East Carolina University College of Nursing

Last night, Solaide A. and I had the honor of co-chairing a record-breaking American Heart Association Greenville Heart Ball setting new highs in both attendance and fundraising! As the #AHA celebrates over 100 years of impact, we’re reminded that while heart disease is no longer a death sentence, it remains the #1 global killer. This event helps drive life-saving cardiovascular research and health initiatives right here in Greenville, NC. Huge thanks to Erin Fox and her amazing team for putting on a phenomenal event. Hats off to the Greenville Heart Ball Executive Team—your dedication and monthly planning truly paid off. We made history! Grateful to our leading sponsors: ECU Health, Greenville Utilities Commission, Hamel Builders, Travis and Cassie Burt. Appreciation also goes to the East Carolina University College of Nursing and Kevin Pagliari and Leslie Pagliari of Bella Homes for their support. To our guests of honor: Sue Deaton and Darrell Deaton, Ashley Elks and Jordan Elks, Sade Leforte, Mo M., Rosemary Tetteh, Dr. Danny and Dee Ellis, Dr. Andre and Bevely Green, Molly Holdeman and Dr. Michael Holdeman, Dr. Virginia Hardy, Faye Bordeaux, and Dr. Lenwood and Olivia Smith, thank you for joining us! And of course, Pirate Nurse Nation represented strong! Shoutout to Dr. Shannon Powell and Travis Powell, Michael L. Jones, PhD, MBA/HCM, RN, FAAN, Erin Beaman and Jeff Beaman, Wendy Lewis and Matt Kaushagen, Katy Locke and Drew Locke, Beverly Estorge and Mark Hamblin! I had the pleasure of handing the baton to John N. Catanzaro MD, MBA, FHRS incoming Chair for the 2026 Heart Ball. Mark your calendars: #GreenvilleHeartWalk is Saturday, October 18th at East Carolina University Main Campus Student Center!! Go Pirates!!!????????????

Hey procrastinators (you know who you are) - sign-ups for the virtual option for the Pirate Nurse 5K will close Sunday at midnight, so there is still plenty of time to get registered here:?bit.ly/3n5PED4 You can always run with us in person, too – just use the same link above. ? The weather this weekend looks great to get some miles in for training!

Interested in continuing your education? If so, we can help. We’ll host a virtual Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) information session April 8 at noon. To RSVP, email [email protected].

This Saturday, State Senator Gale Adcock was inducted as a Distinguished Fellow in the National Academies of Practice Annual Meeting and Forum in Washington, DC. Adcock has represented Wake County in the General Assembly since?2015. She graduated from the East Carolina University College of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, and has been a nurse practitioner since graduating from UNC Chapel Hill in 1987 with a master of science in nursing. She retired as the Chief Health Officer at SAS Institute in 2020 after more than 26 years?in that role. From her website, Adcock is a past president of the North Carolina Nurses Association;?former chair of the North Carolina Center for Nursing, and?former?member of the North Carolina Board of Nursing. ?She is a current appointee to the NC Child Fatality Task Force and the NC Council for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She is an adjunct faculty member at Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, Wake Forest University, and Case Western Reserve University. Thank you, Senator Adcock, for proudly representing Pirate Nurse Nation and your continuing advocacy for the nursing profession. ?? ?? ????

Recent Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certificate program Graduate Dr. Ivy Bagley spoke with NC Health News about the tremendous challenges North Carolinians face when seeking mental health care treatment, and her decision to go back to school to be qualified to help fill the gap in care. To learn more about the program, and apply, visit the College’s website at nursing.ecu.edu.

It’s with great pride that we can announce that Dr. Jeanne Martin has accepted the role of Chair for the Baccalaureate Nursing Education Department.? ? Martin has served as the Interim Chair for the Baccalaureate Nursing Education Department since November 1, 2023 and since that time has led the Baccalaureate Nursing Education Department through highly successful visits including the 10-year NCBON visit and the CCNE accreditation site visit, both occurring in Fall semester of 2024.?Additionally, she has supported the work of the faculty in continuing the curriculum revision work and facilitated the busy day to day operations of the Baccalaureate program while continuing to teach in the Accelerated BSN program. Dr. Martin has co-chaired the Entry to Practice work group for the ECU Nursing Academic Practice Partnership with many successes during this time, including the extern program and QI initiative for third semester traditional BSN students in clinical at ECU Health. ? Martin has been a nurse for over 40 years, spending the first 20 years of her career in various critical care units throughout the Eastern US. For the last 20 years, she has had the honor of mentoring and educating the next generation of nurses. She is student-centric with a strong emphasis on clinical judgment competency. She made the transition to academia in 2004 as an Adjunct Clinical Faculty at Beaufort County Community College, and in 2006, became an Associate Degree Nursing faculty member. In 2007, she joined Eastern Area Health Education Consortium as an Adjunct Educator, and in 2015, she became a Pirate Nurse Educator as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the CON. She became the Second-degree Accelerated BSN Program Director in 2020 and was promoted to Clinical Associate Professor in 2021.? ? Martin’s dissertation “Comparing Clinical Judgment Competency between Accelerated and Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing Students during High-fidelity Simulation” demonstrates her area of passion and expertise and lends itself to the ever-changing entry into practice nursing climate we are faced with. Martin’s dissertation work has led to an accepted manuscript and presentation.? ? Martin has served on a variety of college committees including the ECU Nursing Academic Practice Partnership Committee, Curriculum Revision Task Force, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, and Faculty Liaison CON Student Leadership Council. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau’s Beta Nu Chapter, and the National League for Nursing. ? Martin holds a BSN from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1985); and MSN (2011), and PhD (2023) from the CON.

The newest members of the College of Nursing’s Hall of Fame were inducted during a ceremony at the East Carolina Heart Institute Feb. 28. The Hall of Fame recognizes those Pirate Nurses who have distinguished themselves a members of the nursing profession and is a way for the College to publicly recognize their contributions. The Hall of Fame inductees include: Dr. Bim Akintade Dr. Debra Bradshaw Dr. Ivy Bagley Cathy Bunch Dr. Kathy Dutton Dr. Gina Firnhaber Jean Harrington Dr. Alex Hodges Dr. Dawnelle Holadia Susan Lally Dr. Kim Larson Dr. Julie Linder Dr. Jeanne Martin Jessica Noble Lou Reida Nikki Sawyer Dr. Mary Wilson The incoming board leadership includes chair Dr. Joan Wynn (PhD ’07), vice-chair Dr. Kamilah Williams (MSN ’05), secretary Madge Gay Thompson (BSN ’77), and treasurer Dr. Sylvia Brown (BSN ‘75, MSN ‘78). Outgoing Inaugural HOF Chair, Rosanne Leahy (BSN ’78) led the Inaugural HOF Board, established in 2023. Congratulations to all our new Hall of Fame inductees and thank you to those who have graciously decided to serve on the board.

Well, it looks like we finally reached the day North Campus Loop will be shut down for the construction process for the new Center for Medical Education building. (This is looking from Moye Blvd. toward the Health Sciences Student Center.) New concrete walks have been installed on the north side of the fenced area around the construction site, closer to the duck pond. Plan your travel around campus accordingly.

Our faculty are among the best in the nation and are always working to improve their expertise. Clinical assistant professor Ginger Leake recently passed the CNEcl exam (Certified Academic Clinical Nurse Educator) and is now dually certified as a CNE (Certified Academic Nurse Educator) and CNEcl (Certified Academic Clinical Nurse Educator). ? Ginger, and the rest of the faculty and staff, are a key reason why the College of Nursing is the flagship nursing education institution in #NorthCarolina. East Carolina University

Acceptance letters have gone out for our Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing students who will start in the Fall 2025 semester. Congratulations to all who will be joining us as future Pirate Nurses. Welcome aboard!