UConn School of Nursing honors seven alumni

On Oct. 1, the University of Connecticut's School of Nursing honored seven alumni for their exceptional contributions to the future of human health through their endeavors in the field of nursing.

The alumni were honored at the UConn School of Nursing's annual Reflections of Excellence dinner and awards ceremony.

"All of our award recipients have demonstrated academic and clinical excellence," said Regina Cusson, interim dean of UConn's School of Nursing, in introducing the awardees. "But this excellence is only one aspect of the accomplishments of these multi-talented people."

The awards recipients had a wide and diverse variety of accomplishments across the nursing field.

Christine Walsh Meehan received a Carolyn Ladd Widmer Outstanding Alumni for Leadership in Nursing Award. Walsh Meehan is the CEO and founder of CADImplant, Inc, which is a minimally invasive alternative to dental implant surgery. Walsh Meehan is also on the Board of HealthTalker LLC, and is an "angel" investor in medical device companies and with GoldenSeeds, an investor group that provides growth capital to women entrepreneurs across all sectors.

Also among the honorees was Patricia Bouffard, who received a Josephine A. Dolan Distinguished Service Award. Bouffard is the Chief Academic and Student Affairs Officer for Northwestern Connecticut Community College and Chair of the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing. Bouffard is a board member of the Connecticut Nurses' Foundation and a member of the Connecticut Nurses' Association Finance Committee. Dr. Bouffard received her MS from UConn in 1979.

Nancy Fishman, who received her B.S. from UConn in 1981, also received a Josephine A. Dolan Distinguished Service Award. Fishman is the Senior Program Officer in the Research and Evaluation Unit of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Fishman is the program officer for many different grants focused around increased community capacity for long-term care for the elderly. She formerly served as a research specialist at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health.

Dorothy Trebisacci was also among the awardees, receiving the Eleanor K. Gill Outstanding Alumni Award for Clinical Excellence in Nursing. Trebisacci recently retired as the nurse consultant in the Newborn Genetic Screening Program at the Connecticut Department of Health. Previously, she served as the clinical coordinator at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit at Middlesex Hospital. Trebisacci made an impact as the director and coordinator of the Connecticut Child Care Health Consultants, as well as a Healthy Child Care America contact. She is renowned and highly regarded for ensuring proper protocol during the process of newborn screening.

Kristine Nordlie Williams is the current Associate Professor at the University of Kansas School of Nursing and associate scientist in the Gerontology Center at the University of Kansas' Life Span Institute. Dr. Williams received the Marlene Kramer Outstanding Alumni Award for Research in Nursing. Dr. Williams recently completed an NIH study, "Elderspeak: Impact on Dementia Care," which analyzed the communication between residents with dementia and the nursing staff.

Jeanne Watson Driscoll, the most recent graduate of the honorees, receiving her Ph.D. from UConn in 2004, received the Beverly Koerner Outstanding Alumni Award for Education in Nursing. Jeanne Watson Driscoll is president and owner of JWD Associates, Inc. and a member of the Mica Collaborative in Wellesley, Mass. She is the co-author of Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Clinician's Guide, which received Book of the Year in 2006 from American Journal of Nursing. She was also appointed to the President's Advisory Council of Postpartum Support International.

Marylouise Welch has received multiple degrees from UConn, including her M.S. from UConn's Nursing School in 1980, and her Ph.D. in Anthropology in 1990. Dr. Welch received a Beverly Koerner Oustanding Alumni Award for Education in Nursing. She is heavily involved with global health curricula and study abroad experiences, and has received numerous awards from other organizations. Most recently, she was named the 2010 Health Care Hero from the Hartford Business Journal. Dr. Welch is the Professor Emerita of Nursing at St. Joseph College in West Hartford.