This week, the College of Nursing welcomed over 30 youth to the 4th Annual Nursing Summer Camp, offering immersive experiences to spark interest in health careers. We celebrated national recognition for faculty and alumni, secured major grant funding to support rural cancer care, and advanced scholarship and equity through research, publications, and professional development. Faculty shared expertise across the country and globe on topics from dementia and grief to diabetes education and LGBTQ+ caregiving.
Summer Camp
Dr. Valerie Flattes planned and held the 4th Annual Nursing Summer Camp for more than 30 middle school and high school youth with expressed interest in becoming a nurse or exploring options in healthcare careers.
The purpose of the camp was to inspire campers to consider a nursing career, inform them about nursing specialties that they did not know existed, and introduce them to the student experience at the University of Utah. Attendees met with College of Nursing faculty to learn about the profession of nursing; met with nursing advisors from the College of Nursing Student Affairs and Academic Operations and admissions advisors from the University of Utah Office of Admissions; listened to alumni describe their pathway to nursing and experience as a nursing student; actively participated in three hands-on activities in the College of Nursing Simulation Center; and toured the College of Nursing building, Kahlert Village, Kem Gardner Commons, A. Ray Olpin Student Union, Student Life Center, Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, J. Willard Marriott Library, and other areas of campus. Campers’ parents attended a dinner, toured the College of Nursing Simulation Center, and learned about the pathway to nursing, preparation for college, the admissions process, financial aid, the nursing student experience, and more.
This camp could not have been possible without the support and contribution of the following people. Dr. Flattes expresses deep appreciation for their help.
College of Nursing Simulation Center – the highlight of the camp!
- Yvonne Bass
- Debbie Boulter
- Dr. Ann Butt
- Bobby Cody
- Kristy Gauthier
- Annie Harris
- Dr. Jesika Chavez-England
- Esther Kang
- Henri Sasa
Panelists
- Sarah Christensen
- Dean Marla De Jong
- Geovanna Inguazo (alumni speaker)
- Kristen Mahoney
- Danielle Rubi (alumni speaker)
Faculty Volunteers
- Dr. Natasha Ansari
- Dr. Lauri Linder
Administrative Support
- Mike Brammer
- Sarah Brown
- Sarah Christensen
- Dani Hardin
- Sonja Jensen
- Shelli King
- Miriam Lovin
- Gabriel Mayberry
- Moana Kofe (University of Utah Admissions)
- Steve Seckinger
- Kristan Tunks
- Brent Vawdrey
Student Volunteers and Counselors
- Isabella Camacho
- Ruby Cook
- Tatum Heiner
- Chantal Irungaray
- Kira Krzemkowski
- Lindsey Larson
- Phillip Liu
- Cobie (Lathon) Morgenegg
- Jenn Morrison
- Abby Neukam
- Sienna Noffsinger
- Phoebe Ojo
- Kendall Rappleye
- Melody Sanijenz
- Brandon Schill
- Elizabeth Shovra
- Renee Villafana
- Emma Wray
The following University of Utah entities supported the camp:
- Campus Tours
- Commuter Services
- Housing & Residential Education
- J. Willard Marriott Library
- Office of Admissions
- Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library
- Youth Education
Special appreciation to Employment Manager Mike Brammer. At the last minute, Mike hired and completed background checks for camp counselors. Without his help, camp counselors could not have assisted during the camp.
Supporting Students
Heather Clarkson piloted Scholarship Universe, a scholarship management tool designed to increase use of scholarships through adaptive student matching and streamlined processes. The College of Nursing had the largest percent increase in applications and excellent results matching students with scholarships.
Recognition
The American Academy of Nursing announced its 2025 Class of Fellows, including Dr. Jia-Wen Guo, adjunct faculty member Dr. Jenny Alderden, and alumna Dr. Stacie Hunsaker and Dr. Meagan Whisenant. Induction into the Academy is one of the most prestigious honors in nursing. Distinguished by their substantive and sustained contributions to health and health care, the inductees will be recognized at the Academy’s 2025 Health Policy Conference on October 16-18, 2025, in Washington, DC. The theme of the conference is Impact Through Integrity and Trust: Our Role as Navigators and Translators.
Grant Award
The Digital Health Initiative awarded a $75,000 Inspiring Digital Health Innovations Seed Grant to Drs. Djin Tay, Kathi Mooney, Elizabeth Sloss, Deanna Kepka, Anne Kirchhoff, and Guilherme Del Fiol for their project titled SAFE.AI: Developing and Testing an AI-based Hybrid Chatbot for Financial Empowerment in Rural Cancer Care. The team will develop and evaluate an AI-based hybrid chatbot to address rural cancer-related financial hardships in the Mountain West, and is excited to advance new tools to reduce the pervasive issue of cancer-related financial hardships for patients and families impacted by rurality.
Health Care Provider Recognition
Patients submitted comments regarding psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners.
Dr. Sheila Deyette: “Virtual Visits through My Chart gives me the opportunity to meet with Dr Deyette. With her fantastic help and insight I feel better. She quickly responds to me when or if I’ve been in crisis. I hope I never have to stop seeing Dr Deyette. I always look forward to her appointments. Dr Deyette’s Nurse Lacy is very nice and helpful. She helps make my appointments several dates in advance. She really helps. Lacy and Dr Deyette are always on top of things. It’s a blessing to have the Technology, Nurses and Dr Deyette.”
Dr. John Sensiba:
- “Both, provider and nurse are very empathetic and kind.”
- “Lacy and John are always so kind and accommodating.”
- “Always on time and great to work with.”
- “Dr Sensiba is always great. He takes the time to listen and explain options. Grateful for all he does! Lacy is always amazing. She is kind and caring and her soft gentle nature easily helps you feel instantly comfortable.”
Professional Development
Dr. Sara Bybee was accepted into the Community Based Participatory Research Immersion Training program through the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Palliative and Supportive Care.
Professional Achievement
Dr. Katie Davis completed the 2024-2025 Utah Health Equity Leadership and Mentoring (U-HELM) program at University of Utah Health. The U-HELM program supports fellows through monthly in-person seminars focused on critical issues related to cultural identity, such as diversity, micro-aggressions, allyship, and resilience, rather than research mentoring. Each fellow is paired with a senior faculty mentor experienced in equity, diversity, and inclusion to explore leadership and identity topics that are often overlooked in traditional academic mentoring. Additionally, the program offers valuable networking opportunities with peers, mentors, and leaders from the University of Utah and across the globe.
Professional Service
Dr. Kara Dassel was selected as one of six representatives from Utah to attend the national Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) Advocacy Forum in Washington, DC. Volunteer advocates from across the United States met with lawmakers, making the case for policies designed to improve and enhance the lives of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Presentations
Dr. Laura Bradbury and Taryn Hiatt delivered a presentation titled The Grief of Death from Substance Use at the national Faces & Voices of Recovery Recovery Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, and met with Utah Senator John Curtis to advocate for services and programs support.
Dr. Amanda Keddington delivered a presentation titled Partnering with Community Health Workers to the Utah Long-Term Care Ombudsman at the Utah Department of Health & Human Services.
Dr. Amanda Keddington delivered a presentation titled Partnering for Dementia-Capable Care: Partnering with Community Health Workers to the State of Utah’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Coordinating Council. Dr. Keddington provided the council with ideas to explore potential opportunities for collaboration with Community Health Workers in supporting individuals living with dementia.
Dr. Michelle Litchman delivered a presentation titled Developing and Disseminating Diabetes in American Sign Language to Facilitate Communication in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Populations at the International Council of Nurses Congress 2025 in Helsinki, Finland. Given 10,000 abstract submissions, this was a tremendous honor for Dr. Litchman.
Dr. Kathi Mooney was Keynote Speaker for the NYU Langone Health 28th Annual Nursing Science Conference: Team Science: Moving Nursing Practice Forward. Dr. Mooney’s presentation was titled Breaking Boundaries: How Team Science and Nursing Innovation Can Transform Health Care Delivery Models. The conference is one of the nation's longest-running hospital-based nursing science conferences, which brings together nurses, researchers, academics, and other health care professionals from NYU Langone Health and beyond for an inspiring day of lively, proactive, and scholarly dialogue and networking.
Dr. Katie Ward presented Luteal Phase Effects on Fear and Risk Assessment, work based on her dissertation, at the 36th Annual Human Behavior & Evolution Society Conference in Atlantic City. Stockton University sponsored the conference.
Community Engagement
Dr. Echo Warner rode 70 miles in the Little Red bike race in Logan to raise money and awareness for breast and gynecological cancers. Dr. Warner’s team, aptly named Primary Children’s Cancer Fighters, raised $2,646, exceeding their goal of $2,500.
Publications
Prothero MM, Thomas D, Valentine JL, Merrill K. Lessons learned from a formalized peer mentoring program in a baccalaureate nursing curriculum. J Prof Nurs. 2025;60:9-14.
Turner CA, Waters AR, Ghazal LV, Poquadeck M, Killela M, Cloyes KG, Rains SA, Kirchhoff AC, Warner EL. Differences in cancer-related crowdfunding between transgender or gender diverse and cisgender LGBTQ+ cancer campaigns: A mixed-methods analysis. Support Care Cancer. In Press.
Turner CA, Heidorn D, King AJ, Tovar I, Millar MM, Codden RR, Guo J-W, Johnson S, Kirchhoff AC, Raber M, Sheng X, Kepka D, Warner EL. Evaluating the feasibility of web-mentoring methodology for measuring exposure to online cancer misinformation. JMIR Cancer. In Press.
Waters AR, Kent EE, Murray CR, Jones SR, Warner EL, Coombs LA, Donovan H, Nichols HB, Wheeler SB, Rosenstein DL, Roberson ML, Tan KR. How am I going to live? How am I going to pay rent?: A mixed methods investigation of employment, stigma, and financial hardship among LGBTQ+ cancer caregivers. Cancer Control. In Press.