Welcome to Purdue Nurse
It is my pleasure to welcome you to this issue of Purdue Nurse in my new role as interim head of the School of Nursing.
I am honored and humbled to support the School of Nursing in this new role. Over the past nine years, I have had the opportunity to work with our outstanding faculty and witness their commitment to teaching, research and engagement excellence. This excellence lies at the heart of our success and will guide our continued development and expansion of the school and our programs.
During these times of a changing higher education landscape and delivery systems, we continue to develop and deliver graduate programs that focus on excellence and student success. Our graduate students have the opportunity to participate in both online- and campus-based classes. This approach to the rigors of graduate nursing education provides our students peer-to-peer support, personal instruction, coaching and role modeling from our nationally recognized faculty. We are extremely proud of the nursing scientists, researchers, clinical providers and health care leaders who are graduating from our programs and the positive impact they have on our health care system and patient outcomes.
As we continue to develop our programs and research, we want to welcome new faculty whose research covers areas that include evaluating programs and initiatives that impact health outcomes primarily for older adults, elder abuse, neglect and exploitation, and health outcome improvement for adults with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The rich mix of expertise in nursing and complementary disciplines in Purdue University School of Nursing in West Lafayette positions us well to address the challenges of our evolving and complex health care system. These efforts also add a unique depth to the education of our students. Examples of our thriving interprofessional culture are featured in our cover story.
Purdue University is celebrating its sesquicentennial this year and plans a future filled with “Giant Leaps” in solving global problems, including the advancement of human health and quality of life. Our Nursing faculty and graduates work with this goal in mind every day and have left lasting footprints in new frontiers of health care. Three alumni making valuable contributions to the nursing profession through administration, research and military service are highlighted in this issue.
In addition to our new faculty, the school welcomes our largest student class to date, as we continue our expansion to double our undergraduate program. This year we will also welcome our first class of students in our Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Post- Masters Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate Programs.
Through your support, we are able to offer students amazing opportunities. This past year, students attended the United Nations’ Students Seeking Solutions conference to brainstorm ways to achieve the U.N.’s sustainable development goals, discussed policy with legislators at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Student Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., and installed and maintained water filtration systems in the Dominican Republic. Read the story here.
I am moved by the generosity of our alumni and friends as they support our expansion and make Purdue a leader in nursing education and research. Your support makes a difference in the lives of our students and faculty and, in turn, improves our nation’s health care future. Thank you!
Hail Purdue!
Pamela Karagory
Interim Head of the School of Nursing
