The LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Nursing is proud to highlight the outstanding accomplishments of its faculty, who continue to make significant contributions to the field of nursing through presentations, publications and awards.

Faculty Promotions

• Marie Adorno, PhD, APRN, CNS, RNC-MNN, CNE, Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing
• Benita Chatmon, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE, Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing
• Sherry Rivera, DNP, APRN, ANP-C, FNKF, FAANP, Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing

Faculty Director Appointments

• Gelinia Jackson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, Off-Campus Instructional Site Director at LSUHSC-Shreveport
• Gwendolyn Stewart-Woods, MSN, RN, Director of the RN to BSN Program

Faculty Appointments (New Hires)

• Kimberly Shmina, Associate Dean for Professional Practice and Advanced Nursing Practice, Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing
• Mary Dioise Ramos, PhD, RN, CNE, Associate Dean for Nursing Research, Scholarship & Science, Associate Professor
• Birgit Kleinbeck, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPN, Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD) Nurse Coordinator, Instructor of Clinical Nursing
• Brent Thibodeaux, Part-Time Instructor
• Nourain Jamhour, Part-Time Instructor
• Alicia Williams, Full-Time Instructor
• Mark Lanpher, Full-Time Instructor
• Eurydice Lang, Full-Time Instructor
• Chasity Maylon, Full-Time Instructor [Off-Campus Instructional Site: LSUHSC-Shreveport]
• Marlee Schreiber, Full-Time Instructor

Faculty Presentations

Several of our esteemed faculty members have been actively engaged in professional development, sharing their expertise on critical topics at national and regional conferences:

• Leanne Fowler, DNP, MBA, AGACNP-BC, CNE, FAANP, FAAN, Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing and Program Director for the Nurse Practitioner Programs, delivered a presentation on “Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia: Diagnosis and Management” during the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners (LANP) Webinar on June 3, 2024.
• Colleen Story, DNP, FNP-C, MSN, RN, Instructor of Clinical Nursing, presented multiple sessions at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 26, 2024. Her presentations included:
  • “Pediatric Orthopedic Workshop: Practical Knowledge for the PNP”
  • “Pediatric Orthopedics: When to Refer and When to Reassure”
  • “Pediatric Sports Overuse Injuries”
• Melissa Nunn, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC/AC, CNE, NEA-BC, Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing, presented “Adolescent Female Abdominal Pain: A Myriad of Diagnoses” at the AANP National Conference.
• Mina Hogan, MS, CHSOS, Simulation Operations Specialist, and Aimee McCauley, DNP, RN, CNE, CHSE, Interim Director of Nursing Skills and Technology, presented “Cultivating Consistency: Enhancing Simulation Debriefing Practices in Nursing Education Through a Standardized Script and Best Practices Approach” at the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) SimOps 2024 conference in Aurora, Colorado, on July 18, 2024.

Faculty Publications

Our faculty continues to contribute valuable research and thought leadership to the nursing field through recent publications:

• Gloria Giarratano, PhD, APRN, CNS, Professor of Nursing, published an article, “Nurses and Midwives Must Take the Lead on Improving Maternal and Infant Outcomes” in the July/August 2024 edition of MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing. This timely piece emphasizes the pivotal role of nursing professionals in improving maternal and child health outcomes.
• Melissa Nunn, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC/AC, CNE, NEA-BC, authored “Improving Communication-Specific Developmental Screening Skills: Interprofessional Peer Teaching in Nurse Practitioner Education,” which was published in Nurse Educator on June 10, 2024. This work underscores the importance of interprofessional collaboration in nursing education.

Faculty Awards

We are thrilled to recognize the following faculty members for their achievements:

2024 NODNA Awards

• Mary Kelly, DNP, MSN, MHA, NEA-BC, Instructor of Clinical Nursing – Mary Eliza Mahoney Award
• Leanne Fowler, DNP, MBA, AGACNP-BC, CNE, FAANP, FAAN, Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing, Program Director, Nurse Practitioner Programs Program Coordinator, Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Concentration – Legacy Award

Great 100 Nurses:

• Gelinia Jackson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, Instructor of Clinical Nursing and Shreveport Off-Campus Instructional Site Director
• Shantell Jackson Burns, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, Program Coordinator, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Concentration, Instructor of Clinical Nursing
• Ariel Sylve, DNP, MSN, RN, CNE, Instructor of Clinical Nursing

DAISY Extraordinary Faculty:

• William Barras, DNP, CRNA, Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing
• Susan Cooke, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Instructor of Clinical Nursing
• Kimberly Reed, MSN, RN, Instructor of Clinical Nursing
• Demetrice Smith, DNP, MN, FNP-C, CNM, Assistant Program Director of Nurse Midwifery, Instructor of Clinical Nursing
• Ariel Sylve, DNP, MSN, RN, CNE, Instructor of Clinical Nursing
• Lucretia Wiltz-James, DNP, APRN, NP-C, NRCME-C, Coordinator of the Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner Program, Instructor of Clinical Nursing

Allen A. Copping Excellence in Teaching Award:

• Kimberly Reed, MSN, RN, Instructor of Clinical Nursing, was recognized for her dedication to the profession and excellence in nursing education.

Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing’s Class of 2024

• Mary Dioise Ramos, PhD, RN, CNE, Associate Dean for Nursing Research, Scholarship and Science, has been inducted as an AAN Fellow for 2024, recognized for her substantial and sustained impact on health and health care at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference. She was also honored at the “Pagdiriwang ng Kahusayan” (Celebration of Excellence), hosted by the Philippine Nurses Association of America, Inc. (PNAA) and the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Celebrating Excellence

The School of Nursing is immensely proud of our faculty’s accomplishments and the continued impact they are making in the nursing profession. These achievements highlight the dedication of our educators to advancing nursing knowledge, improving patient care, and shaping the next generation of nurses. We look forward to more success in the coming year!