College of Nursing

Alumnus Paul Bassett, ’11, recently climbed Machu Picchu in Peru to bring awareness to myeloma. He participated in the inaugural Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma partnership with Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Cure Magazine, which brought together a team of patients, physicians, nurses, and researchers to conquer a mountain. While training for this event, Bassett logged over 500 miles.

More than 500 guests, including 56 graduating nursing students from Kent State University College of Nursing gathered in the Kent State Student Center Ballroom on Friday, August 19, for the Summer Undergraduate Convocation ceremony. The event recognized the accomplishments of the graduating nursing students and marked the successful transition from nursing student to professional nurse.

Mandy Munro-Stasiuk, associate provost for academic affairs at Kent State University, provided the University welcome message. 

Kent State University College of Nursing research faculty members Pamela Stephenson, Ph.D., RN, AOCNS, Dana Hansen, Ph.D., ACHPN, APRN, and Denice Sheehan, Ph.D. MSN, RN, have been selected to present their palliative care research findings at Hospice of the Western Reserve's annual conference Telling the Stories: The Deeper Voice of Hospice on Friday, September 16. The conference will focus on the importance of conversations that address the goals of care and how to overcome barriers.

To show support for local law enforcement officers and staff, Kent State University College of Nursing faculty delivered a breakfast buffet to the Kent and Kent State University police departments on Friday, August 12.  

Barbara Broome, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean of Kent State College of Nursing, was joined by Wendy Umberger, Ph.D., RN, PMHCNS-BC, associate dean for graduate programs, to provide a continental breakfast for each of the departments.   

Jo Dowell, Ph.D., RN, CRNP, PNP, FNP-BC, CFNE, assistant professor and research faculty at Kent State College of Nursing, has focused her nursing research on better understanding the health disparities of low-income, minority children who suffer from a chronic illness. She was recently invited to present her research findings at the 27^th Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Research Congress in Cape Town, South Africa.

Claire Zangerle, MSN, MBA, RN, has recently been appointed as Allegheny Health Network’s chief nurse executive. Zangerle is a 2006 graduate of Kent State’s master of science in nursing program.

Since 2008, Zangerle has served as president and chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio.

The Olga A. Mural Simulation Lab at Kent State University College of Nursing recently began using livestream and video recording software to create a collaborative learning and evaluation environment. The simulation lab, which provides students with the opportunity to safely experience realistic situations and practice scenarios, is using LearningSpace®, a web-based learning management system and audiovisual recording software.

Angela Anikienko, a Kent State junior nursing student from LaGrange, OH, completed the United States Institute for Kangaroo Care’s® certification course at Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital in June. Anikienko, who received a sponsorship from the Institute to attend the course, was one of only three bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) students in the nation to earn the certification.

Ratchneewan Ross, Ph.D., RN, director of the Ph.D. program and international initiatives at Kent State University’s College of Nursing, will be inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) in October 2016 at the Academy’s Transforming Health, Driving Policy conference in Washington, D.C.

Brian S. Monter, MSN, MBA, RN, has recently been appointed president of University Hospitals Bedford and Richmond Medical Centers. Monter is a 2007 graduate of Kent State’s nursing and business administration (MSN/MBA) dual-degree program. 

Since 2012, Monter has served as the chief operating officer at South Pointe Hospital in Warrensville Heights, OH, which included a one-year term as acting president. 

In his new role, Monter and his team will focus on physician recruitment, quality of care, patient experience, and employee and physician engagement.