Fisher Nursing Faculty, Staff, and Students Making Headlines
September 7, 2026
From published research to new appointments, Wegmans School of Nursing faculty, staff, students, and alumni continue to make headlines. Here’s a select roundup of their latest successes and achievements.
Achievements and Recognition
Several faculty from the Wegmans School of Nursing have contributed to the award-winning book, the 12th edition of “The Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice.” Dr. Lori Dambaugh, associate dean for undergraduate affairs, served as the clinical editor for the book, writing and revising four chapters. Dr. Natalie Masco Dixon, associate professor and graduate program chair; Dr. Tara Sacco, chair of graduate affairs; Dr. Alison Simpson, associate professor and chair of the undergraduate nursing program; Dr. Pam Mapstone, associate professor; and Dr. Kylene Abraham, associate professor, also reviewed and revised chapters according to their expertise.
The book was awarded second place in the 2025 AJN (American Journal of Nursing) with the Book of the Year Award in the Medical-Surgical Nursing category and selected as a Doody’s Core Title for 2025. A Doody’s Core title is a highly recommended book or software in the health sciences, selected by expert librarians and content specialists as essential for building a core collection for a medical library.
Academic Scholarship
Eighteen students and faculty members from the Wegmans School of Nursing presented at the Eastern Nursing Research Society 38th Annual Scientific Sessions “Strengthening Nursing Research Across Dynamic and Diverse Settings” this spring. The largest group of attendees included:
Student Mikayla Baker and Dr. Heather McGrane Minton, associate professor of nursing, presented “Effect of Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide as Graft-versus-Host Disease Prophylaxis in Allogenic Stem Cell Transplant.”
Dr. Melissa Bourne, associate professor and RN/BS program director, gave a poster presentation titled, “Elective Total Joint Replacements for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Literature Review.”
Student Mikaela Kellogg and Dr. Katie Pawlowski, adjunct professor, presented “The Impact of Routine Depression Screening on Outcomes in Adult Outpatient Settings: An Integrative Review.”
Student Phil Burdick, McGrane Minton, and Dr. Holly Brown, executive director of the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing, gave an oral presentation titled, “Interventions to Reduce Anxiety and Facilitate Anesthesia in Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the Perioperative Environment.”
Student Trevor Colegrove and McGrane Minton presented “Integrative Review: Effect of Virtual Reality Simulation in Anesthesia Training on Clinical Competence.”
Student Xia Hong and Dr. Maria Wheelock, assistant professor of nursing, gave a poster presentation, “Nursing Psychosocial Interventions for Psychological Well-being of Patients with Spinal Cord Injury: An Integrative Review.”
McGrane Minton and Joy Hogan, visiting assistant professor, presented “Assessing Health Science Students’ Attitudes Toward Poverty.”
Student Jennifer James, McGrane Minton, and Dr. Michelle Slymon, assistant professor of nursing, gave a poster presentation titled, “Integrating Social Determinants of Health Screening in Elective Surgical Patients.” With this presentation, James was awarded 3rd place in the Individual School Selected Student Poster Presentation (Master’s) category.
Allie Nickel, visiting instructor of nursing, presented “From Moral Distress to Burnout and Mental Health: The Mediating Role of Mindfulness” with the UB School of Nursing. This awarded Nickel 3rd place in the Individual School Selected Student Poster Presentation (Early Ph.D.) category.
Student Mary Nowak and Dr. Natalie Masco Dixon, graduate program chair, presented “Spiritual Care of Hemodialysis Patients: An Evidence-Based Nursing Pilot Quality Improvement Project.”
Student Alexandra Vadas; Dr. Susan Frederick, visiting assistant professor; Dr. Kathryn Ledwin, visiting assistant professor; and Dr. Tara Sacco, chair of graduate affairs, presented “Every Encounter Matters: An Evaluation of Emergency Department Care for Adults with Sickle Cell Disease.”
Ledwin, Sacco, and Dr. Pam Mapstone, associate professor, presented “Student Incivility and Faculty Burnout in Nursing Education.”
Brown; Dr. Alexis Munding, assistant professor; Dr. Deborah Hurley, assistant professor; Dr. Elizabeth Kiss, associate professor; and Crystal Dobri, director of experiential learning, presented “Nursing Education through Simulation: A New Era in Intellectual and Developmental Disability Care.”
Sacco presented “An Exploration of Moral Agency Among Nursing Leaders in partnership with University of Rochester Medical Center.”
Fisher Nursing Faculty, Staff, and Students Making Headlines2026-09-07T21:11:36-04:00From published research to new appointments, Wegmans School of Nursing faculty, staff, students, and alumni continue to make headlines. Here’s a select roundup of their latest successes and achievements.Achievements and Recognition
Several faculty from the Wegmans School of Nursing have contributed to the award-winning book, the 12th edition of “The Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice.” Dr. Lori Dambaugh, associate dean for undergraduate affairs, served as the clinical editor for the book, writing and revising four chapters. Dr. Natalie Masco Dixon, associate professor and graduate program chair; Dr. Tara Sacco, chair of graduate affairs; Dr. Alison Simpson, associate professor and chair of the undergraduate nursing program; Dr. Pam Mapstone, associate professor; and Dr. Kylene Abraham, associate professor, also reviewed and revised chapters according to their expertise.
The book was awarded second place in the 2025 AJN (American Journal of Nursing) with the Book of the Year Award in the Medical-Surgical Nursing category and selected as a Doody’s Core Title for 2025. A Doody’s Core title is a highly recommended book or software in the health sciences, selected by expert librarians and content specialists as essential for building a core collection for a medical library.
Academic Scholarship
Eighteen students and faculty members from the Wegmans School of Nursing presented at the Eastern Nursing Research Society 38th Annual Scientific Sessions “Strengthening Nursing Research Across Dynamic and Diverse Settings” this spring. The largest group of attendees included:
Student Mikayla Baker and Dr. Heather McGrane Minton, associate professor of nursing, presented “Effect of Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide as Graft-versus-Host Disease Prophylaxis in Allogenic Stem Cell Transplant.”
Dr. Melissa Bourne, associate professor and RN/BS program director, gave a poster presentation titled, “Elective Total Joint Replacements for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Literature Review.”
Student Mikaela Kellogg and Dr. Katie Pawlowski, adjunct professor, presented “The Impact of Routine Depression Screening on Outcomes in Adult Outpatient Settings: An Integrative Review.”
Student Phil Burdick, McGrane Minton, and Dr. Holly Brown, executive director of the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing, gave an oral presentation titled, “Interventions to Reduce Anxiety and Facilitate Anesthesia in Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the Perioperative Environment.”
Student Trevor Colegrove and McGrane Minton presented “Integrative Review: Effect of Virtual Reality Simulation in Anesthesia Training on Clinical Competence.”
Student Xia Hong and Dr. Maria Wheelock, assistant professor of nursing, gave a poster presentation, “Nursing Psychosocial Interventions for Psychological Well-being of Patients with Spinal Cord Injury: An Integrative Review.”
McGrane Minton and Joy Hogan, visiting assistant professor, presented “Assessing Health Science Students’ Attitudes Toward Poverty.”
Student Jennifer James, McGrane Minton, and Dr. Michelle Slymon, assistant professor of nursing, gave a poster presentation titled, “Integrating Social Determinants of Health Screening in Elective Surgical Patients.” With this presentation, James was awarded 3rd place in the Individual School Selected Student Poster Presentation (Master’s) category.
Allie Nickel, visiting instructor of nursing, presented “From Moral Distress to Burnout and Mental Health: The Mediating Role of Mindfulness” with the UB School of Nursing. This awarded Nickel 3rd place in the Individual School Selected Student Poster Presentation (Early Ph.D.) category.
Student Mary Nowak and Dr. Natalie Masco Dixon, graduate program chair, presented “Spiritual Care of Hemodialysis Patients: An Evidence-Based Nursing Pilot Quality Improvement Project.”
Student Alexandra Vadas; Dr. Susan Frederick, visiting assistant professor; Dr. Kathryn Ledwin, visiting assistant professor; and Dr. Tara Sacco, chair of graduate affairs, presented “Every Encounter Matters: An Evaluation of Emergency Department Care for Adults with Sickle Cell Disease.”
Ledwin, Sacco, and Dr. Pam Mapstone, associate professor, presented “Student Incivility and Faculty Burnout in Nursing Education.”
Brown; Dr. Alexis Munding, assistant professor; Dr. Deborah Hurley, assistant professor; Dr. Elizabeth Kiss, associate professor; and Crystal Dobri, director of experiential learning, presented “Nursing Education through Simulation: A New Era in Intellectual and Developmental Disability Care.”
Sacco presented “An Exploration of Moral Agency Among Nursing Leaders in partnership with University of Rochester Medical Center.”