About the School

June 2001 News

It's been a busy June, full of celebrations and good-byes…..

BSN grad Bridget Bjork with Dean Woods after the convocation ceremony

On June 8, the School's 14th annual convocation and awards ceremony was held in Meany Theater. Assembled faculty in full academic regalia bid farewell to 71 graduating BSN students as well as 95 Master of Nursing graduates and five Master of Science graduates. Seven post-master's students were awarded nurse practitioner certificates and 17 nurse scientists earned their Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science degrees.

Many special awards honored outstanding graduates as well as outstanding faculty:

Nancy Unger, MN, MPH, clinical instructor in medical-surgical nursing at Harborview Medical Center, was honored with the Rheba de Tornyay Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. BSN graduates Melinda Lee and James Platt presented the award.

Lyn Bond, Ph.D., RN, Professor of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, received the Sandra Eyres Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching. Making the award was Melissa Ortega-Staricka.

A Special Achievement Award was presented to Misty Katherine Munns for her many accomplishments and volunteer contributions while a student in the BSN program. Associate Professor Pam Jordan made the award.

Two BSN graduates, Abbie Elaine Richerzhagen and Carolina Sue Berg were presented with Humanitarian Awards in honor of their outstanding efforts in support of their classmates, school and communities. The awards were presented by faculty members Marte Hoffman and Lyn Bond.

A surprise Ambassadorship Award to BSN graduate Kimberly Gustafson was made by Dean Nancy Woods to honor Kim's many media activities publicizing the nursing profession and the School of Nursing over the past year. In turn, Kim surprised Assistant Director of Student Services Dagmar Schmidt with an "Open Door" Award in appreciation for all that she does to support BSN students.

Kristin Mullen, a second year ACNP oncology student with a minor in Genetics, received a two-year $20,000 American Cancer Society Master's Scholarship. She plans to graduate in Spring of 2002.

Janet Bagley, a Master of Science student with an oncology focus, also received a 2-year, $20,000 ACS award.

Mihkai Warren, an APIO-Oncology student who is also completing a minor in genetics, was awarded a $10,000 American Cancer Society Scholarship for her final year of Master of Nursing study.

Masters of Nursing graduate Lynley Bage Fow was presented with a Humanitarian Award by Professor Lyn Bond.

The Master's Outstanding Scholar Award was presented to Jean Marie Jones by Assistant Professor Sandra Motzer.

Jenni Marguerite Leikko was selected as student speaker by the class of 2001, and BSN grad Abbie Elaine Richerzhagen entertained those assembled with a spirited vocal solo.

BSN student Roda Scego was awarded a scholarship by the Mary Mahoney Professional Nurses Organization, a group that supports young African-American women and men who seek careers in nursing. Scego, a refugee from Somalia, will graduate in June, 2002.

Rosaelia (Rosie) Morfin, a UW undergraduate who will enter the BSN program this Fall, was awarded a scholarship by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). The award supports Hispanic college students who are majoring in the fields of mathematics, sciences, and engineering.

BSN students Juli Ward and Melissa Lynn Hutchinson each received $1000 scholarships from King County Nurses Association.

Mary Jo Sarver received a 2-year, $20,000 scholarship from the American Cancer Society in support of her MN program. Her focal area is ACNP, oncology.

Doctoral student Brenda Broussard was awarded a Stroum Minority Fellowship. Her research area of interest is women with eating disorders, primarily bulimia nervosa.

Diane Anderson, a student in the MN/MPH concurrent degree program, won the Research Award from the American Board for Occupational Health Nurses.

Other notable June events:

At a Scholarship Day held June 7, doctoral students presented their cutting-edge nursing research studies members of the faculty, staff and interested public. Student presenters included Margaret Wooding Baker, Diana E. McMillan, Meei-Fang Lou, Rhonda J. Niles, Dessnye Dee Clark, Suzanne C. Gillette, Jung-Chen Chang and Chintana Wacharasin.

An important element of Scholarship Day is the presentation of the Mildred M. Disbrow Award for papers in nursing that make a substantial contribution to knowledge in nursing. A tie award was presented to Angela Chia-Chen Chen and Kristin G. Cloyes, who received the same score in judging by a panel of faculty, but for radically different areas of research - adolescent risky sexual behavior and the politics of health care. Professor David Allen made the awards.

On June 11, the School said farewell to three visiting doctoral students from Thailand: Rojanee Chintanawat, Sommapat Sornchai and Wilai Kirdpole (who will leave in August). The three nurse scientists from Chang Mai University met with Dean Nancy Woods and faculty mentors Basia Belza, Marjorie Muecke and Gail Kieckhefer to share experiences about their past year of study. Aljoya Professor in Aging Margaret Dimond also served as a mentor.

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