Faculty and Staff Achievements
The School of Nursing is proud to highlight the achievements of faculty and staff since the last Vital Signs issue.
Thweatt receives CNE certification
Congratulations to Instructor Lesley Thweatt, MSN, RN, CNE who obtained the prestigious Certified Nurse Educator certification this month!
New directors appointed
Dr. Kayla Carr, assistant professor, and Dr. Carl Mangum, associate professor, were appointed to director positions. Carr was selected to take replace Dr. Anne Norwood as the Director of the Jackson School-Based Clinics. Mangum took over as the director of the Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track after serving the past year as interim. Thank you both for your leadership and service to the SON!
Hiser receives SON Seed Grant
Associate Professor Dr. Laree Hiser is the recipient of the School of Nursing seed grant for her research of Methylated Tubulin and the Risk of Infection by Specific Human Papillomavirus Types. Her research will utilize the SON basic sciences lab's access to the cervical cells from over 20,000 women in the STRIDES (STudying Risk to Improve DisparitiES) Study. The specific aim of this proposed research is to explore the feasibility of detecting protein methylation in cervical cells from discard ThinPrep specimens.
Nurse leaders participate in AACN's Thought Leaders Assembly
Terri Gillespie, UMMC chief nursing executive and clinical services officer and Dr. Julie Sanford, School of Nursing dean, will partic
ipate in a virtual American Association of Colleges of Nursing Thought Leaders Assembly today (Monday, Sept. 21).
This year’s assembly, “Lessons Learned: Exemplary Partnerships in Response to COVID-19,” is an annual meeting of the AACN Board of Directors with national leaders. Sanford said its goal is to identify key lessons learned while academic and practice partners navigated the COVID-19 pandemic that can be used to enhance the landscape of professional nursing and improve patient care.
“Member deans and their practice partners will discuss lessons learned from the pandemic and how they can strengthen academic-practice partnerships,” she said.
Gillespie said the discussion will help chart a path forward.
“The last several months have no doubt changed many aspects of our lives in health care,” Gillespie said, “not only where care delivery is concerned, but also in the areas of population health, community education and the education of our future health care workforce.
“There have been many struggles faced during this pandemic, but the synergies realized between clinical nursing and our School of Nursing partners has definitely been a positive.”
The two nursing leaders see their participation as a result of the partnership between academic and clinical nursing at UMMC.
“I am grateful for Dr. Gillespie’s leadership and the excellent nurses at UMMC who work with us to provide outstanding clinical learning opportunities for our students,” Sanford said.
“I am grateful for the relationship Dr. Sanford and I have forged,” Gillespie said.
Hogg receives CHSE certification
Congratulations to Hannah Hogg, MSN, RN, CHSE for passing her Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE) certification through the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. She joins Dr. Robyn MacSorley and Dr. Alaina Herrington with this certification within our SON.
Physical activity and fitness article published in pediatric nursing journal
Kudos to Assistant Professors Dr. Angela Duck, Dr. Katherine Hall and Melissa Klamm, PhD graduate Dr. Melissa Temple and Professor Emeritus Dr. Jennifer Robinson for their article about physical activity and fitness published in the September issue of the Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing.
PhD students receive MNF research grants
Compliments to PhD in Nursing students Amanda Criswell and Melissa Klamm for receiving the Mississippi Nurses Foundation PhD Research Grants. The two assistant professors received funding from MNF, approximately $8,200 each, to support their dissertation research study throughout the doctoral program. They submitted their fund proposals amid teaching full time, PhD courses and taking their comprehensive exams. We are so proud of both of you and thank you to our great supporters at MNF!
SON faculty's dissertation makes ACS journal cover
The dissertation research of Dr. Carolann Risley, a women’s health nurse practitioner and part-time faculty member in the School of Nursing, is featured on the cover of this month’s issue of the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Cytopathology journal.
Risley’s research examined racial differences in HPV type 16, one of the two types of HPV responsible for most HPV-related cancers in Mississippi women. The women in the study all had ASCUS, or “atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance,” a potential sign of HPV infection.
Her publication, “Racial Differences of HPV Type 16 Prevalence in Women with ASCUS of the Uterine Cervix,” outlines her research that found black women were significantly less likely to be positive for HPV-16 compared to white women.
Cancer Cytopathology publishes original research and other articles of interest to cytopathology, cytology and pathology professionals related to topics concerning the etiology of cancer and its diagnosis and prevention. Cancer Cytopathology is considered by many to be the elite journal in its field.
“Dr. Risley never ceases to amaze or challenge me,” said Dr. Mary Stewart, director of the Ph.D. program in the School of Nursing and chair of Risley’s dissertation committee. “Her passion for preventing cervical cancer inspires others to define their role in making life better for Mississippians.
“To have her research highlighted in one of the premier cancer journals speaks to the caliber and importance of her work.”
Risley is working with the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute as a postdoctoral fellow. She received her Ph.D. in nursing last year from the UMMC School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences.
Mangum nominated for COVID-19 Courage Award
Congratulations to Associate Professor Dr. Carl Mangum who was nominated for the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) COVID-19 Courage Award in the category of Leadership. The award demonstrates the power of the nursing profession when faced with a crisis.
Faculty publications
Clark, O., Williams, R. (2020) Pica behaviors in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease: a scoping review protocol. JBI Evidence Synthesis. 18 (9) 218-2024
Barrick, C., Stewart, M., Palokas, M., (2020) Enteral nutrition for intubated adults in the intensive care unit prior to general anesthesia: a scoping review. JBI Evidence Synthesis 18 (8): 1701-1723
Duck, A., Hall, K., Klamm, M., Temple, M., Robinson, J., (2020) Physical activity and fitness: The feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of wearable activity tracker technology incorporation altruistic motivation in youth. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing https:doi.org/10.1111/jspn.12313
Hall, K.C., Andries, C., & McNair, M. (2020) Engaging nursing students in qualitative research through hands-on participation. Journal of Nursing Education 59 (3) 177
Goreth, M.B., (2020) Penetrating trauma. In B. Bolick, K. Reuter-Rice, M. Madden, & B. Severing (Eds.), Pediatric acute care: A guide for interprofessional practice (pp.1065-1067). St. Louis, MO. Elsevier
Welcome to the SON
Welcome to Instructor Tiffany Griffin. She joined the SON in November as a Psychiatric/Mental Health instructor. She currently is a doctoral student in the DNP program and an alumna of the MSN program. We are excited to have you join our SON family!
SON faculty and staff service recognition
Thank you to all of the following SON faculty and staff for their combined 45 years of service!
- 25 Years:
- Dr. Renee Williams, professor
- 10 years:
- Farrah Banks, instructor
- Dr. Tammy Dempsey, assistant professor