Scholarship Day
Welcome to our College of Nursing & Health Sciences Scholarship Day
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Theta Kappa Chapter, present Sister Madeleine Clemence Vaillot Scholarship Day. Held in honor of Sr. Vaillot, a Dominican nun, registered nurse, and the first dean of the college, the event showcases undergraduate and graduate nursing students' scholarship and research in a range of topics in nursing practice and health care.
Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing is dedicated to improving the health of people worldwide by increasing the scientific base of nursing practice. To achieve this goal, the society is committed to furthering the use of nursing research in health care delivery as well as in public policy. Members include nursing scholars committed to the pursuit of excellence in nursing practice, education, research, and leadership.
College of Nursing & Health Sciences scholarship awards 2025
Highest GPA
Undergraduate
BSN Traditional
- Jordan Lee Soufy
- Chelsea Martinez
RN-BS
- Jill Jennifer Wyman
- Jasmine Dupras
- Alyssa Quaintance
Graduate
MSN
- Allison Cotter
DNP
- Jill DeSa
- Rachel Carey
PhD
- Danielle DeGonge
- Emily Crossen
Poster winners
Undergraduate
1st place: Caeleigh Aubin, Hannah Caouette, Candice Darteh, "Biometric Technology Use to Reduce Identification Errors in Hospitalized Acute Care Settings"
2nd place: Jordan Soufy, Riley Tavares, Madison Razzino, "Eat, Sleep, Console: A Gentle Approach to Shorter Hospital Stays"
3rd place: Naomi Staples, Jiyoon Lee, Riley Rushton, Camden Faria, "Comparative Analysis of Early Ambulation with and without Pharmacologic Prophylaxis on the incidence of VTE in Postoperative Hip Surgery Patients"
Graduate
1st place: Nick DiGiovine, "Assault against nurses: Development of the Theory of Respect in Interpersonal Relations"
2nd place: YeoJeong Nam, "English Language Acculturation and Health Literacy Influences Self-Care Confidence in People with Heart Failure"
3rd place: Joann M. Condon, "A Transformative Theory for End-of-Life Education"
PhD students achieving candidacy
- Aaron Gendreau-Visco
- Ann Brum
- Michelle Pinto
- Michelle Schuster
- Nick DiGiovine
- YeoJeong Nam
Awards
Award for Distinguished Service: The student has made significant service contributions to the
college, sustained in one area or in multiple areas. Students must have demonstrated examples of
outstanding service to others and outstanding service within the University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth community.
- Mitch Messina
- Aaron Gendreau-Visco
Award for Student Leadership: Through their leadership skills and initiative, the student has
made a significant impact on the college. Award recipients are selected based on breadth and
depth of involvement and leadership in co-curricular activities, including membership and
leadership of university-sponsored student organizations, leadership in an employment role on
campus, involvement in professional, academic, and leadership experiences, and the overall
impact on campus life and learning for peers.
- Martin Dafov
- Natalie Porta
College of Nursing & Health Sciences scholarship awards 2024
Highest GPA
Undergraduate
BSN Traditional
- Maya Olivia Desmond
- Kayla McLaughlin
RN-ABSN
- Amanda Towne
RN-BSN (Online)
- Sara Ann Fusaro
- Jocelyn Rivas
Graduate
MSN
- Stephanie Anne Gouldrup
- Kerri Anne Parsons
- Heather Marie Piekarz
DNP
- Jessica Ashley Leavitt
- Kathryn Stiff
PhD
- Karen Hunt
Poster winners
Undergraduate category
1st place: Danielle Jones, "Using culturally relevant foods to combat food insecurity in the Hispanic community"
2nd place: Jocelyn Gagon, Juliana Galhardo, Kaitlyn Greenwell: "How do non-pharmacological interventions alleviate pain during needlesticks in the pediatric population?"
2nd place: Paige Bernier, Amanda Little, Abby Soares: "Personal protective equipment use by registered nurses in Southeastern Masschusetts"
3rd place: Chloe Naff, "Incentivizing Hepatitis, HIV, and STI screenings for a population receiving medications for opioid use disorder"
Graduate category
1st place: Michelle Pinto, "Simulation in mental health nursing education: A scoping review"
2nd place: Nicholas DiGiovine, "Interpersonal violence: A Concept Analysis of Nurse Assault"
3rd place: Yeo Jeong Nam, "A spirituality theory of heart failure self-care: Synthesizing situation-specific theory of heart failure self-care and self-transcendence theory"
PhD students achieving candidacy
- Nancy Ferreira Brown
- Emily Crosse
- Danielle Degonge
- Kerry Richardson
PhD students graduating
- Ouida Dowd
- Jillian Hatch
- Karen Hunt
A Virtual Celebration of Student Scholarship on April 25, 2022
The College of Nursing & Health Sciences Scholarship Day is being held virtually on this web page.
You can view videos of the Chancellor's Welcome, a Message from Dean Kimberly Christopher, and student presentations here.
We are excited to present our students' research projects and celebrate their achievements.
Highest GPA’s
PhD
- Destiny Brady
DNP
- Hannah Barth
MS
- Elizabeth Bennett
- Kristina Hone
- Jessica Peckham
- Michelle Leger
Traditional Undergraduate
- Rebecca Dawicki
- Tessa Irving
ABS
- Celine Burns
RN-BS
- Amber Fitzgerald
- Kaitlyn Merriam
- Megan Chapman
- Angelina Howe
PhD Students who have Achieved Candidacy
- Fatima Alzyoud, RN
- Gerri-Lyn Boyden, RN
- Joyce Cadorette, RN
- Jillian Hatch, RN
- Karen Hunt, RN
- Rhonda Tierney, RN
- Michelle Whyte, RN
View research poster video presentations
We are proud to present our students' research poster video presentations on a range of topics in health care and nursing practice.
See research poster video presentations on YouTube.
College of Nursing & Health Sciences Nursing Scholarship Awards
2020-2021 Academic Year
Congratulations to all of the students in the College of Nursing & Health Sciences who were named scholarship recipients as part of our virtual Scholarship Day Celebration.
Scholarship | Recipients |
---|---|
Jacqueline Bazinet Cobert Memorial Scholarship | Vanessa Branco '23 |
Robert John Fisher Memorial Scholarship | Marissa Marie Baillargeron '23 |
Rose Castonguay Memorial Scholarship | Kasie Nagoc Le '22 |
Eleanor S. Fontaine Memorial Scholarship | Mia Jane Slater '23 |
Marie M. Howard Scholarship | Jael Marie Costa '22 |
Frank Lepreau & Betty Welch Scholarship | Shayelyn Carreiro '23 |
Grace & Henry C. Lincoln, MD Scholarship | Kasie Bento '23 |
Phyllis Porth Darrell Memorial Scholarship | Charlene McKinnon '22 |
Truesdale Hospital Nurses Alumnae Association Scholarship | Maya Tavares '22 |
Jeanne Castonguay Violette Memorial Scholarship | Stephanie Teixiera '22 |
Highest GPAs of graduates in each program
PhD: Christine Bell
DNP: Jillian McMahon
MS:
- Mary Elizabeth Fountaine
- Kherri-Lynn Donnelly
- Brittany Lynn Medeiros
- Claire Ann Elizabeth Scaramella
- Kelley Ann Sears
- Jennifer Lyn Kelly
RN-BS: Rebekah Sylvia
BS: Amber DiBona
All posters must be 36” x 48”. Presenters should provide their own trifold display board and clips.
The following site offers a template to assist you in preparing your own poster, as well as a service for purchasing a professionally prepared poster at a reasonable cost:
https://www.lib.umassd.edu/photographics/postertemplate.