Cardinal Nurse Quarterly Dean’s Message July 2025
June 27, 2025
We have so many reasons to celebrate at the University of Louisville School of Nursing. I wanted to take a minute to highlight just a few examples over this past year.
Collaboratively Addressing the Healthcare Workforce Shortage
As leaders in the education of the next generation of nurses, we are proud to have been awarded a $4.8-million award from the Council on Postsecondary Education. This matching grant with UofL Health and Owensboro Health will provide scholarships for students admitted into the upper division of nursing and will create a pipeline of well-prepared nurses who will join the healthcare system upon graduation.
The Nurse Anesthesia Program students are benefiting from a scholarship program from UofL Health that covers their tuition and fees in exchange for a work requirement after graduation. This recent collaboration is just one more example of the partnership and long-term collaboration between the two organizations that are addressing the health care workforce shortages in the Commonwealth and beyond.
Student Support and Success
In addition to the 4.8-million-dollar award from CPE, Dr. Cynethia Bethel-Hines received $56K in funding from CPE to support recruiting efforts for under-resourced students. Her summer program will introduce students to the nursing field and provide opportunities for high school students to experience our wonderful campus and the School of Nursing.
Our efforts surrounding student success and wellness have exceeded expectations. This spring, we have added a mental health counselor from Campus Health who is available one day a week, on-site at the School. We have renovated space to have a separate lactation room and an additional prayer or meditation room for students, staff, and faculty. Our newly hired Director of Operations, Lauren Kelley, has hit the ground running and is in the process of expanding our Office of Student Services space and Cardinal Confidence space. This will make this area more welcoming for potential students seeking information, as well as for current students seeking academic support.
Programs and Outreach
Our simulation faculty and staff from both campuses worked tirelessly to prepare for the site visit required to achieve national accreditation for our amazing simulation program. I am so proud to say that this visit went exceptionally well, and we can be proud to be one of the limited number of schools of nursing with this accreditation.
In April, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Kentucky Racing Health Services Center. This program continues to serve the backside workers in the Kentucky thoroughbred horse racing industry by providing high-quality, nurse practitioner (NP) delivered care from the School of Nursing faculty. This is a flagship program for the University and continues to receive national recognition as an innovative model of care.
Research and Scholarship
Dr. Amanda LeBlanc has joined the School of Nursing as the Associate Dean of Research. Dr. LeBlanc is a professor, and prior to joining us, she held the position of Interim Associate Dean of Research with the School of Medicine. Her research areas include regenerative medicine and cardiac health in aging. She is committed to moving the research mission of the School forward and is a welcome addition to the leadership team.
This is a wonderful time to be at the School of Nursing! I invite you to explore our new website and connect with us on social media to learn more about our initiatives and programs.
Go Cards!
Whitney Nash
UofL School of Nursing
