Winter 2025 | Alumni Updates
Celebrating the achievements and accomplishments of Gator Nursing alum!

Michaela Uanino (BSN 2012) was named the new director of staff development at Wellington Regional Medical Center in Wellington, Florida. Since graduation, Uanino has worked in the ICU and step-down units at hospitals in Palm Beach County as a registered nurse. Michaela began her career at Wellington Regional Medical Center in 2021 as a clinical educator for hospital-wide programs, streamlining the process for new hire orientation, novice residency program, onboarding, and preceptor classes. In 2023, she transferred into the critical care/ED educator role, where she managed the critical care class and education programs for the ICU, step-down, and emergency departments. Michaela has been active in the local community, serving as president of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Palm Beach County in 2022-23. She holds certifications in critical care and stroke care and is an advocate for others to pursue certification in their specialties.

Susan Brasher, PhD, RN, CPNP, FAAN (PhD 2016) is an assistant professor at Emory University, with a focus on autism spectrum disorder and health disparities. As a principal investigator and co-investigator on numerous Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute-funded grants, she works to improve outcomes for children and young adults on the autism spectrum. Brasher credits her success to the mentorship of Gator Nursing Emeritus Professor Dr. Jennifer Elder.

The American Heart Association named Tiffany Orth Sheehan, PhD, RN, (PhD 2019) to serve as a member of its Systems of Care Advisory Group – Stroke. She will serve a two-year term on the 16-member national committee, which focuses on stroke care quality improvement. Sheehan is the stroke program coordinator at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.
Tesha Tan Kapusinsky Simpson (BSN 2004, MSN 2005, DNP 2012) was named the chief executive officer of Millenium Physician Group, a value-based physician group with more than 900 health care providers across the Southeast. Simpson has extensive experience in leadership roles in the health care delivery industry, most recently serving as the chief executive officer of Guidelight Health, a national mental health provider she co-founded, since 2023.
Mary Katherine Murphy (MN 1994) recently retired from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, after 22 years of service as a board-certified women’s health care nurse practitioner (30 years as a nurse practitioner).