Alumni Council for the School of Nursing
Dear fellow graduates,
I am truly honored by the opportunity to serve as the chair of the School of Nursing Alumni Council. It is my pleasure, along with the Alumni Council members, to represent you— the more than 12,000 strong nursing alumni of UT Health San Antonio.
The School of Nursing Alumni Council’s purpose is to support the mission and goals of the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, to represent the voice of nursing alumni, and to serve as an advisory council to develop alumni initiatives at the school, department and program level.
Being a member of the UT Health family comes with a sense of pride for our beloved alma mater. Your Alumni Council is actively supporting the School of Nursing. It is our goal to develop exciting opportunities for you to get involved in. I would like to challenge you to think of ways you can give back to UT Health—through event attendance, student involvement and philanthropy.
To share your successes, to learn how to get involved, and to be informed of future events, please reach out to our Alumni Engagement Team at alumni@uthscsa.edu.
Thank you in advance for your support as we build tighter connections and greater engagement.
Respectfully,
Tricia Garcia-Choudary, MPH, BSN Class of 2014, RN
Alumni Council Chair
MEET THE MEMBERS
 | Lorraine R. Barton, DNP Class of 2018, MSN Class of 2003, RN, is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner with Aguirre Pediatrics. She is actively involved in training future nurse practitioners and doctoral students at her clinic. In addition, Dr. Barton serves as the education chair for the South Texas Alamo Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and as a member of the Leadership Succession Committee for the Delta Alpha Chapter at Large of Sigma, the nursing honor society. |
 | Toni Brent, DNP, MSN Class of 2011, APRN, PMHNP-BC, has been practicing nursing for over 30 years and has been a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner since graduating from the School of Nursing master’s program. She has extensive experience in case management and managed care, transplants, and psychiatric nursing. Dr. Brent is a member of The American Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International, Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurses of Texas, Alamo Area Psychiatric Nurses, and the United Way Emerging Leaders Council. |
 | Nicolette Camarano, BSN Class of 2018, RN, completed the Accelerated BSN program and served as class president and in other leadership roles throughout UT Health. She was afforded the opportunity to attend with Dr. Eileen Breslin the AACN Nursing Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., where she experienced the importance of advocating for nursing and health care policy. Upon graduating, she started her nursing career at MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Children’s Cancer Hospital. Through that experience, she fell in love with the pediatric oncology population, and now has furthered her career at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, working in pediatric bone marrow transplant. |
 | Christian Doll, BSN Class of 2011, RN, is a 2011 graduate of UT Health San Antonio where he served as class president and established the Men in Nursing student organization. Prior to his time at UT Health, Doll obtained a Bachelor of Science and Master of Healthcare Administration at Texas A&M University. He has worked in pediatrics, predominately oncology and bone marrow transplant, in San Antonio, Fort Worth, Dallas, and currently San Francisco. |
 | Tricia Garcia-Choudary, MPH, BSN Class of 2014, RN, currently serves as a research nurse for the Clinical Research Support Department at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research at San Antonio Military Medical Center. Her research focuses on combat casualty care, trauma, whole blood transfusion, and burn care. Garcia-Choudary’s previous work experience includes: rehabilitation nurse at Methodist Texsan Hospital; diabetes prevention education specialist for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Fogarty Fellow in Global Health Research at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima Peru; and family and community coordinator at the Social and Health Research Center. |
 | James P. Halloran, Jr., MSN Class of 1989, BSN Class of 1984, RN, CNS, FAAN, focused his nursing career on strategies to advocate, educate and empower patients, families, communities and colleagues. An advanced practice psychiatric/mental health clinical nurse specialist, he has practiced in oncology, critical care and public health with roles in clinical care, administration, research and education. He has held staff, management and leadership positions in public, private, civilian, military and academic settings, in traditional and alternative care delivery systems and retired from a successful career as a national senior nurse leader with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. |
 | Shanae Rhodes, BSN Class of 2016, RN, began her career as an adult medical-surgical nurse at Methodist Hospital Northeast. Rhodes has since expanded her nursing experience to include teaching assistant for the Dedicated Education Unit, Pre-operative/Phase II Recovery nurse, and as a graduate research assistant. Committed to promoting health equity, she returned to UT Health to pursue her PhD in Nursing Science. Her research goals include collaborating with community members and various sectors to contribute toward research that will influence policy in order to affect change for equitable health care. |
 | Lt. Col. Steve Soliz, MBA, BSN Class of 1992, RN, developed a passionate interest in community and rural health through the accelerated Flex Program and has cultivated over 25 years of experience in military and civilian management positions. He retired in 2020 after serving in the Air Force Reserves for 33 years and acting as the commander and flight nurse of the aeromedical evacuation squadron. With a background in critical care, emergency room, and as a flight nurse, he is an advocate for the development and accessibility of care for those in most need in the community. His current focus is at University Health. |
 | Laura F. Valdes, MSN, BSN Class of 2000, Post-Graduate Nurse Practitioner Certificate Class of 2016, RN, has been a registered nurse for 19 years and a pediatric nurse practitioner for four years. She currently works as a nurse educator and pediatric nurse practitioner for University Health and serves as communications chair for the local chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. |
 | Amir A. Zakaria, BSN Class of 2018, RN, is staff nurse II in the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care unit at University Hospital. He was elected as a co-chair of the Nurse Ethics Council at University Hospital. Since starting there, he has received a Silver Award and eight DAISY awards, which recognize nurses who give exceptional patient care. Zakaria also serves as co-chair of Corazon Clinic, a volunteer medical clinic providing primary care to the homeless and uninsured. |
