Alumni News and Events
Alumna Working with Doctors without Borders (MSF)
Mary Beth Wargo (BSN 2010) is at Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan working with over 100,000 displaced Syrian people.They plan to provide 28 inpatient beds, 2 ICU beds and 3 ER beds for children under 10 years old. Her primary job is to lead and train the national nursing staff.
Congratulations!
Alumnae Rose Cceberio received the 2012 Brawny Industrial Brand Great American Worker out of more than 500 nominees. She was honored for her "dedication in embodying the characteristics of a Great American Worker" at the Heinz History Center in December 2012. Rose wrote that "there is not one profession on this planet that has not involved the services of a nurse."
Read her winning entry.
Susan Larsen Beck (BSN '74) was named the OncologyNursing Society's 2012 Distinguished Researcher!
Hurricane Sandy Assistance
Francis Feld (Nursing 93) was deployed to New Jersey with the PA-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) for disaster medical relief. PA-1 DMAT is part of the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Disaster Medical System. The 40 member DMAT team saw duty in Monmouth County and provided medical care at shelters and a field hospital which they erected to decompress two overloaded emergency departments near Asbury Park and Neptune Township. The two week deployment was a part of the Federal Government's efforts to support New Jersey and New York after Hurricane Sandy devastated the region.
Feld has seen previous deployments to Florida for Hurricane Gustav, Haiti for the earthquake, New York for storms Irene and Lee and several national security events. He is currently a nurse anesthetist at UPMC-Mercy in Pittsburgh and a paramedic for Ross West View EMSA and University Ambulance Service in State College PA.
2013 Meeting Dates
Board meets the first Tuesday of the month at 6pm on the 5th Floor of Fisher Hall. All are welcome.
May 7, 2013
September 3, 2013
November 5, 2013
Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing Inductee
Congratulations to Andrea Schmid-Mazzoccoli on her induction as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
Andrea Schmid-Mazzoccoli is the Chief Nursing Officer for Bon Secours health System where her role is to set the Strategic Clinical Quality and Nursing Agenda. Prior to joining Bon Secours, she served as Chief Nursing Officer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
Dr. Mazzoccoli achievements include development of the Bon Secours Health System Center for Clinical Excellence and Innovation. The Center is the framework for the clinical transformation efforts and includes Institutes for Patient Safety, Informatics and Nursing Practice. Her work in the center with the Chief Medical Officer establishes a leadership model that partners physician and nurse executive dyads to lead system level change.
Dr. Mazzoccoli serves as an ANCC Magnet Appraiser and has published and lectured internationally and nationally related to rapid response, failure to rescue, informatics and nursing leadership. She is a Johnson & Johnson Wharton Fellow. Dr. Mazzaccoli twice received the UPMC President's Award for Patient Safety for the development of a Positive Patient Identification Program for Medication Administration and Early Detection and Recognition of Rescue Events. She serves as the principle investigator of an IRB approved research project exploring the influence of technology on professional nursing activities and is currently a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow.
Dr. Mazzoccoli earned her nursing diploma from the Shadyside School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Carlow, a Masters of Science in Nursing and Business Administration from Duquesne University, and a Doctorate in Nursing from the University of Pittsburgh.
Alumna Profiled in Publication
Sydnee Lucas, BSN 2011, was profiled in Center Stage Health Care Careers, a publication of Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania (page 8).
Alumna Selected for AACN Wharton Program
Judy Didion, Dean, College of Nursing, Lourdes University (OH), has been selected to attend the Inaugural AACN-Wharton Executive Leadership Program. This world-class enrichment program is designed exclusively for top academic leaders in nursing and is designed to advance them to a higher level of leadership.
Alumna Receives 2012 Oncology Nursing Society Distinguished Researcher Award
Susan Larsen Beck, PhD, APRN, AOCN, FAAN, professor and Robert S. and Beth M. Carter Endowed Chair in Nursing at the University of Utah College of Nursing, was recently named the Oncology Nursing Society's (ONS) 2012 Distinguished Researcher. The honor recognizes her outstanding research contributions that have enhanced the science and practice of oncology nursing. Beck will be honored for the award at the Distinguished Researcher Session at ONS's Connections: Advancing Care Through Science conference November 16-18 in Phoenix, AZ.
"I am honored and humbled to be recognized by my colleagues and members of the Oncology Nursing Society as a Distinguished Researcher," said Beck, who is widely recognized for her research focused on the management of symptoms in cancer patients and interventions to improve the quality and outcomes of care. "The award would not have been achieved without the sustained contributions of my many research partners, both colleagues and students, to improve the lives of people with cancer by reducing their troubling symptoms that often result from cancer and its treatment."
To be selected for the honor of Distinguished Researcher, candidates must be nominated by a member of ONS. Additionally, candidates must be a member of ONS with an earned doctorate in nursing or a related field who demonstrates evidence of the following:
1. Outstanding and major contributions to the scientific foundation for practice.
2. A sustained program of substantive research.
3. A record of publication in oncology.
4. A research program which has advanced the delivery of quality cancer care by nurses.
5. A research program which has provided a foundation for research by others.
6. Documented contributions to ONS.
7. Documented contributions to the cancer community-at-large.
Most recently Beck's work has focused on testing of tools to improve the measurement of quality of care related to pain management in the individuals with cancer or receiving surgery for a potential cancer. She is a member of the ONS Advanced Nursing Research and Pain Special Interest Groups, the Intermountain Chapter of ONS, the American Nurses Association, the American Academy of Nursing, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
Beck holds a bachelor of science in nursing degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, a master of science in nursing degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and a doctor of philosophy in nursing from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
Alumna Appointed Associate Dean
Congratulations to Kathleen Czekanski, PhD, RN, CNE, our PhD alumni, who was recently appointed Associate Dean for Nursing Programs at LaSalle.
Dr. Czekanski brings significant experience and skills to the position and currently serves as the Director of the Graduate and RN-BSN programs. Dr. Czekanski completed her Ph.D. at Duquesne University and is a Certified Nurse Educator. She also was awarded a Certificate in Distance Education.
Prior to coming to La Salle in 2008, Dr. Czekanski was an Assistant Professor at Thomas Jefferson University. She teaches in the areas of nursing research, professional practice, ethics, and public health nursing. She has been the Project Director on three scholarship grants and is published in journals such as the Journal of Professional Nursing, Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, and the Journal of Nursing Education. Finally, Dr. Czekanski has served on numerous committees in the Nursing program, School, and University.
Alum Assumes Program Director Position
Aaron R. Elliott, BSN 95, graduated from Duke University with a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree, and is assuming the role of Phase II Program Director for the U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing (USAGPAN). He recieved his degree while on active duty as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, and has served over 21 months in Iraq is support of Operation Freedom.
Alumna Teaches SAFE course
2007 alumni of the MSN Forensic Nursing Program, Rear Adm. Elaine C. Wagner, Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA, conducted a 40-hour Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence class for Navy nurses, physicians, and corpsmen.Read more...
Homecoming Breakfast Photos
View photos from the 2011 Alumni Homecoming Breakfast
Alumni Publications
Congratulations to Greta Marek (DNP 2011) whose paper "Impact of Learning Style Assessment on Self-Reported Skills of Students in an Associate Degree Nursing Program" has been accepted for publication in Teaching and Learning in Nursing.
Congratulations to alums Theresa Morrison (PhD grad) and Denise McNulty (DNP grad) on their recent publication:
Morrison, T.L.,& McNulty, D. (2012). Response from the southwest Florida nursing community supporting the Future of Nursing. JONA, 42, 52-57.