School of Nursing happenings
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing faculty, students and scholars continually participate in lectures, speaker series, symposiums and other special events that reflect the school's vision and mission to transform health care through nursing education and research. This frequently updated list is a sample of the breadth of such activities.
2023 Happenings
Feb. 22 — Professor publishes article on UC Health response to unaccompanied minors
Mary Lou de Leon Siantz, a professor emeritus at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, is one of several University of California Health researchers who published “Academic Health Centers and Humanitarian Crises: One Health System’s Response to Unaccompanied Children at the Border” in Academic Medicine. The article explores the systemwide, rapid response to the humanitarian crisis of unaccompanied children crossing the southern U.S. border in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. The authors report experience demonstrates that health system collaboration resulted in optimal outcomes for unaccompanied children. Mary Lou is internationally respected for her research in migrant population health. The publication is the journal for the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Feb. 2 — Heather M. Young Postdoctoral Fellow, nursing faculty publish research letter
Becca Howe, a Heather M. Young Postdoctoral Fellow, and two Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis faculty recently published the research letter, “Association of social isolation and loneliness with telehealth use among older adults during COVID-19,” in the online Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The letter highlights Becca’s analysis of the 2020-21 National Health and Aging Trends Study to examine relationships between the use of telehealth and social isolation and loneliness among older adults during the first wave the pandemic. This contributes to a broader goal to identify strategies to improve care for high-risk older adults. According to the results of the researchers’ analysis, socially isolated older adults were less likely to use telehealth during the first year of the pandemic, which they felt may have compounded poor health outcomes in an at-risk group. Becca, who is a physician in the UC Davis Health Family and Community Medicine Department, is also a Heather M. Young Postdoctoral Fellow supported by the School of Nursing. Associate Dean for Research Janice Bell and Assistant Professor Julie Bidwell contributed to this letter, along with Family and Community Medicine physicians Joshua J. Fenton, Grace P. Amadi and Alicia L. Agnoli.
Feb. 1 — Nursing professor appointed to national journal board of editors
Jessica Draughon Moret, an associate professor at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, was appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Forensic Nursing, a journal of the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN). The journal is dedicated to the advancement of forensic nursing scholarship and publishes articles that create, translate and disseminate knowledge relevant to forensic nurses and other disciplines. Over the course of her five-year appointment, Jessica is responsible for reviewing and recommending manuscripts that are suitable for publication, recruiting relevant submissions and referring colleagues to serve on the review panel. She is also expected to submit her scholarship for publication in the journal at least annually over the course of her appointment. A forensic nurse herself, Jessica’s research focuses on structural and independent factors contributing to women’s health disparities. She has previously published manuscripts in the Journal of Forensic Nursing.
Jan. 12 — Doctor of Philosophy alumna appointed faculty at California State University
Gennifer Holt, a Class of 2020 alumna of the Doctor of Philosophy program at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, was appointed to a tenure-track assistant professor position at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS). Her appointment in the School of Nursing includes teaching baccalaureate and graduate nursing students. As part of her commitment to the CSUS School of Nursing, Gennifer is involved in scholarly work including research as well as engaging in activities that promote the well-being of the community and elevate the nursing profession. She also represents Sacramento State as a board member for the Sigma Theta Tau Zeta Eta-at-Large Chapter; a chapter of the international nursing honor society dedicated to developing and empowering nurse leaders with the goal of improving health care. The Sacramento area chapter is a partnership between Sacramento State and UC Davis.
Jan. 10 — Adult-gerontology textbook named third place in Book of the Year Awards
A textbook written by a team of Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing faculty and UC Davis Health clinicians, Textbook of Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nursing, was recently awarded third place in the Adult Primary Care category in the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards 2022, which honors exceptional print and digital texts for advancing health care quality. Published in March 2022, the book is considered the first-ever adult-gerontology textbook. According to Deb Bakerjian, interim associate dean for practice at the School of Nursing, the textbook provides comprehensive, evidence-based practice approaches to both common and complex health issues advanced practice nurses may face in primary care. She edited 16 of 28 chapters. Several of those chapters were written by School of Nursing faculty, including Amy Nichols, Jennifer Edwards, Gordon Worley, Kathryn Sexson, Hannah Spero, Laura Van Auker and Sumathi Sankaran-Walters. Several UC Davis Health practicing clinicians also contributed. “Their expertise is an essential contribution that integrates the best available evidence with a current clinical practice application and a focus on high quality, cost-efficient, person/family-centered, safe care,” Deb said. The Book of the Year program includes first, second and third places across 20 categories, including adult primary care, advanced practice nursing, informatics, and nursing management and leadership.
Past Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing Happenings
