College of Nursing and Health to celebrate 40th anniversary with symposium, reception March 20

Lorraine Wright

Lorraine Wright, an author and nursing consultant, will deliver the keynote address during the College of Nursing and Health's 40th anniversary celebration.

The Wright State University–Miami Valley College of Nursing and Health will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its founding with a symposium and reception on Thursday, March 20.

The celebration will begin with a luncheon, sponsored by Premier Health, at 11:30 a.m. at Holiday Inn, 2800 Presidential Drive, across from the Wright State campus.

The luncheon includes a keynote address “Don’t Get Married Unless: What’s the Connection to Good Health?” by Lorraine Wright, R.N., Ph.D., an international lecturer, author and consultant in family nursing and family therapy.

A symposium, “The Art and Science of Nursing,” will follow the luncheon. Co-sponsored by CONH’s Zeta Phi Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, the symposium will showcase scholarly works in the Miami Valley.

That evening, CONH will hold a reception and theater event. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Student Union Pathfinder Lounge. Participants may then attend Wright State Theatre’s performance of Les Misérables. CONH has secured a limited number of tickets to the performance.

The 30th anniversary of the founding of the Zeta Phi Chapter will also be part of the celebration.

The deadline to register is March 11. Registration information is available on the Wright State website.

“I am so pleased to be able to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the college with several events showcasing the art and science of nursing,” said CONH Dean Rosalie Mainous. “This is a celebration of our history, our achievements, our outstanding students, our excellent faculty and staff, our loyal alumni,  and our longstanding community partnerships. With the support of the Zeta Phi chapter of STTI for the research showcase and Premier Health for the kickoff luncheon, we invite the community to help us celebrate this occasion as we build the foundation for the next 40 years of excellence.”

The celebration is a great opportunity for CONH alumni to learn more about what’s new at the college and visit with classmates and faculty, said Donna Curry, R.N., Ph.D., professor of nursing and associate dean for graduate education.

“We’re always so busy,” Curry said. “That’s why it’s important to stop and enjoy and celebrate all of our accomplishments.”

Wright is professor emeritus of nursing at the University of Calgary, where she served as the director of the Family Nursing Unit. She is the author of several books including her latest, Don’t Get Married . . . Unless: Know When, to Whom, and IF You Should Tie the Knot—and How to Fortify Your Marriage Once You Do.

She regularly gives presentations and lectures on the illness beliefs of families and health professionals, spirituality and suffering in the context of illness, and family interventions that enhance healing.

“The Art and Science of Nursing” symposium will feature panel and podium discussions and a poster session by CONH faculty and students.

Panel discussions include “The Art and Science of Nursing” with Patricia O’Malley, R.N., Ph.D., nurse researcher in Miami Valley Hospital’s Center of Nursing Excellence, and Maura Boesch, R.N., D.N.P., clinical assistant professor in CONH. O’Malley and Boesch will discuss whether nursing is a science or art, respectively.

The idea that nursing is a science, Curry said, is focused on “a body of knowledge that is nursing and that nursing is an evidence-based practice.” The art of nursing considers the ideas involves caring for patients and having empathy, Curry said. “It’s that piece of nursing that you can’t quite pin down as science,” she said.

The symposium will conclude with a presentation by Wright on “Practice-based evidence in nursing: What I have (only) learned in clinical practice with families.” Other panel discussions will focus on global health and disaster nursing.

Mary Murphy

Mary Murphy '89 will be added to the College of Nursing and Health's Alumni Wall of Fame during its anniversary celebration.

During the reception, the college will recognize Mary Murphy, R.N., the newest member of its Alumni Wall of Fame, which honors outstanding CONH alumni.

Murphy, who received an M.S.N. in 1989 from Wright State, is chief nursing and care officer at Hospice of Dayton, where she has worked since 1989. She has also served as a bedside nurse, education coordinator, director of clinical systems and oncology clinical nurse specialist. Murphy started her nursing career in the oncology unity at Miami Valley Hospital. She has written or co-written 17 papers and book chapters on oncology and hospice nursing.

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