Alumni Accomplishments

How do you combine backgrounds in physical therapy and epidemiology to find a career that allows you to call upon both skill sets? Dana Olzenak ’06, an alumna of Drexel’s Post Professional DPT Program, carved a path that does just that – and on the front lines of public health, no less. 

Kendra Ray, a PhD in Creative Arts Therapies candidate, directed a three-year study to determine whether introducing therapeutic music-based activities reduced symptoms of dementia in nursing home residents.

McKinney shares her advice on balancing work and scholarship, learning (and contributing) across disciplines, finding mentors and maintaining valuable professional connections.

The Running Performance & Research Center at Drexel Parkway Health & Wellness (Philadelphia magazine’s Best of Philly®2015 - Best Place to Fix Your Running Form) conducted its third lecture in its running lecture series, entitled “Keys to Running a Successful Fall Marathon” on September 30.

The Delaware Valley Art Therapy Association (DVATA) is the local association for art therapists in southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. Every year the DVATA sponsors a conference for continuing education of art therapists. This year the conference, which was held on October 10th, featured one of our most distinguished and accomplished alumni, Sandra Sheller‘04/’05, as the keynote speaker.

Thursday, October 8 marked the 25th Annual National Depression Screening Day, held during Mental Illness Awareness Week. The Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions hosted a special, all-day event dedicated to raising awareness and screening people for depression and related mood and anxiety disorders.

With fall recruitment surging forward and visits to Center City campus occurring daily, prospective students are discovering the myriad benefits of earning an undergraduate degree from our College of Nursing and Health Professions. They’re also realizing that Drexel is a different kind of school for a different kind of student, and that this is where you come when you’re looking to gain a competitive edge.

With fall term well underway, midterms upon us and cooler temperatures setting in, I’d like to recognize some incredible achievements that have already come to fruition from the College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP) this academic year.

Juanita Gardner, MPH, PA-C, clinical assistant professor in the Physician Assistant (PA) Department at Drexel University, is leading an initiative to diversify the student body within the department. With changes in policy that make health care more accessible, like the Affordable Care Act, Gardner is taking action to ensure that future PAs represent the patient populations they will one day treat.

The Philadelphia Union professional soccer organization has a new recruit – Drexel’s Nutrition Sciences Services. Nyree Dardarian, director of the Center for Integrated Nutrition & Performance, recently met with the organization about providing comprehensive nutrition services for the students at the Philadelphia Union Academy, and eventually for the professional team.

If you had the opportunity to identify, rehabilitate and strengthen distressed families would you seize it? Guy Diamond, PhD and director of Family Intervention Science, is working diligently to make that opportunity a reality for medical, mental health and social work providers in Philadelphia and across the United States.

Reintegration of combat veterans into civilian society is often fraught with multilevel challenges that disrupt the stability of this vulnerable population. There is a dearth of treatment options and sadly, much less for the immediate families of these men and women. 

The Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11^th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University operates as a patient-centered, integrated and trauma-informed model of care. 

Join Drexel alumni and friends for the Community Alumni Network at Drexel University’s (CAN DU) annual fall service project on Saturday, October 24, 2015.

Twice in the past four years, Philadelphia has been the site of surgical firsts in the field of hand transplantation, and both times, Gayle Severance ’04 played a key role in their success.

Registration to join the Common Market Farm Share at Drexel School of Nursing this fall and winter is now open!  

The White Coat Ceremony for physician assistant (PA) students at Drexel University was held on Thursday, September 3, 2015. This momentous occasion marked the conclusion of the didactic phase of the PA class of 2016’s education and the beginning of the clinical phase.

11 Drexel Accelerated Career Entry (ACE) BSN students recently spent a week in the life of an operating room (OR) nurse, completing a full immersion experience in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.  The hospital approached Donna Trinkaus, MSN, RN, department chair of the ACE BSN Program, to develop a collaborative perioperative experience for the students.

When it launched at the University of Pennsylvania in 1991, Bridging the Gaps aimed to combine health-related service in economically disadvantaged communities with the education of future health and social service professionals. Just five years later, the initiative grew to a city-wide collaborative effort involving all of Philadelphia’s academic health centers, including Drexel.  Bridging the Gaps is now also in Erie, Pittsburgh, the Lehigh Valley and New Jersey. 

After spending 10 years abroad in Russia, Israel and Denmark, Minh-Anh Nguyen, PhD, has finally landed in the Creative Arts Therapy Department to work on his research as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar. His pursuit of scholarship and desire to bring creative arts therapies to his native Vietnam are the driving forces behind his tenure at Drexel.

Every Thursday from October 1 – October 29 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m., the Greensgrow Farms Mobile Market will be stationed at Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11^th Street Family Health Services. The Mobile Market sells high-quality seasonal produce purchased directly from farmers, including many growers from Philadelphia. All foods are subsidized, making them less expensive than the regular supermarket!

The White Coat Ceremony marks the transition of  physician assistant students form the didactic to clinical phase of their education. On Thursday, September 3, 2015 the PA Class of 2016 celebrated with their family and friends this momentous occasion. This is a remarkable class of physician assistant students, characterized by their dedication to the community, commitment to providing high quality healthcare for their patient and the spirit to support each other to be the best PAs possible. 

The Drexel chapter of the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) took to New York City to attend the organization’s Summer Leadership Conference on July 21. According to NSNA’s website, the Conference is held each year so that attendees can gain a better understanding of NSNA’s mission and programs; they can take back ideas to their organizations to create stronger school and state chapters; and to problem solve and share ideas.

This fall, David Flood, PhD, professor in the Health Administration Department, is teaching Health and Illness in Film. The course, which focuses on how health care is portrayed in films, gives students an opportunity to analyze the portrayal of a variety of health care topics that appear in them.

The Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program has provided mentorship to a diverse group of nurses to successfully matriculate into 54 out of 114 nurse anesthesia programs, and students in Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions are benefitting from her guidance. With Gould’s encouragement students explore and better understand topics about workforce diversity, cultural competence and reduction of health disparities.

The Running Performance & Research Center at Drexel Parkway Health & Wellness was named Philadelphia Magazine’s Best of Philly®2015 - Best Place to Fix Your Running Form.

The CSI Effect has been defined as any of several ways in which the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science on crime television shows such as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” has influenced the public perception of the legal process. The term most often refers to the phenomenon where jurors may come to demand more forensic evidence in criminal trials, thereby effectively raising the burden of proof for prosecutors.

August is when schools across the country start official football practices. Parents and coaches will pray that no player drops dead from heat exhaustion. That’s a rare event, and precautions have been taken to prevent it, which is good. But truth be told, parents need to hold their breath through every play of the season, as American football – by its design and the way it is played – poses a high risk of injury to young people.

Every fall, Drexel Magazine editors face a tough challenge: whittle down a list of hundreds into just a few dozen who will make up the next class of 40 Under 40 honorees.

Obviously, they look for achievement. They look for accomplishment. Just as important, they look for individuals who inspire them and who inspire others.

Lindsay Edwards, MA, Director of Creative Arts Therapy Department at Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services offers some insight on the impact the new space for creative arts therapies is having on staff and patients, alike.

The primary goal of Drexel’s Physician Assistant (PA) Program is to develop graduates who are competent, caring physician assistants, possessing the skills of life-long learning needed to incorporate new knowledge and methods into their practices and to adapt to a changing medical environment. 

Among the increasing number of nurses finding their seats at the board table are two of the College of Nursing and Health Professions’ own: Faye Meloy, PhD, Associate Dean of Pre-licensure Nursing Programs, and Al Rundio, PhD, Associate Dean of Post-Licensure Nursing Programs.

Hosted by the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) class of 2016, the Mr. DPT pageant proved, once again, to be a fun and effective fundraiser in its second year.

Gena Alulis, Founder and CEO of Philadelphia-based Superfit, Inc., has had tremendous success taking her business from a start-up custom-fit jewelry designer to a high-growth ring manufacturer.

Congratulations to the following students, who have earned either their BS or MS in Nutrition and will be attending dietetic internships in the coming year.

Emily-Ann Ruedemann is a senior nursing student in Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions. Now in the midst of her third (and final) co-op cycle, she is currently working as a nurse co-op in the intermediate cardiac care unit at Jefferson University Hospital.

If you were given a week to sample a desired major and connect with professionals in your field, all before coming to college, would you take it? The high school students who attended Drexel’s Exploration in Mental Health Careers hosted by the Behavioral Health Counseling Department certainly did. From June 22 – 26 and July 6 – 10 nearly 30 students made the journey to Drexel to get the inside scoop on all things mental health, and their experiences couldn’t have been more positive.

Drexel’s art therapy faculty and alumni from both the PhD in Creative Arts Therapies and Masters in Art Therapy and Counseling programs were well represented at the 46th Annual Conference of The American Art Therapy Association (AATA). This year’s conference was held in Minneapolis, with Temple Grandin, PhD, as the keynote speaker.

Through a long-standing partnership with the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center, graduate students in the Music Therapy and Counseling program are helping to bring joy, a creative outlet and --most importantly -- music, to an adolescent population whose current circumstances are uncertain, often creating a great deal of anxiety among them.

Lew Bennett, DNP, chair, Nurse Anesthesia Department, and Ferne Cohen, EdD, associate chair, Nurse Anesthesia Department, started developing Dragon Traks in fall 2014. The innovative system performs two functions that are having incredible impact on nurse anesthesia students: tracking their clinical cases and completing daily clinical evaluations. 

As the topic of mental health on college campuses continues to garner attention from the media, student bodies and university administrations, Drexel’s Angela Mancao aims to take a proactive approach to awareness. 

Every fall, Drexel Magazine editors face a tough challenge: whittle down a list of hundreds into just a few dozen who will make up the next class of 40 Under 40 honorees.

Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services officially opened their awe-inspiring new wing to patients on Monday, June 29. Adding a remarkable 17,000 square feet of space to the practice, the new wing includes space for nursing, nutrition sciences, couple and family therapy and creative arts therapies as well as the expansion of primary care services.

Drexel University is committed to providing a welcoming, inclusive and respectful environment for students, faculty and professional staff. Diversity and inclusion are at the foundation of Drexel’s success and are integrated into the fabric of the University – its curricular and co-curricular offerings, policies, programs and practices. 

The Drexel Phyisician Assistant Department is starting a partnership and exchange program with the brand new Physician Associate Department at the University of Worcester in England. 

The World University Games are something of a legacy for Eric Zillmer, Drexel’s director of athletics.

Among the graduates at the June ceremony, was one whose love of blue and gold transcends generations. Donna Trigone received her Master of Science in Nursing. In 1983, Donna received her associate’s degree from Hahnemann University, predecessor of our college. 

There is less than one week left in the Drexel University faculty and staff annual giving campaign, Why I Give, which ends on June 30. 

Though many gym-goers have a tendency to pass it by on their way to its more popular counterparts, the treadmill and the elliptical, the rowing machine (or the ergometer) is steadily gaining popularity...

The College of Nursing and Health Professions Alumni Network of Drexel University is currently accepting nominations of qualified alumni interested in running for election to the Board of Directors. 

Jennifer Quinlan is hard at work this spring developing a plan to sell more processed foods in low-income communities.

After months of planning, collecting abstracts, a blind review and a selection process, Improbable Dialogues: Interprofessional Mixed Method Research Collaborations went off without a hitch on June 19, 2015. 

A Drexel nutritionist is doing her part to help put an end to food insecurity in the Mantua and Powelton Village neighborhoods surrounding Drexel University’s campus. 

Since joining the Behavioral Health Counseling Department in 2006, Robert Chapman, PhD has endeared himself to students and to faculty throughout the College and University with his thought-provoking lectures...

Wilbur W. Oaks, Jr., MD, HU ’55, FACP, professor emeritus of medicine, passed away on June 13, at his home. 

Donna Sabella, PhD, director of the Office of Human Trafficking of Drexel University, presented Justice: Striving for Social and Economic Dignity at the American Nurses Association Ethics Symposium on June 5, 2015.  Her presentation dealt with social inequities using human trafficking as an example for integrating principles of social justice into nursing and health policy. 

Students from Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions’ RN-BSN program have just returned from a unique clinical experience abroad. 

Doctor of nursing practice students of Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions embarked on a unique international study experience this spring to explore Canadian healthcare through the cultural lens of Canadian nurses. 

Danielle Cole, a health sciences student in the College of Nursing and Health Professions, was one of nine winners of the Co-Op Student of the Year award, recognized for her outstanding performance and contributions during her time at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Center for Injury Research and Prevention... 

Megan Abbot, MA candidate in Art Therapy and Counseling, led children at the Red Shield Family Residence in a community engagement endeavor. The result was “Our Town,” an art project that gave them a platform to talk about their home in Philadelphia...

Sakinah Kidd, a junior nursing student and Fellow who has been involved in the program for nine months, and her mentor, Sheila Hess, director of Foundation Programs and Community Affairs at Independence Blue Cross Foundation who has been involved in the program for 10 months, give their unique perspectives on the relationship they’ve built and continue to nourish...

On May 12, Drexel nursing students took to Harrisburg to advocate for their profession by joining more than 225 nurses, nurse practitioners and students (all in white coats) in lobbying for House Bill 765 and Senate Bill 717... 

SIDA, or Sisters Inspired to Defeat AIDS, was founded by Jessica and her sister Liz in 2011 and offers motivational speeches to high school and college-aged students... 

Sandra Sheller: Drexel alumna, art and couple and family therapist, philanthropist, advocate against domestic abuse, and most recently, Women Against Abuse’s Woman of the Year Award winner.

The Nutrition Sciences Human Lactation Consultant Program positions Drexel University on the cutting edge of a new, yet steadily increasing, demand in healthcare.

Although it was only formally developed in 2013, the Mixed Methods International Research Association (MMIRA) was in the making for almost 10 years.

Girija Kaimal, EdD, an assistant professor in the Department of Creative Arts Therapies, has been awarded the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) Research Award.

As the College of Nursing and Health Professions students walked into the room, they found a patient lying unresponsive on the floor. 

At last week's Spring Auction for C.A.R.I.E. (Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly ~ http://www.carie.org/), HSAD majors Hemanti Sarvaiya and Derrick Dignam volunteered to help attendees at this annual fundraising event.

All are welcome to join the Drexel University Campus Ministry Team and members of the Spiritual and Religious Life Community for the Interfaith Baccalaureate Service and Reception.

Celebrating alumni accomplishments.

This year, the City of Philadelphia hosted the 4^th Annual Veterans Fair, which provides job opportunities, health resources, scholarships, and more.

The Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions Division of Continuing Nursing Education Presents

Raising the Bar Workshop

New Tools & Resources to Support the Technology Enhanced Classroom

On April 18th, the students from the Drexel University Physician Assistant Program participated in the 13th Annual Physician Assistant Olympics, which was founded on the principle of philanthropy.  

Tim P., an RN-BSN student, sent a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses to Colleen Graham, his academic advisor, thanking her for helping him...

As your faculty travel to various conferences throughout the academic year, it would be helpful for us to have an awareness of the locales they plan to visit and the conferences they may attend.

The Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions launched The BAYADA Home Health Care Speaker Series with an inaugural lecture on Thursday, May 7, 2015, at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

Some lucky nursing students from Drexel’s ACE program recently had the opportunity to meet Mayor Michael Nutter! The students were working their Public Health clinical rotation at Norcom Community Center where the mayor came to celebrate...

Celebrating alumni accomplishments. 

Celebrating student accomplishments.

The Center for Academic Success (CAS) has received recertification through the College Reading and Learning Association’s International Tutor Training Program.  The CAS’s program is certified for Level 1 and Level 2 training through 2019.

The Center for Academic Success (CAS) will be hosting a series of Academic Success Workshops through the spring quarter.  Workshops are offered both face-to-face and online.  Interested in attending?  Register at goo.gl/forms/UtLHG5dnvn 

At just 22 years old, nursing student Elvelyna Beaubrun can add published author to her burgeoning list of accomplishments. Elvelyna, who was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia as a baby, wrote her memoir to raise awareness about the painful disease and offer solidarity to the community of over 100,000 in the United States who are afflicted by it.

Established over 225 years ago, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia is the oldest professional medical organization in the US. It began in 1787 as 24 physicians gathered in Philadelphia “to advance the science of medicine and thereby lessen human misery.” As of 2015, there are nearly 1,500 Fellows who continue to meet at the College to carry on the mission of its founders.

The College of Nursing and Health Professions Alumni Network of Drexel University is currently accepting nominations of qualified alumni interested in running for election to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors oversees and advocates the CNHP Alumni Network's efforts to engage, advance and support the College of Nursing and Health Professions of Drexel University and its alumni and students through a variety of networking opportunities, activities and programs.

Bradley Boehringer of Drexel University has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to Finland in Medicine Sciences, the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently.

When most people think about the Grammys they envision music's elite gathering to celebrate a year of achievements. For Joke Bradt, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Creative Arts Therapies and certified music therapist, that vision includes music therapies and brain imaging.

45 years ago Margo Orlin, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, began her quest to help children and learn about the human body. Today, her hard work and dedication is recognized by being named a Catherine Worthington Fellow by the American Physical Therapy Association.

Congratulations are in order for Dean Gloria Donnelly, PhD, RN, FAAN, FCPP on being selected for Mometrix's list of the 30 Most Influential Deans of Nursing in the United States - Donnelly was named number nine!

Drexel is one of just a handful of universities endowed by the Coulter Foundation to help academic researchers bring their health-care discoveries to market — much the way an angel investor helps entrepreneurs.

Joke Bradt, PhD, an associate professor in the Creative Arts Therapies department at the College of Nursing and Health Professions, was recently chosen as a participant for the first cohort class of the Mixed Methods Research Training program at Johns Hopkins University...

Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences alumna Stephanie King trusted her instincts and saved a life. 

Congratulations to Nicole Porter Willcox, a Creative Arts Therapy alumna, who was named one of Drexel’s 2015 40 Under 40!  At just 34 years old, she has already made quite an impact on a community in need and has created a model capable of helping devastated communities nationwide. 

Congratulations, Kelly Barrameda and Kayla Camara:  2014 NURSE Corps Scholars at Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions!

Drexel's Nursing and Health Professions hosted a reception for Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences alumni, students, and friends in conjunction with the American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting. 

Rebecca Walker, a 5^th year student at Drexel’s Nursing and Health Professions, and a member of the first cohort for the College’s Lactation concentration, competed in the Miss Philadelphia Pageant on February 28.

A construction update on Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services from Senior Interior Designer, Terri Schmitt. 

Running seems like a simple activity. You lace your shoes up, plug-in your iPod, and run until your legs tell you to stop. Running can be a safe and healthy hobby, but if not done properly could result in serious injuries. That’s where Parkway Health & Wellness comes in...

Seven Drexel nursing students and two faculty members traveled to Dublin, Ireland in an attempt to broaden their global awareness...

Three Drexel Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences students completed their clinical education at facilities in Tuscany, Italy... 

Brandy-Joe Milliron and Silpa Reddy traveled from Drexel to Cambodia to meet with several organizations engaged in community-driven programming... 

The Attachment Based Family Therapy Training Program conducts training around the world... 

Leon F. Vinci, DHA, MPH is helping to impact our planet's environment and the health of the public...

A group of Drexel undergraduate nursing students volunteered for Project Limon, a health and wellness program...

Chartings is now Off the Charts! We hope you enjoy our new look.

If you are a healthy adult between the ages of 18 and 60 years and a member of the Drexel community (students/ faculty or staff) we would be delighted to have you join our research.   The research, which is... 

The study of psychiatric rehabilitation has been an important topic among mental health professionals recently. Predicated on skills development, psychiatric rehabilitation aims to stretch the limits of typical medication...

The FDA National Food Safety Survey was developed about 20 years ago and is administered every 5 years.  Last year there was an open comment period and Jennifer Quinlan, PhD and Shauna Henley, PhD submitted...

For the past two years, Al Rundio, PhD, Associate Dean for Post-Licensure Nursing Programs & CNE has been the President of the International Nurses Society on Addictions (IntNSA). Rundio has served on the...

Joke Bradt, PhD received the 2014 Research and Publication Award from the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). She was fortunate to have her mentor, John Creswell, PhD, present at the...

Music has always been part of my life.  I started playing the viola when I was six.  My brother, the cello, my sister, the viola… and together we were “The Barry Trio.”  I graduated...

In July, resident Graduate Art Therapy faculty Donna Kaiser, PhD, Yasmine Awais, and Michele Rattigan presented at the 45th Annual American Art Therapy Association Conference in San Antonio, Texas.  Also... 

There are only a handful of people in this world who can work through multiple jobs, be unemployed for nine months, take care of three children, work full-time and also attend classes at night to get a bachelor’s...

Mike Mahoney, MA Music Therapy ’11 helped Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia cancer patient Tom Gillin create the viral ‘Bald So Hard’ video featured on Today in September...

If you’ve ever seen the movie Good Will Hunting, you know Matt Damon’s title character, Will Hunting, is a tough cookie to crack.  Through the movie, we watch as psychologist Sean Maguire, played by the late...

The CNHP Living Learning Community is a wing in Myers Residence Hall dedicated to students in the College of Nursing and Health Professions...

From November 19 until November 21, 2014, 27 members of the Drexel University Student Nurses’ Association (DUSNA) represented Drexel nursing as voting delegates at the 62^nd Annual Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) Convention in Lancaster, PA...

Victoria Scotti, a PhD candidate in the Creative Arts Therapies program, was just awarded the Estonian Student Scholarship for the second year in a row. Along with classmate Angela Aicher, Scott is co-authoring an article on arts-based research... 

Loretta Sweet Jemmott, PhD has been appointed Vice President for Health and Health Equity, Drexel University and Professor in the College of Nursing and Health Professions.