EMCON Alumni Newsletter January 2024

Dear Alumni,

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season with those special to you. In case you didn't have a chance to see my holiday greetings and thoughts for the new year, you can view the video here. Students return to campus next week and we are thrilled to be welcoming them back for the spring semester.

A few quick viewing notes: if reading this on a mobile device and the font is very small, try rotating your phone and the font should increase. Also, please have your image settings enabled to view the pictures in the email.

Congratulations, Accelerated B.S. Class of 2024
We recently congratulated our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) Class of 2024 on their graduation during the Senior Recognition and Pinning Ceremony. These are college graduates who already had a degree, yet wanted to make a career change and become a nurse. It's an intensive program of 16 months of non-stop learning to earn a B.S. in nursing - making this a big milestone to celebrate. I am thrilled these dedicated students had a chance to revel in the moment and see all of their hard work come to fruition. We wish them all the best as they start their nursing careers, and are here to support them as part of our alumni community.

Passing of a Nursing Student
It is with great sadness that I inform you one of our students from the Accelerated program in the class of 2025, Simon Rackzelle, passed away on November 10, 2023. Simon graduated from UMass in 2015 with a BS in Psychological & Brain Sciences. He had a passion for music, playing in a band Bigfoot Revival with friends in high school. He was an avid animal lover, and took loving care of family cats and dogs Striper, Hunter, Clementine, Lena and Gus. He made it a point to brighten others' day and undoubtedly would have been a fantastic nurse. Simon's obituary can be viewed here. Our college mourns his passing and I extend my deepest sympathies to his family, friends, classmates, and all who had the privilege of knowing Simon. We are working on details of a fitting way to remember Simon in the college of nursing and will keep you informed.

Partnership with American International College
The students in the ABSN class of 2024 were the last cohort to study in the UMass Amherst Springfield center, as we didn't want to disrupt their existing studies when the program was moved to Amherst. This move took place so ABSN students could be more integrated with the campus community, based on feedback from cohorts over the past few years.

Sometimes timing is everything! We have been able to lend a hand to our friends at American International College, who are using the Springfield Center simulation lab space while their own simulation lab is rebuilt after a fire they suffered in July 2023. We have been partnering with them since this happened, and are happy to continue to have them utilize the space to ensure that their students can complete their programs and move into the healthcare workforce.

Chancellor Javier Reyes noted: "This is about neighbor helping neighbor in a time of need — and meeting the workforce needs of our region, especially in an area as critical to the commonwealth as nursing."

News from the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation
I’m really excited to share with you a few updates from the EMCNEI (Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation). Research focus areas for the Center Core summer interns in 2024 will include: the development of product prototypes, blood pressure management, and Black maternal health, working alongside Center-funded researchers. And as part of the Center mission to connect nurses and engineers throughout the product research and design process, a Mechanical and Industrial Engineering capstone design team connected with local nurse Brodi Willard, RN of Baystate Health in Springfield, MA to design a chest tube holder product prototype. 

Faces and Friends
I was delighted to read recent research co-authored by Dean Stephen J. Cavanagh, on the topic of Attracting, Admitting, Supporting, and Graduating a Diverse Nursing Student Body. Dean Cavanagh served as the Dean at our College from 2011-2019 and is currently the Dignity Health Dean's Chair for Nursing Leadership as well as dean and professor at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at University of California Davis. 

Marie Rohan '74MS recently participated in a charity walk for Neighbors Helping Neighbors, to benefit a local food pantry in South Hadley, MA. Marie is a member of our Alumni Board and is very active in the community. She wore a snazzy new sweatshirt she bought from the Student Nurses Association's Holiday Clothing Drive in December.

Terrie Black '15DNP, Clinical Associate Professor, recently was recognized by the American Heart Association with an Outstanding Leadership Award for her work with the Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing (CVSN) Council. Terrie is very involved with multiple professional groups and instills in our students the importance of being active in professional communities.

Happening Today
Interested in learning more about linguistically appropriate approaches to healthcare? Join the EMCoN Diversity and Social Justice committee virtually on February 26th at 2 pm EST where Christiano Mazzei will share insights in the session ‘Working with spoken language interpreters’. Christiano is the Senior Lecturer and Director of Online Translator and Interpreter Training at UMass. No cost to participate. Register here.

Include your news
If you recently moved, have a life event to share, or just want to let us know what you are up to, please use this form to send us your update.

I look forward to writing again in February with more news and updates to share with you. In the meantime, stay warm and thank you for your interest in the latest happenings at our College!

Sincerely,

Allison Vorderstrasse
Professor and Dean
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing