Nancy McDaniel (BSN ’77) hosted a “Nourishing Impact” luncheon for fellow alumni in the area at her Staunton home in August, with Polly Bare (DIPLO ’52), Virginia Gillock (BSN ’85), Jean Karnes (BSN ’77), and Mary Welliver (BSN ’76). 

Patricia (Patti) St. Clair (DIPLO ’57) hosted “An Evening with Dean Baernholdt” in her Williamsburg home in September, along with Denise Eastham (BSN ’79), Gail Galli (BSN ’89), Sandy Reed-Bryant (BSN ’78, MSN ’86), Sue Winslow (BSN ’87, PhD ’13), and Susie Wornom (BSN ’64). The group learned about the School’s 10-year strategic plan and shared career and life stories.

We salute the following alumni for their forthcoming induction into the American Academy of Nursing 2024 cohort of new Fellow inductees:

• Thomas W. Barkley, PhD, ACNP-BC, ANP, FAANP (MSN ’89)
  Barkley & Associates, Inc.
• Nancy Crego, PhD, RN, CCRN, CHSE (PhD ’13)
  assistant professor at Duke University School of Nursing
• Tina S. Gustin, DNP, CNS, RN (MSN ’87)
  associate professor at Old Dominion University's Ellmer School of Nursing
• Danielle K. McCamey, DNP, ACNP-BC, FCCP (BSN ’03)
  Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing assistant dean and founder of DNPs of Color
• Karen Kane McDonnell, PhD, RN (PhD ’13)
  associate professor and co-director of the Cancer Survivorship Research Center at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing
• Devon Noonan, PhD, MPH, FNP-BC, CARN  (PhD ’10)
  associate professor and Dorothy Powell Term Chair of Nursing at Duke University School of Nursing
• Jane R. von Gaudecker, PhD, RN, AGCNS, FAES, CGNC (MSN ’12, PhD ’15) 
  associate professor, Indiana University School of Nursing
• Lisa A. Wiese, PhD, MSN, RN, GERO-BC, PHNA-BC, CNE, FGSA (BSN ’84, MSN ’85)
  associate professor at the Florida Atlantic University Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
• Kenya D. Williams, EdD, MBA, MSN, RN, RP, CAE, FNYAM (MSN ’13)
  deputy executive director of the National Student Nurses' Association 

May’s 2024 Nursing Excellence Award ceremony celebrated the impact, leadership, and professionalism of UVA Health nurses, including several alumni, including:

• Lauren A. Brill (BSN ’19), a medical emergency team nurse, who earned the Exemplary Clinical Practice award
• Christopher S. Kremer (BSN ’06), an outpatient surgery center nurse, who earned the Nurse of Distinction award
• Ryan C. Thomas (BSN ’20), a surgical-trauma ICU nurse, who earned the Transformational Leader award
• Beth A. Jaeger-Landis (MSN ’00), a geriatrics and palliative care nurse practitioner, who earned the Outstanding Preceptor award for her mentorship of advanced practice nursing students
• Gabriella C. Baker (BSN ’22), a neonatal ICU nurse, who earned the Outstanding Preceptor award for her mentorship of Clinical Nurse Leader students

Inspired by their own clinical instructors, the Diploma Class of 1968 established a Clinical Excellence Faculty Award for outstanding teaching. The inaugural recipient of the award is Laurel Geis (MSN ’07), a clinical instructor at the School. 

Pam DeGuzman (BSN ’96, MSN ’00, PhD ’12), of Charlottesville, VA, was elected secretary of AcademyHealth’s Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues. The group, which champions evidence-based practice, connects researchers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to address challenges such as care quality, access, disparities, and costs. Pam is an associate professor at the School and nurse scientist at UVA Health.

Sharon D. Loury (PhD ’03), of Hendersonville, TN, an associate professor at the graduate programs at East Tennessee State University College of Nursing, published the forthcoming book, Nursing in Appalachia, A History 1890-1960 (McFarland Publishers). In the book’s acknowledgements, Sharon offers a tribute to the late Barbara Brodie, professor emerita, who was the “impetus for my journey into the heritage of nursing while a PhD student at UVA

“I still remember Dr. Brodie’s powerful remarks when first meeting with her,” Sharon wrote. “I was trying to make a good impression and told her I was looking forward to her course and learning more about Florence Nightingale. Dr. Brodie looked at me, straightened up, and stated that while Florence Nightingale was renowned for her commendable work, there were many American nurses during those early decades who made significant contributions to the profession of nursing and nursing education in the United States.” Added Sharon, “Dr. Brodie was right.”

K. Jane Muir (BSN ’15, PHD ’21, MSN ’22), of Philadelphia, PA, and the School’s ’22 Decade Award winner—a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine National Clinician Scholars Program, and a T32 fellow in Penn School of Nursing’s Center for Health Policy and Outcomes Research Center—earned the Rising Star Award from the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues at the 2024 AcademyHealth Annual Research meeting in Baltimore, MD. Jane also earned the School’s Decade Award for 2024.

Christina Ross (PhD '19), assistant professor at UConn who lives in South Windsor, CT, earned InCHIP’s 2024 Faculty Excellence Award in Research on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and Health Outcomes of Racism, an award that honors faculty who make significant contributions to research in this important domain. Christina—who studies health equity promotion and adolescent sexual health—is also a Betty Irene Moore Fellow for Nurse Leaders and Innovators at UC Davis, a coveted program for early- to mid-career nursing scholars and innovators that provides $450,000 to fund an innovative project or study, access to a rich online learning community of scholars.

Tyler D. Gaedecke (BSN ’20), a PhD candidate at Columbia University School of Nursing, was invited to participate in the 2024 AACN Thought Leaders Assembly in Chicago in July where he engaged with prominent nursing leaders in panel discussions about advancing nurses to improve health, healthcare, and health equity. Tyler also earned a Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31) from the National Institute of Nursing Research, which will support his dissertation study of care access for transgender and gender-diverse adults after gender-affirming surgeries through social network analyses.