June 2025

Message from the Dean

After a short break, we’re excited to reconnect with you and bring back our Synapse e-newsletter—refreshed and ready to go! While it has been a bit since our last newsletter, rest assured we haven’t been on pause. In fact, we’ve been busy making big strides and have a lot of exciting updates to share.

In this issue, we’re highlighting the outstanding accomplishments of our faculty and students, showcasing the innovative ways we are preparing future health professionals, and giving you an inside look at our extensive building renovation project that’s transforming our learning environment.

Sincerely,

Dr. Julie McCullough, Dean, Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions

The Kinney College is proud to celebrate our graduate and undergraduate students receiving degrees during the 2025 USI Commencement Ceremonies, May 9-10. Your dedication, compassion and hard work have prepared you to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others and in the future of healthcare!

Kinney College Faculty Development Awards

The Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions is committed to providing opportunities for faculty to enhance professional standing and improve teaching skills through research, and scholarly and creative projects. Each year, with funding from the USI Foundation, Faculty Development Awards are granted based on the merit and feasibility of the proposals. Congratulations to this year's recipients of the Kinney College Faculty Development Awards: 

Friday Night at the ER

Nursing faculty Kelly Pruden, Assistant Professor; Dr. Bailey Rankin, Chair of Graduate Nursing; and Dr. Marilyn Ostendorf, Clinical Assistant Professor, for their proposal to implement an innovative healthcare simulation program, “Friday Night at the ER.”

USI faculty recently tested out the fast-paced board game that helps students learn about patient flow, teamwork under pressure and unexpected challenges of healthcare.

Adaptive Cooking Classes

Beth Young, Assistant Professor and Chair of Food and Nutrition, for her proposal to develop adaptive cooking classes for individuals with Down syndrome, a partnership with USI's Occupational Therapy program and SMILE on Down Syndrome.

This award helped the program purchase silicone knives, finger guards, adaptive cutting boards and other utensils for adaptive cooking class for SMILE participants. Food and Nutrition and OT students teamed up to lead the classes, helping make rice bowls, trail mix bites and other tasty dishes.

2025 Kinney College Excellence in Teaching Awards

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2025 Kinney College Excellence in Teaching Awards. Each year, students and faculty are asked to nominate full-time faculty members who have contributed significantly to the quality of teaching in the Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions. These awards, valued at $2,500 each, are funded by the USI Foundation and can be utilized for professional development or innovative projects.

Representatives of the Kinney College Faculty Affairs Committee presented the awards on May 29 to Dr. Susan Seibert, Teaching Associate Professor of Nursing, and Jordan Thomason, Instructor and Clinical Coordinator of Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

See comments from their nominators, below:

USI Nursing Announces First DAISY Award® Recipients

For the first time, USI Nursing presented The DAISY Award® for extraordinary USI nurse educators and USI nursing students.

The DAISY Foundation™ was established in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died from complications of the autoimmune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) at the age of 33. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem.

The DAISY Award is in over 6,000 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing internationally. It is a recognition program for nurses wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve, and throughout their careers–from nursing student through lifetime achievement.

Lily Sinnett

Senior Lily Sinnett of Henderson, Kentucky, is the recipient of USI's first DAISY Award® for extraordinary nursing students. Lily's nominator said, "Lily was my student nurse during a very hard hospital stay for me. She was very kind, caring, and attentive to my needs the whole time. She had the chance to practice a few skills on me, and every time she made sure to talk me through the whole thing, so I knew what to expect. Lily will be a great nurse."

Sinnett says receiving this award is "extremely humbling." She adds, "As a nursing student, I am still learning every day, so to know that I made enough of a difference in someone’s life that they took the time to recognize it is incredibly overwhelming in the best way possible. It reminds me that compassion and empathy are just as important as clinical skills. It motivates me to keep growing into the kind of nurse who makes every patient feel valued and cared for."

After she graduates in August, she will be working in the Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Deaconess Gateway.

Dr. Gina Schaar

Dr. Gina Schaar, Associate Professor of Nursing, is the first recipient of The DAISY Award® for extraordinary USI nurse educators. Her nominator wrote, "Gina is both an amazing teacher and clinical instructor. She shows so much passion for nursing and helps her students feel the same way. She asks us questions to help us learn and grow in nursing, and she is always willing to help us in any way she can. Not only is she a great educator, but she is also a great person! Gina makes everyone feel so welcome and included inside the classroom and out. Over summer clinical I once told her briefly about how I was going on a vacation over summer, and a couple months later during the Fall semester, she remembered this and asked me all about my trip! This was so sweet and special to me because although there are a lot of us students, she cares about each of us as individuals. Gina is truly the best educator I have ever had, and I’m so grateful for all she has and will continue to teach me!"

Members of The DAISY Award® committee also presented certificates and pins to all of this year's nominees: Christina Buxton, Instructor in Nursing; Dr. Susan Seibert, Teaching Assistant Professor of Nursing; Pam Thomas, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing; and Dr. Ann White, former Dean of the Kinney College.

Kinney College Promotions

Congratulations to the outstanding Kinney College faculty members who were approved for promotions at the USI Board of Trustees regular meeting on Friday, May 9. Their new titles will be effective August 12, 2025.

Dr. Jennifer Evans Nursing Promotion from Associate Professor to Professor	Dr. Heather Schmuck Radiologic and Imaging Sciences Promotion from Clinical Associate Professor to Clinical Professor	Dr. Jessica Mason Occupational Therapy Promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor
Dr. Zachary Ward Health Administration Promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor	Dr. Susan Seibert Nursing Promotion from Instructor to Teaching Associate Professor	Amy Pierce Nursing Promotion from Instructor to Advanced Instructor

Faculty Achievements

Dr. Beth Young
Outstanding Dietitian of the Year

Dr. Beth Young, Chair of USI's Food and Nutrition Program, was named Outstanding Dietitian of the Year by the Indiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics! Young is a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. She started teaching at USI as an adjunct instructor in 2007 and has been a member of the full-time faculty for 13 years. One of her passions is conducting adaptive cooking classes for individuals with Down syndrome.

Dr. Jennifer Evans
Distinguished Fellow, National Academies of Practice

Dr. Jennifer Evans, Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of Nursing, was inducted March 15, 2025, as a Distinguished Fellow of the Nursing Academy in the National Academies of Practice (NAP). The NAP is a non-profit organization founded in 1981 to advise governmental bodies on healthcare issues. It is the only interprofessional group of healthcare practitioners and scholars dedicated to supporting accessible and coordinated quality healthcare for all.

Congrats, Faculty and Staff Grads!

Retirements

New Employees

Because it has been a few months since our last Synapse newsletter, we have some new employees to catch up on! Please welcome our newest (and not so new anymore) employees!

Andrew Barnett Sr. Administrative Assistant Occupational Therapy, MHA	Matrika Brown Instructor Nursing	Dr. Michele Chaleunphonh Assistant Professor Occupational Therapy	Taylor Clemmons Sr. Administrative Assistant Bronstein Ctr., Informatics	Dr. Jay Craig Teaching Assistant Professor Dental Hygiene
Jade Gatewood Academic Advisor Kinney College Advising Center	Taryn Hagan Instructor Nursing	Nickole Hale Recruitment and Retention Nursing	Amanda Herrmann Instructor Food and Nutrition	Gracie Money Grant Coordinator Bronstein Center
Erin Parchman Assistant Professor Respiratory Therapy	Rebecca Phillips Sr. Administrative Assistant Dental Hygiene, Assisting	Katy Reed Instructor Nursing	Dr. Katelyn Russell Assistant Professor Nursing	Susie Schenk Prof. Development Specialist Ctr. for HP Lifelong Learning
Dr. Jennifer Skelton Assistant Professor Health Admin., Informatics	Kaitlyn Sturgell Assistant Professor Dental Hygiene, Assisting	Dr. Kristin Tobin Assistant Professor Nursing	Renee Willis Instructor Nursing

Virtual Reality Opens New World
of Learning Opportunities

USI's Nursing Program is leading the way in healthcare education by integrating cutting-edge Virtual Reality (VR) simulations into the curriculum. This immersive technology allows students to step into realistic clinical environments where they can safely practice medication administration from start to finish. Through these simulations, students gain hands-on experience with everything from calculating dosages and preparing medications to verifying patient identity and following safety protocols. The result is a powerful learning experience that builds confidence, sharpens clinical judgment and significantly reduces the risk of medication errors in real-world settings.

This innovative approach not only enhances student learning but also demonstrates USI's commitment to excellence, patient safety and preparing future nurses to thrive in a fast-evolving healthcare landscape.

Students experience VR in the new Clinical Simulation Center, located on the lower level of the Health Professions Center. 

Learn more about Clinical Simulation in the Kinney College.

Senior Dental Hygiene Students
Earn Certification to Prevent Gum Disease

Seniors in the Dental Hygiene program are learning how to use two advanced tools to help treat gum disease, resulting in a certification that will help them provide excellent care in their future profession. One tool was a soft-tissue laser called the Biolase Epic Hygiene, and the other was a cleaning device called the PERIOFLOW, which uses a special powder and air to clean below the gumline. The laser is used to kill bacteria in deep gum pockets, while the PERIOFLOW helps clean away harmful biofilm (a sticky layer of bacteria). Both tools help the gums heal and improve control of gum disease.

The students completed online training for the laser, which covered how it works, safety rules, and how it is used in the dental office. After finishing the online portion, they earned a certificate and took part in a two-hour hands-on session. Then, they practiced using the laser on two sections of a patient’s mouth as part of their clinical course.

The training for the PERIOFLOW device was done separately. Students first learned how to use it in the classroom and lab, then used it on the same patient they treated with the laser.

“The standard of care for treatment of periodontal inflammation is broadening to include more methods of reducing bacteria in the mouth,” said Emily Holt, Clinical Professor and Chair of the Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting programs. “The techniques taught fall within Indiana's scope of practice for dental hygienists but also open the door for the next level of laser therapy if a student moves to a state that allows a dental hygienist to remove tissue with the laser. Our students enjoyed using these therapies and saw improvements in their patients' outcomes that were worthwhile.”

New Scholarship for Dental Hygiene Students

The children of Phyllis Maddox ’75, Assistant Professor Emerita of Dental Hygiene, have established the Phyllis and S. Michael Maddox Memorial Scholarship Endowment in her memory. This scholarship will benefit USI dental hygiene students in perpetuity.

Phyllis passed away on November 4, 2023. She taught at USI for 35 years and was the recipient of the 1992 USI Faculty Recognition Award and the 2013 recipient of the Sydney L. and Sadelle Berger Faculty Community Service Award.

You can show your support for the new scholarship by making a tax-deductible gift online at USI.edu/onlinegiving or by sending a check payable to the USI Foundation. Please make sure to include the name of the scholarship on the note line.

New Endowment for Radiologic and Imaging Sciences

USI’s Radiologic and Imaging Sciences Program has some exciting news! Program alum Dr. Anthony Goodwin and his wife, Lisa, made a $25,000 gift to the USI Foundation to establish the Dr. and Mrs. Anthony D. Goodwin Endowment. Their endowment will provide unrestricted support to the Radiologic and Imaging Sciences Program at USI.  

Goodwin graduated from the USI radiologic technology program in 1989. He began his pursuit of higher education and was in the first class when Indiana State University-Evansville became USI in 1985. He continued his education to achieve a master's degree in Radiologic Science and a PhD in Allied Health Science from Florida Atlantic University. His dissertation focused on small lung nodule detection which was later transformed into the lung nodule screening program for Ascension St. Vincent.

Goodwin also holds certifications from Cornell University and completed Harvard Medical School’s Safety Quality Informatics and Leadership program in 2023. He has experience as a CT Supervisor, Vice President of Operations, PACS Administrator and most recently in executive leadership as a Technology Relationship Manager. Goodwin is passionate about education and inspiring the next generation of leaders in imaging sciences. 

Through his service on the Alumni Council, Goodwin knows firsthand the impact that USI and the program has on the surrounding community. He has given back on numerous occasions through volunteer work and presenting to future imaging science professionals both in the classroom and in the clinical setting.   

If you are interested in making a gift to the USI Foundation for the Radiologic and Imaging Sciences program, contact the USI Foundation at giving@usi.edu, 812-464-1918, or contact Dr. Joy Cook at jacook3@usi.edu.

USI created the foundation for a very successful career, and the Radiologic Technology program prepared me for amazing opportunities. Having the ability to give back so that others may also potentially benefit from the same education that inspired me was the primary motivation to offer the endowment.”

– Tony Goodwin '89

Mark Your Calendars:
Our Next Health Professions Day is Friday, October 24

Do you know a high school junior or senior? Tell them about the next USI Health Professions Day!

• Explore 12 Healthcare Majors and Learn About Career Opportunities
• Hands-on Activities
• Q&A Sessions for Parents
• Free Lunch
• Campus Tours

Registration link will be posted soon at USI.edu/hp-day.