Tribute Magazine

2017 issue

Leading the Charge for Change

Alumna Wren Deavers, D.N.P., APRN, CPNP-PC, used knowledge gained from her D.N.P. courses to improve the treatment of children with asthma in rural Texas.
Victoria M. Flores, M.S.N., RN, is a B.S.N. alumna working on her Ph.D. while employed in a non-traditional nursing role at a San Francisco biotech company. (Photo courtesy of Elisabeth Fall Photography)

The Road Less Travelled

Victoria M. Flores, who received her B.S.N. in 2013 from the School of Nursing, found her perfect match in a non-traditional nursing role with a biotech company in San Francisco.
Moonju Lee, Ph.D., RN, is conducting research to benefit Koreans Americans who have some of the highest incidences of colorectal cancer but also some of the lowest rates of colorectal cancer screening.

Breaking Barriers

Moonju Lee, Ph.D., M.SN., RN, has dedicated her research to understanding why Korean Americans have high incidences of colorectal cancer, but some of the lowest rates of cancer screening.
Barbara Aranda-Naranjo, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, has served in numerous nurse leader positions locally and nationally. Her diverse experience includes participating in a health mission trip to Oaxaca in Mexico.

Fulfilling Her Mother’s Prophecy

Barbara Aranda-Naranjo, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, grew up the child of a migrant worker, but her mother knew she was destined to be a nurse.
Retired Col. Patricia A. Patrician, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, now serves as the Donna Brown Banton Endowed Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing.

Surpassing a Childhood Goal

Alumna Patricia A. Patrician, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, always wanted to be a nurse. After 26 years in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, she continues today to fulfill her childhood dream.
Celeste Castillo, B.S.N., RN, was one of the first participants in the Nursing Internship Program at Methodist Healthcare System. After completing the internship during her final semester, Castillo began working as an RN in the Cardiac/Telemetry/Medical Surgical Unit at Methodist Specialty & Transplant Hospital in San Antonio.

A Perfect Partnership

Students, hospitals and patients are benefiting from a new internship between the School of Nursing and the Methodist Healthcare System.
Venetia Cantrell, D.N.P., a 2016 graduate of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, launched a three-month heart health program at a San Antonio church. The project measured the effectiveness of combining faith and health education to improve blood pressure.

Transforming Health Care Through Advanced Nursing Science

The School of Nursing offers two doctoral degrees that are preparing nurse leaders to champion systemic changes in health care.
Dale (from left) and Vicky Dittmar, M.S.N., RN, visit with Adelaide Emery, M.S.N., RN, who was the first scholarship recipient of the Dale and Victoria Dittmar Nursing Endowment. The couple created the endowment to honor their fathers.

Advancing Veterans’ Health Care

Assistant Professor Vicky Dittmar, M.S.N., Class of 2001, and husband Dale Dittmar chose to honor their fathers' military service by establishing the Dale and Victoria Dittmar Nursing Endowment.
Savitri Singh-Carlson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, joined the School of Nursing as vice dean for faculty affairs and diversity.

School of Nursing Hires Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs and Diversity

Savitri Singh-Carlson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, has joined the School of Nursing as vice dean for faculty affairs and diversity.
Henry “Hank” Bullock (from left), M.S.N. student; Amber Rogers, Accelerated B.S.N. student; Leticia Ybarra, Ph.D. student, and Bryan Ralloma, Traditional B.S.N. student, from the School of Nursing participated in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Student Policy Summit in March in Washington, D.C. They traveled to D.C. with Dean Eileen Breslin, who funded their travel through the Dr. Patty L. Hawken Nursing Endowed Professorship.

Nursing Students Participate in National Policy Summit

Four students from the School of Nursing participated in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Student Policy Summit in March in Washington, D.C.
Cristina Cruz, Bachelor of Science in Nursing student, works with faculty mentor Frank Puga, Ph.D., on a research project studying how social support affects the mental health of pregnant women with opioid use disorders.

SUNRISE: Mentoring Program Unveils New Career Path to Student

By participating in the SUNRISE program, Cristina Cruz was introduced to the world of research and nursing. This unique experience has led her to setting her sights on attaining her Ph.D. in nursing research.
B.S.N. student Aisha “Eesh” Silva and faculty mentor Lisa Cleveland, Ph.D., RN, are conducting research with the goal of reducing mortality rates of Latina women by understanding the relationship of early childhood trauma, depressive symptoms and opioid use.

SUNRISE: Student Conducting Research to Help Mothers, Babies

Acceptance into the nursing school's SUNRISE program is confirming Aisha "Eesh" Silva's decision to further her education by earning a graduate degree after she completes her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She wants to be a pediatric nurse and a nurse researcher in the community.
1 2 3