Fall 2005 University of Maryland NURSINGLeadership—Partnership—InnovationNURSING Making an Impact Around the World University of Maryland NURSING University of Maryland NURSING The University of Maryland School of Nursing, Office of Communications, publishes University of Maryland NURSING biannually. We welcome your comments, suggestions, and story ideas. E-mail comments to: [email protected]. Janet D.Allan Contributors Design PhD, RN, CS, FAAN Patricia Adams Rottman Creative, LLC Dean and Professor Susan Flaherty Tawanda Johnson Printing Editorial Board Rosalia Scalia J.W. Boarman Co., Inc. Patricia D. Adams Danielle Sweeney Director of Media Relations and Publications Photography Susanna Nemes, PhD Ron Compton Director, WHO/PAHO George Hagegeorge Collaborating Center for Brian Hall Mental Health Rick Lippenholz Joe Rubino Sally Raphel, MS, APRN/PMH, FAAN Deputy Director, WHO/PAHO Collaborating Center for Mental Health Table of Contents From the Dean 3 From the Co-Guest Editors 4-5 Making an Impact Around the World 6-19 New Programs 20-21 New Equipment Advances Student Learning 22-24 Events 25-31 Faculty Appointments 32-34 Staff Appointments 34-35 Alumni Pulse 36-47 Development 48-53 On the Cover The leaders of the School of Nursing’s World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization Collaborating Center for Mental Health Nursing (left to right) – Sally Raphel, MS, APRN/PMH, FAAN deputy director of the Center; Susanna Nemes, PhD, director of the Center; and Evelyn Avilés-Santiago, secretary. page 2 FROM THE DEAN From the Dean • the commitment to deliver care to maximize the health of individuals, families and communities, and • the critical need to achieve equitable health outcomes across the life span. Three years ago, the University of Maryland School of Nursing was designated as the nation’s first World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization (WHO/PAHO) Collaborating Center for Mental Health Nursing. In this issue of University of Maryland NURSING, we celebrate the establishment and accomplishments of the Center, which is one effort to make this preferred global future a reality. We also highlight and celebrate the many international activities sponsored by the School, and acknowledge faculty and staff endeavors in these activities. At the School of Nursing, we continually Dean Janet D. Allan celebrate our diversity. International students made up six percent of our student enrollment We truly live in a global society. Internationally, for the fall 2005 semester. You will have the nursing is viewed as a vital and integral partner in opportunity to read about three of these every health care system. However, nursing and remarkable students – one from India, one other health and social disciplines are challenged from Africa, and one from Taiwan – in this in their ability to establish healthy communities publication. You will also read about other that are threatened by disease, environmental international outreach efforts in which our hazards and conditions, violence and faculty, staff, and students are involved. socioeconomic disparities. Effectively dealing with infectious diseases is a global problem; the nursing Through our WHO/PAHO Center, our shortage is a global crisis. international activities and our collaborative efforts around the world, we continue to strive To meet these challenges, Sigma Theta Tau to strengthen the knowledge base for mental International Honor Society for Nursing convened health education and practice, and promote three multidiscipline/multinational Arista (a Greek research into critical mental health problems. word meaning the brightest) conferences with the By reaching out to our international colleagues goal of creating a blueprint for nursing's and offering opportunities for exchanging “preferred” global future that focused on ideas, our School of Nursing will be an active promoting healthy communities. These participant in the globalization of health conferences resulted in a set of recommendations professions, education, and health care. It is for achieving nursing's “preferred” global future. our desire to advance the goals of all WHO Collaborating Centers and to achieve true Across all geographic regions, four consistent “Health for All.” elements of nursing's "preferred" global future have been identified as: • the need to restructure the nursing profession so nurses are a vital part of every health care system • the importance of a focus on delivering Janet D.Allan, PhD, RN, CS, FAAN culturally appropriate, evidence-based, Dean and Professor holistic, humane care page 3 University of Maryland NURSING From the Co-Guest Editors Sally Raphel, MS, APRN/PMH, FAAN, deputy director of the WHO/PAHO Collaborating Center for Mental Health Nursing and Susanna Nemes, PhD, director of the Center. The University of Maryland School of Nursing is proud to house the nation’s first World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization (WHO/PAHO) Collaborating Center for Mental Health Nursing. Our School of Nursing and the Nursing Collaborating Center of the University of Alberta, Canada, are the only WHO-designated nursing centers in the world dedicated to improving mental health care. PAHO, one of the seven regions for WHO, covers the A second commitment is to work in the area for Americas, so our work during this first term of quality of care improvement. Through ongoing designation (2002-2006) is focusing on South and partnerships with other collaborating centers, Sigma Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Theta Tau International Honor Society, and universities throughout the country, work is WHO designated the School of Nursing as a proceeding for best practices and competencies for collaborating center to help carry out the WHO nurses and mental health service providers. In millennium development goals, which include addition, to enhance care, we have an initiative to commitments to reduce poverty and hunger, and to understand the role and capacity of community tackle ill-health, gender inequality, lack of health workers to increase access to crisis education, lack of access to clean water, and intervention in the region. Finally, we are developing environmental degradation. The School’s funding sources for research opportunities in collaborating center is addressing the mental health conjunction with other collaborating centers. aspects of some of those goals. The projects in this first designation period have focused on educating In March 2004, we were happy to participate in the nurses about mental health and promoting nursing biennial meeting of the Global Network for Nursing and leaders in policy issues for health in the Americas. Midwifery in Johannesburg, South Africa, where we shared and learned from the 36 WHO-designated The Center’s central theme is advancing the work nursing collaborating centers around the world. These force of skilled mental health nurses and mental centers focus on areas such as primary care, HIV, health providers to improve the care and access to research, community health, public health, gerontology, care for millions of people in need in the PAHO and policy development. Since our designation, PAHO region. In the three years since designation by WHO, nursing staff have arranged more than 12 visits to our we have worked hard for and achieved the Center for deans of Latin American universities, leadership role in mental health nursing in the psychiatrists, and experts seeking information on Americas. Our pledge to WHO/PAHO is to assist with collaboration for their particular needs. meeting the nursing human resource needs of Latin and Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico through nursing education projects. continued on next page page 4 FROM THE CO-GUEST EDITORS continued from pg. 4 We have also built a strong worldwide reputation Day, which concentrated on nursing efforts and for emphasis on mental health. Throughout the our international master’s and doctoral students. course of our association with PAHO, we have There has been strong support, cooperation, and served as consultants to Guatemala, the consultation from the faculty on matters such as Guatemalan Nurses Association, and the Honduras psychiatric and mental health, informatics, Mental Health Team. In addition, we have environmental nursing, learning laboratories, and conducted workshops in Costa Rica and Mexico. policy leadership. This has been accomplished through close cooperation with PAHO representatives and use of We encourage you to visit the Center, located in regional consultants who have many years of Suite 480, when you are in the School of experience in the field of nursing. Nursing building. The solidarity with the other centers provides opportunities for collaboration. Some of our past and current collaborations include the University of Panama School of Nursing; the University of Misiones, Posadas, Argentina; the University of Susanna Nemes, PhD Austral, Argentina; the University of Sao Paulo, Director Ribeiro Preto, Brazil; the National University of San WHO/PAHO Collaborating Center for Mental Marcos, Perú; and Asociación Colombiana de Health Nursing Facultades de Enfermería. Our Center has been fortunate to bring together an ongoing cadre of nurse experts and specialists from the Latin region, including educators and researchers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Panamá, Perú, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Sally Raphel, MS, APRN/PMH, FAAN Deputy Director The Center supports the efforts of the Hispanic WHO/PAHO Collaborating