College Kudos: Awards and Presentations

Dr. Sharifa Al-Qaaydeh and Dr. Melody Krahulec presented to the University-wide Activate Committee on the College of Nursing’s curriculum development processes and integration of competencies. They emphasized deliberately incorporating durable skills required across all university undergraduate programs and addressing all American Association of Colleges of Nursing competencies. They showcased the innovative measurement of durable skills and competencies through Canvas—a system capability that CON curriculum leaders identified and implemented and that was previously unrecognized campus-wide. Members of the Activate Committee praised the comprehensive approach, including backward design, program learning outcomes, course learning outcomes, module-level outcomes, course maps, competency-based rubrics, and robust scaffolding strategies applied throughout undergraduate and graduate programs.

Dr. Lisa Taylor-Swanson delivered a keynote address titled More than OB/GYN: Women’s Health is Improved by Acupuncture Therapy at the 38th ICMART World Congress on Medical Acupuncture in Antibes Juan-les-Pins, France. The theme of the congress was Acupuncture from Past to Future: Cure, Care, Evidences, Teaching and Research. 

The 2025 American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting was held in Washington, D.C. College of Nursing faculty and students participated in a discussion and presented papers. 

• Dr. Julie Valentine was a discussant for the Bridging Gaps in Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault Research: Dyadic Insights, Strangulation, and Trauma-Informed Healthcare thematic session.
• Sherry Huang, PhD student, Dr. Julie Valentine, and Brenda Heaton presented Implementation of Trauma-Informed Care in Dentistry: Time for Change.
• Luke Johnson, Dr. Julie Valentine, and Matthew Johnson presented Applying Trauma-Informed Care in Anesthesiology Procedures for Survivors of Sexual Assault.
• Alyssa Lark, PhD student, and Dr. Julie Valentine presented The Intersection and Implications of Strangulation in Consensual Sexual Encounters and Sexual Assault Cases.
• Stephanie St. Claire, Dual PhD-Women’s Health DNP student, and Dr. Julie Valentine presented Dyadic Approaches to Intimate Partner Violence during the Transition to Parenthood. 

Dr. Julie Valentine served as faculty at the National Institute on the Prosecution of Sexual Violence, presented by AEquitas and held in Chicago. A grant from the Office on Violence Against Women within the U.S. Department of Justice funded the 3.5-day interactive course, which prosecutors in a local, state, or tribal prosecutor’s office in the United States or territories were eligible to attend. Dr. Julie Valentine and Kerri New presented Medical Evidence in Sexual Violence Cases.