Letter to Alumni

April 3, 2011

Dear Nursing Alumni and Friends:

Greetings to all from the Department of Nursing!  On behalf of the faculty, staff and students, it is my honor and privilege to be able to share news of the ongoing developments and achievements within the Department of Nursing.

Many of you may have received a post-card announcing the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Health and Social Sciences Building for April 21, 2011 at 2 p.m., followed by a reception in Allen House at 3 p.m.  We hope many of you might consider attending; RSVP to Audrey_Veiga@uml.edu or 978-934-1401 if you can join us.  The Health and Social Sciences Building will be home to the Department of Nursing! 

Nursing will be occupying an entire floor of this 4-story building, as well as offices on additional floors.  The area will include state-of-the-art nursing skills, health assessment, and simulation laboratories.  Nursing has been actively involved in all aspects of the pre-planning and design phase, and we will look forward to keeping you updated on the progress.  The new building will be adjacent to McGauvran Hall on the corner of Broadway and Wilder.

As for academic program news, the Baccalaureate Nursing Program continues with significant enrollment growth.  We now have seen incredible growth, with current enrollment of 447 nursing students, 41 of which are RNs in the BS Degree Completion option.  We have just learned the outstanding news that our 2010 NCLEX-RN pass rate is 95%. This is clearly a strong testament to the highly-qualified, hard-working and strongly motivated nursing students/graduates who have been instructed by the very dedicated nursing faculty at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

As a result of our Baccalaureate and Graduate (MS, Graduate Certificate, DNP, and PhD) program growth, we have been allocated newly authorized faculty positions, which are currently posted on the Human Resources website.  We welcome qualified applicants to consider a nurse faculty position at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.  See http://www.uml.edu/HR for additional information on how to apply.

New Faculty and Professional Staff

We are pleased to report the following newly appointed faculty for the 2010-2011 academic year:

• Sarah Belisle, Clinical Assistant Professor
• Lea Dodge, Visiting Assistant Professor
• Sandra Mote, Visiting Assistant Professor
• Deb VanEtten, Clinical Assistant Professor
• Dr. Nancy Duphily, Lecturer
  

Academic Program Development and Growth

As noted,the BS and RN-BS degree completion program has seen tremendous growth, and we are excited to welcome these new students to the nursing major. Plans for an accelerated BS program offering for those with a Bachelor's degree are in the approval stages, while an online RN-BS degree completion option is being developed as well.

The MS Program enrollment continues to grow with 129 students that include those enrolled in the Adult-Gerontological (started Fall 2010), Family Health, and Adult Psychiatric Mental Health advanced practice specialties as well as those in graduate certifcates in Gerontological Nursing, Geropsychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, and Palliative and End of Life Nursing Care.  We also have two post-MS Graduate Certificates - one in Nursing Education and the other in Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (for the MS-prepared NP).  There are now two new programs that have received approval.  The Graduate Certificate in Sleep and Sleep Disorders has been launched, and the post-MS Orthopedic-Rehabilitation Nursing Certificate for the nurse practitioner will be considered for launching in the near future.  We are excited about these opportunities and the potential they will provide for expanding the knowledge base of nurses interested in these important health areas.

Our first class of DNP students began in the Fall 2009 and now enrolls 17 students.  The program feedback has been highly positive, and we are actively interviewing and accepting a cadre of excellent candidates for the upcoming Fall 2011.  We have exciting news to report; funding from HRSA, Advanced Education in Nursing Grant was received by Principal Investigators, Drs. Susan Houde and Angela Nannini, for the proposal entitled: "DNPs Caring for the Underserved after Massachusetts Health Care Reform," July, 2010 to June 2013.  The focus of this grant is to enhance educational opportunities for DNP students in caring for the underserved; to date, 2 DNP Colloquia have been held on the First Wednesdays of the month, and an Open House is scheduled for Wednesday, April 6, 2011, 5:00-8:00, and will include a DNP Colloquium with Sue Mullaney, MS GNP-BC, from EverCare, one of the partners on the grant.  Additional information about the DNP can be found under Programs of Study on our nursing website, www.uml.edu/Nursing.  Dr. Angela Nannini, Associate Professor, is the DNP contact, and she can be reached at 978-934-4938.

The Ph.D. in Nursing Program, with its unique focus on Health Promotion, has also seen growth.  Dr. Barbara Mawn, Director of the Ph.D. Program, was on sabbatical for the Spring 2010.  Her research and scholarly interests took her to Thailand and Ireland, and she has formed ongoing research partnerships in both areas with nursing faculty from these countries.  For the Ph.D. Program, plans are underway to offer an on-line/hybrid program on weekends in the near future. 

Research and Trainee-ship Funding

The Department of Nursing continues to receive substantial research funding and trainee-ships that have included:

• 2008-2011, U.S. DHHS, Bureau of Health Professions, Division of Nursing, Health Resources and Services Administration, Nursing Workforce Diversity, $894,085.  Dr. Karen Devereaux Melillo, Principal Investigator, Dr. Jacqueline Dowling, Co-PI; Drs. Lisa Abdallah and Peggy Knight, Co-Investigators
• 2010-2011, U.S. DHHS, HRSA, Advanced Traineeship grant funding for full-time Ph.D. and MS students, Dr. Susan Houde, Principal Investigator; this has been resubmitted for 2011-12 by Dr. Barbara Mawn.
• 2008-2013, Office of Population Affairs, 5-year "Male Research Cooperative Study" grant to the Montachusett Opportunity Council, a non-profit organization that reaches young African American and Hispanic males in north central Massachusetts, to confront rising rates of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV infections in Leominster and Fitchburg, $1.2M, Dr. Ainat Koren, Co Investigator.
• 2010-2012, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Workforce Development Grant, "Bring Diversity to Nursing," Dr. Karen Devereaux Melillo, Principal Investigator; Dr. Jacqueline Dowling, Co-Pi; Drs. Lisa Abdallah and Peggy Knight, Co-Investigators; refunded for 2 additional years
• 2010-2011, HRSA ARRA Funding, On the Move for Nursing's Future: Bring Diversity to Nursing Mobile Simulation Laboratory, Dr. Jacqueline Dowling, Principal Investigator
• 2010-2011, HRSA, ARRA Funding, Advanced Nurse Practitioner Training Equipment, Dr. Angela Nannini, Principal Investigator

Key Books Published by Nursing Faculty

• Hoff, L.A. & Morgan, B. (2011) Psychiatric and mental health essentials in primary care. London and New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
• Melillo, K.D. & Houde, S.C. (2011) (Eds.).  Geropsychiatric and mental health nursing (2nd ed.). Sudbury,MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
• Reddeker, N. & Phillips McEnany, G. (2011). Sleep disorders and sleep promotion in nursing practice.  New York: Spring Publishers.

As Always, I feel honored and privileged to be able to present to you, our Alumni and Friends, an update of our achievements and accomplishments.  The University is a very exciting place to be under the leadership of Chancellor Martin T. Meehan, Provost Ahmed Abdelal, and Dean of the School of Health and Environment, Dr. Shortie McKinney.  We know that it is you, all of our distinguished nursing alumni and friends, who promote the positive reputation of UMass Lowell Nursing.  Please keep in touch; we immensely appreciate your support of the profession of Nursing and the University of Massachusetts Nursing Program.

Best Wishes,



Karen Devereaux Melillo, Ph.D., GNP, ANP-BC, FAANP, FGSA
PROFESSOR AND CHAIR