Treated to picture-perfect Miami weather, more than 60 guests of the School of Nursing and Health Studies’ Alumni Weekend and Homecoming celebration connected over shared experiences, shish kebobs, and the quintessentially Miami ice cream flavors café con leche and Abuela Maria. There was music, too, and a colorful photo booth for freezing the experience in time.
Christina Badiola, B.S.N. ’22, a registered nurse at Jackson Health System in the surgical intensive care unit, was one of several recent graduates who attended the celebration, which took place in the courtyard behind S.H.A.R.E. Simulation Hospital Advancing Research & Education® on October 25. Badiola met students, fellow alumni, faculty, and Dean Hudson Santos, with whom she discussed her interest in returning for an advanced degree. She said the school’s rigorous accelerated B.S.N. program prepared her “incredibly well” for nursing, noting the school’s high NCLEX pass rate.
She also discussed her goals with other new acquaintances, including fellow Jackson employee Jimmy Heredia, B.S.N. ’05, a nurse practitioner who came back for his post-master’s acute care certificate in 2018, and Jessica Morales, B.S.N. ’18, a current student in the nurse anesthesia D.N.P. program that Badiola is considering.
Other recent grads on hand agreed their education set them up for success. Jessica Gomez, B.S.N. ’23, is now a neonatal ICU nurse at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in D.C. Sofia Abreu, B.S.N. ’23, a graduate of the school’s inaugural Dedicated Educational Unit initiative with Jackson, now works in Jackson’s neurological ICU. She attended the event with best friend Alexandra Menendez, B.S.N. ’23, who is starting a nurse residency at UHealth Tower this week. “I’m glad I’ll be at University of Miami, where I had my first clinicals as a student,” said Menendez. “It’s come full circle. I take the phrase ’Cane for Life very seriously!”
The following morning Dean Santos hosted a well-attended breakfast for the school’s 2024 Alumna of Distinction, Elizabeth Vieito Smith, M.S.N. ’09, D.N.P. ’12, who is the chief nursing officer for UHealth – University of Miami Health System. Among the many on hand to support Smith were University of Miami interim Provost Dr. Willy Prado and the school’s 2022 Alumnus of Distinction, Dr. David Zambrana, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Jackson.
Introduced by Dean Santos, a lifelong friend of Smith’s shared moving anecdotes from their more than 60-year bond. Next, Professor Mary Mckay, also an alumna of the D.N.P. program, thanked Smith her “for her longstanding support for our programs and students.” Dr. Mckay detailed Smith’s educational and professional background, and described her dedication to the community. “Dr. Smith is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Hispanic Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International, and the American Organization of Nurse Executives,” said Mckay. “She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Nursing Consortium of Florida. Most recently she was recognized among the 2024 Thelma Gibson 25 Most Influential Women by the Women's Chamber of Commerce of Miami-Dade County.”
Smith dedicated her Alumna of Distinction award to her late parents and godmother. “I wouldn’t be standing here before you if it were not for their enduring love, selflessness, and sacrifices, so that I could achieve my dreams,” she said. She also thanked her husband, Walter, calling him her “rock through it all.”
Smith was just 6 in 1962, when she and her parents left Cuba for the United States. From a young age, she recalls carrying around a toy medical kit. By 15, she was a “candy striper” volunteer at Miami’s Mercy Hospital. Not much later, Smith became a registered nurse and was soon leading the way for her profession. “My passion for nursing dates as far back as I can remember,” she said. “As I began to take on greater roles and responsibilities, I felt a deep calling to drive innovation within nursing, teaching and mentoring others to ensure the delivery of high-quality patient care.”
For over a decade, Smith has served as UHealth’s chief nursing officer, overseeing a team of more than 4,300 and leading the journey toward magnet status for nursing excellence. Through the ongoing partnership between UHealth and her alma mater, Smith said she aspires “to leave a longstanding legacy that empowers future generations of nurses and health care professionals alike to continue their unwavering pursuit of knowledge and innovation, while always keeping our patients at the center of their work.”
Referencing homecoming’s “Dare to Dream” theme, she urged students to never give up on their dreams. “Things may not always work out according to our timelines,” she told them, “but that doesn’t mean they won’t happen. Just enjoy the journey.” Smith also asked fellow ’Canes in all positions and disciplines to “continue to pay it forward to future alumni and leave this world better than when we found it.” To that end, Dean Santos concluded the event with a welcome surprise. He announced the Dean’s Academic Health Center Partners Scholarship for Spring 2025. Learn more about this new scholarship online via the school’s “Financial Aid and Scholarships” page.
