School of Health and Human Services Blog

On January 27, 2012, it was announced that National University has partnered with San Mateo Community College District to offer Bachelor's in Allied Health to District Students. The partnership will allow a smooth transition from an associate's degree to a bachelor's degree as well as access to scholarship programs and a discounted tuition rate. To read more about the partnership, please visit: http://www.nu.edu/News/National-San-Mateo-CC-Partnership.html .

The California Department of Health (CDPH) and the California Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) are coordinating a conference this April in Sacramento called, Linking Tobacco Control Research and Practice for a Healthier California . Ofelia Alvarado has submitted the research study abstract for MPH students: Chantille Delos Reyes, Kierra Schminke, and Desiree Skelton on Linking Tobacco Control Research and Practice for a Healthier California. The abstract has been accepted and the students will present their research results in Sacramento on April 12, 2012. Please join me in congratulating these students on their hard work and excellent accomplishments!

SAVE THE DATE June 25-29, 2012 Los Angeles, California, USA The Summer Institute on Migration and Global Health offers researchers, faculty, graduate students and professionals working with migrant communities around the world, a unique opportunity to learn different issues that affect the health of mobile populations from an international and multidisciplinary perspective. The five-day course is taught by highly recognized international faculty and offers a combination of lectures, workshops, and field trips, exploring topics related to migration and health. This year the Summer Institute will include special workshops on data and research methodologies on migrant health, as well a dedicated day on migration and mental health. The Summer Institute is organized by the Health Initiative of the Americas of UC Berkeley School of Public Health, in partnership with the University of California Global Health Institute through the Center of Expertise on Migration and Health, and the ...

Nurse Anesthetists Celebrate 150 Years of Providing Quality and Excellence in Anesthesia Care In recognition of their profession’s long history and enduring record of patient safety, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) across the country are celebrating the 13th annual National Nurse Anesthetists Week, January 22-28, 2012, with this year’s theme of “Quality and Excellence in Anesthesia Care.” Established by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), National Nurse Anesthetists Week was created to encourage CRNAs to take the opportunity to educate the public about anesthesia safety, questions to ask prior to undergoing surgery, and the benefits of receiving anesthesia care from nurse anesthetists. The theme of this year’s campaign emphasizes the high standards which CRNAs adhere to when administering anesthesia. Nurse anesthetists are advanced practice registered nurses who administer approximately 32 million anesthetics in the United States each year. Practicing...

Mr. Ensign earned an M.B.A. and B.A. from Harvard University and has completed post-MBA coursework in accounting from the University of California, San Diego Extension. He has been an adjunct faculty member at National University for the past two years teaching the NSG 322 courses as well as courses in the BS Allied Health program. Prior to becoming an adjunct faculty member, Mr. Ensign was employed as an executive for ten years in various pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the area of finance, marketing business development and corporate compliance. Mr. Ensign is also a US Navy veteran. Please welcome Mr. Ensign to the School of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Bryan Tune announced today that the Council on Accreditation for Nurse Anesthesia Programs (COA) granted full accreditation to the National University MS in Nurse Anesthesia program. The program is located at the Fresno campus and will launch in April with an initial cohort of 12 students. Congratulations to Dr. Bryan Tune and Mr. Terrence Burrows for their outstanding leadership in building the program and achieving this prestigious accreditation. We become the fifth COA accredited programs in California.

NUSNA collected over 1,100 items for the Toiletry Drive that was held from November 29, 2011 through January 11, 2012. All the items have been delivered and will benefit the homeless in San Diego. Please join me in congratulating the members of NUSNA for a job well done!

The Family & Youth Roundtable 2012 Annual Conference will be presenting: Stigma, Discrimination, and Disparities in Children's Services on February 15-17, 2012 at the Kona Kai Resort and Spa. Please don't forget to register for this event!

We are pleased to announce that Ms. Jennifer Debban has joined the full time faculty as an Instructor in the Department of Nursing at the Fresno campus. Jennifer earned a BS in Physiology from the University of California, Davis and an MS in Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has been a full time faculty member at California State University, Fresno for the past 23 years teaching courses in human physiology, human anatomy and physiology, functional human anatomy and neuroanatomy. She designed each of these courses and taught approximately 400 students/semester who were primarily in the pre-nursing program. In addition, she was responsible for laboratory management as well as supervising and training graduate students in their teaching expertise. She was also a faculty advisor to student clubs. Jennifer will teach courses in clinical physiology, anatomy, and pathophysiology in the MS Nurse Anesthesia degree program and will be developing a new pathophysi...

On December 4th National University Nursing Faculty and nursing students volunteered to assist in the ongoing National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP Study) held at the Santa Paula Senior Health Center. Over 50 adults were screened for kidney disease. Jade Kay, NP, MSN, RN, worked hard as she was consulted for high risk individuals. Mickie Scheurger, MSN, RN, and Linda Takvorian, MSN, RN, CNN supervised students and assisted in the screening process.

Dr. Eileen Heveron announced that the Master in Public Health was approved by WASC for online delivery. A special congratulations to Dr. Gina Piane and Dr. Michael Lacourse, for their leadership in this process. A special thanks also to Academic Services for managing the process.