Dr. Anne C. Thomas, a clinically active gerontological and adult nurse practitioner, has been an adjunct faculty at the University of Indianapolis (UIndy) since 1996 and has recently been named to direct the graduate nursing programs. Dr. Thomas received both her BSN and MSN at UT Arlington and also served on faculty after receiving her MSN.

The Genomics Translational Laboratory (GTRL) now has a presence on the nursing website. Information about research activities and links to news articles will be available at www.uta.edu/nursing/genomics or, go to the nursing website and use the research drop down box to link to the new site.

Dr. Judy LeFlore, assistant professor in nursing, has received recognition for her innovative use of technology in education. Presented as UT Arlington's nomination for the Chancellor's Award for Innovations in Education, Dr. LeFlore has developed innovative teaching using high-fidelity manikins at the UT Arlington Smart Hospital. Once the committee reviewed nominations from all UT System universities, Dr. LeFlore was one of two honored.

“The committee felt that Dr. LeFlore’s program was very innovative, that it provided students with ‘real-world’ scenarios during training, that it had the capacity to expand to other programs, and that there was evidence of impact in community service and patient care,” said Roberta M. Rincon with UT System’s Office of Academic Affairs.

Three students in the School of Nursing’s PhD Program at UT Arlington received recognition for their work at the recent Southern Nursing Research Society annual conference in Birmingham, AL.

Susan Baxley, MS, RNC, PhD candidate and Kathryn Daniel, MS, ANP-BC, GNP-BC, PhD candidate were regional winners in a “Call for Podcasts” competition issued by the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS).

Mary Cazzell, BSN, RN, received Honorable Mention for her poster, titled Adolescent Inhalant Use: Using the Middle Range Theory of Adolescent Vulnerability to Risk Behaviors. Her poster was selected from one of the three poster sessions. Approximately 125 posters per session were presented by students and other nurse professionals.

On April 24, Honors College students were celebrated at an awards ceremony.

All Honors students who do either the Honors thesis or creative project as a requirement for the Honors diploma are required to present their research at Honors Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium (HURCA. This year, 24 students presented before judging panels and an audience. Each of three rooms had three judges that listened to the presentations, questioned the presenters, and then ranked each presenter. At the end of the day, the judges from the three rooms meet and chose three overall winners.

Katie Rose, Sr I BSN student, received the 3rd Place HURCA award for her thesis presentation entitled “Facilitation of Transcultural Communication in Nursing”. This is the first time a Nursing student has been chosen for this distinctive honor.

Poonam Gandhi, pre-nursing, received recognition as an Outstanding Honors College Council Member and Highest Honors recognition was given to these Nursing majors: Freshmen, Poonam Gandhi and Amber Rodiguez; Sophomores, Emmelene Fernando and En-szu Liao; Juniors, Victoria Davis, Leah Parker, Carl Towns, Jennifer Weibel-McKee, and Rachel Hudlow and Senior, Katie Rose.

Whether working behind the scenes or at the front desk, support staff are a important part of the team. Each year the University takes time to give recognition to those who are "outstanding". This year three nursing staff were nominated for this award: Denyse Belzile, Academic Advisor II; Penny Jenkins, Support Specialist II; and Holly Woods, Support Specialist II.

What does it take to be successful in your educational endeavors? Many students will tell you that along with hard work - you need good teachers and good advice. This year four advisors were nominated by their students for the Advisor of the Year Award presented by the University. A recognition ceremony to be held on May 8th will give recognition to those advisors: Dr. Jennifer Gray nominated by the PhD students; Justin Gerstenberger, Mindy Hutchison and Aris Musa nominated by the BSN students.

The excellence of our faculty is evidenced in many ways through achievements, recognitions and performance of students on licensure and credentialing examinations. On April 24th several nursing faculty were honored at the Faculty & Associates Meeting.

Dr. Patty Newcomb was selected as a recipient of a 2008 UTA Research Enhancement Award. She will receive funding to support research travel and other research-related needs.

Dr. Carolyn Cason received the UTA Outstanding Research Achievement or Creative Accomplishment Award receiving a plaque, medallion and a cash award.

Dr. Mary Lou Bond and Ms. Gina Thames were inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers. In addition to the medallion and plaque presented at the meeting, the award carries with it a permanent salary increase of $2,500.

Dr. Judy LeFlore has received the UT System Innovations in Education Award. Dr. LeFlore was presented to the UT System Selection Committee as UT Arlington's nominee and was selected from among nominees from each UT System component for her work in simulation technology and its impact on the University and beyond.

Patricia Turpin, PhD, RN, CNAA-BC Associate Clinical Professor of Nursing at The University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Galveston School of Nursing on March 28th. She is a 1968 Alumnus of the UTMB Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and will be honored for her significant contributions to the nursing profession in nursing education, administration, and organizational work in health care.

Dr. Turpin has been a MSN Nursing Administration Program faculty since 2001, has a faculty practice at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth and is the chair of the Institutional Research Board for the University. She received a Masters of Science in Nursing and a PhD in Nursing from UT Austin. In 2007 she was honored by the Dallas Forth Worth Hospital Council and Texas Nurses Association as a Great 100 Nurse.

The UT Arlington School of Nursing and Texas Health Resources (THR) have partnered to receive Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) funding to help meet the nursing demand in the State of Texas. A three-year $556,291 grant will be added to a $664,848 in-kind donation by THR for tuition, fees and student (THR employee) support. The program will offer the BSN curriculum to THR employees in 29 to 37 percent less time than the traditional pre-licensure program. More information on the LEARN (Leveraging Existing Academic Resources in Nursing) project will be posted on the School of Nursing website and on the THR employee intranet.

The University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing (UTASN) and Nurseslounge.com are partnering to offer continuing nursing education articles for readers of Nurses’ Lounge magazine, beginning with the March edition. UT Arlington’s Center for Continuing Nursing Education will provide a monthly continuing education article for Nurses’ Lounge magazine and NursesLounge.com written by nurses across the metroplex. Articles will feature relevant topics in nursing of interest to a wide audience offering registered nurses an easy way to earn CEU’s on their own schedule.

UT Arlington and the Star Telegram are teaming up to present the semi-annual Nursing Career Fair. This one-day event is designed to provide a forum for nursing students, registered nurses and others seeking nursing positions to meet face-to-face with area hospitals and other health care related businesses for position availability, scholarship and tuition reimbursement opportunities and externships/internships.

The fair will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday, February 25 in the Bluebonnet Ballroom of the E. H. Hereford University Center, 300 West First Street.