This week, the College of Nursing strengthened community connections, advanced global dialogue, and celebrated leadership in education and innovation. Faculty and staff hosted the annual Grief and the Holidays event, delivered keynote addresses and presentations at international summits, and earned selection for national leadership programs. Students contributed meaningful service in the community, and faculty published new research in leading journals.
Community Event
Caring Connections team members Dr. Laura Bradbury, Adrienne Bott, Taryn Hiatt, Anna Fetzer, Kimberly Ponce Gonzalez, and Gracee Cook held the annual Grief and the Holidays event for the community with support from Dr. Jennifer Clifton, Mindy Francis, Amen Koutowogbe, Gabriel Mayberry, Dani Hartin, and Shelli King. This year’s theme was “Navigating the Seasons of Change.” Nicea DeGering, host of the ABC4 program Good Things Utah, was the featured speaker and Missy Lynn provided music. The Caring Connections Advisory Board, Larkin Mortuary, and Ruby Snap Cookies also supported the event. Taryn Hiatt was featured on a recent episode of Good Things Utah to discuss the event and coping with grief during the holiday season.
Faculty Recognition
Due to temporary but substantial changes in clinical placements for NURS 3410 Acute Care Practicum, Dr. Kirstin Schmutz, Dr. Anna Alder, and Melissa Lawrence extensively adjusted the Fall Semester 2025 practicum schedule. Dr. Schmutz drafted multiple versions, ensuring students had access to equitable and positive learning experiences. Dr. Anne Harris and the Simulation Team provided flexible support in coordinating services, and all faculty demonstrated commitment and adaptability as they helped students navigate the challenges of the term.
Presentations
The Inha University School of Nursing and I-RISE (Regional Innovation System and Education) hosted the 2025 Inha-Utah Global Summit on Nursing and Bio-health Innovation in Incheon, South Korea. Dr. Young Mee Ahn – Dean of the School of Nursing, Dr. Sung Hyeon Baeck – Vice President for Academic Affairs and Director of I-RISE at Inha University, and Dr. Tack Lee – President and CEO of Inha University Hospital – delivered welcoming remarks. University of Utah faculty were invited to speak at the Summit.
- Global Leadership in the 21st Century. Dr. Greg Hill – Chief Academic Officer and Dean of Faculty at the University of Utah Asia Campus.
- Nurses as Architects of Health Equity: Innovating Access, Advocacy, and Patient-centered Care (keynote). Dean Marla De Jong.
- Innovating Compassionate Care: AI and Population Data in Advanced Cancer and End-of-Life Research. Dr. Djin Tay.
- The Future Nurse: Where Caring meets Innovation – Technology Evolves, Compassion Endures. Dr. Bob Wong.
- Toward the AI Nurse: An Engineer’s Perspective. Dr. Hanseup Kim – Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Utah.
Dr. Mary Killela, Allyson Foor, Perla Vaca Lopz, Ida Tovar, Dr. Echo Warner, and Dr. Anne Kirchhoff gave an oral presentation titled Health Insurance Education with Generative AI: Promise or Peril? at the 2025 DELPHI Data Science Initiative Symposium in Salt Lake City.
Professional Development
Kristy Gauthier was selected to participate in the National League for Nursing 2026 Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators. The program includes completing leadership assessments, developing a three-year career trajectory plan, participating in executive coaching sessions, completing assigned projects, writing an abstract for submission to a conference, participating in webinars, and attending three in-person meetings – NLN Leadership Orientation, an Intensive Leadership Retreat, and the NLN Education Summit.
Media
The 2025 edition of the University of Utah College of Nursing insights is published, highlighting the tremendous work of faculty, staff, and students as well as preceptors and donors. The cover story, Living a Legacy, highlights three generations of academic achievement, faculty engagement, and student success within the family of Dr. Ana Sanchez-Birkhead, Dr. Erica Nelson, and U‑Excel student Elena Nelson. Gabriel Mayberry produced the magazine, with support from Dani Hartin, selecting topics, editing articles, taking and preparing photos, laying out content, and coordinating its printing and electronic dissemination.
The Scope, from University of Utah Health, highlights expert health advice and research you can use for a happier and healthier life. It features the 7 Domains of Women’s Health podcast, which Dr. Kirtly Jones and Dr. Katie Ward host. For Dr. Ward’s 50th episode titled The Spiritual Domain of Friendships, Chaplain Susie Nelsen joined her and Dr. Jones to explore the friendships that accompany people through profound transitions, the companions who help people make sense of loss and identity, and the rare “spiritual friends” with whom people can speak openly about purpose, belief, and meaning. Recent episodes titled The Social Domain of the Fourth Trimester and The Social Domain of Pap Smears featured Dr. Gwen Latendresse and Dr. Deanna Kepka, respectively.
Student Recognition
Ella White, student in the Pediatric Primary Care Track of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, raised $500 in cash donations from family and friends to purchase and donate prizes, a prize box, a play mat, and books to the Christmas Box House, which offers shelter and comfort to children escaping abuse, provides essentials through Resource Rooms, and empowers teens transitioning out of foster care. Ella also collected approximately 250 books for teens and young adults who receive care at the South Main Foster Care Clinic.
Publications
Jones CB, Kim S, Killela M, Morgan L, Forcina JM. The transition, onboarding, and integration of newly hired faculty into nursing academia: A scoping review. J Prof Nurs. 2026;62:66-82. https://doi.org/10.1016.j.pronurs.2025.10.010
Miles L, Valentine JL, Moxley AH, Anderson A, Wong B. Retrospective study on pain reports and treatments at sexual assault medical forensic examinations: Clinical practice implications. J Forensic Nurs. In press.
Usman M, Linder LA. School-age children’s characterization of symptoms and symptom management: A thematic analysis. J Pediatr Hematol Nurs. 2025. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1177/27527530251369732