Class notes

Jamie Heil, BSN ‘00, published Simulation-Based Education for Caregivers of Infants with Shunt-Dependent Cardiac Physiology: Decreasing Caregiver Anxiety in The Journal of Pediatric Healthcare.

Diane Schadewald, DNP ‘08, received 1st Place from the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year award in the category of Advanced Practice Nursing as the author/editor of the text Zaccagnini & White’s Core Competencies for Advanced Practice Nursing: A Guide for DNPs (5th Edition).

Merkeiza Tesfatsion, BSN ‘13, clinical nurse coordinator and registered nurse, was named a 2025 Colleague of the Year at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center in Round Rock, Texas. Merkeiza was recognized for her “unwavering dedication to the team and going above and beyond to support her colleagues with a positive and collaborative attitude.”

Sara McCumber, DNP ‘14, MS ‘96, was elected secretary of Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) National Board of Directors, 2024-2026.

Marjorie Webb, PhD ‘16, DNP ‘10, was named interim dean of the College of Nursing and Health Services and Chief Nursing Administrator at Metro State University.

Bethany Divakaran, DNP ‘17, is leading as a nurse manager at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Her work involves expanding access to medications to treat opioid use disorder and using innovative partnerships and patient-centered, low-barrier strategies to reach and engage people in treatment.

Kasey R. Boehmer, PhD ‘18, recently published her first book, The Chronic Overachiever: A Personal Development Book for Women Navigating Challenges with Confidence.

Gertrude Thomas, DNP ‘22, published The Impact of Black DNP-Prepared Nurse Leaders in Academia and Acute Care Settings in Nurse Leader.

Wa Yang, DNP ‘22, is the lead actor in Bitterroot. The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival in June 2024, and screenings were held in Minneapolis this spring. Yang also works as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in the Twin Cities.

Russell Spafford, PhD ‘24, serves as administrative manager at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB). He recently launched Spafford Coaching and Consulting LLC, where he serves as founder and principal coach, supporting mission-driven professionals in health and higher education. On Sept. 7, he competed in the Madison Ironman to raise funds and awareness for the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB).

Hailey Heid, BSN ‘25, started as a Registered Nurse in the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant/Hematology-Oncology Unit at University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital.

Mackenzie Watson, BSN ‘25, was hired as a registered nurse at Mayo Clinic in the Inpatient Colorectal Surgery Unit.

Emily Karbo, DNP ‘25, was hired as a clinical operations and design specialist at ESa, a Nashville-based architecture and design firm. She joined ESa to champion clinically informed design in Tennessee and beyond.

Keep us up to date

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