Pirate Nurse Notes: Summer 2021
From the Dean: Our Year in Review
Dear Friends,
A new academic year is upon us, and I am excited about the possibilities it will bring in the College of Nursing. Before we set our sights on the future, however, I wanted to take time to highlight the incredible achievements and contributions from our students, faculty, staff, alumni and our community of supporters over the past year and during the pandemic. In the true spirit of Pirate Nurses, each of you transformed change and uncertainty into creativity and resilience.
Let’s look back together at what we accomplished during this challenging and remarkable time—and celebrate the promise a new academic year holds for the College of Nursing.
Featured Story
Emergency Education
New courses are the first of their kind for NC Nurses
The East Carolina University College of Nursing will offer four new courses in Healthcare Emergency and Disaster Management beginning in Fall 2021, making ECU the first university in the state to offer this kind of training.
The courses — open to nurses in any of the college’s graduate programs, as well as non-degree seeking nurses who have attained at least a BSN degree — are aimed at expanding nurses’ knowledge of emergency management and disaster preparation, response and recovery. The specialized instruction in these areas will prepare advanced nurses to lead communities and health care organizations to quickly find solutions and reduce suffering in the event of natural disasters, bioterrorism attacks, mass casualty events and pandemics.
The new courses offered beginning Fall 2021
• Introduction to Healthcare Emergency and Disaster Management
• Healthcare Disaster Preparation, Response and Recovery
• Role of Nursing in Disaster Response
• Interprofessional Global Disaster and Humanitarian Response
Courses are open to nurses in any of the college’s graduate programs, as well as non-degree seeking nurses who have attained at least a BSN degree. One new course will be offered each semester.
Interested? Contact Dr. Ann King (kingca@ecu.edu) or Dr. Michelle Skipper (skipperm@ecu.edu).
Pirate Profile: Dr. Pamela Reis
A car crash changed the future for East Carolina University’s Dr. Pamela Reis — and the future of thousands of students, mothers and their babies.
“I was in a car accident during the last month of my senior year in high school and fractured my femur,” said Reis, associate professor and interim Ph.D. in nursing program director in the College of Nursing. “I was supposed to attend Ithaca College as an English major upon graduation. However, my three-month experience as a patient in the hospital after the accident convinced me that nursing was my calling.”
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In the News
Dr. Daphne Brewington (’90, ’98, ’13), chief nurse executive for Vidant Health, and Dean Sylvia Brown spoke with WITN about the nursing shortage, how it’s been affected by COVID-19, and the ongoing effort to prepare nurses to meet the health care needs of North Carolina and beyond.
Accolades and Accomplishments
A roundup of the latest awards, accomplishments and accolades earned by faculty, staff, students and alumni.
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From the Director of Development
First, thank you for your financial support to the College of Nursing!
With 50% of our nursing students qualifying for financial aid (40% coming from NC’s most impoverished counties) your gifts helps us improve health care in the East and beyond. YOU are making a difference with each gift.
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Nominate a Nurse for the Hall of Fame
We’re now accepting nominations for the 2021-22 Hall of Fame class.
The ECU College of Nursing Hall of Fame honors outstanding contributors to nursing in education, administration, research and practice. In the Spring of 2021, we celebrated 22 new members that included accomplished clinicians, decorated military veterans, nurse scientists, current and former faculty members, leadership of major health systems and humanitarian organizations, as well as leaders of county, state and federal government health organizations.
Each inductee’s nomination is accompanied by a donation to the Hall of Fame Scholarship Fund, which supports the education of future Pirate Nurses. Since its inception in 2011, the Hall of Fame has generated more than $150,000 for merit-based student nursing scholarships.
Nominate a deserving nurse or nursing supporter today.
Upcoming Events
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, face coverings are required at all in-person events hosted by the College of Nursing until further notice.
Emerging Leaders Institute Series — Now-Oct. 3
Register now for this online, self-paced series of six modules designed to advance leadership capacity and competence of nurses currently serving or aspiring to serve in leadership roles. Presented by the East Carolina Consortium for Nursing Leadership and originating from the Eastern AHEC building in Greenville, this series can be webcast to both agencies and individual nurses across North Carolina.
Lamp of Learning Ceremony — Thursday, Sept. 2
New BSN students will be officially welcomed into the College of Nursing during this ceremony held at 10:30 a.m. at the East Carolina Heart Institute.
Scholarship & Donor Recognition — Friday, Sept. 24
The College of Nursing will celebrate scholarship recipients and their donors with a reception from 6-8 p.m. at the College of Nursing. More information will be provided to scholarship recipients and donors via email.
Siegfried Lowin Lecture — Friday, Sept. 24
Featuring Dr. Joan Haase, Holmquist Professor of Pediatric Oncology Nursing and co-director of the IUPUI Research in Palliative and End-of-Life Communication and Training (RESPECT) Signature Center for the Indiana University School of Nursing.
Homecoming — Friday, Oct. 1
We’re looking forward to welcoming back alumni, students, families and friends in the College of Nursing lobby for a reception from 5-7 p.m. RSVP to Jane Boardman (boardmanj@ecu.edu), and be sure to check out all the other ECU Homecoming events planned throughout the week.
Dr. Elaine Scott Leader Lecture — Thursday, Oct. 21
2019-20 Distinguished Alumni Dr. Mary Chatman, Wellstar Health Systems executive vice president and president of Wellstar Kennestone and Windy Hill Hospital, will be this year’s speaker for the annual Dr. Elaine Scott Leader Lectureship at the East Carolina Heart Institute. More information to follow for invited guests.