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Involving Caregivers in Brain Tumor Clinical Research

Laurie Minns, assistant professor of clinical research in the School of Nursing in the College of Health and Human Services began her journey into clinical research shortly after earning her PhD in immunology from Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Father Daughter Duo Pursue Same Degree at UNCW

A father and daughter, Steve Cada and Aidyn Cada, are experiencing the academic journey side by side.

UNCW Climbs in 2025 U.S. News Best Online Programs Rankings

UNCW has climbed in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report “Best Online Programs” rankings, demonstrating its commitment to academic accessibility and student success.

A Call to Serve

Alyssia Jones began her academic career at Western New England University, where she was a business law major following the accelerated pre-law pathway.

Faculty Profile: Pamela Balogh

Dr. Pamela Balogh’s interest in nursing began in high school, where she took a medical science course that led her to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Read more about her journey into teaching future nurses.

Archive SON News

distributing food at Solomon TowersMarch 2024 - According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 18 percent of residents in the City of Wilmington are living in poverty and 14 percent of residents under 65 go about their day-to-day without health coverage. Unfortunately, money buys better health in the United States, and those struggling under income inequality are at a severe disadvantage with poor health and a lack of essential resources to stay healthy.

Clinical Instructor Kassie Stoffer’s Community Health prelicensure students at the UNCW School of Nursing found this out firsthand. Through the auspices of a New Hanover Endowment grant, Dr. Angie Sardina, associate professor of recreation therapy in the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences made it possible for Stoffer’s students, working alongside Dr. Jane Anderson (clinical assistant professor) and Dr. Stephanie Turrise (associate professor) of the SON, to provide several resources and services to this underserved population at a Mobile Health and Resource Fair, which promotes access to critical community resources to address socioeconomic disparities in health.

A New Hanover Community Endowment grant had also been awarded to Dr. Turrise for a separate project, but the health fairs conducted by Dr. Sardina and colleagues afforded Dr. Turrise a prime opportunity to reach those in the community who were in need.

Through her grant, Dr. Turrise was able to furnish Stoffer’s Community Health clinical students with plenty of blood pressure monitoring equipment so that the students could screen and educate citizens at high risk for hypertension as well as those who were screened as having high readings but who lacked a blood pressure monitor to conduct self-monitoring at home.

The Community Health prelicensure students offered cholesterol, blood glucose, and HgA1c screenings along with BP and BMI assessments. Dr. Anderson provided nutritional and fall-risk screenings and offered flu prevention care. Dr. Anderson also distributed digital thermometers for assessment of flu and educated people about COVID versus cold symptoms.

In reviewing the data from the nutritional screening conducted, Dr. Anderson was concerned to discover that more than 60 percent of participants in these communities were at high risk of malnutrition.

Dr. Anderson, an avid gardener, took it upon herself to plant all her fall garden beds with crops more than her needs. Though this would help, she knew that this would still not be enough to make the kind of impact that she wanted against local food insecurity. Dr. Anderson began inquiring at local produce markets for seconds and produce that was not put on display but still remained edible. In addition, Dr. Anderson logged onto Facebook Marketplace to find and connect with local farmers who had reasonable produce for sale. She found collard greens at $4 a bunch and a general store in Burgaw with 90 pounds of sweet potatoes for $10.

Dr. Anderson also let SON faculty know of her project and her need to reach as many people in need of help as possible. With generous hearts, the SON faculty donated $700 to this cause. Diane Pastor offered food donations of oranges and both Harris Teeter and Bigger’s Market stepped in to offer miscellaneous produce.

After contacting representatives at the Wilmington Housing Authority, Dr. Anderson arranged for there to be free produce distribution events for those in low-income communities.

Over the fall months of 2023, Dr. Anderson managed to conduct four separate distribution events. The bounty that the SON provided to residents of three Wilmington communities (Glover Plaza, Solomon Towers, and Hillcrest) included:

270 pounds of sweet potatoes
119 bunches of collards
50 pounds of white potatoes
30 pounds of carrots
30 pounds of onions
60 heads of romaine lettuce
50 English cucumbers
15 pounds of gala apples
12 green peppers
6 acorn squash
6 butternut squash
30 pounds of green beans
25 pounds of pinto beans
10 pounds of rice
4 bags of clementines
4 cauliflower heads
16 pounds of tomatoes (donated)
100 navel oranges (donated)
Bushel Rome apples (donated)
Several boxes various vegetable seconds (donated)
To help Dr. Anderson with the distributions, Diane Pastor (retired), Administrative Specialist Brenda Bowden, Bowden’s granddaughter, and Dr. Seoyoon Woo (assistant professor) all volunteered.

Dr. Sardina received an extension of her grant and planned two additional Mobile Health and Resource Fairs at Solomon Towers in March. Dr. Anderson, Dr. Turrise, and Mrs. Stoffer planned their station screenings once again.
March 2024 - A collaborative initiative involving faculty members of the UNCW School of Nursing and the School of Social Work is underway to foster well-being and resilience both on campus and in the broader community.

Dr. Anka Roberto, associate professor in the School of Nursing and leader of the Well-Being and Resilience Collaborative (WRC), said the initiative was born “from my work in the area of trauma and resilience and my faculty collaborators with a focus on workforce burnout prevention. We have been collaborating with faculty and staff in student affairs around this topic and are co-leading the initiative to become a JED designated campus.”

The non-profit Jed Foundation was founded in 2000 by Phil and Donna Satow, after their youngest son, Jed, died by suicide in college in 1998. The foundation works directly with schools and universities to put systems, programs, and policies in place to create a culture of caring that protects students’ mental health. The programs make it more likely that struggling students will seek help and be supported.

Dr. Roberto and her team have been busy behind the scenes speaking with faculty and staff, sharing ideas for how to create initiatives that promote well-being both on and off campus. Focus groups of students were convened to gather information of ways to move forward with evidence-based interventions, and data from a fall 2023 campus-wide survey is being pored over to find new solutions. The SON, in collaboration with the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), is launching a Well-Being Summer Institute as well as developing a trauma-informed pedagogy online summer school for faculty.

Partnerships with the community in creating community resilience workshops are in the works as are multiple research projects that have a primary focus on trauma-informed practice, resilience-focused work, as well as workforce development burnout prevention programs.

The work is still underway, but its promise is one that hopes to better the lives of all who may benefit from its efforts to foster mental and emotional well-being.
Brandy mechling, college of health and human sciencesMarch 2024 - Congratulations to Dr. Brandy Mechling (professor) and Dr. Lorie Sigmon (assistant professor) on being inducted into the National Academy of Practice.

On March 15th, both attended a ceremony in Jacksonville, Fl. where they became official fellows of the National Academy of Practice (FNAP) after having been nominated by the UNCW School of Nursing’s Dr. Nancy Ahern (professor), also a fellow in the academy.

Founded in 1981, the National Academy of Practice (NAP) is a non-profit organization that advises governmental bodies on the health care system with the mission to transform health and well-being, and advance interprofessional education, scholarship, research, practice, and public policy. NAP recognizes distinguished practitioners and scholars from multiple health professions. Dr. Mechling and Dr. Sigmon were selected for their excellent nursing and the interprofessional work that they have conducted over the years. 

Those inducted join the only interprofessional group of health care practitioners and scholars dedicated to supporting affordable, accessible, coordinated quality health care for all.
nursing student writes on clipboardFebruary 2024 - The UNCW School of Nursing has launched a new Doctor of Nursing Practice concentration.

The Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) concentration is designed to produce a professional with advanced-practice nursing skills to provide primary health care to patients ages 13 through end of life. This concentration prepares the graduate for advanced-practice provider roles in primary care settings.

The AGPCNP program consists of a minimum of 68 credit hours including six hours concentrated on a DNP project. Each candidate’s program of study will be designed to meet student outcomes for advanced practice as a DNP.

Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution with an overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Those interested must also have a valid unrestricted North Carolina registered nurse license, or a compact state license to complete clinical hours in North Carolina.

Additional requirements and details can be found here: Admission Requirements | AGPCNP

For further information about the program, visit uncw.edu/dnp or contact the AGPCNP concentration lead, Kelly Laham, DNP, ANP-BC, CNE, at dnp@uncw.edu.

Portrait of Melissa BatchelorFebruary 2024 - The University of North Carolina Wilmington has announced the 2024 recipients of the UNCW Alumni Association Distinguished Awards. Dr. Melissa Batchelor '96, '00M received the Distinguished Diversity Award. These awards are presented to individuals in recognition of their extraordinary achievement, outstanding character, and exemplary service to the university and community.

Dr. Batchelor has dedicated her career to improving the lives of older adults through her clinical practice, teaching, research, policy experience and service. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing from UNCW. Batchelor was a lecturer for UNCW's School of Nursing (SON) from 2005-11 while earning her post-master's certificate as a nurse educator and her doctoral degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. Batchelor was an associate professor at the Duke University SON from 2011-18 and is the current Director of the Center for Aging, Health and Humanities at George Washington University SON. She is board-certified as a gerontological registered nurse and family nurse practitioner.

Dr. Batchelor serves on the UNCW Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and Gerontological Society of America. Batchelor is a member of the AAN’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the past chair of the AAN's Expert Panel on Aging. She hosts a weekly podcast called “This is Getting Old: Moving Towards an Age-Friendly World” and is a co-author on a book titled “#SocialMedia in #Healthcare: A Guide to Creating Your Professional Digital Presence”. Batchelor served in the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging in the office of Senator Susan Collins [R-ME] in 2018.

An award ceremony honoring Dr. Batchelor and the other alumni honorees will be held at a later in the year.

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