Alumni Newsletter September 2025

By Dean Allison Vorderstrasse

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Welcome to the fall semester! We've got an action-packed newsletter for you, so let's get right into it.

Homecoming:

Have you registered yet for Homecoming? We've got two exciting nursing events taking place on Saturday, October 4:

Morning Bites and Nursing Tour, where you'll enjoy light nosh in a relaxed setting before touring Skinner Hall by those who know it best - our student ambassadors. 10 - 11:45 a.m.

Nursing Alumni and Community Meet-and-Greet, where you'll enjoy complimentary food stations and beverages, hear a TED-style talk from Ann Becker '17DNP and Michael Bartolo '18ABSN, and salute our reunion years. 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Register here by Wednesday, October 1.

Any questions - contact umassamhersthomecoming [at] uma-foundation [dot] org (subject: ) (umassamhersthomecoming[at]uma-foundation[dot]org). 

A Nurse's Perspective:

Watch: Patricia Triggs, a nurse since 1961, had the rare experience of not only working alongside Elaine Marieb, but teaching her as well. You'll want to watch this exclusive interview where she gives an inside view on what made Dr. Marieb so special.

Read: Assistant Professor Linda Koh '22PhD named BusinessWest Healthcare Hero. She shares more about her journey and why she is passionate about educating others about healthy eating.

Nurse Advocacy:

Attend: Health Policy Advocacy in Today's Climate: Expert Experiences & Guidance.

Alumni Board member Chris Schrauf '68, '75MS is joining me on Friday, October 3 at noon in the Life Sciences Building for a panel discussion on best ways to actively seek support at the state and national level for public health research and initiatives at this critical juncture in our country. 

Attend: Massachusetts Healthcare Summit

This year’s summit on November 12 will focus heavily on the changing federal health policy landscape. Faced with deep spending cuts on health and academic research, we will explore how long-term care, hospitals, and university healthcare research is being affected.

There will be a tour of Skinner Hall afterwards at 2 p.m. specifically for alumni.

EMCNEI Corner:

Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation receives $3M from the National Science Foundation to fund SHINE - a first-of-its-kind nursing and engineering graduate training program in partnership with Baystate Health. 
 

Engineering and Journalist alumna Gina Georgadarellis ’16, ’21MS works alongside UMass Nurses on the Robotic Technology in Nursing project. 

Community:

Jen (Haley) Hotchkiss '14 welcomed her second child, Lillian, who was born on August 13. Mother and daughter are doing well!

We send our deepest condolences to the families of emerita faculty Micheline Asselin '74, emerita faculty Leda McKenry, and Dylan Ratner '25ABSN on their passing.

Remembrances:

Alumni Linda Olbris '74 and Barbara Blakeney '76 share their recollections about their friend and colleague, Micheline:

Linda Olbris: I met Micheline when we were classmates at UMass class of 1974 and remained friends over the years. She was always full of life, enjoyed a good laugh and was a trusted peer mentor with great advice and insight. Her background was community health nursing and it showed in her activities over the years. She was instrumental in starting the Brightwood-Riverview Health Center in the North End of Springfield. She developed and opened Connecticut hospice in Branford, CT with Dr. Bernie Sanders - a very early institution in the US, modeled on Dr. Cicely Sanders' work in the United Kingdom. How fitting that at the end of her life, she was the recipient of hospice care in the last two months of her life.

She worked at the NIH, co-authored a book with (former UMass dean) Melanie Dreher, and brought her vast experience and wisdom to her students at UMass and AIC. She was co-president of the Baystate Nurses Alumnae, and recorded oral history testimony in 2013. She possessed a beautiful singing voice and sang at friends' weddings.

Barbara Blakeney: I remember Mich very well. I first met her as a brand new grad and VISTA volunteer in Franklin County, Massachusetts. We hit it off very quickly. She was funny and loved to get together and have some fun, and she was also serious and deeply committed to nursing and care of elders living at home. Mich, Margaret Craig and I formed a bit of a united front for nursing in the county.

In conclusion:

We are reminded that our community has contributed so much to our communities and the nursing profession and to appreciate every day in our work and life. With Homecoming right around the corner, it is a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow nurses and friends of the college. I hope you can make it - you can view a full listing of events and register here.

Best wishes,

Allison Vorderstrasse
Professor and Dean
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing