Noteworthy

Professor Shirlee M. Drayton-Brooks has been named a Distinguished University Professor. The honor recognizes faculty of distinction and demonstrates to the broader community that Widener is committed to recognizing excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service throughout a faculty member’s career. Distinguished professors serve for three years.

Drayton-Brooks is a nationally recognized leader in nursing education, especially in the preparation of Doctor of Nursing (DNP) Practice students. She initiated this program at Widener and continues to lead it. Drayton-Brooks is a role model for undergraduate and graduate nursing students and has facilitated the scholarly development of multiple students, advising translational research projects and chairing dissertations. Her national reputation is signified by her position as a Past President of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. She is also a Fellow of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners. She has made tremendous contributions to nursing education through her role on the National Advisory Council on Nursing Education and Practice and as director of both the DNP and Family Nurse Practitioner programs at Widener. Drayton-Brooks demonstrates a record of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. 

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The Widener University Student Nurses' Association (WUSNA) was awarded the Chapter Excellence Award from the Student Nurses' Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) during the organization's annual convention. The Chapter Excellence Award is SNAP's most prestigious award that recognizes a nursing program for its achievements and contributions to the field. Led by undergraduate nursing students, WUSNA provides opportunities for students to become intellectually engaged in events with their local school chapter, their community, and at the state level.

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Politics and COVID-19 have shaken the United States to its core and have sparked national debates over race relations, police brutality, as well as the right to bear arms in any situation. Wayne Riddle, a nursing science doctoral student and adjunct professor, published an article calling for action and advocacy from nurses and other medical professionals to end the gun violence epidemic. In his article published in the May issue of Nursing Forum, Wayne describes how those who work within the healthcare field  and care for patients suffering from either COVID-19 or gun violence must raise awareness and advocate for legislation to increase the public’s safety and well-being.

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Kristin Davies, a nursing science doctoral student, was selected for a special grant funding from the Foundation of the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. The $1,000 grant will fund her research proposal on Incorporation of Social Determinants of Health in Associate Degree Nursing Programs. Davies is expected to receive the award at the OADN 2021 Town Hall and Awards in November.

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Nursing Professor Barbara Patterson, director of the nursing science PhD program, and Alumna Brenda Elliott (center and right) were among the recipients of the 2021 International Awards for Nursing Excellence from the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma). Patterson and Elliott, along with Katie Chargualaf, received the Capstone International Nursing Book Award for their co-authored book Veteran-centered Care in Education and Practice: An Essential Guide for Nursing Faculty. The award recognizes Patterson and Elliott's collaborative research to provide nurse educators with the resources to understand the veteran experience and their  transferable skills that can contribute to the classroom, the clinical setting and within higher education. Sigma’s International Awards for Nursing Excellence are based on the society’s dedication to fostering high professional nursing standards, recognizing superior achievement, developing leadership, and encouraging creative work.

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Sagine Bien-Aime, a nursing doctoral student, is a recipient of the National League for Nursing (NLN) Nursing Education Research Grants program. Bien-Aime received $5,000 as part of the NLN/Sigma Foundation for Nursing Diane Billings Research Award to support her research titled "The Effect of Same Gender and Same Race Coaching Intervention of the Resilience of Black Baccalaureate Nursing Students."

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The School of Nursing was awarded approximately $180,000 by the Health Resources and Services Administration to participate in the Nurse Faculty Loan Program for the third consecutive year. The federally funded program contributes to increasing the number of qualified nurse educators in higher education by offering loan assistance for students who enroll in Widener’s graduate nursing education degree programs for the purposes of starting careers as nurse faculty. This initiative was developed as a response to provide financial incentives for nursing students to continue on to an advanced nursing degree program and graduate into the role of a nurse faculty.

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The Widener Community Nursing Clinic earned a Gold Rating from the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics Quality Standards Program for its delivery of high-quality care to underinsured and uninsured members of the community. 
 
This is the second year that the clinic has received this national recognition for its continued delivery of reliable, pro bono health care to maintain both individual and community health.
 
Widener congratulates Ellen Boyda, clinic director, and the nursing student and alumni volunteers who contributed to this well-deserved achievement. 

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Sagine Bien-Aime, a student in the doctor of nursing science program, was named the recipient of the PhD Scholarship by the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania (NAP). Since 1991, the NAP, a statewide, non-profit organization, focused on recognizing exemplary nursing practice, and granting scholarships to students pursuing degrees in nursing at all levels, has been awarded scholarships to nurses across the state to recruit and retain nursing professionals. Bien-Aime will be honored with the award at the 32nd annual Awards Gala in October 2021. 

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Stephanie Jeffers, associate professor of nursing, was recognized in the 2021 Region’s Talented Top Nurses list by Main Line Today in the category of education. Jeffers, who serves as director the pre-licensure undergraduate programs, was nominated by her peers through an online ballot ahead of a thorough editorial vetting and confirmation process. 

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The Widener University Faculty Scholarship, an endowment funded primarily by faculty donations, recognizes the outstanding academic achievements of undergraduate students in and outside the classroom. Nominees are selected from each school and college in their junior year and are awarded funds to assist with their tuition in their senior year. 

The 2021-2022 awardees are:

Hannah Berard, Alana Fitchett (College of Health and Human Services)

Erin Coffey, Madeline Dutterer, Samantha Mendelson (College of Arts and Sciences)

Angelina Franceschini, Camryn Samuel, Kathleen Sorah (School of Nursing)
 
Nicholas Lubeck, Michael Oravic (School of Engineering)
 
Sarah McFarland, Danielle Mininno (School of Business Administration)

Those who are interested in supporting the Faculty Scholarship, can go to https://give.widener.edu/give/make-gift and indicate 'Faculty Scholarship' for gift designation. 

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Kim Noble, associate professor of nursing, published research in the March 2021 issue of the journal JBI Evidence Implementation. Her findings demonstrated a reduction in both postoperative pain and patient length of stay within a postoperative day surgery podiatric patient population through the use of podiatric enhanced recovery after surgery protocol, also known as PEP.

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Nursing faculty DeLisa Cofer, assistant dean, Jawanza Bundy, assistant professor, and nursing alumna Erika Nicholls '19 published an article in American Nurse, the official journal of the American Nurses Association. Titled "Black Americans in Nursing Education," the article discusses the racial disparities among nursing students and faculty and ways to promote diversity within the field including efforts to recruit and support Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in faculty and student roles. 

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Catherine Kim-Safran, assistant professor of biology, and undergraduate nursing students Makayla Chatman and Alexandria Reid co-authored an article that ran in the January 2021 issue of Imprint, the official membership magazine of the National Student Nurses’ Association. Reflecting on their experiences leading and serving as peer-learning assistants for anatomy and physiology labs that transferred fully online during the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors reported on the impact of peer mentoring on student success and best online teaching practices.

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Barbara Patterson, professor and director of the nursing doctoral program, published "Veteran-centered Care in Education and Practice," a resource for nurse educators on how to incorporate caring for the military and veteran population into the curriculum and student clinical experiences. Patterson co-authored the book with nursing alumna and former military nurse Brenda Elliott as well as Katie A. Chargualaf, assistant professor of nursing at University of South Carolina Aiken.

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Anne Krouse, dean of the School of Nursing, was re-elected as treasurer to the National League for Nursing's (NLN) Board of Governors. This is Krouses' second term serving as treasurer for the organization. The NLN is one of the leading nursing organizations guided by a mission to promote nurse excellence in nursing education.

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Loraine Hopkins Pepe, a graduate of the nurse science doctoral program, was named a Fellow in The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the oldest medical institution of its kind in the United States, for her scholarship in quality and safety education in nursing. Hopkins Pepe currently works as network director for Nursing Education and Professional Development at Einstein Healthcare Network.

Darrell Spurlock, Jr., professor and director of the Leadership Center for Nursing Education Research, published an article in the Journal of Nursing Education. The article outlined the looming challenges caused by COVID-19 in how nurse researchers, who rely significantly on physical interaction to reach findings, continue to generate knowledge in the midst of temporary yet extended circumstances of social distancing.

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Professor Barbara Patterson has been named editor of the National League for Nursing’s peer-reviewed journal Nursing Education Perspectives. This accomplishment comes after years of experience with the publication in various capacities, including most recently as editor of the Research Briefs section. As editor, Dr. Patterson will lead the journal toward its mission of advancing nursing education through meaningful scholarship that informs the next generation of nursing professionals, educators, and leaders.

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Paula Gray, professor and director of the Family (Individual Across the Lifespan) CRNP program, has been named to the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s (PDOH) Safe and Effective Prescribing Practices Task Force. Dr. Gray will serve on the task force as the representative of the Pennsylvania State Nurses’ Association (PSNA). Convened by Gov. Tom Wolf, the task force was created to combat the opioid epidemic affecting the Commonwealth by developing and adopting guidelines for health care providers on the safe and effective use of opioids in the treatment of pain. 

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