Rising up to meet the challenge

Dear Friends,

Indeed, this past academic year was like no other. New opportunities presented themselves among the challenges at every turn. We transformed serving our students, the community and each other with innovation, courage and unwavering commitment to our vision, Optimal health and wellbeing for all people and the planet. Not only did we accomplish that, we did it by consistently putting the we before the I, ensuring our mission and service to our community of nursing, health care, Minnesota, the nation, the globe and planet have been steadfast.

Minnesota Nursing magazine invites you to immerse yourself in wonderful examples of students, alumni and faculty rising up to address needs that nurses are so well suited to meet. PhD student Kristin Elgersma shares how a tragic loss led her on a path to nursing and research that will support infants and parents. You’ll discover how the passion to provide continuity of care led two Doctor of Nursing Practice alums to launch an initiative to support patients and their caregivers following life-altering treatments. And you’ll meet a recent Master of Nursing grad who is transforming the development of medical devices as a nurse-engineer. On the research front, we share how our faculty are improving disparities in diet-related health and developing modeling aimed at disrupting human-trafficking networks.

Our cover story lifts up the School of Nursing’s unique relationship with Rochester, Minnesota and our powerful partnership with the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota Rochester. This growing collaboration includes the creation of the first dedicated education unit model in ambulatory care. Our focus on Rochester also includes a profile of alumna Ryannon Frederick, chief nursing officer at Mayo Clinic, who offers insights on leadership and her vision for the full potential of nurses.

Finally, as we near the conclusion of our $45 million Empowering Health campaign, this issue shares amazing stories that have motivated our community to invest in the our school and our mission.

This issue of Minnesota Nursing is our invitation to you to connect even more deeply with the School of Nursing. We trust that you continue to prioritize your health and that of family, friends, community and our planet. We always appreciate your feedback.

Connie White Delaney
Professor and Dean