2019 News Archive

Wednesday, December 04, 2019 — Yingzi Zhang, PhD, RN, a postdoctoral research associate at the School of Nursing, was approved for a $25,000 Oncology Nursing Foundation Research Grant from the Oncology Nursing Foundation. The grant will support her proposal, “Refinement and Pilot Testing of a Couple-Based Uncertainty Management Intervention for Patients with Gynecological Cancer and Their Partners.”

Tuesday, November 26, 2019 — A new study by researchers in the UR School of Nursing showed that the UR Medicine Employee Wellness Program has made statistically significant improvement in reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in participants. The study, published in the Journal of Population Health Management, found that nearly 50 percent of those who were at moderate to very high risk for CVD at the start of the program and participated in the program for at least one year were able to lower their 10-year CVD risk, with nearly one-third improving by an entire risk category.

Friday, November 01, 2019 — Ying Xue, whose research has helped national policies regarding how and where nurse practitioners can practice, was installed Thursday as the UR School of Nursing’s Loretta C. Ford Endowed Professor in Primary Care Nursing. Loretta Ford, the former UR Nursing dean and co-creator of the nurse practitioner role, returned to the school this week for a visit and was on hand to present Xue with the professorship medal.

Monday, October 28, 2019 — The University of Rochester School of Nursing has entered into an Early Acceptance agreement with St. Lawrence University. The agreement allows St. Lawrence students to apply for early acceptance to the UR School of Nursing’s Accelerated Bachelor’s Program for Non-Nurses (ABPNN) during their junior year and receive notification of their admission status by the end of the summer following their junior year. Upon graduating with a baccalaureate degree from St. Lawrence, accepted students will continue their studies at the UR School of Nursing, where they can earn their B.S. in nursing in 12 months. The UR School of Nursing will accept up to two qualified SLU students each year.

Monday, October 21, 2019 — Two University of Rochester schools have been named recipients of the Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. The UR School of Nursing and the UR School of Medicine and Dentistry were among 43 health professions schools selected to receive the only national honor recognizing U.S. medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, osteopathic, and allied health schools that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. They will be featured in the December 2019 of INSIGHT Into Diversity, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. This is the third consecutive year the School of Nursing has been recognized with the honor.

Monday, October 14, 2019 — Ying Meng, an assistant professor at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, was recently awarded a K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research. Totaling $462,808 over the course of three years, this career development grant supports Meng’s research project “Delineation of the biopsychosocial risks of obesogenic eating behaviors.”

Tuesday, October 01, 2019 — How the UR School of Nursing and a volunteer trip to southern Peru helped prepare APNN Graduate Amanda Hyman for her nursing career.

Friday, September 27, 2019 — Martez Smith, LMSW, a University of Rochester Provost Fellowship Recipient and third-year graduate student in the University of Rochester School of Nursing’s PhD program, was recently honored with two prestigious awards for his contributions to the LBGTQ community.

Thursday, September 05, 2019 — The University of Rochester School of Nursing ushered in a new academic year at its opening convocation ceremony on Sept. 3.Nearly 200 guests filled the auditorium in Helen Wood Hall and more watched from an overflow classroom as the school officially kicked off the fall semester with an event welcoming its students and celebrating some of its top scholars.

Thursday, August 29, 2019 — The University of Rochester School of Nursing will host its fourth annual Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Summit on Friday, Nov. 1, bringing together advanced practice nurses, nurse leaders, policymakers, and scholars for an all-day conversation about the impact of DNP-prepared nurses on clinical practice, care delivery, and health policy. The theme for the 2019 summit is “Progress, Promise, and Possibilities.”

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 — The University of Rochester has received a $1 million Higher Education Capital Matching Grant (HECap) from New York State to enhance the academic experience and serve additional students at the School of Nursing (SON) on the Medical Center Campus.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019 — Loretta Ford, EdD, RN, PNP, FAAN, FAANP, the co-developer of the nurse practitioner model and founding dean at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, was honored last week with a prestigious award from the Center for Nursing at the Foundation of New York State Nurses. Ford, whose innovations thrust the nursing profession in a new direction and revolutionized the health care system, was the first individual recipient of the Nightingale Award, given to those whose actions mirror the legacy and accomplishments of the great Florence Nightingale.

Thursday, July 18, 2019 — Lynne Massaro, DNP, RN, FNP-C, ANP-BC, who helped launch the first nurse practitioner residency program in New York state, has been accepted as a fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).

Wednesday, June 26, 2019 — Rhonda “KC” Knapp-Clevenger, PhD, CPNP, CCRP, who is Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at the Wilmot Cancer Institute, has been selected as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). Knapp-Clevenger is among a class of 231 nurse leaders to be honored at the academy’s annual meeting and conference on Oct. 24-26, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Tuesday, May 21, 2019 — The School of Nursing held a recognition event May 14 in Evarts Lounge to highlight the contributions of its faculty and staff. The event featured a buffet lunch, the presentation of the school’s awards for faculty and staff, and honored Professor Margaret Kearney, PhD, RN, FAAN, who is retiring in June.

Monday, May 13, 2019 — This May, we celebrate University of Rochester School of Nursing degree candidates from our undergraduate and graduate programs.

Monday, May 13, 2019 — Tara Serwetnyk, a teaching associate at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, is one of 35 nursing faculty from across the country chosen to participate in the 2019 Digital Innovation Bootcamp sponsored by Apple and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The conference will run June 24-27 in Austin, Texas.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 — Jinjiao Wang, PhD, RN, an assistant professor at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, was one of three promising scientists recently selected by Provost Rob Clark to receive the Valerie and Frank Furth Fund Award.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019 — After moving to the other side of the world and learning a new language, School of Nursing professor Hyekyun Rhee has led research and technological innovations to transform asthma treatment for adolescents.

Monday, April 15, 2019 — Nationally recognized expert in palliative care research Sally A. Norton has been named the new associate dean for research at the University of Rochester School of Nursing. A longtime faculty member at the school, Norton assumed her new duties overseeing the School of Nursing’s research mission on April 1.

Tuesday, April 09, 2019 — An average of one to two home health physical therapy sessions per week can help lower the risk of re-hospitalization by up to 82 percent in older adults during a 60-day period, according to research findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. The study, led by Jinjiao Wang, PhD, RN, an assistant professor in the University of Rochester School of Nursing, examined the impact of specific services in Medicare-certified home health care (HHC) programs, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and skilled nursing, on subsequent re-hospitalization among older patients.

Thursday, March 28, 2019 — Families of cancer patients described three distinct experiences — “We Pretty Much Knew,” “Beating the Odds,” and “Left to Die” — in the final weeks of their loved one’s life. Wilmot Cancer Institute researchers gathered these valuable perspectives, identified the problems, and plan to use the data for improving care at this difficult and emotionally charged time. The study was published recently in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer. Investigators recorded and analyzed stories from 92 families and caregivers, looking for common threads about their loved one’s final transition from active treatment to death.

Wednesday, March 27, 2019 — The University of Rochester School of Nursing will host “Epi Near You, New York,” a free epinephrine training seminar, presented by the Allergy Advocacy Association, on Monday, April 1, at 7 pm, in the School of Nursing Auditorium.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019 — The University of Rochester School of Nursing moved up two slots in the latest master’s program rankings - landing at No. 35, published in the 2020 Best Graduate Schools guide produced by U.S. News and World Report.

Monday, March 11, 2019 — The University of Rochester School of Nursing has bolstered its education leadership team with the addition of two new full-time hires. Kristin Hocker, EdD, has been named co-specialty director of the Health Care Management and Leadership (HCM) program, while Irene Garrick, PhD, MBA, PMP, NCC, LMHC-NY, LPC-CT, joins the staff as project coordinator for educational initiatives

Tuesday, February 19, 2019 — Dianis currently serves as Westat’s principal investigator, project director, and project manager on many clinical trials and clinical studies of HIV and TB infection, other emerging infectious diseases, cancer, blood-transmitted diseases, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, and trauma and is also principal investigator and corporate officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tuberculosis Trials Consortium.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019 — A pediatric nurse practitioner, Sloand made her first medical missionary trip to Haiti in 1999. Since then, she has served as the east coast team leader at the Leon Medical Mission and led health promotion and educational activities at Haitian elementary schools. She even did her dissertation there, studying child health and survival in rural Haiti.

Monday, February 18, 2019 — The UR School of Nursing handed out some of its highest honors at the Dean’s Diamond Circle dinner last fall at Monroe Golf Club. The awards recognized five of the school’s most distinguished alumni, faculty, and philanthropists.

Tuesday, February 12, 2019 — The University of Rochester School of Nursing jumped five spots in the ranking of research funding received from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to data compiled by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. The UR School of Nursing ranks 21st in the 2018 survey of nursing schools with eight grants totaling more than $2.9 million in research support from the NIH during the 2018 fiscal year.

Tuesday, February 12, 2019 — Yvette Conyers, an assistant professor of clinical nursing and assistant director of undergraduate programs at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, was presented with a 2019 Health Care Achievement Award by the Rochester Business Journal. She was one of three individuals recognized this year in the Medical Professional category.

Friday, February 08, 2019 — Puerto Rican children were more likely to have poor or decreasing use of inhaled medication needed to control their asthma than Mexican American children, according to a new study by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers.

Monday, January 28, 2019 — Alumna Jennifer Dunivent merges clinical, analytical in new role as director of operations at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia.

Monday, January 28, 2019 — Charlotte Pillow '19, a first-semester student in the Accelerated Program for Non-Nurses, was awarded the University of Rochester's Susan B. Anthony Prize. The award is given to a senior enrolled in a five-year program who has shown exceptional leadership, academic excellence and involvement in student life.

Friday, January 18, 2019 — Amy Karch, MS, RN, a beloved University of Rochester School of Nursing faculty member whose teaching career spanned five decades and helped spur the explosive national and international growth of the Accelerated Program for Non-Nurses died Jan. 16. She was 69.

Monday, January 14, 2019 — A growing number of nurse practitioners are providing primary care in low-income and rural areas where physician supply is low, according to findings from a study led by University of Rochester School of Nursing researchers. The study, released this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined data trends in 50 states and Washington DC from 2010 to 2016 and charted a narrowing gap between the supply of primary care nurse practitioners and physicians, particularly in low-income and rural communities.

Friday, January 11, 2019 — Elaine Andolina, MS, RN, an adored University of Rochester School of Nursing faculty member and administrator, whose extraordinary personal touches helped ease the transition into nursing school for thousands of new students, died Jan. 11. She was 67.