School Notes: School of Nursing
July/August 2016

Home visiting intervention headed for national expansion

Minding the Baby (MTB), a federally recognized, evidence-based, intensive home visiting model for first-time young families, has been awarded a three-year grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The grant will support MTB in strategic planning, national office development, and multimedia training expansion, including an evaluative component involving quality assurance and program fidelity, with the goal of improving health and development outcomes in young, vulnerable families during the transition to parenthood. Founded by faculty members at the Yale Child Study Center and YSN in collaboration with Fair Haven Community Health Clinic, the model reflects a rich collaboration among perspectives in prenatal care, parenting, maternal health, infant mental health, and pediatric health.

The robots are here!

YSN recently acquired two Double robots through the Goldsmith Foundation Fund from the Yale Center for Teaching and Learning. Double robots are remote-controlled cameras and screens on wheels that allow distant guest speakers, outside advisors, and DNP students to have a physical presence on YSN’s campus. Awarded to YSN Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program codirector Judy Kunisch and YSN instructional technologist Ekaterina Ginzburg, the project aims to improve and enhance the online experience and education for students in the DNP program. With the use of Double robot technology, the school can close the gap it is experiencing in teleconferencing and telemedicine technology. YSN plans to test and integrate the technology into the DNP curriculum this summer, with the goal of implementing the technology this fall. 

YSN celebrates 90th commencement ceremony

Yale School of Nursing awarded degrees to 92 graduates at its 90th commencement ceremonies in May. The school was pleased to welcome back alumna Bernice Coleman ’83MSN to present the 2016 commencement address. The ceremony took place on May 23 at the historic Shubert Theater.

Named in 2013 as one of YSN’s 90 Yale Nurses, Dr. Coleman’s work has been presented nationally and internationally at conferences, including the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation, the American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, and the World Conference on Organ Transplantation. With a strong interest in ethnic death disparities following heart transplantation, she investigated and uncovered genetic differences between African Americans and Caucasians that are linked to the discrepancy in survival rates among the two ethnic groups.