WVU School of Nursing’s Kandzari Memorial Lectureship welcomes nationally recognized researcher, presents honors to students
As part of the West Virginia University School of Nursing’s Judy C. Kandzari Memorial Lectureship, Dr. Lisa Kirk Wiese presented “Creating a Culture of Caring for Older Adults in Rural Settings” Thursday, April 28 in the WVU Health Sciences’ Okey Patteson Auditorium. Student awardees were also recognized, along with new inductees of the Sigma Theta Tau — Alpha Rho Chapter.
Wiese, PhD, RN, a Morgantown native who is nationally recognized for her community-based participatory research in rural settings, is an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University. She is board-certified as an Advanced Public Health Nurse, board-certified in Gerontological Nursing and is a Certified Dementia Care Practitioner and a Certified Nurse Educator.
Wiese’s program of research focuses on empowering rural older underserved adults to lengthen the time they can live at home and age in place. Most recently, her work received funding for three years by the National Institute of Aging at the National Institutes of Health to conduct community-based participatory research in faith based rural settings.
In addition to the lecture, the WVU School of Nursing presented Endowed Professorship Medallions to Dean Tara Hulsey for the E. Jane Martin Endowed Professorship, and to Ubolrat “Diu” Piamjariyakul for the WVU Hospitals Endowed Evidence-Based Practice Research Professorship.
2022 Student Award recipients were recognized at the event, including the following:
- Kym Wallace, PhD Award for Excellence
- Shane Brost, CRNA Award for Excellence
- Beth Minchau, DNP Award for Excellence
- Rachel Balcourt, MSN Award for Excellence
- Lauren Adams, Senior Student — BSN Awards for Excellence
- Andrew Johnson, Junior Student — BSN Awards for Excellence
- Jack McDade, Sophomore Student — BSN Awards for Excellence
- Amara Ortega, BS/BA to BSN Award for Excellence
- Victor Magro, RN to BSN Award for Excellence
- Kasey Lobban, Dr. Patsey Hesen Haslam Public Health Nursing Award
- Brad Phillips, PhD Alumni Award for Leadership
- Jodi Biller, DNP Alumni Award for Leadership
- Carly Moore, MSN Alumni Award for Leadership
- Sydney Oldaker, BSN Alumni Award for Leadership
The Alpha Rho Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, an international community of nurses, dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, teaching, learning, and service through the cultivation of communities of practice, education and research, inducted new members at the ceremony, including:
- Eliza Barker
- Gina Bradford
- Emalee Cunningham
- Gracie Dally
- Travis Dye
- Alexandria Foley
- Katie Gallagher
- Angela Giannangeli
- Meghan Guzda
- Joelle Harvey
- Sara Huffstutler
- Kayla King
- Rachel Lamm
- Cassandra Mason
- Patrick Murphy
- Sydney Pennington
- Brenna Ridenour
- Michele Schurtz
- Noell Shreve
- Julie Stierer
- Laura Tabor
- Brittany Triano
The Kandzari Memorial Nursing Lectureship was created to honor Judy C. Kandzari, EdD, RN, who was a member of the faculty at the WVU School of Nursing from 1967 until her untimely death in 1996. A native West Virginian, she earned an EdD in Community Health Education, a master’s degree in Counseling and Rehabilitation, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, all from West Virginia University. The Memorial Lectureship is designed to offer insight into nursing in rural settings through presentations by nurse leaders who are experts in rural health.
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CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu