Leadership in Action: Alumni, Faculty, Staff and Student Milestones

Heather Leutwyler, Jerry John Nutor, Rajashree Koppolu and Soo-Jeong Lee

Four Inducted Into AAN's 2023 Class of Fellows

Four members of the School of Nursing community were inducted into the American Academy of Nursing's 2023 Class of Fellows on Oct. 7. Congratulations to the new inductees: Soo-Jeong Lee, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate professor; Heather Leutwyler, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor; Jerry John Nutor, PhD, RN, FAAN, assistant professor; and Rajashree Koppolu, MS, RN, FAAN, alumna and volunteer faculty member.

The prestigious honor recognizes nurses for their substantial, sustained and outstanding impact on health and health care. The four faculty members were among 253 nurse leaders inducted at the academy’s conference in Washington D.C.

Jerry John Nutor Urges UN Member States to Strengthen Health Systems in Fight Against TB

At the United Nations General Assembly in September in New York, Jerry John Nutor, PhD, RN, FAAN, assistant professor, delivered a speech on behalf of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and nurses during a high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis. Nutor encouraged UN member states, especially low- and middle-income countries, to strengthen their health systems to fight the disease and to invest in nurses to ensure an adequate number of well-educated health care professionals for TB prevention and treatment.

Jerry John Nutor

Patricia Benner Honored for Leadership, Impact

Patricia Benner, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor emerita, is the recipient of the Margretta Madden Styles President's Award from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The award recognizes nurses for exceptional accomplishments, leadership and a revolutionary impact on nursing practice and on society. Benner received the award on Oct. 12.

Charlene Harrington Honored for Leadership, Advocacy

Charlene Harrington, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor emerita, will be honored with the Dan Osterweil Outstanding Leader in Post Acute and Long Term Care Award. The award from the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine honors Harrington for her advocacy and evidence-based research in appropriate staffing and quality nursing home care. She received the award at the organization’s Nov. 3 summit. Harrington also presented a keynote speech at the 22nd German Conference on Health Services Research on Oct. 4 in Berlin. Her talk was titled “Translating Research into Long-Term Care Facility Policy Changes.”

Charlene Harrington, PhD, RN, FAAN

Watch Video: Celebrating Angel Kuo and the Impact of the UCSF-ZSFG Anniversary

For 150 years, the partnership between UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General has helped create better health for San Franciscans. The School of Nursing is part of this legacy. Watch a short video celebrating the partnership that features UCSF experts, including Angel Kuo, EdD, MS, PNP, professor. In addition, watch a separate video highlighting Kuo and her dedication to interprofessional and improved care.

Andrew Penn on Psychedelics and Nursing

Andrew Penn, MS, PMHNP, professor, co-presented a talk titled “Psychedelics and Nursing: Updates From the Oregon Frontier” to an international audience with Sigma Theta Tau in October, discussing the implementation of psilocybin service centers under the voter-approved Initiative 109 in Oregon.

Yoshimi Fukuoka on AI and Chronic Disease

Yoshimi Fukuoka, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor, delivered the talk “The Role of AI in Combating Chronic Disease” at the UCSF Contemporary Issues in Advanced Practice Conference on Oct. 20.

Lauren Hunt on Dementia and Hospice

Lauren Hunt, PhD, RN, FNP, assistant professor, delivered the presentation “Dying with Dementia: Is Hospice the Answer” for the University of Pennsylvania Palliative Care Grand Rounds on Oct. 17.

Orlando Harris, Kristen Harknett, Jennifer James, Anita Stewart, Annesa Flentje, Deborah Johnson, Leslie Dubbin, Janine Cataldo, Janet Shim, Clockwise, from top left, Jyu-Lin Chen, Rosalind De Lisser, Tom Hoffmann, Mijung Park, Jerry John Nutor and Hannah Jang., Susan Chapman, Charlene Harrington, Leslie Ross, Elizabeth Halifax., Christine Miaskowski, Kord Kober, Karen Schumacher, Carol Viele, Jerry John Nutor, Julene Johnson, Elena Portacolone, Julene Johnson, Van Park, Linda Park, Ifeyinwa Asiodu, Monica McLemore, Hendrix Erhahon, Sandra Domeracki, Glenn-Milo Santos, Akua Gyamerah

Sandra Domeracki on Occupational Health

Sandra Domeracki, MS, RN, FAAOHN, associate professor, delivered a presentation titled “Injuries That Can Be Overlooked As Being Work-Related: Tennis Leg to Arterial Dissection” at the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses’ Education Symposium on Oct. 4.

Student, Faculty Present Research Findings

Ashley Thomas, BS, RN, a master’s student in the Clinical Nurse Specialist track, presented research findings at the 2023 National American Society for Pain Management Nursing Conference, Sept. 20-23. Her interprofessional research team includes faculty members Marilyn Bazinski, DNP, RN, AGCNS, Maria Yefimova, PhD, RN, and Michele Pelter, PhD, RN. The talk was titled “Low-dose Ketamine Infusions: Preoperative Screening to Optimize Post-operative Pain Management in Select Peri-Anesthesia Populations,” and the research was supported by a 2021 UCSF Clinical Nursing Research Grant.

Ashley Thomas

Lydia Bartholow and Andrew Penn

Lydia Bartholow, Andrew Penn Present at Psych Congress

Faculty members Lydia Bartholow, DNP, PMHNP, and Andrew Penn, MS, PMHNP, were speakers at Psych Congress, Sept. 6-10, in Nashville, Tennessee. Bartholow spoke about trauma-informed benzodiazepine prescribing, and Penn discussed psychedelic-assisted therapies, working with patients who use cannabis and addressing clinician burnout.

Celebrating Preceptors

Marilyn Bazinski, September Preceptor

Marilyn Bazinski, DNP, AGCNS, PMGT-BC, the pain management clinical nurse specialist (CNS) at UCSF Health, is the September Preceptor of the Month. “I am very passionate about the value a CNS brings to the interdisciplinary team and will take any opportunity to endorse the CNS role and highlight its three spheres of impact," she said.

Nicole Sata, October Preceptor

Nicole Sata, MS ‘16, CNM, is the school’s October Preceptor of the Month. Sata has been precepting midwifery students at LifeLong Medical Care since 2019, providing excellent teaching and modeling.

“I am honored to help the next generation of midwives find their confidence and gain the clinical skills that embody the person-centered, holistic Midwives Model of Care,” Sata said. “Just as importantly, I continue to learn and grow from the students' experiences and their knowledge of the newest, evidenced-based changes in care.”

Read more about Bazinski and Sata, including comments from students, on the Preceptor Portal.

Faculty Capture New Funding

Stella Bialous, professor, received a grant from the NIH National Cancer Institute for her project "Integrating Tobacco Use Cessation into Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES) in Kisumu, Kenya." The award is $99,475. (SON Research Themes: Community and Population Health; Health Equity)
Susan Chapman, professor, received a grant from First Five Santa Clara County for her project "Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Workforce Strategic Plan." The award is $178,932. (SON Research Theme: Community and Population Health).
Annesa Flentje, associate professor, received two grants from the NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse. The first award is $182,456 for her project "Mentoring the Next Generation of Substance Use, HIV and Epigenetic Researchers in Sexual and Gender Minority Health." The second award is $121,558 for her project "Investigating the Portability of an Automated Coding System of the Two-Step Method of Gender.” (SON Research Themes: Digital Health, 'Omics and Data Science; Health Equity)
Elena Flowers, associate professor, received two grants from the NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The first award is $149,130 for her project "Empirically Based Career Development Program for Historically Underrepresented Early Career Trainees." The second award is $65,008 for her project "Mentorship of Individuals from Historically Underrepresented Groups in Health Sciences Research." (SON Research Themes: Digital Health, 'Omics and Data Science; Symptom Science)
Julene Johnson, professor, received a grant from the NIH National Institute on Aging for her project "Research Network to Accelerate Mechanistic Studies of Music for Dementia." The award is $323,404 (SON Research Theme: Aging and Life Course). She received an additional award in the amount of $272,727 from the National Endowment of the Arts and $450,000 from the Music Man Foundation for her project "Sound Health Network."
Kord Kober, associate professor, received a grant from the NIH National Cancer Institute for his project "An Investigation of the Molecular Mechanisms for and Prediction of the Severity of Cancer Chemotherapy-Related Fatigue Using a Multi-staged Integrated 'Omics Approach." The award is $149,967. (SON Research Themes: Digital Health, 'Omics and Data Science; Symptom Science)
Cherry Leung, associate professor, received a grant from the NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health for her project "Probiotic Administration for Adolescent Depression." The award is $356,290. (SON Research Themes: Digital Health, 'Omics and Data Science; Symptom Science)
Erin McCauley, assistant professor, received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control for her project "Taking a Public Health Perspective on Human Trafficking: An Evaluation of the PROTECT Prevention Program." The award is $135,404. (SON Research Themes: Community and Population Health; Health Equity)
Jeremiah Mock, professor, received a grant from the California Department of Public Health for his project "Anticipating and Countering Emerging Tobacco Industry Strategies." The award is $185,185. (SON Research Theme: Community and Population Health)
Van Ta Park, professor, received a grant from the NIH National Institute on Aging for her project "Asian Americans and Racism: Individual and Structural Experiences (ARISE)." The award is $2.6 million. (SON Research Themes: Aging and Life Course; Community and Population Health; Health Equity)
Natalie Wilson, assistant professor, received a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention for her project "Centering the Margins of Mental Health Among People Experiencing Homelessness with HOPE (Healthy Outcomes for People)." The award is $487,741. (SON Research Themes: Community and Population Health; Health Equity)

In the News

Mica Estrada, PhD, associate dean and professor, was featured in a podcast by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Diversity Science on how kindness matters for diversifying STEMM fields. Listen to the Oct. 5 podcast.
Yoshimi Fukuoka, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor, was featured in Nurse.com’s Sept. 21 blog post “The Future Is Here: Using AI in Nursing is a Growing Trend.”
Elizabeth Gatewood, DNP, RN, FAAN, assistant dean and professor, was quoted in Government Technology’s Sept. 19 article “VR Gaining Traction in Nursing, Medical Education Programs.”
Charlene Harrington, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor emerita, was cited in the Mirror’s Sept. 6 article “Nursing Homes Will Have Staff Requirements For the First Time. What Will Change?”