Advancing Health

Aron King is asecond-yearstudent in themaster’s-degreeleadershipprogram anda UC DavisMedical Centerassistant nursemanager.advancing healthYOURLEADERSHIPINSIDE2F rom the dean3 The Eagersexplain whythey give4 Addressingshortage ofmental healthproviders5 Meet JacquieDeMellow6 AlumniNetworkINACTIONSPRING2021Because of you,Aron found his purpose, expands leadership legacyAron King saw himself as a bedside nurse.But when he came to the Betty Irene MooreSchool of Nursing at UC Davis, he found hispurpose and a new trajectory to change thefutures of more African Americans.“I really wanted to push my family forwardand education does that,” says Aron, anassistant nurse manager at UC DavisHealth and member of the master’s-degreeleadership Class of 2021.Aron connected with alumni who launchedthe Capitol City Black Nurses Association(CCBNA) and faculty who taught from amulticultural perspective. Witnessing theirinfluence and realizing his own potential,he took on new leadership roles in thecommunity and his profession.“Being a graduate-prepared nurse, you caninfluence change at a different level,” Aronexplains.Because of generous scholarship support,Aron could focus on applying his new-foundleadership skills outside the classroom. Heled virtual discussions about social justicelast summer, provided forums on COVID-19in the Black community and amplified others’work to promote health equity.“I really want to be that change makeralongside other leadership alumni,” Aronsays. “It may be the end of this program, butit is just the beginning for myself and manyothers in our final cohort.”1

advancing health SPRING 2021DEAN’S LETTERTogether, weinnovate for thefutureWhen Betty Irene Moorepaved the way for thenursing school thatbears her name, sheinvested in a vision ofhealth care leadershipand bold system change.A decade since the firstclasses embarked upontheir graduate educationjourneys, their successes today bolster Mrs.Moore’s, and our, legacy.This June, the final cohort of Master of Science —Leadership students join 220 leadership alumni tochallenge the status quo in the clinics, classrooms,communities and organizations where they serve.Though a degree program ends, the peopleconnected to its experience and their contributionsendure for generations.We will always innovate for the future because that ishow we drive change.As we enter our next 10 years, we embark on thenext leg of our journey with a new strategic planconsulting with our faculty, students, staff, alumni,off-campus partners and others in a manner that isinclusive and reflective of the diversity that makesour school a great place to be.We are a community dedicated to optimal healthand health care equity for all. Together, we partnerto lead in health equity, cultural humility andcollaboration creating a legacy sure to outlast us all.Stephen J. Cavanagh, PhD, MPA, R.N., FACHE, FAANDignity Health Dean’s Chair for Nursing Leadership,Dean and Professoradvancing health, Spring 2021, Volume 4 Issue 1Advancing Health is a publication of the advancement team at theBetty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis.(916) 416-7623 nursing.ucdavis.edu ccadams@ucdavis.eduRanked No. 24!In the latest list of best graduatenursing schools, the Betty IreneMoore School of Nursing atUC Davis now ranks among thetop 25 best master’s-degreenursing programs. U.S. News &World Report 2022 Best GraduateSchools ranks the School of Nursing as No. 24, up 16 spotsfrom last year’s rankings and tied with one other program.The school’s graduate-degree programs emphasize problemsolving, independent thinking and individual accountability.They empower students and alumni to lead needed change inhealth care. Learn more at nursing.ucdavis.edu.Healthy Aging atUC Davis HealthThe Family CaregivingInstitute now providescaregiver support andconsultation at the newHealthy Aging Clinic atUC Davis Health. Theinterdisciplinary clinic is partof the Aging Initiative, a UCDavis Health systemwideapproach to create thehealthiest and highestfunctioning older adultpopulation in NorthernCalifornia. Our goal is toprovide an integrated, agefriendly approach to olderadults across their lifespanand throughout all caresettings. Visit health.ucdavis.edu/aging to learn more.Institute Director TerriHarvath is the 2021 presidentand board chair for theGerontological Society ofAmerica, the nation’s largestinterdisciplinary organizationdevoted to the field of aging.Harvath’s new role putsher in a position to learnabout cutting-edge issuesimpacting UC Davis Healthpatients and caregivers andnetwork with colleagueswho can help ensurethat the Aging Initiativetakes advantage of all theprogrammatic innovationsthat help older adults.Geriatric clinical nursespecialist and third-yeardoctoral student AnnaSatake leads NICHEaging initiatives for UCDavis Health. The NursesImproving Care forHealthsystem Elders (NICHE)program demonstratesorganizational commitmentand continued progresstoward improving quality,enhancing the patient andfamily experience throughoutthe health system.2

Deep roots yield prosperous futureTerry and Susan Eager believe in nurses as leadersUC Davis’ history runs deep in Terry Eager. His grandfatherwas a founding professor in 1913. His parents; wife, Susan;and children are proud alumni. He’s served on the boardsof the UC Davis Foundation, the Graduate School ofManagement and the Mondavi Center.So, when an opportunity came to sow a seed in the future ofnursing on the Sacramento campus, he investedin it.“Dean Emerita Heather M. Young presented thevision — to create leaders among nursing talent.I thought, how can you not support nurses?”Terry explains.Susan agreed. They established the Eager FamilyEndowed Nursing Award to support graduatestudents in their dream of becoming health careprofessionals.“Seeing how the alumni are so productive and going outin the community, their role is so much bigger than I firstrealized,” she says.The school’s impact is also bigger. In 2017, when the Eagersfound themselves caring for three aging parents, theyappreciated the launch of the Family Caregiving Institute.Now, with a new post-COVID-19 reality, the focuson healthy aging and technology to supportolder adults keeps them engaged.IF YOU’REINTERESTED INESTABLISHINGANENDOWMENT,Contact CatherineComley Adams atat ccadams@ucdavis.edu or916-416-7623 tolearn more.“It’s remarkable how quickly the leadership gotthings moving,” Terry says. “Our endowmentwill keep growing and growing. Plus, we’re allgetting older. We’ll need these professionals inthe future.”3

New initiative tacklesmental health provider shortageMore than half ofCalifornians living withmental health issues don’treceive the psychiatric carethey need and the situationis projected to get worse.A new program from theBetty Irene Moore School ofNursing, in partnership withUC nursing schools inLos Angeles andSan Francisco, aims toaddress that gap. ThePost-Master’s CertificateProgram will train 300 nursepractitioners to becomepsychiatric mental healthspecialists within the nextfive years.“I see so many peopledealing with anxiety anddepression,” says JanetMeda, an assistant professorat the School of Nursing,family nurse practitionerat the Sacramento CountyHealth Center and a studentin the new program. “Wecannot look at mentalhealth and physical healthin isolation.”The one-year program,supported by a 1.4 milliongrant from the CaliforniaHealth Care Foundation,combines remote-learningwith in-person clinicaltraining.Sharon Demeter, a nursepractitioner, workplaceviolence liaison for UC DavisMedical Center and formerassistant director for theMaster’s Entry Program inNursing, is also a student inthe program. She hopes itequips her to better servethe inpatient population andthe employees who carefor them.for behavioral healthemergencies, just like therapid response teams thatwe have in place for medicalemergencies,” Sharon says.Nearly half of Americansreport symptoms of mentalillness since the COVID-19pandemic began. Throughthis program, more will havea place to turn for help inthe future.Visit nursing.ucdavis.edu tolearn more.“Our goal is to createa rapid response team“This curriculum wasdesigned to preparethese nurse practitionersto address their patients’mental health needs, whilemeeting a California healthpriority,” says Dean StephenCavanagh.And with the globalpandemic taking a toll onpeople’s mental healthworldwide, help cannotcome soon enough.4

advancing health SPRING 2021Sharing success to paint a pathwayfor future studentsAlumna tells doctoral story for advertising campaignJacquie DeMellow admitsshe never saw herself inher current role today. Asdirector of quality at StJoseph’s Medical Center inStockton, she’s developingan inpatient dashboard fortheir COVID-19 response.She attributes herprofessional success andpersonal growth to her fouryears at the Betty IreneMoore School of Nursing atUC Davis.“In 2014, I could neverhave imagined being inthis position today,” saysJacquie, a Class of 2018alumna. “Being in thedoctoral program gave mean opportunity to make acase for why somethingis important, using data totell a story and literature tosupport innovative evidencebased practices that canimpact our work, improvingoutcomes.”It’s one thing to work fouryears toward a dissertation.It’s another to tell your storythrough a video interviewand photo shoot.Jacquie shares herexperience with othersconsidering going back toschool. So, when the Schoolof Nursing marketing teamasked her to expand herreach through a recruitmentcampaign, she said yes.“I’ll admit, the video partmade me a bit nervous, butit wasn’t difficult to do” shesays. “And I was so pleasedwith the photo shoot. I’veused one of the imagesin my Zoom profile andeveryone asks me whotook it.”“It wasn’t that different thanwhat I share with peopleone-on-one,” Jacquie says.“It opens their minds toseeing the possibilities fortheir future!”Jacquie says even withthe great photos and theopportunity to present apathway for future students,she really did it out ofgratitude for the school.“My education really was alife-changing experience,”she says. “I got so much fromit and take any opportunityto share all the amazingbenefits that I received bybeing in this program.”See more alumni storiesat nursing.ucdavis.edu/distinctions.5