The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies Summer 2021 Awards Ceremony took place July 30, celebrating more than 160 advanced-degree graduates of the Master of Science in Nursing, post-master’s certificate, and Master of Science in Health Informatics Online programs.
“Today we rejoice in the momentous achievements of these graduates!” announced SONHS Dean Cindy L. Munro via Facebook Live. “We also celebrate our robust return to campus life after over a year, as well as our 10-year accreditation renewal from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Board of Commissioners …. This is an important recognition of the high quality of our academic programs, and the excellence of our faculty, students, staff, and partners.”
Watch the full ceremony: https://bit.ly/3idVg9u.
Munro went on to praise the graduates, not only for their own resilience and determination during the pandemic, but for supporting the health of their peers and community.
“You gave of yourselves where you were needed most,” she said. “You delivered public health information to patients, assisted with COVID-19 vaccination efforts, and more.”
She also noted that their graduation comes at a time when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects over 24,000 new openings for nurse practitioners annually through this decade.
“With the future of health care in your capable and compassionate hands,” she said, “I couldn’t be more hopeful!”
Before inviting Kenya Snowden and Brenda Owusu, nurse practitioner program directors, and Nichole Crenshaw, associate dean for undergraduate nursing, to announce the graduating class’s five individual awardees, Mary Hooshmand, associate dean for graduate clinical programs, echoed Dean Munro’s praise for all of the graduates.
“You should all be so proud of your accomplishments during these unprecedented times,” said Hooshmand, associate professor of clinical. “You persevered, completing intense graduate studies while also balancing the many challenges of the COVID pandemic."
The SONHS Summer 2021 individual award recipients were recognized as follows:
Melissa Camero, MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Excellence in Academic and Clinical Award; Jorge M. Bolivar, MSN Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Excellence in Academic & Clinical Award; Novabelle R. Herrera, MSN Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Jackson Health System Excellence in Academic & Clinical Award; Christinea Marino, MSN Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Excellence in Academic & Clinical Award; and Lendy Aguila, MSN Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Excellence in Academic & Clinical Award.
