THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF NURSING

It is with a heavy heart that I along with our college, medical center, colleagues and friends throughout the United States mourn the passing of an incredible woman, internationally renowned leader and psychiatric nurse, former dean, and friend Grayce Sills. I had the privilege and blessing of getting to know Grayce well over the past 4 ½ years. She was one of the kindest, passionate and wisest people I have ever known. Grayce told me several times over the past few years that she was so happy getting to see some of the dreams that she had for our college for a very long time finally coming true. I believe that she would advise us to keep paying forward our talents and gifts without skipping a beat, and to continue to pursue our dreams with patience and persistence. I have no doubt that we will all remember Grayce with the fondest of memories. Let us be thankful for the times we had with her and celebrate the life of this extraordinary woman and her landmark contributions to our profession.

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It has been a long-time dream of mine to establish a national institute for evidence-based practice (EBP), an entity that could be the nation's hub for the best and latest evidence to improve healthcare quality, safety and population health outcomes. After a more than 10-year journey of sharing this dream and outlining the amazing outcomes that could be accomplished by such an institute, the dream has finally come to fruition with the largest gift in our college's history from the Helene Fuld Health Trust. This very generous grant of $6.5 million will establish and permanently endow the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare. It also will endow the Helene Fuld Health Trust Professor of Evidence-based Practice and provide operating funds to fuel our work in EBP further and faster across the United States.

Read the rest of my message here.

Fondly,

Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP/PMHNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN
Associate Vice President for Health Promotion
University Chief Wellness Officer
Dean and Professor, College of Nursing
Professor of Pediatrics & Psychiatry, College of Medicine
The Ohio State University

Celebrating wellness for Nurses Week

In honor of National Nurses Week, please join us at noon EDT May 9 for the webinar, "Healthy Nurses/Healthy Patients: Key Strategies for Self-Care and Promoting Heart Health." A collaboration between The Ohio State University and the National Interprofessional Education and Practice Collaborative to Advance Million Hearts, the webinar will discuss the current state of health in the nursing population. Healthy lifestyle behavioral modifications and innovative approaches for promoting health and wellness in nurses will be highlighted by using the national cardiovascular platform of the Million Hearts® initiative. Key strategies for integrating wellness into nursing curricula and places of work will be highlighted. RSVP here. Directions and URL will be sent the week of May 2.

Reaching out for community health

The College of Nursing and Making a Difference, Inc., conducted “Barbers and Beauticians That Care,” during Minority Health Month in April. With a grant from the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, the groups held two events with eight barber shops and beauty salons to conduct wellness checks and raise awareness about stress/mental health. View photos from the event on Flickr.

Launch of new CE courses on the eLearning website

AcCELL, the Academy for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning, is excited to roll out all new, revised eLearning offerings to meet your professional development needs. Visit the AcCELL website for more information.

Calling all young alumni

The college has created an engagement survey in an effort to better understand how we can serve our young alumni community and determine how to improve alumni involvement. The survey is for alumni 40 years of age and younger. Please take a moment to share your thoughts with us!

Call for nominations

Nominate a fellow alumna/alumnus (or yourself!) for any of our four Nursing Alumni Society Awards to be presented at the awards dinner on Friday, September 30, 2016. The deadline for award submission is June 1, 2016. Click here for a description of each award and nomination criteria.

Graham celebrated by Ohio State

Margaret Graham, vice dean and associate professor, was recognized by the President and Provost's Council on Women at an Ohio State Glass Breaker. The award celebrated five women whose work has improved workplace culture for women at the university. Among her accomplishments that were noted was her work to establish a nurse practitioner-led clinic at OSU East.

Director of community outreach named

The College is pleased to announce that Laureen Smith has been appointed as Director of Community Outreach and Engagement for the CON. Smith is an associate professor.

Two picked for STTI Hall of Fame

Sonia Duffy and Rita Pickler have been competitively selected for induction into Sigma Theta Tau International's Research Hall of Fame on July 23 in Cape Town, South Africa. Dean Bernadette Melnyk said, "This prestigious award is a testimony to the outstanding contributions they have made in their respective areas of research." Duffy is the Mildred E. Newton Endowed Chairand Pickler is FloAnn Sours Easton Endowed Professor of Child and Adolescent Health and director of the PhD Program.

CTEP partners with military on grant

In partnership with Col (Dr.) Penelope Gorsuch, Dean USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Dr. Lynn Gallagher-Ford collaborated on a Tri-Service Nursing Research Grant titled "Impact of Formal Education on Evidence-based Practice Competence of Nurse Teams." Gallagher-Ford is director of the Center for Transdisciplinary Evidence-based Practice.

NAP distinguished fellow

Janine Overcash has been elected as a distinguished fellow in the prestigious National Academies of Practice. The selection as a fellow in NAP is highly competitive. Overcash is a clinical associate professor.

Three faculty publish leadership book

Nursing faculty Dan Weberg, Tim Porter-O’Grady, and Kathy Malloch recently published the book "Leadership for Evidence-based Innovation in Nursing and Health Professions." Weberg is a clinical instructor; Porter-O’Grady is Clinical Professor and Leadership Scholar; and Malloch is a clinical professor of practice. Learn more about the book here.

Warren honored by ANA

Barbara Jones Warren was honored with the American Nurses' Association esteemed 2016 Hildegard Peplau Award. Warren is a professor of clinical nursing and director of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Across the Lifespan specialty.

Two selected as AANP fellows

Kristine Browning and Candy Rinehart have been competitively selected as Fellows in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. They will be inducted at the upcoming national conference in June. Browning is an assistant clinical professor and director of the Master of Science in Nursing program. Rinehart is the director of the NP-led interprofessional Total Health and Wellness Clinic at OSU East.

Connie (Harrison) Gallaher, RN, MS

OSU degrees: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) 1978; Master of Nursing with a focus in Administration (MS) 1987

Current role: Chief Operating Officer, OhioHealth Home Care

Professionally, I am most proud of keeping my core beliefs at the center of the work I do and have been privileged to do in my career. First, the patient and families we serve are what we are all about. I am also proud to have kept my origins central over the many years in the industry. That is, I remember as a new nurse what it meant to be supported, valued and developed. We were all new to some task or skill at one time in our career and I give to others the same support and nurturing that my most significant mentors gave to me. In the words of the great Woody Hayes, "pay forward."

Interesting fact: I have had the opportunity to work in all three adult health systems in Columbus and to do a wide range of work in the industry including home care, acute care hospitals, surgery specialty hospitals and service lines. I have also had the opportunity to be a part of four hospital builds in the city with the most recent being the OhioHealth Neuroscience Center at Riverside Methodist. More important than the "bricks and mortar" has been the opportunity to guide and develop the patient care philosophy and care models that ensured the patient and family were the center of the development and the care models implemented.

Prepare for Sun Safety during Summer Months

Sunlight is the main source of UV rays, but you don't have to avoid the sun completely. In fact, a little sunlight every day is important for boosting your Vitamin D level. Simple steps you can take to limit your exposure to UV rays include seeking shade between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when UV light is strongest; cover as much skin as possible with long sleeve shirts, pants and hats; wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or greater; wear sunglasses to protect the eyes and skin around them; and avoid tanning beds. Find more sun safety tips here.

Summer 2016

Regional Alumni Events

We’re headed to your town! This summer, Dean Bern Melnyk and the CON's alumni staff will visit Akron (TBD) and Dayton (8/9) in hopes of strengthening alumni ties to the college and provide updates on new programs and initiatives. Visit the Alumni Events section of our website for details.

8/16/16

10th Annual Wine Tasting

Save the date for this annual event which benefits the College of Nursing Scholarship Fund. Join us at 6 p.m. at the Ohio Union Performance Hall. Visit the Alumni Events section of our website for updates.

9/30/16 – 10/2/16

Homecoming Weekend

Mark your calendars for Homecoming 2016 and reconnect with your fellow Buckeyes! This year we will honor all BSN, MS and PhD graduates from years ending in "1" or "6." Not a milestone year? Come anyway! Registration opens this summer.

View more upcoming events here.