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

Orlando Harris Receives Advocacy Award

Orlando Harris, PhD, MPH, FAAN, associate professor, is the recipient of the 2023 Helen Miramontes Advocacy Award from the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) and the Until There's A Cure Foundation. The award honors an ANAC member whose work focuses on improving the lives of vulnerable people or communities; influences policy at a local, state, national or international level; and whose drive, motivations and passion affects change. Harris will receive the award at the ANAC Conference on Oct. 26.

Meg Wallhagen Honored for Leadership, Achievements

Meg Wallhagen, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor, will be honored with the Mary Starke Harper Award from the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence. The award recognizes a nurse whose outstanding leadership qualities and achievements serve to inspire others. Wallhagen will engage in the Mary Starke Harper Distinguished Leader Interview this October.

Staff and Faculty Members Recognized by Academy of Medical Educators

Tammy Ryan, CST, JD, LLM, clinical placements supervisor, was recognized with the Boyden Award from the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators. The Boyden Award recognizes staff members for exemplary service in support of health professions education.

Abbey Roepke, MPH, MS, assistant professor, was named the recipient of the peer-nominated Excellence in Interprofessional Teaching Award from the UCSF Program for Interprofessional Practice and Education and the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators.

Ryan, Roepke and other awardees were honored at the academy’s Celebration of New Members on Sept. 13. Marianne Hultgren, DNP, RN, CNE, and Lisa Mihaly, MS, RN, FNP, both associate professors, were inducted into the academy at the same celebration.

Tammy Ryan, Abbey Roepke, Marianne Hultgren and Lisa Mihaly — *(From top left, clockwise) Tammy Ryan, Abbey Roepke, Lisa Mihaly and Marianne Hultgren.*

Jyu-Lin Chen inducted into Sigma Theta Tau’s 2023 International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame — Top photos: Jyu-Lin Chen is inducted into Sigma Theta Tau's 2023 International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. Bottom photo: Chen with Jerry John Nutor (Photo credit: Image N More Professional Photography)

Jyu-Lin Chen Inducted into Sigma Hall of Fame; Jerry John Nutor Among Guest Presenters

Jyu-Lin Chen, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor, was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau’s 2023 International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame at the organization’s International Nursing Research Congress, July 20-23, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The award recognizes nurses who have achieved significant and sustained national or international recognition and whose research has improved nursing and the people it serves.

In addition, Jerry John Nutor, PhD, RN, assistant professor, was among the guest presenters at the congress.

Matt Tierney Named Medical Director of Inpatient Substance Use Management at UCSF Health

Matt Tierney, MS, FAAN, professor, has been named the medical director of Inpatient Substance Use Management at UCSF Health. In this new role, Tierney will oversee activities on improving the quality of care for patients with substance use disorders and unhealthy substance use. Duties include overseeing the hospital-based Addiction Consult Service; providing education on substance-related issues to the full range of multi-disciplinary clinical providers at the medical center; developing community partnerships; and developing institutional modifications that support the identification and treatment of patients with problematic substance use.

Kate Melino One of Two Nurses to Receive Scholarship

Kate Melino, MS, RN, NP, associate professor, has been awarded a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for 2023-2026. This prestigious award is given to 166 Canadian doctoral students per year across all disciplines. Melino is one of only two nurses awarded this year. Her research will focus on operationalizing structural competency in mental health care.

Andrew Penn Co-Authors First Psychedelic Therapy Professional Practice Guidelines

Andrew Penn, MS, PMHNP, professor, co-authored the first set of professional practice guidelines for psychedelic-assisted therapies, which was released from the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association and Brainfutures. This document is an important step in creating safe and ethical practices for this emerging treatment modality. Read the press release.

Charlene Harrington, PhD, RN, FAAN

Charlene Harrington Recognized for Exemplary Leadership in Long-Term Care

Charlene Harrington, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor emerita, is the recipient of the 2023 Dan Osterweil Outstanding Leader in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Award from the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine (CALTCM). The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made outstanding contributions in the areas of education, practice, administration or policy in long-term care. Harrington will receive the award at the CALTCM Summit on Nov. 3.

Celebrating Preceptors

Diana Kobayashi, August Preceptor

Diana Kobayashi, NNP, who works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, is the August Preceptor of the Month. She has been a longstanding leader, mentor and teacher for her colleagues who have been practicing for years as well as to students who are learning advanced roles.

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.

Read more about Kobayashi and Bazinski, including students’ comments, on the Preceptor Portal.

Faculty, Postdoctoral Scholar and Student Capture New Funding

Carol Dawson-Rose, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor, received a grant from the University of Illinois at Chicago for her project "AIDS Education and Training Centers Program." The award is $9,259. (SON Research Themes: Community and Population Health; Health Equity)
Jason Flatt, PhD, MPH, associate professor, received a grant from the Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. for his project, "Helping States Support Families Caring for an Aging America." The award is $8,100 (SON Research Theme: Aging and Life Course)
Annesa Flentje, PhD, associate professor, received a grant from UC Berkeley for her project "California LGBTQ+ Older Adult Survey." The award is $202,048. (SON Research Themes: Community and Population Health; Health Equity)
Yoshimi Fukuoka, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor, and Jennifer James, PhD, MSW, assistant professor, each received $30,000 from the School of Nursing's 2022-2023 Gaine Research Fund. Fukuoka received funding for her project, "Usability Test of the AI Chatbot to Improve Women's Heart Attack Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs." James received funding for her project, "Long-term Care for Incarcerated Patients with Dementia: Developing a Community-based Research Agenda."
Kristen Harknett, PhD, professor, received a grant from Harvard University for her project "Older Workers, Working Longer? The Role of Precarious Work." The award is $20,200. (SON Research Themes: Health Equity; Aging and Life Course)
Kelsea Hosoda, PhD, postdoctoral scholar, received a grant from the NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences for her project "The Role of Multicultural Identity Integration on Well-Being." The award is $98,883. (SON Research Theme: Health Equity)
Angel Kuo, EdD, MS, PNP, professor, received a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration for her project "Underserved Coalition for Bay Area Advanced Practice Training." The award is $635,512. (SON Research Theme: Health Equity)
Kate LaForge, PhD in Sociology student, received a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for her project "Unraveling Crisis Text Services: Perceptions and Experiences Among Low-Income Young Adults with Suicidal Ideation." The award is $40,000. (SON Research Theme: Community and Population Health)
Van Ta Park, PhD, MPH, professor, is the contact MPI (multiple principal investigator) of the project "Collaborative Approach for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders Research and Education (CARE) 2.0" that has been awarded a $16.1 million grant from the National Institute on Aging. In addition, Park received an R01 grant in the amount of $2.3 million from the NIH National Institute on Aging for her project "Collaborative Approach for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Research and Education (CARE) in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias” and $81,729 from the University of California, Davis for her project "Vietnamese Insights into Cognitive Aging Program." (SON Research Themes: Health Equity; Aging and Life Course; Community and Population Health).
Elena Portacolone, PhD, MBA, MPH, associate professor, received a grant from University of Southern California for her project "Evaluating an Intervention Led by Trusted National Organizations to Increase Recruitment of Black Participants in the AHEAD Study at UCSF." The award is $100,108. (SON Research Themes: Health Equity; Aging and Life Course;)
Jarmin Yeh, PhD, MPH, MSSW, associate professor, received a grant from the Center for Caregiver Advancement for her project "In-Home Supportive Services - High Road Training Partner." The award is $590,769. (SON Research Themes: Aging and Life Course; Community and Population Health)

In the News

Joanne Spetz, PhD, FAAN, provided her expertise in Mother Jones' article "Health Care Companies Are Using Debt to Trap Nurses on the Job," which published in the September-October issue.
Elena Portacolone, PhD, MPH, MBA, and her team’s new study were the subject of a New York Post’s Aug. 21 article “Living Alone is Like ‘Sending a Kid Out to Play on the Freeway’ for 1 in 4 Americans.”
Andrew Penn, MS, PMHNP, was quoted in The Guardian’s Aug. 19 article “Is the Therapeutic Potential of Hallucinogens Risky and Overhyped?”
Van Ta Park, PhD, MPH, was featured in KCBS' Aug. 10 piece "How UCSF's CARE Registry Is Working to Improve AANHPI Health." Listen to the segment.
Glenn Milo-Santos, PhD, MPH, was featured in KCRA's Aug. 9 piece on naltrexone and binge drinking. Watch the news piece.
Charlene Harrington, PhD, RN, FAAN, was quoted in WFXR's Aug. 9 piece "Battle Brewing Over Biden's Nursing Home Staffing Requirements."