From bird banding at the aviary to new roles in leadership, this week’s College Kudos celebrates engagement in every direction. Students sharpened clinical skills during simulation events, faculty stepped into university service roles, and research initiatives earned grant funding and national media coverage.
Student Engagement
Simulation Operations Specialists Debbie Boulter, Yvonne Bass, Bobby Cody, and Henri Sasa planned and hosted a three-day “Transition to Internship” event for medical students. Dr. Zak Drapkin – Associate Professor (Clinical) at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine and Pediatric Emergency Physician at Primary Children’s Hospital – wrote, “… I also wanted to take a moment to thank you and your team for putting on such a fantastic experience for our students. From our perspective, your team flawlessly executed a complex series of tasks, and we greatly appreciate Your creativity, flexibility, and attention to detail.”
University Service
During the Academic Senate elections in April 2025, College of Nursing faculty were elected to serve on the following committees:
- Dr. Sharifa Al-Qaaydeh will serve on the Senate Consolidated Hearing Committee. Membership is for six years beginning on June 16, 2025.
- Dr. Liz Greene will serve on the Senate Advisory Committee on Student, Faculty, and Staff Success. Membership is for three years beginning on August 1, 2025.
- Dr. Gwen Latendresse will serve on the Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Faculty Rights. Membership is for three years beginning on June 16, 2025.
- Dr. Cathy Maxwell will serve on the Senate Advisory Committee on Student, Faculty, and Staff Success. Membership is for three years beginning on August 1, 2025.
Community Engagement
Emilee Cluff and Yuan Hang Zhao volunteered at a bird banding event at Tracy Aviary’s Nature Center at Pia Okwai.
Esther Kang spoke with Proxima Scholars and was recognized in Proxima’s April Newsletter. “Esther Kang, U of U College of Nursing Faculty, talking to our Scholars about her journey into nursing, how to navigate the challenges, and what the day in the life of a nurse looks like. Thank you Esther for showing up for our Scholars!”
Grant Award
The Consortium for Families and Health Research (C-FAHR) awarded a $2,500 research grant to PhD student Malek Alnajar to support his proposed dissertation research titled Palliative and End-of-Life Care Utilization among Persons with Serious Mental Illness and Multimorbidity: A Population-based Analysis of Decedents and their Families. This study will be the first in the United States to comprehensively examine patterns of palliative and end-of-life care utilization and family availability among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and multimorbidity, utilizing secondary data from the Utah Caregiving Population Science study. By comparing individuals with and without SMI and examining variation by multimorbidity severity and family caregiver relationship types, the research will generate critical new evidence on disparities in palliative and end-of-life care among this underserved population. Malek will use grant funds to travel to and attend advanced methodological training.
Academic Achievement
Jace Johnny successfully passed his oral and written exams and defended his dissertation proposal titled Mortality and Debility Risk in ICU Patients Receiving High-Flow Nasal Cannula. Committee members are Dr. Kathy Sward (Chair), Dr. Mollie Cummins, Dr. Bob Wong, Ramkiran Gouripeddi, and Sean Callahan.
Presentations
Dr. Cynthia Beynon and Dr. Natasha Ansari gave a presentation titled Demystifying Scholarship: An INPD Workshop at the Spring 2025 Intermountain Nursing Professional Development Conference in Murray. The theme of this year’s conference was NPD Power-Up: Responsibility, Resilience, & Research.
Dr. Andrea Wallace delivered a virtual presentation titled Integrating Social and Clinical Care: Building Best Practices for Addressing Health-Related Social Needs at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Nursing Grand Rounds.
Deans Marla De Jong, Sam Finlayson, Randall Peterson, and Kelly Tappenden participated in a panel discussion titled Leading as a Member of Team U of U Health: Incorporating Organizational Needs and Mission into Your Leadership at the New Department Chairs and Division Chiefs Retreat in Park City.
In the Media
In a Pulse News article titled Where There are Patients, There Are Caregivers, contributing writer Kate Greulich emphasized the vital yet often underappreciated role of family caregivers in the United States, who provide unpaid health care worth $600 billion. She also described how the Family Caregiving Collaborative (FCC), a College of Nursing led multidisciplinary initiative, has emerged as a national leader in supporting caregivers through research, education, and outreach. Kate quoted Dr. Lee Ellington, Dr. Sara Hart, and Dr. Lynn Reinke and described their work, referred to Dr. Schola Matovu’s research, and pointed out FCC Fellow Jennifer Mundt’s research. The FCC aims to empower health care workers to recognize family caregivers' critical role, test new approaches supporting patient and caregiver well-being, and partner with stakeholders to improve caregivers' lives. Projects include bringing mental health services to rural communities, including caregiver competencies into nursing curricula, providing health coaching to grandparent caregivers, and learning about how family members manage sleep disorders. The article invites readers to be involved through events, conferences, and ongoing FCC initiatives.
Publication
Steimle MD, Steenblik J, King BD, Gooch AA, Baird J, Yee J, Pascucci V, Carlson M, Ockerse P. A pilot study of coughing into the shirt to disrupt respiratory pathogen transmission. Int J Emerg Med. 2025;18:94. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-025-00892-6