Class Notes – Spring 2012
40s
Bettie Ann White Cleino, BSN ‘44, MSN, PhD, was inducted into the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame on Oct. 13, 2011. She believes her nursing career was set in motion by the advanced education she received at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. In her acceptance speech, Cleino quoted Lulu K. Hassenplug by saying, “We must never be content with current practice, but ever be striving for improvement.” In November 2011, Cleino celebrated her 90th birthday and is still going strong, working as a parish nurse for Christ Episcopal Church in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Martha Crews McBurney, BSN ‘47A, is thankful that she and her husband are healthy and able to travel. They recently took a cruise around South America, accompanied by their son and daughter-in-law, and plan to travel as long as possible. She turned 89 in December.
Betsy Hood Procter, BSN ‘40, and her husband, Robert Procter, celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary on Dec. 28, 2011.
Virginia George, BSN ‘47B, MSN, MA (Peabody ‘72), celebrated her 88th birthday on Feb. 3. She is a VUSN
professor emerita and has established the Virginia George Scholarship for VUSN students.
50s
Florence Rogers Van Arnam, BSN ‘52, was the recipient of the 2012 Matheson Award for her tireless efforts on preserving history and culture in Gainesville, Fla. Most of the recognition is for 30 years of work with the Robb House Medical Museum and as chairman of Historic Preservation with the Gainesville Chapter, National Daughters of the American Revolution. Van Arnam credits the knowledge she gained at Vanderbilt with development of the medical museum.
Janie Capps Macey, BSN ‘54, MSN ‘74, PhD, said, “Now that I am 80 years old I find ‘the old gal ain’t what she used to be.’” She spends her time playing duplicate bridge, working crossword puzzles to keep her mind alert, and walking her dog, Oreo, for exercise. She hopes her classmates are doing well.
Nancy Blackistone Mims, BSN ‘55, (now and as a VUSN student in 1954) lives in Fort Worth, Texas, and reports that her health is excellent due to exercise and diet. She still lives alone, though close enough to her family to be able to visit frequently. She calls her computer a “life-saver.”
60s
Carol Komara, BSN ‘62, MSN, is president of the Kentucky Board of Nursing and will continue to serve until 2013.
Ginger Trundle Manley, BSN ‘66, MSN ‘81, lives in Franklin, Tenn. She taught a six-session program entitled, “The Journey through Aging and Sexuality,” for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt in January and February. Sex education for older adults is an emerging field and covers physical, emotional, relationship and lifestyle issues that affect all older persons whether partnered or living single. She also started her fourth year of writing a monthly question-and-answer column about sexuality and aging called “Assisted Loving” in a local paper.
Karen Fishman, BSN ‘68, sold her house and downsized into a condominium in 2011. She lives in Chesterfield, Mo., loves her new home and is a healthy breast cancer survivor of three-and-a-half years. She is considering retirement in 2012.
Charlene Tosi, BSN ‘68, lives in Fenton, Mich. In the spring of 2012, she will be publishing a book about women’s archetypes based on Jungian psychology. In fall 2012, she will launch her book, “Discover Your Woman Within,” which will be available as an e-book on Amazon as well as in print. The book describes the archetypes of women in order to better balance and live full lives. She is the founder of Woman Within Training. For more information: char@tosi.biz
70s
Cheryl Cox, MSN ‘72, RN, PhD, is a full member of the Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Prior to joining St. Jude’s in 2002, she was a professor in the College of Nursing at Illinois (Chicago) and then Massachusetts (Boston and Lowell) for 20 years collectively. She is busy as a researcher on two R01s and an R21. She sits on the Health Services Methodology Study section (Nursing and Related Clinical Sciences) at the National Institutes of Health. Her 23-year-old daughter, Abigail, is a vocalist with a five-member acoustical group, The Happy Maladies, in Cincinnati. Cox is considering retirement in 2014.
Ann B. Hamric, BSN ‘70, PhD, RN, FAAN, has recently taken a new position as Associate Dean of Academic Programs at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. She is happy to be back in Richmond and enjoys her new job.
Diane Ribblett Settlage, BSN ‘73, is pleased that her daughter continued the family tradition of meeting a spouse at Vanderbilt and marrying. Her daughter, Jessica Lauren Settlage, BA ‘08, married David Prang Oetting Jr., BA ‘08, on Sept. 29, 2010. Diane married Steven Paul Settlage, BE ‘73, in 1973. Her husband’s parents, Paul Herman Settlage, BA ‘49, MA ‘51, PhD ‘53, and Ruby Doris Taylor, BA ‘48, married in 1948.
Anne Moore, BSN ‘76, MSN ‘81, published an article in the 2011 Annual Primary Care edition of Women’s Health Care Journal, entitled “The Importance of Collaboration in Treating Chronic Disease: A Focus on PCOS and Group Medical Visits.”
Melanie Thoenes, BSN ‘77, graduated with a DNP from the University of South Florida College of Nursing in December 2010 and her Master of Science degree in August 2008.
80s
Anne C. Page, BSN ‘80, is a peri-anesthesia specialist at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Mich. She holds both CAPA & CPAN certification. She has the ideal job blending direct patient care in Anesthesia with Quality Improvement projects and staff development. Anne and her husband, Philip BE/ME ‘80, are the parents of Eloise Page Spetko, BA Mathematics ‘06. Anne met fellow ‘80 BSN classmates Judy Baird Cunningham, Anne Chandler McAlister and Pamela Petros Litchford in Sanibel Island, Fla., for a reunion to celebrate their 30th in November 2010.
Chris Skinner Fox, BSN ‘80, completed the DNP on Oct. 18, 2011, from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. She continues to work as a self-employed CRNA primarily in Office Anesthesia and Obstetrics. She hopes to be a clinical instructor in the future. Fox celebrated 30 years of working in anesthesia this past February.
Lori Goldenberg, BSN ‘80, founded Electrolysis & Medical Skin Care of Western Connecticut in April 2011, in Ridgefield, Conn. The organization specializes in permanent hair removal and medical aesthetics. She also works for a Dermatology practice in the Hartford, Conn., area, and loves being in private practice. Her website is www.electrolysisct.com
Allison France Episkopos, BSN ‘83, lives in Westminster, Colo., and is a school nurse at Stargate School for gifted and talented students, in Thornton, Colo. She also trains nursing students from the Denver School of Nursing as part of their pediatric experience. She and her youngest son Andrew recently volunteered at the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center, a Vanderbilt-organized community service event. They learned a great deal about MS and met some fantastic Vanderbilt alumni. Her eldest son Chris is a medical student at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in London.
Nancy Ellsworth, BSN ‘84, has been working in Atlanta at Reproductive Biology Associates for 10 years in the fabulous, fast-paced world of IVF (Reproductive Endocrinology). She loves her job and is proud when people ask her where she went to nursing school. Happily married for seven years, she and her husband live with their two dogs (their children with fur coats).
Susan Moseley Gent, MSN ‘88, DNP ‘11, RN, NE-BC, married high school sweetheart Ed Gent on Nov. 12, 2011. Gent is the administrative director for VMG Nursing & the Center for Advanced Practice Nursing and Allied Health at Vanderbilt.
90s
Wendy Marquardt Olson, MSN ‘91, recently returned to work as the Director of Human Resources for Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital in Lake Forest, Ill.
Susan Christos McKenney, MSN ‘92, earned her Board Certified-Advanced Diabetes Management Certification in 2009. She works as a family nurse practitioner in a faculty position at the Hendersonville Family Health Residency Program. She has developed coordinated group visits regarding weight management at the Pardee Flat Rock Family Health Center in North Carolina for two years. She and her husband, Neal, have two sons: Mitchell (11) and Bryson (9).
Kelly Ambrosi Wolgast, MSN ‘93, RN, MSN, MSS, CHE, FACHE, a VUSN Founder’s Medalist, retired at the rank of colonel after 26 years of active duty with the U.S. Army. She is now assistant professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in the Health Services Management program and lives in Brentwood, Tenn. Her new email is kelly.a.wolgast@vanderbilt.edu.
James R. (Randy) Post, MSN ‘95, LTC, AN, PhD, FNP-BC, was recently re-assigned to Center for Nursing Science and Clinical Inquiry (CNS&CI) at San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC, formerly Brooke Army Medical Center). Additionally, he serves as a provider at the McWethy Troop Medical Center.
Gigi McMurray, MSN ‘96, FNP, started working at GracePointe Healthcare with clinics in March 2011 as a family nurse practitioner. GracePointe is one of the only self-pay model clinics in the Middle Tennessee area with low rates to fit the needs of those without insurance or those with high deductibles.
Mark Young, MSN ‘96, LTC(P), AN, USAR, completed a 12-month mobilization as Commander of the 7239th Medical Support Unit at the Fort Hood, Texas, Medical Soldier Readiness Processing Center. He received the Meritorious Service Medal. Early this year, he returned to a full-time civilian position as a nurse practitioner with the Vanderbilt University Occupational Health Clinic and transferred with a U.S. Army Reserve assignment to the 3274th US Army Hospital, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Dawn M. Fitzpatrick, MSN ‘98, RN, IQCI, and her husband celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary. She has worked at the Tennessee Valley Healthcare Services Veterans Administration as a utilization management manager for four years.
Irene Spence, MSN ‘98 ACNP, started a new job with Skyline Neuroscience Associates in October 2011. Before that, she worked in the Saint Thomas Hospital Intensive Care Unit in Nashville. She has a daughter, Madelyn (4), and stepson, Tyler (15).
Katie Cope Murchison, BSN ‘99, MSN ‘00, resides in Chattanooga, Tenn., with her husband and daughter Abby (5). She specializes in Reproductive Endocrinology with The Fertility Center of Chattanooga and Knoxville.
Mary Katherine Thrash White, MSN ‘99, a pediatric nurse practitioner, teaches at Kennesaw State University’s BSN program.
2000s
Gary Grover, MSN ‘00, relocated a year ago to begin a new job at Skaggs Hospital in Branson, Mo. He works in the Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Clinic with a dedicated physician, Mohammed Bakry, MD, and feels they are making a difference in the care given to those in their service area.
Paige Adams, MSN ‘01, opened a family medical practice, The Center for Proactive Medicine, in 2008. The practice focuses on wellness promotion and disease prevention. She sees a lot of patients with autism and natural hormone deficiency, and has incorporated aesthetics into her practice to help people feel good from the inside out. Her patients have positively changed their lifestyle using basic principles of health promotion that began with Adams’ educational experience at VUSN.
Caroline Connor, MSN ‘01, recently accepted a new position at the University of California at San Diego. She works as a women’s health nurse practitioner for the Department of Reproductive Medicine and loves it.
Peter Richards, MSN ‘01, has recently accepted a full-time tenure track faculty position at Black Hawk College in Moline, Ill. He teaches a myriad of classes in the Health Information Management program, such as Medical Law and Ethics, Pharmacology, Advanced Medical Terminology and clinicals for the Medical Assistant program. He is looking into developing a curriculum for a program called “Women in the Workplace,” issues that are distinctly focused on women’s issues, locally and globally.
Charlotte Ellerby, MSN ‘02, and Anitra Ellerby-Brown, MSN ‘08, have started a new business that was featured on News Channel 5 in Nashville called Medicine in Motion of Middle TN. They want to share their website, www.medicineINmotionTN.comand local media coverage, www.newschannel5.com/story/15213518/two-sisters-working-to-revive-the-house-call, with the VUSN community.
Nicki North Baxley, MSN ‘02, and her husband, Doug, had their second son, Anders Ryan, in April 2011. Brother North is excited to be a big brother. She works as a women’s health nurse practitioner at Parkwest Gynecology in Knoxville, Tenn.
Nichole Berglund-Clark, MSN ‘04, celebrated the one-year anniversary of her own nurse practitioner clinic, Hope Medical Clinic, on July 1, 2011. The clinic was voted the No. 1 medical clinic for Van Buren County (Arkansas) in November 2011.
Celia Forno, MSN ‘05, PNP-BC, works for Sea Mar, a clinic in the Pacific Northwest that focuses on serving the migrant farm worker population. Since graduating, she has specialized in pediatric psychology, and worked in Arizona and the Pacific Northwest. Trained in addiction medicine, she has worked with indigent clients for the majority of her career, and has served as a consultant and liaison at large medical centers. She loves what she does and is grateful for her training at Vanderbilt.
Cynthia Malowitz, MSN ‘05, is an Adult/Geriatric nurse practitioner. Her company, Bay Area Quick Care, was voted No. 1 “Best of the Best” Minor Emergency Clinic for the second year in a row. They just expanded to 2,700 square feet and hers is the first clinic in Corpus Christi, Texas, to have flat screen televisions in all the exam rooms. She has added a physician and two medical assistants to her staff.
Abby Parish, MSN ‘05, won the Research Award at the Geriatric Advanced Practice Nursing conference.
S. Abigail Watkins-Morgan, MSN ‘05, RN, WHNP-BC, was recently awarded the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health Inspirations in Women’s Health Award for her work in Botswana over the past two years.
Missi Willmarth, MSN ‘05, DNP ‘10, along with husband, Kevin, welcomed Rory Holden Willmarth on Sept. 5, 2011. Big brother Brooks is “over the moon” for his new little brother. Willmarth has also recently joined Lexington Women’s Health in full scope midwifery practice.
Sherry Miller, MSN ‘06, RN, FNP-C, CCRN, CCNS, practices as a FNP at the Comprehensive Heart Failure Clinic at Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville. She helps provide patients the advanced therapy of aquapheresis, an ultrafiltration of sodium and water from their bodies when they are resistant to diuretic therapy. She has been married for 32 years and is mother to two adult children, and grandmother to four grandchildren with a fifth due in May. She earned her Clinical Management Post Master’s FNP 2009 from another institution.
Liz Nacozy Wessel, MSN ‘06, lives in Huntsville, Ala., with husband, James, and their two daughters, Anne (3) and Molly (18 mos.) She is staying home with the girls. She misses working as an RN and PNP, but gets to use many of those same skills as a mom.
Holly Garrison, MSN ‘08, and David Miller were married on September 24, 2011, in Memphis, Tenn. The couple resides in Nashville. Holly works as a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner with Centennial Pediatrics and David works as a graphic designer with Alphagraphics.
Jennie Ellen Harper, MSN ‘08, ACNP, works for Tennessee Oncology on the Sarah Cannon Research Institute’s Drug Development Unit in Phase I oncology trials in Nashville. She also recently earned her Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner certification.
Alia Nunn, MSN ‘08, is an Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner. She is passionate about her job working with oncology and hematology patients at Tennessee Oncology. She also loves spending time with her husband, Jay, and their active toddler, Aveleen Marie.
Lisa Pearson, MSN ‘09, has been busy since graduation. She continues her work as assistant director of Nursing at South Davis Community Hospital, and has been blessed to welcome two babies to the family. She and her husband adopted a son, Jaxson, in November 2010. Six weeks later, she learned she was pregnant. The family welcomed daughter, Aynsley, to the family in September 2011.
Tara Sanders, MSN ‘09, ACNP-BC, RN, MA, RD, left her job as an intensivist at Duke University to join the Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgery Service at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas.
Katie Cole, MSN ‘10, ACNP-BC, is an intensivist nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit.
Martha Hawkins, DNP ‘10, CPNP, APRN, (center) teaches in the new BSN program at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Ky. She continues to travel with an international mission team, and in July 2011 had the opportunity to take two of her students along with her to El Salvador. She recently returned from a trip to Belize with six students and another faculty member.
Alane O’Connor, DNP ‘10, FNP-BC published her health policy article, “Nurse practitioners’ inability to prescribe buprenorprhine: Limitations of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000,” in the October 2011 edition of The Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
Nicole Delimont, MSN ‘11, is employed as an FNP at Katy Trail Community Health in Sedalia, Mo., seeing Spanish-, Russian- and English-speaking patients.
Laureal Janeice Jones, MSN ‘11, is a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. She is stationed at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Cari Trappe, MSN ‘11, has started work with Carithers Pediatric Group, a practice located in Jacksonville, Fla., and is looking forward to growing with the practice.
In Memoriam
Elizabeth (Betsy) Sanders Hood Procter, BSN ‘40, died on Feb. 10, 2012, in Cary, N.C.
Doris McGill Fraser, BSN ‘41, died on Oct. 22, 2011, in Billings, Mont.
Marie Jung Riggs, BSN ‘42, died on Dec. 11, 2011, in Lexington, Ky.
Marion Pauline Mooney, BSN ‘44, died on Sept. 3, 2011, in Rutherfordton, N.C.
Dr. Ann Lucille Flanagan Steck, BSN ‘48, died on Oct. 20, 2011, in Austin, Texas.
Marjorie Louise Wolf Rumpf, BSN ‘50, died on Sept. 6, 2011, in Carlisle, Pa.
Robbie Jean Sullivan Harris, BSN ‘52, died on Dec. 21, 2011, in Lexington, Tenn.
Jo Ann “Jo” Hardin, BSN ‘54, died on Sept. 9, 2011, in Nashville, Tenn.
Winifred Pugh Williams, MSN ‘60, died on Sept. 24, 2011, in San Antonio, Texas.
Reba Virginia (Ginny) McQueen, BSN ‘61, died on Nov. 9, 2011, in Fayetteville, Ark.
Dora Frances (Dody) Fannin Forman, BSN ‘62, died on Feb. 1, 2012, in Danville, Ky.
Carol Rae Flesher, MSN ‘98, died on Jan. 30, 2012, in Gridley, Ill.
