Sandra Citty, Ph.D., R.N., ARNP-BC
Citty was promoted from clinical assistant professor to clinical associate professor, effective July 1, 2017. Citty, who spends much of her time instructing undergraduate nursing students and mentoring graduate students in the D.N.P. program, has focused her research on finding ways to improve electronic medical records, specifically regarding how nutritional supplements are documented, ordered and administered.

Sunny Yoon, Ph.D., R.N. (left) and Jennifer Elder, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN (right) 
Elder and Yoon received University of Florida Term Professorship Awards from the UF Provost’s Office. Awardees have displayed a distinguished career that places them among the leaders in their discipline. Each of the UF Term Professorship Awards lasts three years. Recipients receive an annual salary supplement of $5,000 during the course of the award.

Laurie Duckworth, Ph.D., ARNP
Duckworth, clinical associate professor and director of clinical research received the 2017 UF Health Shands Rose Rivers Chrysalis Award for Evolving Nursing Research for a research study titled, “Exploring Registered Nurse Turnover in the Operating Room and Opportunities to Improve Nurse Retention.” This project included two UF Health Shands operating room staff nurses, Karen Zak and Rebekah Parkison, and Administrator for Nursing Research, Jeanette Green.

Tonja Hartjes, D.N.P., ACNP/FNP-BC, CCRN-CSC
Hartjes has been named a 2017 Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. The purpose of the AANP Fellows is to impact national and global health by engaging recognized nurse practitioners to lead new initiatives and support the AANP mission. Hartjes is the coordinator for the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Track. She teaches didactic and clinical courses for the graduate and doctoral programs.

Ann Horgas, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN
Effective April 3, Horgas was named a University of Florida Research Foundation Professor for 2017‐2020. An expert in pain and symptom management in dementia and aging, Horgas is one of 34 faculty members across the UF campus recognized for a distinguished record of research and a strong research agenda that is likely to lead to continuing distinction in their fields. The three-year award includes a $5,000 annual salary supplement and a one-time $3,000 grant. The professorships are funded from the university’s share of royalty and licensing income on UF-generated products.

Brittany Jacquay (left) and Christina Jones (right)
Two College of Nursing students picked up honors for their research posters at the 2017 Southern Nursing Research Society annual conference held in Dallas, Texas, at the end of February. R.N.-to-B.S.N. student and Engaging Multiple Communities of B.S.N. students in Research and Academic Curricular Experiences, or EMBRACE, program scholar Christina Jones, was selected as the top student research poster over all submissions. Brittany Jacquay, a B.S.N. student in the EMBRACE program, was selected as the second-place winner among student poster submissions in Minority Health Research.

Robert Lucero, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., FAAN
Lucero was the recipient of UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute or CTSI, grant funding for his proposal entitled, “Identifying Predictive Algorithms using Electronic Health Record Data to Inform the Development of a Point‐of‐Care Early Warning System for Hospital‐Acquired Falls.” Lucero and his team were additionally awarded a second year of funding from the UF Health Shands Board Quasi- Endowment Fund to continue their work on falls prevention. CON faculty Raga Bjarnadottir, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., Versie Johnson‐Mallard, Ph.D., ARNP, FAAN, Jeannie Cimiotti, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, and Ph.D. student Elizabeth Fehlberg, B.S.N., R.N., collaborated with Lucero.

Debra Lynch Kelly, Ph.D., R.N.
Kelly was accepted as a full member of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Founded in 1993, the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation is an international professional membership association of more than 2,200 physicians, investigators and other health care professionals from more than 45 countries. Kelly is the only nurse who holds full status in this prestigious professional organization of over 2,200 members elected to serve on the Survivorship Interest Group Steering Committee. Kelly’s primary focus of research is in the area of biobehavioral responses to distressing symptoms of chronic illness with a population focus in oncology. Her currently funded research involves biological mechanisms such as the gut microbiota, metabolites and mitochondrial dysfunction of cancer-related symptoms

Leslie Parker, Ph.D., ARNP, NNP-BC
Parker has been appointed as associate professor—tenure-track. A long-time clinical faculty member, Parker will focus on her research in her new responsibilities at the college. Her research involved nutritional support of the premature infant with an emphasis on breastfeeding infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Jeanne-Marie Stacciarini, Ph.D, R.N., FAAN
Stacciarini, the college’s director of diversity and inclusion, was presented the University of Florida Faculty Award for Diversity at the inaugural Inclusive Excellence in Diversity Awards Ceremony, hosted by the UF Office of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs, or MCDA. The MCDA Inclusive Excellence in Diversity Awards recognize and reward the efforts of individuals, departments and groups who display exceptional leadership in fostering diversity and inclusion both on campus and in the surrounding Gainesville community.

D.N.P. Program Reaccredited
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education recently reaccredited the Doctor of Nursing Practice program for the full 10 years. The D.N.P. program is one of the top 25 public D.N.P. programs nationally and ranked sixth as a top value for national D.N.P. programs by Value Magazine.

Phi Beta Kappa
Four College of Nursing undergraduate students were selected for induction into Phi Beta Kappa:  Ashley Hartley, Maria Magalhaes, Marielle Pezzella and Urszula Snigurska. Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society for undergraduate students in the liberal arts and sciences. Only 10 percent of United States colleges and universities have Phi Beta Kappa chapters, and these chapters only select about 10 percent of their arts and sciences graduates to join. Just 43 UF students outside of the College of Liberal Arts and Science were selected this year, and 10 percent of those were nursing students.

Presidential Service Awards
B.S.N. senior Marielle Pezzella and pre-nursing UF freshman student Mikaelyn Pavlisin were two recipients of 2017 University of Florida Presidential Service Awards. Pezzella and Pavlisin were recognized by the University for completing 200 or more hours of community service between March 1, 2016, and March 1, 2017. In total, Pezzella (204) and Pavlisin (215) gave 419 hours of service, which equates to $9,267 of value added to the community, according to the Department of Student Activities and Involvement at UF. The Presidential Service Award recognizes undergraduate and graduate students each year who dedicate themselves to promoting social justice, community awareness and civic engagement on campus and in the community.