Tina Mammone, Ph.D., RN, was welcomed as the new chief nursing officer of VCU Medical Center at a reception this past October. “We look forward to continuing to grow our partnership between the school and the VCU Health System,” said Jean Giddens, Ph.D., professor and dean of the VCU School of Nursing and Doris B. Yingling Endowed Chair. Mammone joined VCU Medical Center in August from Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, in Portland, Oregon, where she served as chief nursing officer.

577 donors made contributions of $3.9 million dollars to support the School of Nursing in fiscal year 2022 including the creation of a new professorship (the Betsy A. Bampton Professorship) and four student support funds (the Ann Duffer Nursing Scholarship, the Dr. Barbara H. Dunn Nursing Scholarship, the Vicki and Charlie Tedeschi Memorial Fund, and the SON Student Emergency Fund). The school’s faculty and staff also had the highest participation percentage in the annual VCU employee giving campaign across the university at 49.1%.

The school's undergraduate program ranked No. 22 in the country in its category in rankings released this fall, up one spot from last year. The School of Nursing’s undergraduate program offers two prelicensure pathways for students to become a nurse — the traditional B.S. and accelerated B.S., and an RN to B.S. pathway for registered nurses to obtain a bachelor’s degree. 

Michelle Edmonds, D.N.P., M.S.N., RN, joined the School of Nursing at the start of the academic year as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Program and Department Chair Family and Community Health Nursing. Prior to joining VCU, she served as Dean of Nursing, Allied Health, and Natural Science for Southside Virginia Community College. In her new role, she will lead oversight
of the undergraduate nursing program to ensure the curriculum is consistent with the mission and goals of the school.

Joseph DeRanieri, D.M., M.S.N., RN, BCECR, Assistant Professor in the Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems, has been appointed as the Interim Director for the Langston Center for Innovation in Quality and Safety, a center that promotes patient-centered, population-focused and cost-effective initiatives designed to improve health care. His appointment follows the retirement of Michael Bleich, Ph.D., RN, NEA-BC, FNAP, FAAN, who served as the center’s director since January 2019. 

Lathika Mohanraj,  Ph.D., RN, BMTCN, Assistant Professor, Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems, was elected to the International Society of Nurses in Genetics (ISONG) Board of Directors starting November 2022.

Kimberly Clark, M.S.N., RN, CCRN, Clinical Instructor, Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems, and Mary Falk, M.S.N., RN, CCRN,  PCCN, CNL, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems, both received Honorable Mention for the Virginia Nurses Foundation Leadership Excellence Awards Nurse Educator Category this fall. 

Jane Chung, Ph.D., RN, Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Health Nursing, was recognized with the Award of Excellence in Nursing Research by the Sigma Theta Tau International Gamma Omega at-large Chapter in May 2022. 

Amy Salisbury, Ph.D., RN, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Scholarship & Innovation, and Patricia Kinser, Ph.D., WHNP-BC, RN, FAAN, Assistant Dean for Research and Endowed Professor, Department of Family and Community Health Nursing, have been received funding on a NIH R-21 grant for their project Community-based fetal ultrasound and care navigation: An approach to engaging pregnant women with substance use disorder in prenatal care and substance use treatment.

Tara Talbott, RN (B.S.’16/N; M.S.’19/N) was honored by VCU Alumni as a top 10 Under 10. Tara is the Chief Nursing Officer for VCU Health Tappahannock. She earned a bachelor’s in nursing and a master’s in nursing administration and leadership, and is currently  pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at VCU. In her current role, Talbott institutes best practices to foster more positive  experiences for patients and practitioners alike.

VCU Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Center has awarded Ingrid Pretzer-Aboff, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor in the  department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems, and co-investigators with funds to improve treatment options for Parkinson’s  patients who experience freezing of gait (FoG), a devastating symptom affecting 60% of those with the disease.