EMCON Alumni Newsletter April 2024

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Greetings from Amherst! I hope you are enjoying the start of the nicer weather coming your way.

Please note: the maroon bolded links in the text below contain more information. I encourage you to click on the links that are of interest to you.

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The Voice of a Nurse Resonates

Our alumni, students, and faculty embody a rich tapestry of experiences. Alumni board member Dr. Christine Schrauf '68BS '75MS has a dedicated history of nursing advocacy at the local, state, and national level. She serves as the Health Policy Committee Chair for the American Nurses Association Massachusetts and recently received the 2024 award for Loyal Service at the ANA Massachusetts Awards Gala on March 30. Her nominator wrote that "Dr. Schrauf has shown herself to be extremely kind and wise. Christine welcomes new members and helps them grow. She serves as a mentor to those who have little or no experience in policy work and enables them to follow their passions to help solve issues in their own nursing practice. where she develops, writes, and delivers important testimony".

Dr. Schrauf is an incredible ambassador for the nursing profession. As she works to improve the lives of nurses and healthcare in our country, she is dedicated to empowering the next generation of nurses with this knowledge. She is an adjunct professor at Elms College and has educated thousands of students on health policy. At our 2022 PhD Symposium titled "From Gaslight to Growth: Moving Past Resilience to Support Nurses as they Heal", Dr. Schrauf shared with our students practical and time-effective ways they can influence health policy. She recommended each nurse join a professional organization so they can be aware of when important issues are being discussed, and voice their support for passage of healthcare legislation via verbal and written testimony. I am thrilled Christine received this well-deserved award—congratulations!

Power of the Pen

Ameneh Arzheh '28PhD and Shaely Lora-Brito '27BS demonstrated their writing prowess by sweeping the 2024 essay contest for the American Association of the History of Nursing in the respective undergraduate and graduate categories. They responded to the prompt: "Why is understanding nursing history important to the future of nursing?" Shaely noted: "Understanding the history of nursing is like unfolding the pages of a diary that holds the secrets to the soul of healthcare". Special thanks to Chelsie Field, our college's Marketing and Communications specialist, who encapsulated captivating portions of their essays that are a must-read. Ameneh and Shaely will each receive $500 and will read their essays during a Nursing Archives Associates meeting this spring. Very proud of their work!

Community Shout-Outs

Laurie Benoit '94BS wrote that she is working as a Nurse Practitioner at the Hampden County Sheriff's Department. After graduating from our program in Amherst she went on to receive a Master's Degree in Nursing from UMass Worcester, and recently received the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner credential (AGPCNP-BC). Congratulations Laurie!

Two-time EMCoN alumna and associate clinical professor, Dr. Raeann LeBlanc '12DNP, '18PhD, received the honor of being named a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice in Nursing. This award honors individuals who have made significant, enduring contributions to health care practice, research, education, and public policy. Raeann's commitment to social justice in nursing, palliative care, and empowering nurses to share their stories sets a tremendous example for our student nurses to chart their own unique path in nursing.

The work of our community members is reaching far beyond the walls of Skinner Hall. Associate Professor Dr. Lucinda Canty will be featured in the upcoming documentary "Everybody's Work: Healing What Hurts Us All", premiering May 10, 2024 in Washington, D.C. The documentary is put together by SHIFT, a community of nurses on a mission to shape a better future for the nursing profession. View more about the film here, including a preview.

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Upcoming Events

One event upcoming I've shared the past few letters that I'd like to highlight is a Zoom event titled "Who's Taking care of YOU? A Mental Health Discussion for Health Care Workers". Taking place tonight, April 22 from 6-8 p.m. virtually, a panel including three of our faculty members, Dr. Gabrielle Abelard '97, '01MS who is the CEO of Abelard Psychotherapy and master's department chair which includes the psychiatric mental health specialty, Dr. Maud Low '21PhD, and Dr. Julia Ronconi , will discuss bringing mental health awareness into the light and share pertinent resources. Presented by Beta Zeta at Large Chapter Novice Nurse Leaders. There is cost to participate, please feel welcome to register here.

Our master's programs are recognized for excellence, ranking #5 overall in the top online MS programs according to the Online Schools Guide. I share this because on Thursday, April 25, we are offering a virtual open house at 5:30 p.m. for our Online Post-Masters in Psychiatric Mental Health Certificate Program, and at 6:30 p.m. for all of our Masters Programs, encompassing our Online Master of Science Clinical Nurse Leader Concentration, Online Master of Science Nursing Education Concentration, and Online Master of Science Public Health Nursing Concentration. All are welcome and encouraged to attend, no pre-registration required.

UMassGives is right around the corner, taking place Wednesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 25. We are raising funds for nursing study abroad, so our students can have the funds they need to embark on a transformational educational and life experience. Please be on the lookout for more details. Please save to your calendar the Power Hour Thursday, April 25 from 2-3 pm, when the impact of your donation will be maximized to help us compete for free dollars from the university based on participation. To hopefully encourage as many donations as possible, I'll be personally matching the first $1,000 raised during the Power Hour. Go Nursing and Go UMass!

Eastern Nursing Research Society Meet-and-Greet Pictures

Thank you to everyone who came out to the EMCoN meet-and-greet at the Boston Eastern Nursing Research Society Conference on April 4! While the weather was less than ideal, we felt the warmth from our community and it was a pleasure to meet many of our Boston based alumni and community members. Enjoy viewing pictures from the event and conference here.

With lots to look forward to, including commencement and congratulating the class of 2024, I hope this springtime is a time of renewal and positivity in your life.

Sincerely,

Allison Vorderstrasse
Professor and Dean
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing