Advocating Nursing, HBCU Summer Program and the Official Opening

Notable achievements of our faculty, students, and alumni, plus the purpose-built premises of the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing are officially opened.

Faculty Recognition

Nancy Pike received the Western Institute of Nursing’s 2024 Anna M. Shannon Mentorship Award.

Professor Jung-Ah Lee is to be inducted to the Sigma International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in July 2024. Professor Lee also received the 2024 Senior Geriatric Researcher award from the Western Institute of Nursing (WIN).

Associate Professor Michelle Fortier’s pilot project, “Translating Goal-Focused Emotion Regulation Therapy to Young Adults Across Cancer Diagnoses,” was one of 28 groundbreaking cancer research projects awarded funding by the UCI Anti-Cancer Challenge.

Assistant Professor Jung In Park was inducted as a Fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association (FAMIA), recognizing her achievements in Applied Clinical Informatics.

Professor Susanne Phillips was honored as a Distinguished Educator by the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties 2024 Outstanding Policy Award.

Assistant Professor Dawn Bounds provided expertise to an advisory panel of the American Psychological Association that is releasing evidence-based recommendations on use of social media by adolescents.

Laura Assayag, a third-year DNP-FNP student, received the Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) peer-reviewed best student poster award for “Multimodal Educational Strategy to Increase Palliative Care Communication.”

Jamie Rae Garcia, DNP student, received a 2023 UCI Lantinx Excellence and Achievement Award for student success and research excellence.

Advocating Nursing

Elected officials recognize the importance of nursing to their constituents, and our school is often visited by local and national representatives. As advocates we also reach out to policymakers at their places of work.

Top Left: In orange blazer, Assembly member Cottie Petrie-Norris (California 73rd Assembly District), visiting the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing simulation center, with school of nursing faculty. Top Right: With Senator Dave Min (California 37th Senate District). Bottom Left: Senior Associate Dean Susanne Phillips, Dean Mark Lazenby, Congressman Mike Levin (California 49th Congressional District), Commander Jeffrey Chao, MD, U.S. Navy, and Michael Lekawa, MD Trauma & Critical Care Surgery, UCI Health. Bottom Right: Dean Mark Lazenby, Professor Susanne Phillips, Congressman Mark Takano (California 39th Congressional District), and Debra Curran, Director of Communications & Marketing, Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing.

HBCU Summer Research Program

The HBCU eight-week summer research program is part of our participation in the University of California President’s Office UC-HBCU initiative to encourage increased representation of Black students at post-masters level.

Faculty and PhD students, Back row from left: Jung-Ah Lee, Adey Nyamathi, E. Alison Holman, Mahkameh Rasouli, Afsaneh Saghafi, Nakia Best, and Jung-In Park. Faculty and participants, Front row from left: Shelley Burke (faculty), Ketsia Kasongo, Nastacia Taylor, Alexis Ross, Breanna Hutchison, Meghan Anthony, and Yuqing Guo (faculty)

In pale blue blazer: Assembly member Diane Dixon (California 72nd Assembly District) at the simulation center

Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing Ribbon Cutting

The Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing hosted a ribbon-cutting event on September 19, 2023, to celebrate the transformative gift from the Sue & Bill Gross Family Foundation that made possible the founding of the school and its purpose-built premises. The Sue J. Gross Foundation has continued to support the school with a gift that enabled the addition of a state-of-the-art simulation center and 200-seat auditorium, named for its benefactor.

See more from: Spring-Summer 2024 School Happenings