As she welcomed the crowd to the New Nurses Celebration on October 6, Yale School of Nursing (YSN) Associate Dean of Student Life Erin Morelli ’02 MSN, CNM, CLC, RN, FACNM, encouraged the nurses and midwives to look beyond a patient’s physical assessment to learn their individual story.
“When we talk about history-taking as part of the diagnostic process, we often forget that ‘story’ is right in the word ‘history.’ Just like how each of you has a story that led up to this special day, your patients have stories, too,” Morelli said.
“When you meet patients in the clinical setting, don’t forget that there is so much more to them than labs, vital signs, OLDCARTS, med lists and physical assessment. Pour over their charts, talk to them, get to know their families and support people. Make sure you learn their story; it’s a crucial step to ensuring better health for all people.”
The ceremony in the Grace Hopper Auditorium at the West Campus Conference Center honored the students who have completed the Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing (GEPN) program, the first year of a three-year course of study. It also recognized new Registered Nurses (RNs) who joined the school this year to continue their education as advanced practice clinicians.
Family Nurse Practitioner student Cheryl Canty ’24 MSN, Co-President of the Student Government Organization, saluted the group for the many ways in which it has bonded as classmates, graduated students, and most importantly: nurses.
“I have seen the positive change this cohort is capable of: I have seen it with the organization of a meal train to support a fellow classmate, in the classroom when advocating for fair and equitable treatment of our future patients, and even outside the classroom when gathering to advocate for policies and practices we feel strongly about,” Canty said.
“I also see this passion with the RN-entry students, when on the cusp of a mass healthcare workforce exodus, they decided to further their education in nursing to provide better care for their communities. They saw a need in health care, and instead of turning away they are here answering the call. This is what it means to be a Yale nurse.”
A History of Leadership
In her remarks, Dean Ann Kurth ’90 MSN, PhD, MPH, CNM, FAAN, FACNM welcomed the students to a proud tradition of nurse leadership stretching back to the school’s first dean Annie Warburton Goodrich, the first female dean ever at Yale. Dean Kurth continued by highlighting obstetrical nurse Elouise Collier Duncan, who blazed her trail as the school’s first African-American student when she graduated in the Cadet Nurse Corps in 1946.
In addition to celebrating its centennial in 2023, YSN is also looking ahead to the following year, which marks the 50th anniversary of the introduction of hospice care to the United States. Former dean Florence Wald brought the model of care to Connecticut in 1974.
Dean Kurth also pointed to Dr. Lynn Malerba, 18th Chief of Connecticut’s Mohegan Tribe and a 2015 graduate of YSN’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, recently sworn in as Treasurer of the United States and the first Indigenous woman to hold the role.
“I believe that more than any other professional school at Yale, the students who are drawn to nursing bring the deepest of commitment and breadth of experience to apply to our aspirational mission. We don’t achieve that mission every day, at our school and in society, but we do commit to staying on the path towards it – towards the goal of more equitable health in our communities, our country, and for the planet itself.”
Certificate in Nursing Recipients
Many congratulations to all of the students who celebrated this milestone! Listed below are the students who have completed GEPN program and earned a Certificate in Nursing:
Vanessa Acosta
Natalie Alvarado
Arthur Anderson
Stephen Baccari
Angela Balcom
Andrew Baney
Matthew Bouwer
Cheryl Canty
Sabrina Caramando
Nicole Ceil
Zoe Che
Joanna Ciafone
Marquirsha Claxton
Abigail Crocker
Elizabeth Curtis
Lauryn Daniel
Brenna Dean
Michelle Dickey
Brianna Difronzo
Kyle Durand
Kristine Edwards
Taylor Evans
Conor Flaherty
Molly Flynn
Melissa Galinato
Jesse Goldblum
Bar Hass
Sarah Hassan
Farrah Hazheer
Amanda Hettema
Shaelah Huntington
Emily Hyde
Zeynep Inanoglu
Audrey Jessup
Isabella Johnson
Abigail Jones
Jack Keller
Maggie Kleiman
Kelsey Kuebler
Vanessa Landegger
Katherine Larson
Ju Hyun Lee
Elizabeth Light
Victoria Lin
Gabrielle Lodge
Rahael Lyngdoh-Rawson
Hillary Margolis
Catherine Martin
Anna Mcclean
Jenna Mcdermit
Kellen Mcdonald
Jaleel Mcneil
Jenna Mould
Megan Mulberry
Rosa Munson-Blatt
Samantha Nebiolo
Elle O’rourke
Madisen Panagoulias
Phithao Pham
Pariya Prama
Sara Quinones
Daysi Reyes
Abigeal Riddle
Alessandra Robinson
Kellyann Rooney
Sam Samuelson
Michaela Gabrielle Serafica
Katherine Siegel
Tess Solomon
Lily Stander
Gabrielle Stauffer
Gayelan Tietje-Ulrich
Namrata Upadhyay
Karen Vuglar
Meghan Wales
Lindsay Watters
Christian Whitsel
Geena Whittredge
Lacey Wickersham
Breann Wise
Peggy Wong
Roxanne Wright
Tian Xia
Annie Yu
Michelle Yuan
Wing Yuen
Incoming RNs
YSN would also like to recognize each of our incoming RNs:
Aria Ahmed
Talia Brown
Gina Calo
Rafael Castellanos
Sandra Castro
Julie Fetzer
Vivian Franklin
Sparsha Govardhan (Go-Var-Thun)
Megan Hull
Katrina Jackson
Ashley Kattak
Kidan Kidane
Ju Won Kim
Shinobu Kubota
Edward Kye (Chih)
Alanna Mclaughlin
Jenny Rebecca Mclaughlin
Jillian Moffet
Daryl Orend
Inga Runstrom
Tara Shouldis
Alyson Spencer
Sarah Winters
Deniz Yetil