Academic Achievement
Congratulations to all College of Nursing faculty and staff who earned degrees this academic year. We celebrate your academic accomplishments and look forward to hearing about your contributions as you promote wellness and prevent illness, reduce health disparities, shape the future of healthcare to be equitable, and improve health outcomes for persons and communities.
Commendation to all faculty, staff, preceptors, and community partners who supported and positioned students for academic success during their programs of study.
- Dr. Malek Alnajar, Doctor of Philosophy degree in nursing, University of Utah
- Dr. Moroni Fernandez Cajavilca, Doctor of Philosophy degree in nursing, New York University
- Dr. Benjamin McLain, Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, specializing in Nursing Organizational Leadership, University of Utah
- Paige Potter, Master of Science degree, specializing in Nursing Education, University of Utah
- Dr. Danielle Puri, Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, specializing in Nursing Organizational Leadership, University of Utah
- Dr. Forden Shiver, Doctor of Philosophy, College of Education, University of Utah
- Morgan West, Master of Business Administration degree, David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah
- Dr. Mykel Winter, Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, specializing in Nursing Organizational Leadership, University of Utah
College of Nursing Convocation
Gabriel Mayberry wrote College of Nursing Celebrates 448 Graduates During the 2026 Convocation Ceremony, capturing highlights of the celebratory event.
Student Recognitions
Katie Delaine Feldner successfully defended her dissertation titled Exploring the Impact of Individual, Social, and Environmental Factors on Patient Activation and Self-Management Behaviors Among Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (The Environs Study): A Mixed Methods Design. Committee members were Dr. Andrea Wallace (Chair), Dr. Paula Meek, Dr. Alycia Bristol, Dr. Nancy Allen, Jamie Dwyer, and Greg Stoddard.
Ashley Westerheide, recent Bachelor of Science degree in nursing graduate, was inducted into the Beehive Honor Society.
Grant Awards
The National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging awarded a $423,500, two-year Exploratory/Developmental Grant (R21) to Principal Investigators Dr. Maureen Henry and Dr. Jia-Wen Guo and Co-Investigator Dr. Timothy Farrell for their project titled Decision-Making Capacity Assessment and Inclusive Decision-Making for Older Persons with Capacity Challenges. The project period is April 15, 2026 through March 31, 2028. The team will describe the current state of capacity assessment and inclusive decision-making practices (including supported decision-making) from the perspective of experienced clinicians across medical specialties, care settings, and area characteristics, and create a pilot-tested survey to evaluate clinicians’ attitudes, experiences, and practices in assessing capacity and decision-making for people with decisional limitations.
The School of Dentistry awarded $24,226 study to Principal Investigators Dr. Cathy Maxwell and Dr. Fabio Leite, and Co-Investigator Dr. Katsu Funai for their project titled Mitochondrial Fitness: Linking Cellular Energetics to Periodontal Disease Management. During the project period of June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027, the team will test whether receiving a structured science communication intervention promoting mitochondria-supportive behaviors amplifies biological and clinical recovery beyond standard care, using cell-free mitochondrial DNA as the shared biological outcome linking both study arms.
The School of Dentistry awarded $29,811 to Principal Investigator Dr. Liz Sloss and Co-Investigators Dr. Gus Nascimento and Dr. Guilherme Del Fiol for their project titled Validating a Self-Reported Periodontitis Screening Instrument and Developing Digital Health Educational Content for an Oral Health Chatbot in the UHealth System. During the project period of June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027, the team will validate the questionnaire in patients seen at University of Utah School of Dentistry dental clinics and develop evidence-based educational content, covering periodontitis risk factors, pathophysiology, and self-management strategies, for delivery through a digital chatbot.
Professional Recognition
Sandy Rutledge received the 2026 Silver Syringe Award for providing immunizations to youth within Juvenile Justice and Youth Services. Utah’s Silver Syringe awards, sponsored by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Immunization Program, recognize individuals as well as clinics who have taken extra efforts to increase immunization awareness, improve immunization rates, and provide services or activities to help promote immunizations in Utah. Sandy received the award at the Northern Immunization Coalition Conference in Ogden.
Featured at Vitae 2026: Stories Behind the Science, an event that celebrates research excellence across University of Utah Health, Dr. Djin Tay presented Why Should the Costs of Cancer Depend on Where you Live?
Media
In First Steps to Redemption – a University of Utah Shorthand Story – Elaine Jarvik highlighted a long‑standing partnership between the College of Nursing and the Utah Division of Juvenile Justice and Youth Services in which College of Nursing faculty and staff provide comprehensive physical and mental health care to incarcerated youth across the state. The story focuses on nursing care that emphasizes dignity, trauma‑informed practice, rehabilitation, and equitable access to health services. Elaine quoted or mentioned Breck Bartholomew, Dr. Danielle Bennett, Dr. Ally Cirenza, Dr. Jennifer Clifton, Dean Marla De Jong, Dr. Valois Feneziani, Makaeli Hopkin, Russell Murdock, Shannon Osburn, Dr. Tom Rowley, Sandy Rutledge, Elizabeth Shvora, and Daniel Wixom.
In partnership with the National Center to Reframe Aging and with College of Nursing Excellence in Education funding, Dr. Kara Dassel, Dr. Jackie Eaton, Dr. Katarina Friberg Felsted, Dr. Sara Hart, and Dr. Rebekah Perkins developed and implemented the Excellence Across the Lifespan Champions program. In the Gerontological Society of America’s Spring 2026 issue of the Age Inclusivity in Higher Education Newsletter, Dr. Perkins, Leslie Crandall, and Dr. Catherine Elmore shared their experience completing training with the National Center to Reframe Aging and applying what they learned to higher education.
In an article for the University of Utah’s Humans at the U series, Matilyn Mortensen featured Adonica Ihilani Kauwe Tuitama, who recently earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, specializing in adult gerontology primary care, and a PhD degree, allowing her to unite clinical practice with research and policy advocacy, particularly culturally focused diabetes research with Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander communities.
Community Events
Aaron Enz and Dr. Jennifer Macali participated in West Valley City’s SpringFest. Aaron promoted the college’s upcoming summer camp for junior high students. Dr. Macali taught residents and community partners about how to protect their lungs from wildfire smoke at home, including how to build a do-it-yourself home air filter.
Dr. Sandy Johnson and Dr. Michelle Litchman participated in the Division of Services of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Spring Festival 2026 in Taylorsville. They provided information and handed out educational materials to members of the deaf and hard of hearing community on ways to prevent and manage diabetes.
Presentations
Dr. Angie Fenton gave a podium presentation titled A Practical Guide for Frontline Nurses to Influence Policy at the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses' 45th National Conference in San Francisco.
Christopher Stucky, Felichism Kabo, Dean Marla De Jong, and Sherita House presented a poster titled Redefining Surgical Efficiency: How the Surgical Spatial Layout Impacts Global Surgical Times at the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses Global Surgical Conference and Expo in New Orleans.
Professional Service
Dr. Victoria Tiase was appointed to the American Academy of Nursing Policy Standing Committee on Learning Health Systems and will assume her role on June 1, 2026.
Publications
Christensen SS. Commentary: Contextualising workplace violence in outpatient nursing setting. J Res Nurs. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1177/17449871261438334
Dr. Angie Fenton led a team that revised and updated the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses’ Governmental Affairs Toolkit, released in March 2026.
Park S, Duerksen D, Tay DL, Rural Community Advisory Board, Ellington L. "The aspect of caregiving becomes incredibly complex": Lived experiences of rural cancer caregiving identified through community advisory board engagement. Support Care Cancer. 2026;34(5):476. DOI: 10.1007/s00520-026-10705-y