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A Letter from Dean Jeffries

Dear Graduates,

First, congratulations!

Whether today marks your first graduation, your second, or even your third, I urge you to stop and appreciate all that you have done to reach this moment. While we had planned to celebrate this milestone and your significant accomplishments in the GW Smith Center today, we must instead be diligent in our commitment to community health and maintain social distance. But although we’re apart today, we are together in spirit and purpose. With the onset of this global pandemic, I am reminded daily of the great impact nurses and health care providers have on society and it makes me proud. While circumstances are not ideal, I hope that today still brings great joy for you, your family and friends, as we celebrate your graduation virtually.

As we mark this day, I do hope that you will reflect on your time at GW Nursing. You spent countless hours absorbing new knowledge and skills, questioning and debating ideas, and learning from your faculty and fellow students. At a time where competent and compassionate healthcare providers are needed more than ever, we are honored to have played such an important role in preparing you for the next stage of your nursing career.

In the coming days and weeks, some of you will be starting at the bedside; others will move into advanced practice nursing, academe or leadership roles. Regardless of the position title or setting, our graduates are known to represent the best of the profession. In recognition of some of these outstanding members of our community, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of GW Nursing this year by honoring 10 alumni with the Inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award. It was important to us to acknowledge your colleagues whose professional accomplishments have significantly contributed to the advancement of nurses and nursing. I know that each of you will continue to uphold this tradition of excellence.

The faculty and staff at the George Washington University School of Nursing remain proud of you, your accomplishments thus far, as well as your promise for future impact. We wish you only the best, and hope to hear from you soon and often.

Sincerely,

Dean Pamela R. Jeffries

Celebration Program

The George Washington University Celebration 2021, School of Nursing, Program Cover Image

Graduates, and their families and friends, are invited to download the 2021 program to view digitally and print as a keepsake.

Download Program

B.S.N. candidates

M.S.N. candidates

D.N.P. candidates

Post-grad Certificate recipients

This year GW is celebrating more than 300 students who are the first in their family to graduate from college. Congratulations to all the first-generation graduates in the School of Nursing.

Our Speakers

U.S. Representative (IL-14)

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood serves Illinois’ 14th Congressional District and was sworn into the 116th U.S. Congress on January 3, 2019. Congresswoman Underwood is the first woman, the first person of color, and the first millennial to represent her community in Congress. She is also the youngest African American woman to serve in the United States House of Representatives.

Ph.D., RN, FAAN, ANEF, FSSH
Dean, GW Nursing

Pamela Jeffries, professor and dean of GW Nursing, is internationally known for her research and work in nursing and health care education. Throughout the academic community, she is well regarded for her scholarly contributions to the development of innovative teaching strategies, experiential learning techniques, new pedagogies and the delivery of content using technology. Dean Jeffries is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and the Academy of Nursing Education. She also serves on the board of the American Academy of Nursing and is a member of the National Academies of Sciences’ Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education.

BSN Candidate

DNP Candidate

DNP, FNP-C, CHSE, FAANP, CHSE
Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

Pamela Slaven-Lee is a clinical associate professor and senior associate dean for academic affairs. Prior to GW, Dr. Slaven-Lee held faculty appointments at Georgetown University and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She is a Sigma Thera Tau Leadership Academy scholar. Her principal areas of practice include leadership, administration, family practice, internal medicine, pathology, gastroenterology, hepatology and simulation-based learning. Dr. Slaven-Lee is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE), providing curricular support, leadership, and coordination of on-campus simulation-based learning events.

PhD, CRNP, FAANP, FAAN
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement
President for Sigma Theta Tau International

Richard Ricciardi is a professor and health policy faculty in the Policy, Populations and Systems community at the School of Nursing. Dr. Ricciardi comes from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), where he served as the Director, Division of Practice Improvement. At AHRQ, Dr. Ricciardi's research focused on primary care practice improvement science in the areas of team-based care, quality and safety, and the management of patients with complex needs, including those with multiple chronic conditions, and those with opioid use disorder.

BSN Cohort 24

Awards and Special Recognition

Outstanding Student Awards

D.N.P. Scholarly Project Award

The Outstanding Student Award for D.N.P. Scholarly Project recognizes the project of a GW Nursing D.N.P. student with the potential to directly or indirectly influence outcomes related to health care, practice or policy. The recipient of this award exemplifies leadership in nursing practice and demonstrates scholarly rigor, innovation and contribution to the profession.

Recipient:

Nkeiruka Muonagolu

Outstanding Student in Community Service Award

The Outstanding Student Award in Community Service recognizes a GW Nursing student that has demonstrated exemplary academic and clinical performance, commitment to community service and has promoted teamwork and collaboration among their peers.

Recipient:

Robert Tucker

The Virginia Nurses Association Award

Recipient:

Katherine Liwanag

Outstanding Student in Nurse Midwifery Award

Through a partnership with Shenandoah University, GW Nursing offers a Master of Science in Nursing in Nurse Midwifery. Each year, GW Nursing recognizes one student in the Nurse Midwifery program that has made outstanding contributions to the classroom and demonstrated excellence during their time at GW Nursing and Shenandoah University.

Successful candidates have demonstrated commitment to improving patient and family health, are viewed by their colleagues as role models, and embody the values and mission of GW Nursing.

Recipient:

Helen Mejia

Outstanding Student in Nurse Leadership Award

Recipient:

Meagan Beyers

Excellence in Clinical Practice Awards

The Excellence in Clinical Practice Awards recognize APRN students who have made outstanding contributions to the classroom and demonstrated clinical excellence during their time at GW Nursing. Successful candidates have demonstrated commitment to improving patient and family health, are viewed by their colleagues as role models, and embody the values and mission of GW Nursing.

Clinical Excellence for Family Nurse Practioner Award

Recipient:

Gabrielle Karlsen

Clinical Excellence for Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Award

Recipient:

Lauren Turner

Clinical Excellence for Psychiatric Mental Health Award

Recipient:

Seth Owusu-Kwarteng

Clinical Excellence for Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Award

Recipient:

Blair Devermont

Recipient:

Monica Joiner

Pam & Joe Jeffries Nursing Innovation Award

The Pam & Joe Jeffries Nursing Innovation Award is awarded to a GW Nursing graduate student who demonstrates innovation and the use of technology in nursing practice or education that will impact the culture of health, patient, communities, and/or nursing faculty or students. The selected award recipient also celebrates the core attributes of creative nursing leadership and entrepreneurship, valued by the procession in practice and education.

Recipient:

Kristin N. Conti

DAISY Award in Nursing

The DAISY Award, provides national recognition and appreciation for Extraordinary Nurses in honor of nurses, nurse faculty and nursing students who go above and beyond to make a difference in the experience of patients and families while in the clinical setting.

The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by members of the family of Patrick Barnes. Patrick was 33 years old when he died of complications of the auto-immune disease immune thrombocytopenic purpura or (ITP). Like many families that go through this kind of horrific loss, the Barnes family wanted to do something positive to honor the very special man Patrick was. So, right before Pat’s death, they came up with DAISY- an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The family was very impressed by the clinical care Patrick’s nurses provided, but what really overwhelmed them was the unwavering compassion and kindness that his nurses brought to his bedside. As a sign of gratitude, Pat’s family created The DAISY AWARD®. Today participants include over 2600 healthcare organizations and 200 colleges & schools of nursing, including GW Nursing.

Recipient:

Anna Erway

Recipient:

Selena Tsang-Nguyen

GW Hospital Nursing Scholars Program

The George Washington University School of Nursing has partnered with GW Hospital to offer the Nursing Scholars Program opportunity to registered nurses who hold an Associate Degree in Nursing (A.D.N.), and for those pursuing the Accelerated Bachelor of Science Nursing.

Graduating GW Hospital Scholars:

Washington Squared

The MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) and GW Nursing have an innovative partnership called Washington Squared (W²). MWHC is a hospital with nearly 1,000 beds and is part of a non-profit health system with 10 hospitals, over 30,000 associates and numerous specialty and primary care clinics as well as home care. MWHC is a dynamic hospital with strong research and a commitment to high-quality care in which nurses are highly valued as critical team members.

The W² program offers tuition support to Accelerated BSN (BSN) students and the promise of employment and professional growth at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC).

Washington Squared graduates:

Veterans Bachelor of Science in Nursing

GW Nursing values veterans and offers a supportive learning environment specifically tailored to vets. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) veterans option offers a customized curricular roadmap, which is based on prior education, military service, and experience.

Veteran B.S.N. graduates:

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Executive Leadership

Lilian Atieno Okungu
Project Title: Nurse Leader Development Program
Primary Advisor: Dr. Karen Whitt
Tina DiMarino
Project Title: Implementing TeamSTEPPS® Training for an Interdisciplinary Healthcare Team to Improve Teamwork
Primary Advisor: Dr. Richard Ricciardi
Vepuka Kauari
Project Title: Implementing Nurse Peer Mentorship Program
Primary Advisor: Dr. David Keepnews
LaTonya Smith
Project Title: Virtual Training for Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Peer Navigators
Primary Advisor: Dr. Cara Padovano
Leslie Smith
Project Title: Implementation of Capnography Monitoring to Improve Outcomes Among Intensive Care Unit Patients on Patient-Controlled Analgesia or Opioids
Primary Advisor: Dr. Karen Whitt
Patricia Winston
Project Title: Improving Nurse Manager Job Satisfaction: An Urban Academic Quality Improvement Project
Primary Advisor: Dr. Mary Jean Schumann

Nursing Practice

I solemnly pledge myself in the presence of this assembly to practice my profession faithfully.

I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.

I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession and will hold it in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty and with pride will I devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.

Hail Alma Mater
To thy spirit guiding,
Knowledge thy closest friend
In its strength abiding,
Pledge we fidelity
Ne'er its place resigning,
Hail thee George Washington!