Class Notes – Spring 2011
40s
Eunice Moe Brock, BSN ‘41, is honorary president of the Liaocheng International Peace Hospital in China. She is writing a book “Search for a World View” that will harmonize the scientific concepts of the physical and spiritual realms, and hopes to have it translated into Chinese in 2011.
Bess Winchester Isaacs, BSN ‘47B, lives in Clayton, N.M., and works at the R.W. Isaacs Hardware Store, where she is a buyer and is enjoying life.
Clo Ferguson McGill, BSN ‘47, and her husband, Henry McGill, (VU MD ‘46), celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Sept. 12, 2010. The couple commemorated this event by having a totem pole made which includes a scene of the Godchaux Halls doors. This was a special spot for the couple because it is where Clo said goodnight to her husband for 18 months while the couple was dating in college, and the doors represent the doors that opened her nursing career.
50s
Kathleen Gainor Andreoli, MSN ‘59, DSN, RN, FAAN, had a wonderful professional life with leadership positions at Duke University, University of Alabama in Birmingham, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She retired from Rush in 2005. She was honored in 2009 with the GE Healthcare-American Association of Critical Care Nursing Pioneering Spirit Award for significant career and contributions, and in 2010 with the Visionary Leadership Award from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing. She was also named the John L. and Helen Kellogg Dean for the College of Nursing, Emeritus, Rush University Medical Center.
60s
Anna Gail Ragsdale Gentile, BSN ‘47B, and Nancy Ragsdale Gilien, BSN ‘47B, celebrated their 85th birthdays on Jan. 4. The twin sisters stay busy and active with volunteer work.
Jo Ann Bennett Thompson, BSN ‘63, is in her 13th year at Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring, Md., where she shares her 35 years of professional experience in childbirth education with young families. She and husband, Barry, recently welcomed their fifth grandchild who was their first granddaughter, and a day later, became first-time great-grandparents.
Louise Kaufman Sklar, BSN ‘64, wants classmates to know that she is having a wonderful life and has been pleased at what she has done as a nurse. In her words, she has done “nothing monumental, just a job well done.”
Tippy Valin Carmody, BSN ‘68, has worked for the last 14 years as an emergency room nurse, clinical manager and most recently, a clinical manager at the Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital in Houston. She believes that earning a BSN from Vanderbilt made a big difference in her life and that Vanderbilt gave her vision.
Charlotte Covington, BSN ‘69, MSN ‘89, has moved from academics to practice at the School of Nursing. An associate professor in the VUSN Family Nurse Practitioner program for 17 years, she is now practicing full time at the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Family Health Centers, through a contract with the School of Nursing.
70s
Beth Colvin Huff, BSN ‘74, MSN ‘79, retired from her position as assistant professor in the VUSN Ob/Gyn Department in 2010, where she had a clinical practice as a colposcopist and coordinated the Colposcopy Clinic. She is faculty for the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology. She spoke at the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health conference in Palm Desert, Calif., in October 2010 and will soon have a chapter on HPV and cervical cancer prevention published in “Comprehensive Women’s Health Care.” With her extra time, she rides and competes in dressage with her horse, Lord London.
Susan B. Dickey, NR ‘75, has been teaching neonatal and pediatric nursing, bio-ethics and health policy for many years at Temple University in Philadelphia. She served on the American Nurses’ Association’s Advisory Committee on Ethics and Human Rights for two terms, where she worked on the End of Life subcommittee. The committee’s position statement became policy on June 14, 2010, and can be viewed at www.nursingworld.org.
Kathy G. Heard, BSN ‘75, is happily retired after serving for 30 years at the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center (VAMC) in Nashville. She and her husband, who retired from the VAMC at the same time, enjoy spending time with their grandchildren, at church and on their farm.
Catherine Cohill Turner Carter, BSN ‘77, MSN, retired from active duty in the Navy Nurse Corps as a Commander in 2005. She lives in the seaside town of Mukilteo, Wash., and currently works for Valor Health Care, a company that contracts with Veteran’s Administration Medical Centers for “Caring for Veterans in Community Based Outpatient Clinics.” Her only son is a freshman at Washington State University.
Donna McArthur, MSN ‘77, PhD, program director for VUSN’s DNP program, was honored as Distinguished Practitioner in the National Academies of Practice in Nursing.
Alice Howze Martin, BSN ‘78, JD ‘81, recently joined Regional Care Hospital Partners, Inc., in Brentwood, Tenn., as vice president of Ethics and Compliance. She focuses on health care law and is pursuing certification in Healthcare Compliance. Previously, she served as a U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 2001-2009. She and her husband have two college-age daughters who attend Furman University and Sewanee-University of the South, and, a third daughter, who is a senior at Indian Springs School. They live in Florence, Ala.
80s
Maggie Conner Wender, BSN ‘81, has spent her nursing career in various positions at Woman’s Hospital in Jackson, Miss., except for a two-year stint working for her pediatrician father. She currently co-staffs the newborn clinic. She is married to David, a neonatologist, and has a blended family of five children and soon-to-be seven grandchildren.
Jean Griffin Bisio, BSN ‘82, is president of Humana’s Complex and Chronic Care Management division. She was recognized by Business Insurance magazine as one of the top 25 women in the world in risk management and related services to watch in 2010.
Melissa Terry Flynn, BSN ‘82, is the senior certified nurse-midwife for The Midwives of Ob/Gyn Associates of Columbus at Trinity Center for Women. Trinity Center is a new community outreach service under the direction of St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, Ga. Melissa earned her MSN from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and has been a practicing CNM since 1991. She and two nurse-midwife colleagues see 600 patients each month and attend about 40 births per month.
Leigh Ann Mattingly Gamble, BSN ‘82, is director of Home Services, Deaconess Health System, including hospice, home care and home medical equipment. She was recently board certified as a nurse executive. She is married to Phil, director of Laboratory Services at the same firm, and has twin boys, Ben and Max, 17, and daughter, Rachel, 14.
Deborah Schafer Wilson, BSN ‘82, MSN/Ed, lives in Salisbury, Md. She is assistant professor of Nursing at Wor-Wic Community College, where she has served as an adjunct professor since 2006. She previously worked as the perinatal education coordinator at Peninsula Regional Medical Center. She and her husband, Darrell, have two children.
Joanie Jeannette, BSN ‘83, MSN ‘04, has been named as the Interim CEO at Lehigh Regional Medical Center, Lehigh Acres, Fla. Her career began as a registered nurse at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville. She has held several leadership positions including director at Women’s and Children’s Services and chief nursing officer at an HMA facility in Statesboro, Ga. – where she was named the health system’s CNO of the Year. She served as chief operating officer at a facility in Naples and chief operating officer at Peace River Regional Medical Center. She, her husband and son live in Venice, Fla., and love triathlons and running.
Kristin Kane Ownby, BSN ‘83, PhD, and her husband welcomed their second child, Katherine Kane, born April 28, 2010.
Kathleen Wolff, MSN ‘83, along with co-writers, Anne Wright Brown, BSN ‘74, MSN ‘83, and Alan Graber, MD, had two book-signing events in January at Vanderbilt’s University Club and Bradley Drugs in Nashville, to promote their book, “A Life of Control: Stories of Living with Diabetes.”
Elizabeth Burgess-Dowdell, PhD, RN, CRNP, BSN ‘84, is associate professor at Villanova University College of Nursing. In fall 2010, she was awarded a grant of nearly $314,000 by the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention for the study “Self Exploitation and Electronic Aggression: High Risk Internet Behaviors in Adolescents.” She is an expert in forensic pediatric nursing and on the editorial review panel of the Journal of Forensic Nursing.
Nancey E.M. France, MSN ‘84, has been named dean of Mountain State University School of Nursing in Beckley, W. Va.
Kelly McCampbell Gentry, BSN ‘84, has developed the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research, www.ocascr.org. She lives in Oklahoma City with her husband and two children.
Debbie Dunn Gregory, BSN ‘84, and Laura Logsdon Hayes, BSN, ‘84, launched The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design, a not-for-profit national nursing association to help improve the design and function of medical devices, work processes and the work environment through education and collaboration. Debbie works at Smith Seckman Reid Engineering firm as a senior clinical consultant. Laura works at InfoWorks as a clinical information technology consultant. www.nursingihd.com
Elizabeth Nelson Shayani, BSN ‘84, MHA, received her master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from George Washington University in 1989. She lives outside Chicago and is a nurse manager for Dupage Medical Group, where she helps patients with chronic disease stay on track.
Kim Parham, BSN ‘85, was named a Nashville Healthcare Hero 2010 by Nashville Business Journal. She is a nurse manager for the Center for Breast Health at Baptist Hospital, and has received the designation of Certified Breast Patient Navigator. Kim recently finished eight years of service on the VUSN Alumni Association board of directors.
Karen Harris Klingler, BSN ‘86, lives in Town & Country, Mo., with her husband, Vanderbilt graduate James Robert Klingler, BA’84, JD ‘87, and two sons, Andrew, 17, and Scott, 14. She is the proud owner of a beagle named Abby and a Viszla named Emma.
Pamela Kramer Hoffner, MSN ‘87, is the director of Emergency Preparedness and Response for Vanderbilt University Medical Center and an adjunct instructor for VUSN.
Nancy Allmon Knuth, MSN ‘87, is a retired, stay-at-home mom in Gross Pointe, Mich. She spent 20 years in the U.S. Army as a nurse practitioner and 11 years as a civilian nurse practitioner. She is busy raising three children, adopted from Russia in 2004, with husband, Tom.
Sharon Hicks Little, BSN ‘86, MSN ‘88, is working as a family nurse practitioner. She and her husband of 19 years have two daughters: Martina, 16, and Gabrielle, 12.
90s
Gwen Holder, MSN ‘90, received the Certification in Nursing Informatics from the American Nurses Credential Center in September 2010. She is the assistant director of System Support Services at VUMC.
Sheryl Banak, MSN ‘91, RN, CNE, passed the Certified Nurse Educator’s Exam on Dec. 22, 2010. In June, she will have worked in the Baptist Health System in Little Rock, Ark., for 19 years, and taught in the School of Nursing for six years. She has taught Psych/Mental Health and Critical Care Nursing as well as an LPN to RN Transitions course for four years. In June 2010, she attended the National League of Nurses Immersion Experience hosted at VUSN, and enjoyed visiting with some of her educators and seeing all the changes to the School since she graduated.
Kathleen Dickenson Drew, MSN ‘91, and her husband recently relocated from Florida to St. Louis. Kathleen completed a post-master’s program at the University of Florida and works as an adult nurse practitioner at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. The couple has a son who attends the University of Central Florida and a daughter who plays volleyball for the University of West Alabama.
Amy Wimmer Cox, MSN ‘94, continues to support medical mission trips to Haiti. She is pictured here with two patients at the orphanage in Beaumont. This was her 13th year on the mission team, allowing her to follow many of her patients over the years and see how small acts annually can produce significant change.
Terri Davis Crutcher, MSN ‘94, received the March of Dimes Nursing Administration Nurse of the Year award for Middle Tennessee. Terri is currently an assistant professor at VUSN.
Melyn Galbreath, MSN ‘94, is a certified family nurse practitioner practicing at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She is a provider for the women’s health clinic and a member of the family medicine research team.
Julia Sawyers Triplett, BSN ‘86, MBA ‘94, is the director of Staff Development at Vanderbilt Home Care Services. She is enjoying her return to the working world after a 10-year hiatus as a stay-at-home mom.
Karen Myers Kress, MSN ‘95, GNP, ANP, accepted a position with The Emory Clinic Department of Neurology in the Epilepsy Program in August 2010, where she is responsible for patient admissions and discharges in the long-term video monitoring unit of Emory University Hospital and follows epilepsy patients in the clinic. She also coordinates pre-surgical conferences for patients with epilepsy who are surgical candidates.
Nancy Stutz-Martin, MSN ‘95, PhD, is the executive director of Sunrise at Midnight, a grief recovery center in Chattanooga, Tenn. After being healed of stage 4 cancer, she returned to Kenya in January to work with select members of the Parliament, before heading to Uganda.
Rhonda Blades Brown, MSN ‘96, is in her 10th year of coaching girls’ basketball and teaching Honors Anatomy at Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tenn. She and her husband, Parke, have two children: Millie, 6, and Blades, 3.
Jennifer Turpin, MSN ‘97, is working at Waverly Family Medicine in Waverly, Tenn. She is recently divorced and has two children: Cobie Lane, 2, and Wesley Martin, 5.
Ginger Scoggin, MSN ‘98, earned her DNP in 2009 and has opened her own clinic in Anchorage, Ala., focusing on the primary care of adults.
Angela Alesi, MSN ‘99, has been building her private practice over the last two years in Lafayette, La. She sees patients in the private sector and on an inpatient basis.
2000s
Nancy Hollingsworth, MSN/MBA ‘00, BSN, was recently promoted to Interim President and CEO of Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, Calif. She has a long history with Saint Agnes as she has held the position of Oncology Nurse, Manager of Patient Services and after working at Deloitte Consulting in Cincinnati, returned back to the medical center as Chief Nursing Officer in 2007, and then Chief Operating Officer in 2010.
Bedelia Hicks Russell, MSN ‘01, is a faculty member of the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing at Tennessee Tech University, where she coordinates undergraduate classes and teaches in the graduate program. She recently earned the designation of Certified Nurse Educator from the National League of Nursing and, as such, is one of only 40 in Tennessee.
Amanda Shaw, MSN ‘02, works as a hospitalist nurse practitioner with Cogent Healthcare in Great Falls, Mont. She, husband, Haven, and sons, Walt and Boone, welcomed son, William Finn, in August 2010. They knew in advance that William had complex heart defects and for that reason, chose to deliver at Vanderbilt. She reports that William had wonderful care while at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, including exceptional Vanderbilt-trained nurse practitioners in the pediatric ICU. The family will be returning to Vanderbilt in April for William’s next surgery (he will undergo two open heart surgeries in the future.)
Melanie Allison, MSN ‘03, is an instructor VUSN’s pre-specialty program. She and husband, Cody, and daughter, Maggie, welcomed son Jack Mitchell on May 1, 2009.
Breanne Fryz Osborne, MSN ‘03, is working for thoracic surgery, part of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at VUMC. She got married on June 5, 2010.
Nichole Berglund-Clark, MSN, ‘04, (in white coat) is the owner of Hope Medical Clinic in Clinton, Ark., which opened on July 1, 2010. The clinic is a rural, family practice located in an underserved, health professional shortage area. Berglund-Clark thanks all of the VUSN faculty for preparing her and inspiring her to chase her dreams.
Elizabeth Stumpf, MSN ‘04, is finishing up her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Provo, Utah.
Lisa Tabor, MSN ‘04, APRN ACNP, is president and CEO of Affinity House Calls, PLLC, in Lafayette, La. Her company makes primary care medical visits to homebound and assisted living residents. Affinity House Calls was a 2010 Finalist for the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce’s Acadiana Innovation of the Year Award.
Abigail Bowen James, MSN ‘05, has been working as a nurse practitioner at Belle Meade Dermatology in Nashville for the past four years. She and husband, Evan, live in Nashville.
Brett Kinzig, MSN ‘05, lives in Franklin, Tenn., with wife, Emily, and children Wren, 5, and Wilder, 3. He has worked for nearly five years at Hayes Endocrine and Diabetes Center.
Cyndee Malowitz, MSN ‘05, completed a post-graduate certification as a FNP at University of Texas-Health Science Center in Houston, in May 2008. After practicing for five years, she opened her own minor emergency/primary care clinic in April 2010. Patient volume is growing quickly and the clinic was voted No. 1 “Best of the Best” Minor Emergency Clinics in the Coastal Bend area. She is also a clinical preceptor for the FNP program at Texas A&M, Corpus Christi.
Erica L. Stone, MSN ‘05, is a VUSN clinical instructor. She and husband, Tim, welcomed their daughter, Savannah June, on Sept. 15, 2010.
Beth Barry Whitworth, MSN ‘05, works at INSPIRIS, and was a finalist for her company’s President’s Award for Clinical Excellence for 2010 in Alabama. The award was given based on patient outcomes, service mentality and contributions to the company’s mission.
Katherine Dougherty Estrada, MSN ‘06, welcomed daughter Mary Rose, born August 2010.
Emily Wachs, MSN ‘06, moved from Lexington, Ky., to San Francisco. She is San Francisco Ear, Nose & Throat Medical Group’s first nurse practitioner.
Andrea Boohaker, MSN ‘07, lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Michael Dean. She works for The University of Texas as an Orthopaedic trauma nurse practitioner, and recently traveled to Haiti with a team of orthopaedic surgeons, ICU nurses, and support staff to help with reconstructive surgery needs.
Mahalia Jackson Butler, MSN ‘08, believes her decision to pursue her MSN was one of the best decisions she’s ever made. Since graduation, she has earned an MBA in Health Care Management and is enrolled in a DNP program. She is executive director of the Nurse Practitioner Program for a large long-term care organization. In her spare time, she rounds in a long-term care facility and a non-profit clinic.
Janna Sallade Roper, MSN ‘08, lives in Nashville and works as a pediatric nurse practitioner at Rainbow Kids Clinic. She and her husband of three years, Paul, are proud parents to a rapidly growing, smiley little boy, Jack, and their boxer, Champ.
Tommy Thompson Jr., MSN ‘08, is a nursing instructor at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn. He was recently elected as Worshipful Master of Clarksville Lodge #89 Free and Accepted Masons. The lodge founded the Masonic School which was the precursor to APSU.
Sydney Bridges, MSN ‘10, passed the ACNP certification exam and was hired by The Methodist Hospital in Houston’s Texas Medical Center. She is completing a three-month Cardiovascular Residency and will work as an ACNP in cardiovascular surgery at the Debakey Heart & Vascular center of The Methodist Hospital. She said, “Vanderbilt has given me a fantastic foundation on which I can build my career.”
Stefanie Foster, MSN ‘10, passed the NCC in October 2010, received her neonatal nurse practitioner license soon after and started working as an NNP with The Pediatrix Group of East Tennessee in Chattanooga. Stefanie loves her position, which includes covering five Level 2 and Level 3 neonatal intensive care units in the area.
Laurel Socha, MSN ‘10, started a position at Duke’s Pediatric Critical Care Team on Jan. 3.
In Memoriam
Margaret Sterling Caldwell, BSN ‘38, died Sept. 19, 2010, in Chesapeake, Va.
Marie E. Buckley, BSN ‘42, died September 2010, in Little Rock, Ark.
Elsie Hlava Willard, BSN ‘42, died Oct. 5, 2010, in LaGrange, Ind.
Martha West Crafton, BSN ‘45, died on Sept. 22, 2010, in Nashville.
Esther P. Barksdale, BSN ‘46, died Nov. 26, 2010, in Nashville.
Laura Alice Causey Lewis, BSN ‘46, died Oct. 2, 2010, in Crossville, Tenn.
May Emma Gibbs Windham, BSN ‘46, died Dec. 5, 2010, in Clarksville, Tenn.
Barbara Ann Nunnally Harlin, NR ‘48, died Nov. 19, 2010, in Nashville.
Frankie Mae Higdon, BSN ‘51, died Feb.15, 2011, in Alexandria, La.
Lonny Lorece Allen Marriott, BSN ‘54, died Jan. 5, 2011, in Norman, Okla.
Jane Kathryn Ross, BSN ‘60, MSN ‘63, died April 17, 2010, in Napa, Calif.
Carolyn Cousins Fruin, BSN ‘66, died Jan. 30, in Nashville.
Mea Junette Koger, MSN ‘70, died Jan. 23, in Bells, Tenn.
Carolyn Meacham Wallace, MSN ‘72, died Aug. 22, 2010, in Johnson City, Tenn.
June Biddle Holzapfel, BSN ‘85, MSN ‘87, died July 16, 2010, in Normandy, Tenn.
Jimmie Neal Smith, MSN ‘89, died Oct. 30, 2010, in Selmer, Tenn.
Kathleen Crumpton Fowler Cooper, MSN ‘97, died Oct. 18, 2010, in Nashville.
