U.S. News & World Report has ranked the School of Nursing among the top 50 in its 2021 Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs list released Tuesday, Jan. 26. The School is ranked 49th among 194 schools nationally and among the top four in Illinois.

“It is an honor to be nationally recognized and truly rewarding to see our programs continue to move up in the rankings each year,” said Dean Laura Bernaix, PhD. “Our faculty and administrators work hard to provide students with a high-quality education through small class sizes, strong faculty mentoring and support, and program content that is both contemporary and robust.”

Learn more about the ranking.

The SIUE community is mourning the loss of junior nursing student Moneer Damra, of Chicago, who passed away Wednesday, Jan. 27, at Barnes Jewish Medical Center in St. Louis. The 27-year-old suffered injuries in a random act of gun violence off-campus on Jan. 14.

A member of the SIUE ROTC program, Damra’s goal was to become an Army nurse. Friends and fellow students have described Damra as a “beautiful soul, compassionate, a good motivator,” and a friend they could “count on for encouragement and positivity.”

The Moneer Damra Memorial Nursing Scholarship was established to provide assistance to undergraduate students of nursing who demonstrate the same outstanding personal qualities, educational success, and career goals that he held. Gifts to this scholarship fund are a meaningful tribute to Damra's life.

Read more about Damra here.

The Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB) has selected HOK-St. Louis as the preferred architectural design firm for preliminary design of the Health Science Building (HSB) on the SIUE campus.

The CDB released $10,537,000 in planning funds in January 2020 to create preliminary designs for the HSB. The complex will include approximately 221,000 square feet. The project’s total cost is approximately $105 million. It would be the largest building on campus and house the School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, and various other health science programs.

Read more about the HSB’s progress.

Single parent. Doctoral candidate. Frontline healthcare worker. Recent School of Nursing graduate Caitlin Phelan is a multitasking, difference maker. Perhaps selfless is the best word to describe the woman who provides skilled, compassionate care to all with whom she interacts.

Phelan earned a doctor of nursing practice degree from SIUE during the virtual commencement ceremonies last semester. Phelan spoke on behalf of her fellow graduates during the Graduate School ceremony. In her speech, she encouraged individuals to hold tight to four simple words: “You can do it.” No matter how difficult the times get or how many responsibilities there are to juggle, a firm belief in oneself will keep you on course to achieving your goals, Phelan concluded.

Read more about Phelan’s speech.

Last fall, six faculty members and one student were named finalists for the annual March of Dimes (MOD) Nurse of the Year Awards, three of whom were named winners.

School of Nursing finalists by award category:

• Advanced Practice: Kevin Stein, DNAP, CRNA, MS, director of the Nurse Anesthesia DNP program, and assistant professor in Primary Care and Health Systems (PCHS) Nursing
• Behavioral Health: Tracy Cooley, DNP, RN, assistant professor in PCHS Nursing
• Case Management, Public Health and Occupational Health: Jerrica Ampadu, PhD, RN, CCP, director of the WE CARE Clinic, Student Nurse Achievement Program (SNAP) Coordinator, and assistant professor in the Department of Family Health and Community Health (FHCH) Nursing
• Nursing Administration: Sheri Compton-McBride, DNP, MSN, director of the RN/BS program, director of Acquisition of Clinical Sites, and contract management instructor in PCHS Nursing
• Pediatric: Annie Imboden, DNP, APN, CPNP, instructor in the SIUE Regional Nursing Program
• Student Nurse: Sydney Kesner, a senior from Highland
• Women’s Health and Obstetrics: Nancy Kurilla, MSN, RN, RNC-MNN, IBCLC, CLC, RNC-LRN, instructor in FHCH Nursing

MOD Nurse of the Year award winners from SIUE are Stein, Imboden and Ampadu.

Read more about the March of Dimes award winners.

The School of Nursing’s WE CARE Clinic has secured a $78,751 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant entitled “Nurse, Education, Practice, Quality and Retention – Registered Nurses in Primary Care COVID.”

This funding will allow the Clinic to expand its telehealth services and community education initiatives supporting the prevention, preparation and response to COVID-19. It will support the purchase of necessary equipment and the establishment of workflows to incorporate new technologies. Patients will have increased access to telehealth technologies that will ensure care while limiting the virus’s spread.

Learn more about the grant.