Nursing Commons^™

Lois Whaley Highsmith, Lois Whaley Highsmith, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

After originally studying chemical engineering at Penn State, Lois Highsmith decided to instead pursue nursing. At Jefferson she found a passion for community health nursing, specifically related to obstetrics, gynecology, and maternal child health. Ms. Highsmith graduated in 1986 and over the years worked mostly in maternal care but also in psychology. Among other positions, she worked for ten years at Pennsylvania Hospital where she founded STEPS, Strategies to Encourage Parental Self-Sufficiency, a teen pregnancy clinic, and worked as a home visitor for Mercy Home Health educating new moms about postpartum care. Since 2002 she has worked for Nurse Family …

Vera Paoletti, Vera Paoletti, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Vera Paoletti became interested in nursing as a teenager after watching a close family member succumb to leukemia. This experience led her to work as a candy striper at Jefferson Hospital through her high school years and then enroll in the Jefferson Hospital School of Nursing in 1966. Once she graduated in 1969 Ms. Paoletti began her career as a nurse at Jefferson, first in surgery on Ninth Pavilion and then in oncology on Eleventh Pavilion before becoming head nurse first of a nineteen-bed unit reserved for VIPs and then two years later of Sixth Main. In 1975 she left …

Joan Walker Randolph, Joan Walker Randolph, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Joan Randolph is a 1956 graduate of the Jefferson School of Nursing’s Diploma Program. Though she enjoyed all of her nursing rotations as a student, upon graduation she decided to go into medical-surgical nursing, starting her career at Jefferson Hospital working with, among others, Dr. John Gibbon. After leaving Jefferson, Ms. Randolph spent the bulk of her career at Jeanes Hospital, where she worked her way up from staff nurse to head nurse and eventually on to Vice President of Patient Care Services. Though now retired Ms. Randolph continues to be involved with the field of nursing by serving on …

Colleen Young Elwood, Colleen Young Elwood, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Colleen Young Elwood discovered her interest in nursing after finishing a Bachelor’s of Science in psychology and starting her career at Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Learning about diabetes and working with diabetics sparked an interest in public and community health so she enrolled in Thomas Jefferson University’s two-year BSN program, which she graduated from in 2013. While at Jefferson her clinical experiences confirmed she was not interested in hospital nursing but instead in community nursing. After graduating she started working at Nurse Family Partnership, first as an intern and then as a Nurse-Home Visitor, where she helps new mothers during …

Grace Spena, Grace Spena, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Grace Spena grew up with an interest in health sciences, first wanting to be a medical laboratory technologist and later a registered nurse after attending an open house on nursing at Saint Agnes Hospital, where she volunteered as a teenager. Upon completing her education in 1971 from the Jefferson Diploma School of Nursing, Ms. Spena began her career as a Staff Nurse in the Surgical ICU at Jefferson Hospital. She then went to Medical College of Pennsylvania, working as a Staff Nurse in the combined Medical/Surgical ICU and later as the Head Nurse of the 3 West Medical/Surgical unit. After …

Eileen Healy Garrity, Eileen Healy Garrity, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Eileen Garrity’s first draw to the medical field came through her interest in Christiaan Barnard’s work as a cardiac surgeon. After deciding to pursue nursing instead of medicine, Ms. Garrity entered the Jefferson School of Nursing’s Diploma program, graduating in 1976. She began her career as an ER and ICU nurse, working at Atlantic City Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, and Mercy Fitzgerald. She eventually left hospital nursing to work at Blue Cross, ending there as the manager of their risk programs department before moving on to Taylor Hospital as a director of social work case management and later manager of …

Breanne Ward, Breanne Ward, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Though she originally decided to become an accountant during college, Breanne Ward soon realized she would rather be in a field where she could work more closely with people. She chose nursing because she wanted the opportunity to physically care for others. Ms. Ward was accepted as a nursing student in Jefferson’s Full-time Accelerated Coursework Track (FACT) program, during which time she discovered an interest in community health through both her non-hospital clinical experiences and volunteering with Jeff HEALTH (Helping East Africa Link To Health). After working in the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and completing her Master’s in Community Systems …

Pat Owens, Pat Owens, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

From a young age Pat Owens had a strong interest in nursing, and as a high school student she was even the President of her school’s Future Nurses Club. However, she also really liked home economics so when she went to college she decided to pursue home economics rather than nursing. After working as at the Dairy Council as a nutrition consultant and later at Campbell’s Soup in their test kitchen, Ms. Owens decided that she wanted to instead pursue a career in nursing. After looking into different programs in the Philadelphia area, she chose Jefferson, entering in 1990 and …

Mary Greenwood Schaal, Mary Greenwood Schaal, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Dr. Schaal graduated from Jefferson’s Nursing Diploma Program in 1963 and received her BSN from Jefferson in 1981. Though she started her career as an operating room nurse she soon discovered an interest in public health. After coming back to Jefferson for her Bachelor’s degree and then going on to the University of Pennsylvania for her Master’s degree and Rutgers for her Doctorate, she began teaching Community Health to nursing students at Rutgers in Camden. Dr. Schaal then went on to teach in MCP Hahnemann’s graduate program, which is now Drexel, before coming back to Thomas Jefferson University and ending …

Aileen Ishuin Macmillan, Aileen Ishuin Macmillan, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Aileen Ishuin MacMillan did not grow up wanting to be a nurse, but after two years of college in Montclair not knowing what she wanted to do, Ms. MacMillan decided by chance to pursue nursing at Jefferson. After graduating in 1976 from the Diploma program she took a job as a nurse in the maternity ward of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. During her forty year career at Jefferson Ms. MacMillan also completed her BSN at Gwynedd Mercy University. She remains very involved in Jefferson Nursing, serving on both the Jefferson Nursing College Alumni Board and, as president, on the Diploma …

Karen Jordan, Karen Jordan, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Karen Jordan was a member of the civil rights movement in Philadelphia during the 1960s, first becoming involved with the fight to desegregate Girard College. After a semester at Cheyney University Ms. Jordan took time away from school before deciding to study nursing. She enrolled in the Jefferson Diploma Nursing program in 1973 and graduated in 1976. She would later go on to also receive her Bachelor’s in Nursing Science, also from Thomas Jefferson University. Ms. Jordan has spent her long career at Jefferson working as a medical-surgical, oncology, and neonatal nurse. In her free …

Mary Woltemate Stec, Mary Woltemate Stec, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Dr. Stec began her nursing career in 1973 as a graduate of Jefferson’s Nursing Diploma School. She would go on to receive her BS in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, her MSN from Gwynedd Mercy College, and her PhD in Nursing from Widener University. Dr. Stec has spent the majority of her career as a nursing educator, including as an instructor at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital School of Nursing, Gwynedd Mercy College, and Abington Memorial Hospital Dixon School of Nursing. She is now an Assistant Professor at Temple University. She is also a Certified Nurse Educator, an Evaluator for …

Katherine Kingsley Kinsey, Katherine Kingsley Kinsey, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Dr. Kinsey received her nursing diploma from the Jefferson Hospital School of Nursing in 1963 and later a BS in Education and School Health from Millersville University. She also has a BS in Nursing, Magna Cum Laude, a MS in Nursing in Community Health, and a PhD in Education, all from the University of Pennsylvania. She currently serves as the Nurse Administrator and Principal Investigator for the Philadelphia Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), the Mabel Morris Family Home Visit Program (MM), and other early childhood initiatives. Previously, Dr. Kinsey was a tenured professor at La Salle University School of Nursing where she …

Patricia Maro Dehart, Patricia Maro Dehart, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

Patricia Maro DeHart first became interested in nursing in high school when she first volunteered, and later worked, as a nurses’ aide in a local nursing home. She decided to attend Jefferson’s Diploma Nursing program and graduated in 1977. After starting her career in medical surgery at West Jersey Hospital she then worked as an OB-GYN nurse at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for eleven years. As her career progressed she moved to Bristol-Myers Squibb, where she held a number of varied positions that allowed her to combine both her degrees in nursing and business, including as account executive and government …

Stella Jedrziewski Wawrynovic, Genevieve Jedrziewski Williams, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

This oral history was completed with Genevieve (Jenny) Williams about her older sister Stella Jedrziewski Wawrynovic, a 1940 graduate of Jefferson's Nursing Training School.

Stella Jedrziewski Wawrynovic was born in Osceola Mills, Pennsylvania to Polish immigrants. Her parents championed the importance of education for all of their children, and so when the oldest daughter Stella graduated from high school in 1936 she moved to Philadelphia to pursue a nursing degree at Jefferson's Nursing School. She began her career at Jefferson before joining the Army during WWII to work as a nurse. After the war she returned to Jefferson, where she …

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2011, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2011 nursing class: Vanessa Adkins, Judy Alvey, Marcia Atherton, Amanda Bagwell, Whitney Barger, Stephanie Blanton, Brianne Bohannon, Megan Bow, Pamela Brigl, Natalie Bruce, Steven Clemons, Sherita Davidson, Matthew Denney, Bethany Dobson, Lori Donahue, Laura Durbin, Lidnsey Finley, Erin Flaherty, Cory Gearlds, Stacey Gonzalez, Pamela Houchens, Kellie Johnston, Courtney Jones, Molly McCabe, Megan McKee, Lara McMahan, Sunnie Monin, Rachel Osborne, Antoinette Ray, Megan Richardson, Meghan Rinehart, Angela Reef, Suvada Salkic, Diane Scott, Kayla Scruggs, Tabatha Shelton, Gary Spradlin, Elizabeth Stewart, Andrea Terry, Krystal Thurman, Jeana Townsend, Kristen Tracy, Erin Wilson, Lynsey Wilson, Melanie Wright and Rebecca Wyatt.

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2011, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2011 nursing class: Tamra Atwood, Shelly Davis, Connie Dickson, Traci Gentry, Marita Hockstedler, Josie Kroeger, Wendy Lai, Levita Larson, Nicole Loy, Allison McCutchen, Jackie Pardue, Jennifer Parrott, Kellye Rone, Annette Ploeg, Thomas Vogler, Louise Webb, Brandi White, Annie Wilson and Katrina Wood.

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2010, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2010 nursing class: Laura Abernathy, Michelle Allison, Jana Anderson, Tanya Atkinson, Denise Bunner, Mollie Carter, Jared Crocker, Brittany Davidson, Laura Deaton, Drew Frey, Erin Garner, Brian Gaskins, Angie Gipson, Brianna Glover-Motley, Jeanette Granese, Jennifer Green, Lindsay Green, Erick Greer, Crystal Heady, Myranda Holder, Kelly Irvin, Katherine Kerr, Dawn Kimberlin, Wendi King, Amanda Lamb, Jody Lee, Angela Legge, Rebecca Lock, Tiffany McMinoway, Joe Middleton, Sherry Moore, Amber Nagornay, Renae Neldlinger, Laura Nuestro, Blair Ramsey, Heather Rasmussen, Lora Ray, Justin Reed, Kristin Richardson, Jacqui Rock, Regina Salai, Shelby Scillian, Sydney Scillian, Michael Sticar(?), Rachel Sither, Amanda Smith-Gaspar, Sarah Somers, …

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2010, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2010 nursing class: Claire Almes, Steven Alvey, Sarah Armstrong, Heather Bean, Tiffany Bradley, Chelsey Brown, Sarah Burton, Stephen Carter, Lindsey Caudill, Darlene Cleveland, Kira Cleveland, Rachel Cusick, Anna Dykman, Emily Ford, Tara Ford, Kacey Fortney, Julia Hendricks, Donna Higdon, Kellie Keown, Angela Kitchens, Cody LaChappelle, Laura Lilly, Emily Martin, Leah Norman, Elizabeth Ralph, Chad Reid, Maria Schlich, Bill Singletary, Samantha Smith, Lena Smith, Kathleen Taylor, Gladys Thompson, Emily Tuck, Brittney Wells, Pamela Whittaker and Rebekah Wilson.

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2009, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2009 nursing class: Aleia Bow, Mallori Carter, Courtney Garmon, Valerie Geralds, Marguerite McBride, Crystal Reynolds, Leslie Richardson, Casey Sacia and Emily Tabor-Taylor.

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2009, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2009 nursing class: Lorraine Adler, Tonya Bragg-Underwood, Jenna Bratcher, Crystal Brock, Kathy Brooks, Lisa Burton, Shelia Curry, Donna Embry, Margo Hancock, Laura Harmon, Kim Haynes, Hua-Wen Hsu, Vanessa Lopp, Lisa Marcum, Jennifer McGee, Linda Norton, Michael Pendleton, Yvonne Pfanenstiel, Pam Phelps, Allison Phillips, Brandy Pierce, Elizabeth Price, Lisa Proctor, Susan Redick, Terra Roberts, Martha Ryan, Sally Satterfield, Lori Skaggs, Tequila Staten, Teresa Stidham and Bryn Wells.

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2008, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2008 nursing class: Brittany Baxter, Kenny Becht, Margaret Boils, Miranda Bow, Salanda Bowman, Sandra Braswell, Victoria Briley, Renee Brown, Erin Bruenderman, Laura Bryan, Ashley Buck, Angela Burton, Angela Campbell, Trisha Campbell, Joy Campbell, Elizabeth Clarke, Paula DeVore, Courtney Don, Jodi Dubree, Devon Durall, Miki Durall, Megan Esters, Tammy Franklin, Kimberly Gidcumb, Amanda Hallum, Alyssa Harmon, Wesley Henderson, Tara Hester, Jessica Houchens, Lauren Johnson, Chris Kramer, Ashley Logan, Heather Martin, Lindsay McCoy, Leslie Meador, Freda Meador, Sheena Millay, Tiffany Norris, Amanda O'Keefe, Jason Osborne, Jackie Pardue, Jennifer Pendley, Rosie Plas, Samantha Reeder, Jenna Silverberg, Sheree Simmons, Jamie Simpson, …

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2008, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2008 nursing class: Mitzi Baker, Betty Burnett, Wendy Clayton, Mitzi Gardner, Rachel Givens, Heather Goodall, Meshel Goodman, Emily Howard, Debbie Long, Hillary Lovell, Erica McWhorter-Hill, Tracy Moss, Karen Partin, Jennifer Proffitt, Jennifer Robinson, Billie Shelton, Jason Shuffitt, Michele Simpson, Ashley Strader, Missy Travelsted, Kim Vickous and Stacia Washer.

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Classes 2006 & 2007, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2006/2007 nursing class: Brittany Bate, Kathy Barger, Andrew Blair, Kathry Brooks, Megan Brotherton, Adrienne Brown, Spencer Cole, Kelly Crowe, Sarah Faxon, Kristin Ferrell, Sheila Flewallen, Stephanie Ford, Alicia Greenwell, Ashley Griffin, Ali Hamidian, Megan Hamilton, Margo Hancock, Elisha Hill, Erin Hubbard, Liz Huber, Brittany Hughes, Beverly Jaggers, Tracy Jenkins, Jessica Johnson, Ben Kabel, LaDonna Killebrew, Bridget Kilpatrick, Lindsay Klineline, Kristin Kuffman, Ashley LaFollette, Lisa Marcum, Bernard Marfo, Mallory Markwell, Eugenia Martchenko, Torie McCoy, Karen Northey, Nancy Oetze, Michel Pendleton, Allison Phillips, Brandy Pierce, Valerie Roberts, Britney Robertson, Heather Rodgers, Melissa Ross, Angela Ryne, Kara Sears, Denise Simmons, …

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2006, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2006 nursing class: Carolyn Adwell, Karen Agee, Hannah Areephanthu, Rachel Austin, Virginia Barlow, Kelly Barnes, Katherine Barr, Carmen Blanton, Terani Booher, Stephanie Bradley, Tonya Bragg-Underwood, Brian Brown, Russell Brown, Ashley Bryant, Betty Burnett, Lida Burton, Ashleigh Campbell, Brandy Carson, Susan Church-Mateika, Brett Clay, Ronald Coffell, Deborah Colburn, Lisa Cooper, Christa Dowell, Lorraine Edge, Patricia Edwards, Christy Elliott, Karen Ellis, Jennie Farris, Kate Feeley, Amy Fisher, Jason Flora, Jaime French, Karen Frizzell, Jennifer Ginn, Nathan Gish, Rachel Givens, Cari Glutting, Miranda Goldsmith, Heather Goodall, Chelsey Gregory, Kimberlie Griffith, Charissa Hallman, Emily Hanson, Libby Hayden, Carla Haynes, Jennifer Hopewell, …

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2006, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2006 nursing class: Janice Beard, Pam Beasley, Melinda Burchett, Margaret Crouch, Barry Dority, Shauna Gish, Jessica Hunter, Penny Logan, Sonya McReynolds, Wendy Moore, Deanna Polston, Laura Ross, Teresa Sheffield, Susan Shively, Janice Stilts, Hannah Wimsatt, Lenore Wix, Marilyn Worsham, Ronda Worsham and Janice York.

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2005, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2005 nursing class: Rachel Aud, Marcelle Beall, Amy Becker, Joanie Beckham, Micah Bennett, Lois Bergenson, Jennifer Berry, Jenna Bratcher, Tracy Brown, Ashley Bryant, Kathy Buchanan, Dawn Bucy, Gail Butler, Rachel Cardwell, Heather Childress, Lesley Coots, Erica Cummings, Heather Drake, Adrian Duff, David Ellison, Brittany Geralds, Jennifer Gore, Amanda Gwin, Sarah Harrison, Sarah Hicklin, Julie Hicks, Lee Hufford, Rachel Hughes, Britney Jackson, Jennifer Jennings, Margaret Jones, Russell Jones, Sara Jones, Dustin Kinzinger, Brunilda Kofagli, Christian Kranz, Mariah Light, Emily Long, Sarah Mascaro, Ericka McCombs, Staffnie McKinney, Erica McWhorter, Jennifer Minor, Brandi Mooney, Stephanie Mudd, Jenny Northern, Joanie Parrish, …

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2004, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2004 nursing class: Glenda Bagby, Sharon Campbell, Cynthia Campbell, Brianah Doeden, Jamie Dorris, Amy Frazier, Dawn Garrett, Marilyn Graves, Lisa Hays, Laurel Henderson, Victoria Kingery, Alice Kirby, Sherry Lovan, Heather Parsley, Lorena Steenbergen and Douglas Williams.

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2004, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2004 nursing class: Angie Atwood, Teresa Bertrand, Melanie Blunk, Amanda Brady, Aimee Brown, Sarah Bruce, Jenny Bush, Mary Bybee, Darby Carter, Shelia Catlett, Libby Cawthorn, Allison Clifton, Jennifer Combs, Vicky Compton, Abigail Cooper, Mary Croley, Whitney Cunningham, Pamela Deel, Christina Dill, Bonnie Embrey, Christy Hall-Simpson, Amy Hanes, Laura Harmon, Deanna Hart, Kim Haynes, Stacey Hiser, Gayle Hooks, Maureen Horvath, Susan Jackewicz, Alicia Jackson, Robbyn Jewell, Libby Johnson, Joyce Keel, Tracey Keen, Mary King, Casey Lanius, Karla Lee, Britanny London, Heather Luellen, Teresa Martin-Curd, Keely Miller, Colleen Mulligan, Nena Nokes, Kimberly Owens, Roxie Perry, Pam Phelps, Jessica Phillips, …

Ua61/1 Wku Nursing Class 2003, Wku Nursing

WKU Archives Records

Members of the 2003 nursing class: Steve Anderson, Mia Belcher, Ina Chandler-Benge, Honey Blakeman, Jamie Bradford, Heather Brady, Erin Brothers, Rowgena Gain, Amy Cherry, Jana Chick, Lana Chick, Amy Comer, Susan Daniel, Julie Davis, Lisa Dones, Judy Evans, Jill Ford, Stacy Gardner, Shauna Gish, Claudetta Hatchett, Heather Holloway, Mandy Honeycutt, Emily Howard, Terri Hunt, Melissa Johnson, Colleen Jones, Penny Logan, Stacey Marksberry, Beth Maxwell, Leeah McGuire, Chris Medling, Anna Miller, Elizabeth Oaks, Amy Orndorff, Christy Overfelt, Belinda Phillips, Mike Rainey, Rachel Richardson, Katie Sargent, Matthew Simpson, Kristen Smith, Susan Spivey, Janice Stilts, Rick Stockton, Lorenzo Suter, KenYatta Williams, Stephanie Wilson …