UMSN Honors 2024 Alumni Award Recipients
The University of Michigan School of Nursing (UMSN) has announced the recipients of its 2024 Alumni Awards. They are Sandra Merkel, MS, BSN, RN (MS 1977); Lenette Jones, Ph.D., RN, FAHA (BSN 2002, MS 2011, Ph.D. 2014); and Bernadine Cimprich, Ph.D., RN, FAAN (Ph.D. 1990).
UMSN Dean Patricia Hurn, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, applauded this year’s recipients for their commitment to excellence and efforts to advance nursing in Michigan, across the nation and around the world. Through their hard work, vision and dedication, she says, they represent the best of our school and the nursing profession.
“Our alumni award recipients are standard-bearers for our school’s mission to provide health for all. Whether caring for patients, educating the next generation of nurses, or leading groundbreaking nursing research and policy, their efforts are making a difference in the lives of their students, patients, and communities,” says Dean Hurn.
“As a nurse, touching a life is one of the most important and rewarding responsibilities of our profession. These individuals are touching lives and leaving indelible marks on our society that will be felt for generations to come. We thank them for their contributions and proudly recognize them with our highest alumni distinctions,” she adds.
Career Lifetime Achievement Award
Bernadine Cimprich, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, associate professor emerita at UMSN, has been named the recipient of the Career Lifetime Achievement Award for her sustained and exceptional contributions to the field of nursing.
Dr. Cimprich has exemplified excellence as an expert clinician, a stellar educator, and a renowned nurse scientist throughout her career. She has been an innovator in all facets of her career.
As a nursing faculty member, she built interdisciplinary coalitions and led the development of the socio-behavioral research program at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Cimprich is internationally known for her pioneering NIH-NINR-funded research program focusing on the distressing cognitive sequelae of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Her research systematically progressed from describing and quantifying pre- and post-treatment cognitive changes in attention and memory, likely due to attentional or mental fatigue, to leading an interdisciplinary team in uncovering related biological mechanisms through brain imaging. Ultimately, she developed an innovative, effective clinical intervention to improve cognitive function through systematic involvement in natural environments, which has received wide local, national and international acceptance.
She developed a self-report instrument to assess perceived problems in cognitive functioning that is used widely in oncology, chronic illness management, gerontology, and among healthy individuals with mental fatigue. Her work has been disseminated through many peer-reviewed publications and national and international invited presentations. She has taught at all levels of nursing education and mentored students studying the cognitive sequelae of chemotherapy, impaired immune function, and estrogen deprivation. Her lifetime career legacy rests with the Ph.D. graduates she mentored, many of whom have advanced to prominent academic and research careers.
Dr. Cimprich’s Ph.D. dissertation, Attentional Fatigue and Restoration in Individuals with Cancer (Cimprich, 1990) was the foundation for her research trajectory designed to increase knowledge of cognitive problems that impair daily function in women treated for breast cancer and ways to help improve daily functioning.
Dr. Cimprich reflects on her time as a doctoral student at UMSN, which had a profound impact on her life and career.
“The Ph.D. program at UMSN enabled me to build on my clinical experience to develop nursing research and science to improve the quality of cancer survivorship.”
“The world-renowned faculty helped pave the way for interdisciplinary collaboration to extend the practice and theoretical impact of my research and discovery endeavors. As a UMSN alumna and faculty member, the U-M standard ‘Leaders and Best’ served as my guide throughout my academic and research career,” she adds.
Excellence in Clinical Practice Award
Sandra Merkel, MS, RN-PMGT-BC, retired clinical nurse specialist from C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, has been named the recipient of the Excellence in Clinical Practice Award for her efforts in promoting and implementing evidence-based practice that aligns theory and research with clinical applications.
During her tenure at Mott Children’s Hospital and UMSN, she specialized in evaluating pain and determining effective comfort measures for pediatric patients. With more than 45 years of nursing experience, she contributed to more than 40 research publications that explored and enhanced methods for pain management, pain assessment, and understanding pain behavior in patients. She and her colleague Terri Voepel-Lewis, Ph.D., RN, developed the pediatric pain scale FLACC, which is used worldwide.
“Dr. Voepel-Lewis, Dr. Marge Calarco, and Dr. Shobha Malviya all provided a supportive work environment that allowed me to learn, research, educate, collaborate with colleagues, and implement strategies/systems for improving pediatric and adult pain assessment and treatment,” says Ms. Merkel.
“Receiving this award is not only a personal and professional honor but also a recognition of outstanding collaboration dedicated to improving the assessment and treatment of pain in children and adults,” she adds.
Sandra was nominated for this award by Carol Williams, MS, BSN, RN, appraiser for the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
“Sandy worked tirelessly throughout her career to improve patient care and to ensure that pain management was available to all, even those who were non-verbal. She served as a mentor to many colleagues and was instrumental in helping them achieve successful careers. Sandy continues to serve as a role model to those who seek to attain superior administrative and clinical skills and remain connected to the fundamental principles of caring clinical care,” says Carol.
Early Career Achievement Award
Lenette Jones, Ph.D., RN, FAHA, associate professor and McLelland Professor of Nursing at UMSN, has been named the recipient of the Early Career Achievement Award for her continued efforts to make advances and improvements for the nursing profession within the first 10 years after graduation.
Dr. Jones specializes in behavioral health research, concentrating on eliminating health disparities faced by African American women with hypertension. Her research program aims to uncover the biological, psychological, social, and physical mechanisms underlying self-management interventions. Utilizing neuroimaging techniques (fMRI), she investigates the neural processes involved in self-management behaviors such as diet, exercise, and medication adherence. Additionally, she explores ways to improve health information behaviors—such as seeking, sharing, and utilizing health information—to aid in blood pressure self-management. Currently, Dr. Jones is developing and pilot-testing interventions aimed at enhancing blood pressure self-management in African American women.
“My experiences while attending UMSN led to a deep commitment to implementing evidence-based and patient-centered care and conducting studies with (not on) marginalized communities who have traditionally been ignored or exploited in research,” says Dr. Jones.
“To be nominated and selected for this award is phenomenal. This recognition is another example that my colleagues see my efforts to produce high-impact research that addresses health inequities that negatively affect Black women,” she adds.
Dr. Jones was nominated for this award by Ruby Nzoma, DNP, BSN, RN, who shares that Dr. Jones’ dedication to marginalized populations resonates with her deeply.
“As a fellow UMSN alum, it was important to me to nominate a person who embodies the unique lived experience of being a Black woman who was educated, excelled, graduated and continues to contribute to the excellence of UMSN. Lenette's professional accomplishments speak for themselves, and those alone make her more than a qualified recipient for this award,” says Dr. Nzoma.
“Her unwavering commitment to eliminating disparities, improving health outcomes, and service to and for Black women prompted my decision to submit my nomination for Dr. Jones for this well-deserved recognition,” she adds.
All three award recipients will be honored during the School of Nursing’s 2024 reunion celebration on Sept. 13.
