Nursing News and Events

Visiting Instructor of Nursing Brenda Lessen and senior nursing students in the Epidemiology and Community Health Science course were recognized for the integral part Illinois Wesleyan nursing students played in the nursing care of a rural school population. The Academic-Community Partnership between the IWU School of Nursing and Ridgeview Elementary School in Colfax, Ill., contributed to Ridgeview being the first school in the state to earn the USDA Healthier U.S. Challenge Award. Ridgeview School Nurse Teresa Pratt worked with Lessen and the nursing students in coordinating a Body Walk Program for kindergarten through fifth-graders, and a six-week Sports Nutrition Challenge Course for seventh-graders.

Folse Named School of Nursing Director
Associate Professor of Nursing Vickie Folse has been named director of Illinois Wesleyan's School of Nursing, to succeed retiring director Donna Hartweg.

Students in Assistant Professor of Nursing Susan Swanlund's class, "Nursing and Health Promotion," capped their semester's learning by sharing it with residents of Bloomington's Westminster Village Retirement Community. Above, Betty and Will Stevenson visit with Samantha Studzinski '11 about osteoarthritis.

Recent Graduate Joins Council at Mayo Clinic
Attracting hope for nursing's future with her passion for helping people and spirit of inquiry, Alissa Sherman '08 was invited to join a council working to shape the profession.

Distinguished Alumna Named Dean of Nursing in Tennessee
Wendy Nehring '79, Illinois Wesleyan's Distinguished Alumna for Nursing Excellence in 2005, has been named dean of nursing at East Tennessee State University.

Professor Continues Fellowship Legacy
Associate Professor of Nursing Victoria Folse has been awarded a 2009 Nurse Educator Fellowship from the Illinois Center for Nursing, the third consecutive year Illinois Wesleyan faculty have been honored.

Nursing Students Host Spanish-Speaking Radio Show (from the Pantagraph)
Two nursing majors are co-hosting a new "RadioLatina" show on the student radio station, WESN.

At the annual John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference, senior nursing major Alissa Sherman presented research about the health risks from hospitals' use of medical materials made from polyvinyl chlorine (PVC). Read a summary (pdf)

Nursing Alumna Honored
Public health nurse and epidemiologist Mary Ellen Simpson '91 was named the 2008 Distinguished Alumna for Nursing Excellence.

Nursing Major Finds True Calling (from the Morris Daily Herald)
After volunteering to provide medical care to residents of New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward during Illinois Wesleyan's Alternative Spring Break, Erica Jensen '11 has decided to devote herself to community nursing.

Students to be Inducted Into Nursing Honor Society
Eight Illinois Wesleyan students will be inducted into the Theta Pi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, an international nursing honor society.

Nursing Alumna Brings Health, Hope to Honduran Children
As chief financial officer and volunteer coordinator for Global Healing's Roatan Volunteer Pediatric Clinic in Honduras, Alice Gruber '62 is helping to heal and empower the population.

Managing Multiple Medicines: Learning From Those Who Succeed
A study by IWU nursing faculty suggests health care professionals can look at an older patient's lifestyle to understand whether they may be successful in managing their prescriptions.

Nursing Students Join in Women's Health Night
(From the Pantagraph) -- Sophomore nursing students Chelsie Black and Amanda Andreasik spoke at the 10th annual Women's Health Night.

Professor Releases New Edition of Top Nursing Book
The fifth edition of the most popular health assessment textbook in America, written by Adjunct Associate Professor of Nursing Carolyn Jarvis, was recently released.

Nursing Faculty Member Awarded Fellowship
The Illinois Board of Higher Education has awarded a Nurse Educator Fellowship to Professor of Nursing Connie Dennis.

Health Students Raise Funds for Fight Against Malaria
Students contributed to the international fight against malaria by raising more than $1,200 in a little over a week for the Nothing But Nets campaign.

Herring Named 2007 Distinguished Alumna
Former Assistant Professor of Nursing Mary Wright Reuther Herring, class of 1970, was named the 2007 Distinguished Alumna for Nursing Excellence.

See photos of the Class of 2008 in Springfield for the Annual Illinois Nurses Association Political Action Day.

Nursing Faculty to Participate in Development Workshop
A faculty team from the School of Nursing has been selected through a national competition to participate in a series of education events to enhance the teaching of undergraduate public health education.

New Study Highlights Latina Perceptions of Health
Work by School of Nursing Director Donna Hartweg and Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Christina Isabelli-Garcia is bringing attention to the need to communicate about health care with Spanish-speaking immigrant women.

Metcalfe Receives Nurse Educator Fellowship Award
Associate Professor of Nursing Sharie Metcalfe was among 15 distinguished nurse educators from across Illinois selected by the Illinois Board of Higher Education to receive a Nurse Educator Fellowship Award in a program aimed at retaining well-qualified nursing faculty.

Hartweg Named to Illinois Center for Nursing Advisory Board
Donna Hartweg, director of the School of Nursing and the Caroline F. Rupert Professor of Nursing at IWU, was among 11 members appointed by Governor Rod Blagojevich to the Advisory Board of the new Illinois Center for Nursing, which will address the shortage of nursing manpower in the state.

Nursing Alumna Honored
Jean L. Heideman, class of '82, was honored as the 2006 Distinguished Alumna for Nursing Excellence on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the School of Nursing Homecoming Brunch.

Nursing Faculty Present Research in South Africa
Sharie Metcalfe, associate professor of nursing, and Vickie Folse, assistant professor of nursing, will travel to South Africa in July 2006 to present their respective research projects at the 9th World Congress on Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory.

Student Gains Hands-On Experience in Nicaragua
Angel Arroyo, Class of 2006, joined a volunteer mission trip to Nicaragua, where he used his bilingual and nursing skills at make-shift clinics.

Student Lobbies for Nursing
Senior Emily Hejmanowski, a nursing major from New Lenox, Ill., spent the spring 2006 semester lobbying in Springfield for nurses' rights.

School of Nursing Provides Educational Excellence
The School of Nursing was featured in the Spring 2006 issue of the American Concierge Magazine.

Nursing Students Participate in Disaster Readiness Drill
The (Bloomington, Ill.) Pantagraph reported on a McLean County disaster readiness drill, which included participation by Illinois Wesleyan nursing students.

Nehring Named Distinguished Alumna for 2005
Wendy Nehring, class of '79, was named the 2005 Distinguished Alumna for Nursing Excellence during Homecoming events.

Nursing Professor Says Katrina's Psychological Health Effects Will Be Long-Term
Beyond the obvious, urgent health issues that faced Hurricane Katrina evacuees and relief workers, such a large-scale disaster will have both immediate and long-term psychological effects, says Cynthia Kerber, assistant professor of nursing at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Nursing students offer breathalyzer screenings at downtown tavern
To raise awareness about drunk driving and the amount of alcohol it takes to reach legal limits, a group of Illinois Wesleyan University nursing students offered free breathalyzer screenings in downtown Bloomington.

Older Adults at Risk for Gambling Problems, Nursing Professor Says
As legal gambling options have become prevalent - from state-sponsored lotteries to popular riverboat casinos - a variety of factors combine to make older adults vulnerable to gambling addictions, according to Cindy Kerber, adjunct assistant professor of nursing.

Two Alumni Serve As Nurses in Iraq
Navy lieutenant Jody Shepard '96 and Army Captain Brian Gegel '94 saved lives and made history as nurses in Iraq.

School of Nursing Alum Offers New Health Care Options as Nurse Midwife
Darryn Dunbar, a 1990 graduate of the School of Nursing and a practicing certified nurse-midwife, was featured in the Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine.