EMCON Alumni Newsletter April - May 2025 (Nurses Week)
Ellen Meeropol's journey to become an author
Happy Nurses Week, Alumni and Friends!
Thank you for all you do to encourage nursing students to join the profession and support their educational experiences here in the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing.
To celebrate Nurses Week, I am thrilled to share with you alumni profiles, faculty accolades, student achievement, and much more as together, we celebrate the incredible individuals in our UMass Nursing Community.
Alumni Author Ellen Meeropol '88MS
I am very appreciative nurse activist, researcher, inventor, and author Ellen Meeropol '88MS sat down with us for a wide-ranging conversation.
"When I entered college in 1964, I thought I'd be a writer or an artist, but was drawn instead into anti-war and feminist activism. I dropped out of college and took a job in the mountains of eastern Kentucky as the traveling art and recreation teacher for Knott County. Later, I returned to college, completed a fine arts degree, and moved to Springfield, Mass. where I worked in reproductive health, helping women access abortions before Roe v. Wade."
"I loved my expanded practice and appreciated how flexible the UMass Amherst nursing program had been in allowing me to focus my education to specialize in treating children with physical impairments... I'm grateful to UMass for the expanded practice and for the nursing research and professional writing skills that allowed me to participate in [nursing research of latex allergies in children with spina bifida]."
When asked what Nurses Week means to her, Ellen reflected: "Nurses week reminds me that we are bound to treat our patients and communities with integrity and inclusiveness, in line with scientific evidence, despite the damage being done to health and wellness in our current political climate."
Ellen's conversation is one you won't want to miss - read here.
Alumni Featured for Nurses Week
Read more about our nursing alumni and their stories that they graciously shared in honor of nurses week.
View Nurses Week Student Perspectives
Head over to Instagram for exclusive content for Nurses Week including student interviews at their clinical sites.
Congratulations!
Alumni Board Member Michael Bartolo '18ABSN and family recently welcomed son Gianluca Matteo Bartolo into his family. Mother and baby are doing well!
Cynthia Jacelon Honored with American Nurses Association MA Living Legends Award
Professor Emerita Cynthia Jacelon was awarded the prestigious ANA Massachusetts' 2025 "Living Legend in Massachusetts Nursing Award." The ANA Massachusetts Living Legend Award honors nurses who have achieved exceptional contributions to the nursing profession at state, national, or global levels. It recognizes individuals whose work has inspired others, demonstrated creativity, and pioneered innovative practices, paving the way for future generations of nurses. Jacelon has been on faculty since 1994, served as Interim Dean and stewarded us through the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has elevated research at our college to new heights. She isn't slowing down any time soon as she contributes vital research and leadership in the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation. Congratulations Dr. Jacelon for the remarkable impact you've made as a nurse.
Prolific Faculty Achievements
Faculty accolades are plentiful, and I am thrilled the hard work of our nurse educators is being recognized:
Lucinda Canty honored with the 2025 ANA Massachusetts Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award and received the Excellence in Nursing Leadership Award from the University of Connecticut.
Gabrielle Abelard '97, '01MS selected as a 2025 Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP), the only Massachusetts inductee among 51 honorees from 23 U.S. states and two other countries. She also is the 2025 recipient of a prestigious American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) Award for Excellence in Practice.
Karen Giuliano and Jeannine Blake '20MS, '22Ph.D. honored with American Nurses Association Innovation award for inventing a new intravenous (IV) pole designed to improve the safety and ease of administering IV medications at the hospital bedside.
Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar receives Chancellor's Medal, the highest recognition bestowed upon faculty at UMass Amherst, and received a 2024-2025 Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award from the Center for Teaching and Learning for demonstrating exemplary teaching at the highest level.
Lisa Wolf publishes breakthrough research on Medical-Legal Communication Among Emergency Nurses Post-Roe v. Wade.
Hyeyoung Park named a 2025-26 scholar of the Institute for Social Science Research.
Rae K. Walker honored with 2025 UMass ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentoring Award.
On the National Scale
EMCON undergraduates Alexis Blaine '26 and Chloe Hogan '26 share their experience at the annual AACN Student Policy Summit in the nation's capital.
Recognition in the local community
Sophomore Shaley Lora '26; Brittany Acloque '26ABSN; and Ph.D. candidate Hannah Durowaa Odei-Opoku swept the available scholarship awards for this cycle, a first for the Western Massachusetts Black Nurses Association, and were celebrated during a luncheon with Lucinda Canty as the keynote speaker.
Pictured left to right: Brittany Acloque '26ABSN, Josie Thomas '27, Lucinda Canty, Shaely Lora Brito '27, Hannah Odei-Opoku, '29Ph.D. Candidate.
Dental Health Awareness
Chloe Pelrine, Elleana Dennis and Corrina Williams along with many students took part in the Wellness Fair at the Campus Center Auditorium on April 3. Alumni Board members and clinical faculty Cheryl Sabola '85 and Nancy Thompson '73, '91MS stopped by to see their presentation. Corinna shares:
"Our presentation of Oral Health focused on the importance of oral hygiene, as well as how fluorination in the water is beneficial for communities. We shared with the guests how to properly brush your teeth and floss. We also discussed the benefits of string floss versus picks, and why you should be having biannual cleanings with your dentist. We explained the pathophysiology of dental caries and how they can be transmissible, along with the benefits and accessibility of fluoridated water in local communities. Lastly, we provided recommendations on how to supplement fluoride outside of water."
Very proud of the advocacy and education our students are doing to bring best health practices to the local community.
Honoring the memory of our deceased nurses
During Nurses Week, it is important to remember those who we have lost, and the immense contributions they made to the college, UMass, and nursing profession. Please find a listing of deceased alumni and friends of the college here. May we continue the work and progress that they blazed a path forward with, and may their light always shine bright.
ICYMI - Pictures from Nurses Appreciation Night at UMass Hockey
We appreciate our nurses year round. View pictures of Nurses Appreciation Night at UMass Hockey we hosted in February - courtesy of Ben Barnhart.
Save the Date: October 4, 2025 for UMass Homecoming
Please save the date for Homecoming!
In Closing
Nurses week is a special time to take a step back and appreciate all that we do on a daily basis. I am incredibly honored to highlight the many prolific nurses in our UMass nursing community. Next week, the class of 2025 will graduate, and I know that they are poised to make an immediate contribution. They will bring a high level of nursing skill and empathy to where their journey takes them.
Sincerely,
Allison Vorderstrasse
Professor and Dean
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing