College of Nursing faculty, staff, and students were recognized, published, and presented research across multiple events this month. Dr. Gwen Latendresse’s work was honored with a national Silver Award from the AAMC for excellence in writing. Faculty presented at the SIREN 2025 Research Meeting and gave a webinar on postpartum PTSD.
Award
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Institutional Advancement (GIA) chose For the Love of Mothers, which features Dr. Gwen Latendresse’s work, to receive a Silver Award for Excellence in The Robert G. Fenley Writing Awards – Solicited Articles category. The GIA Awards for Excellence is an annual, peer-reviewed competition that recognizes outstanding work by members of the GIA and their colleagues. The awards honor the most creative and effective approaches used to promote academic medicine through alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and public affairs programs and projects.
Presentations
Dr. Sara Webb presented a webinar titled Postpartum PTSD for a Utah Department of Health and Human Services ACT (Ask, Collaborate, Teach) session. Dr. Webb spoke about birth trauma, risk factors for developing postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the impacts of PTSD on the family, and the steps healthcare providers can take to prevent PTSD during pregnancy and childbirth.
Faculty and staff presented at the Social Interventions Research & Evaluation Network (SIREN) 2025 National Research Meeting in San Diego. The meeting theme was “Advancing the Science of Social Care.”
- Dr. Sara Bybee, Natalie Tedford, Dr. Brenda Luther, Dr. Jia-Wen Guo, Ernest Grigorian, Lisa Diamond, and Dr. Andrea Wallacedelivered a podium presentation titled The Role of Threat Vigilance in Screening and Addressing Unmet Social Care in the Emergency Department.
- Dr. Sara Bybee, Dr. Jia-Wen Guo, Dr. Catherine Elmore, Ernest Grigorian, Dr. Bob Wong, and Dr. Andrea Wallace presented a poster titled Hispanic/Latinx Adults’ Perceptions of Deservingness in Addressing Social Care.
- Dr. Brenda Luther, Dr. Andrea Wallace, Brenda Gulliver, and Melissa Baker presented a poster titled Evaluating Clinical Staff Perspectives on Social Needs Screenings Using Self-Determination Theory.
- Dr. Andrea Wallace, Ernest Grigorian, Dr. Bob Wong, Dr. Ching-Yu Wang, Dr. Sara Bybee, Dr. Jia-Wen Guo, and Dr. Brenda Lutherpresented a poster titled Patient Engagement in Social Needs Screening and Referrals by Screening Approach, Clinical Service, and Language.
- Dr. Jia-Wen Guo, Dr. Andrea Wallace, Dr. Sara Bybee, Ernest Grigorian, and Dr. Bob Wong presented a poster titled Psychometric testing of Spanish SINCERE (SINCERE-Sp).
Community Collaboration
The Gamma Rho Chapter of Sigma raised $1,270 for Fourth Street Clinicthrough donations from students, faculty, and friends. Thanks to those who donated, enabling the clinic to help improve the health and quality of life for individuals experiencing homelessness. The fundraising effort was led by faculty and student interns of the Gamma Rho Chapter, including:
- Dr. Amanda Keddington, President
- Dr. Anna Alder
- Dr. Natasha Ansari
- Dr. Cheryl Armstrong
- Dr. Lisa Barry
- Dr. Sue Chase Cantarini
- Jessica Chavez-England
- Leslie Crandall
- Dr. Jenneth Doria
- Dr. Valerie Flattes
- Sofia Flowers, Intern
- Dr. Kelly Mansfield
- Dr. John Nerges
- Anida Pathammavong, Intern
- Dr. Rebekah Perkins
- Paige Potter
University Events
U Alumni sponsored Bringing the U to You: Silicon Slopes – an event in which alumni could learn updates about the University, including its future and the collaborative efforts driving its success, and connect with each other. Moderated by Mike Hale, a member of the U Alumni Board of Governors, panel members Deans Marla De Jong, Arnab Chakraborty, and Peter Trapa discussed topics such as President Randall’s vision for innovation, community engagement, academic excellence, and information about College-specific priorities, initiatives, and achievements.
Miriam Lovin, Mindy Francis, Mary Wheeler, and Jenna Hoff planned and held a College of Nursing Meet and Greet event in Utah County. Dean Marla De Jong updated about the College, and alumni attendees reconnected with classmates, faculty, and staff, and formed new relationships with other alumni.
Graduate Fair
The College of Nursing held a Graduate Fair on January 30. More than 70 undergraduate students and University employees met with faculty and staff from the Master of Science, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Doctor of Philosophy programs, learned about and compared and contrasted the programs and their tracks, explored pathways towards graduate education, and asked questions. The Office of Student Affairs and Academic Operations treated attendees to free pizza. Ryan Copeland organized the fair, and the following faculty and staff participated:
- Dr. Amanda Al-Khudairi
- Dr. Natalie Allen
- Dr. Natasha Ansari
- Dr. Cynthia Beynon
- Sarah Christensen
- Heather Clarkson
- Dr. Erin Cole
- Dr. Sheila Deyette
- Dr. Jessica Ellis
- Dr. Heidi Favero
- Erica Fearnley
- Dr. Kim Friddle
- Dr. Teresa Garrett
- Dr. Julie Gee
- Sonja Jensen
- Dr. Chris MacIntosh
- Kristen Mahoney
- Dr. Paula Meek
- Dr. John Nerges
- Kristan Tunks
- Dr. Emily Winn
In the Media
GOOD Notes featured an article titled Expanding Our Impact: Addressing Social Determinants of Health from the College of Nursing insights magazine. The article features Dr. Nancy Allen, Dr. Ana Sanchez-Birkhead, Dr. Catherine Elmore, Dr. Michelle Litchman, and Dr. Andrea Wallace.
Publications
Adams MCB, Sward KA, Perkins ML, Hurley RW. Standardizing research methods for opioid dose comparison: The NIH HEAL morphine milligram equivalent calculator. Pain. Epub ahead of print. DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003529
Alnajar M, Kim N, Roark E, Park MJ, Rose, M., Ansari N, Perkins R, Keddington A, Ellington L, and Tay D. Palliative care perceptions and needs among total cancer care patients undergoing immunotherapy: A mixed methods study. J Hosp Palliat Nurs. In press.
Chevrier A, Vaca Lopez PL, Rogers K, Stefanou M, van Thiel Berghuijs KM, Fair D, Park ER, Kirchhoff AC, Warner EL. Adaptation, feasibility, and acceptability of a health insurance literacy intervention for caregivers of pediatric cancer patients (CHAT-C). Curr Oncol. 2025;32(2):69. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol32020069
Cummins MR. Telemedicine reduces no-shows and last-minute cancellations in healthcare appointments. Telehealth.org. 2025.
Ivanova J, Cummins MR, Ong T, Soni H, Barrera J, Wilczewski H, Welch B, Bunnell B. Regulation and compliance in telemedicine: Viewpoint. J Med Internet Res. 2025;27:e53558. https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e53558
Ivanova J, Shah B, Foote C, and Cummins MR. Assessing the costs and savings of telemedicine: Insights from the consolidated framework for implementation research. Digit Health. 2025;11. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251314552
Killela M, Turner CA, Chevrier A, Stefanou M, Vaca Lopez PL, Kaddas HK, Karely M. van Thiel Berghuijs KM, Warner EL, Perez GK, Waters AR, Fair DB, Nelson RE, Lewis MA, Park ER, Kirchhoff AC. CHAT-S study protocol: A randomized controlled trial of a health insurance literacy education program for young adult cancer survivors. Prev Oncol Epidemiol. 2025;3(1):2455706. https://doi.org/10.1080/28322134.2025.2455706
Reblin M, Liang I, Tay DL, Kirtane K, Ketcher D. The patient and caregiver experience of CAR T-cell therapy: A qualitative analysis. J Psychosoc Oncol. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347332.2025.2460060
Sisler SM, Hart S, Hamilton J, Shapiro NA. Preventing suicide through lethal means restriction in pediatric care. J Pediatr Health Care. 2025;39(2):308-317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2024.09.004
van Thiel Berghuijs KM, Ray N, Vaca Lopez PL, Waters AR, Tsukamoto T, Kaddas HK, Warner EL, Fair D, Lewis M, Perez GK, Park ER, Kirchhoff AC. “I've never personally discussed the cost of anything:” Adolescent and young adult patients with cancer experiences and preferences for cost-of-care conversations. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2024.0102
Warner EL, Sikorskii A, Cunicelli N, Badger T, Segrin C, Morrill KE, Rainbow J. Employment productivity and cancer-related psychological symptoms among adult cancer dyads. J Occup Environ Med. Epub ahead of print. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003334
College Kudos will not be published on February 17, 2025.