at the U.S. Army Medical Command in Texas as a nurse methods analyst, Drilling Individual Mobilization Augmentee. In this role, she was responsible for developing, analyzing, revising, and staffing organizational policies, standards, and practices related to health care delivery for medical specialties and nursing specialties across all Army components, including Reserve Component clinical issues. Mitchell earned her Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia and Certificate in Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions from UMSON, a Master of Science in Exercise Fitness and Health Promotion from George Mason University, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the City College of New York. She is working toward a PhD in Nursing at UMSON, anticipating completion this December.  # # # 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. – Ten University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) faculty members have received Academic Nurse Educator Certification (ANEC) Awards from the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) through the Nurse Support Program (NSP) II. UMSON received 10 of the 54 awards issued statewide, representing nearly a fifth of all ANEC awards conferred this year. The faculty were each awarded the maximum amount of $5,000 for demonstrating excellence as an academic nurse educator through achieving the National League for Nursing’s Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) credential, either through initial certification or recertification. The faculty are: Marisa Astiz-Martinez, MSN ’13, RN, CNE, clinical instructor Carissa Bragdon, DNP, ACNP-BC, CNE, assistant professor Yvette Conyers, DNP, RN, FNP-C, CTN-B, CFCN, CFCS, CNE, assistant professor and associate dean for equity, diversity, and inclusion Jennifer Dalton, PhD, RN, CNE, CHSE, assistant professor Margaret McElligott, DNP, RN, CHSE, assistant professor Taylor Melton, DNP ’21, CRNP, AGNP-C, CNE, assistant professor Denise Owens, DNP, RN, CCRN, CNE, assistant professor Kristen Rawlett, PhD ’14, FNP-BC, FAANP, CNE, associate professor Charlotte A. Seckman, PhD, RN-BC, CNE, FAAN, associate professor Paul Thurman, PhD ’18, RN, ACNPC, CCNS, CCRN, CNE, assistant professor “We are grateful for the generous support provided to nurse faculty through the Academic Nurse Educator Certification Awards and for the ongoing efforts of the Maryland Higher Education Commission to encourage nurse faculty to achieve or maintain National League of Nursing Certified Nurse Educator certification,” said 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. “The study and preparation that goes into achieving this credential speaks to the commitment of these 10 faculty members to excellence in teaching, and I congratulate each of them on their accomplishment.”  The CNE credential establishes nursing education as a specialty area of practice and creates a means for faculty to demonstrate their expertise in this role. It communicates to students, peers, and the academic and health care communities that the highest standards of excellence are being met. By becoming credentialed as a CNE, faculty serve as leaders and role models. Developed under the NSP II, which is funded by the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by MHEC, the ANEC award program recognizes professionalism in support of ongoing faculty development requirements necessary to maintain the CNE credential. The award is intended to reinforce the use of the CNE as one measurement of excellence in nursing programs and to support retention of outstanding academic educators. The award funds may be used to supplement the awardee’s salary; to pay for activities for professional development, including conference fees, travel, and expenses for speaking engagements; to pay professional dues, CNE examination fees, and continuing education expenses; or to assist with graduate education expenses, such as loan repayment. ### 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.