NURSING - Key Persons
Aisha Fort joined UMSON in 2005 and began her work with the Clinical Simulation Labs in 2007. Ms. Fort is the department resource for support and operation day to day administrative needs and is responsible for overseeing scheduling of internal and external users, inventory management, running department level reports. She has been an integral part of the CSL's initial accreditation and the upcoming re-accreditation process.
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- Student Affairs Committee
Amy Daniels, PhD, RN, CHSE, currently serves as the director of the Debra L. Spunt Clinical Simulation Labs, which are accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare Accredited for Teaching and Learning. As an assistant professor, she facilitates simulated educational experiences in all clinical programs. She has been teaching using simulation since 2010, having received formal training from Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, Oregon and the Institute for Medical Simulation through the Center for Medical Simulation in Cambridge, Massachusetts at both the basic and graduate level. She is a research fellow of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Nursing. She contributes to the blueprint writing for the Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator certification exam and chairs the education subcommittee for the Director Interest Group of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
Her scholarly work focuses on the impact of psychological safety in simulation and debriefing on reflective thinking. She has presented nationally on the topics of simulation, debriefing, and psychological safety and is published in peer-reviewed journals and monograph chapters. Daniels also works collaboratively with other simulation faculty in facilitating inter-professional simulation and debriefing workshops both on campus and at regional clinical and academic settings.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Instructor, Clinical Simulation Labs, PPEP
Ashley Brown, MS, RN, joined the Clinical Simulation Labs in 2016. With a background in medical surgical nursing, Ashley's area of focus is primarily undergraduate medical surgical simulations. In addition to her role as simulation faculty, she serves as faculty advisor to the UMB campus student group, National Black Nurses Association. She earned her BSN and MS in Health Services Leadership and Management with a strong focus in nursing education from UMSON.
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- Business Operations Manager
- Member of the Active
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- Associate Dean of Research
Best Grad Schools - U.S. News - Nursing - Master's Degree 2022 Best Grad Schools - U.S. News - Nursing - Doctor of Nursing Practice 2022 Best Colleges - U.S. News - Nursing (BSN) Programs 2022 Best Online Programs - U.S. News - Veterans, Grad Nursing 2022 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award 2021
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- Member of the DNP Judicial Board
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- Member of the Active
- Member of the Executive Board
- Business Coordinator
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- Member of the Active
- Research Quality Manager, RES
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- Member of the MSN Judicial Board
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- Assistant Dean for Administration and Strategic Initiatives / University of Maryland
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- Member of the Operations Team
- Enrollment Coordinator
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- Center Director
- Co - Director, Center to Advance Chronic Pain Research
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- Research Project Coordinator, RES
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- Member of the BSN Judicial Board
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- Center Director
- Director, Placebo Beyond Opinions Center
- Professor Tenured )
Dr. Luana Colloca holds an MD and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Turin School of Medicine, Italy. She completed her post-doctoral training at the Brain Imaging Center at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and currently serves as Professor of Pain and Translational Symptom Science and Director of the Placebo Beyond Opinions (PBO) Center at the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Nursing. With a multifaceted approach including pharmacological, genetic, and behavioral aspects, Dr. Colloca has developed an international reputation as a leading scientist for the study of the biological mechanisms of the placebo effect. She has conducted pioneering groundbreaking studies that have advanced scientific understanding of the human brain's ability to regulate the pain experience and have led to the development of novel strategies to optimize therapeutic outcomes in clinical practice.
Dr. Colloca's research has been published in top-ranked international journals, and the impact of her innovative work is clear from her high citation rate and more than 300 invited lectures. Her research has also been featured in National Geographic, The New Scientist, Washington Post, Science Daily, Boston Globe, The New York Times, Nature, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, News and World Reports, COSMOS (Australia), Le Monde (France), La Repubblica (Italy), The Australian, and USA Today. Dr. Colloca has been honored with prestigious awards such as the Dubner Award and Patrick Wall International Award from the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). She serves on leadership roles internationally within the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP, Chair of the PAIN and PLACEBO SIG) and the Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (SIPS, Treasurer) and locally as the CTSA TL1 Program Director at the University of Maryland. She is also a field Editor for the Journal of Pain and Section Editor for the PAIN and PAIN Reports journals.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
Dr. Patricia D Franklin had a professional career with achievements in practice, program management, academia and professional development. While in primary care practice, Franklin served on professional association, government, and coalition boards and committees, including as president of a national professional association. Transitioning to the non-profit sector, Franklin successfully managed a multi-year, multi-site, John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) grant that began as a $2 million award and over 10 years grew to $26 million in funding. After completing her doctoral degree Franklin joined the University of Maryland School of Nursing faculty where she taught health policy, health systems, and leadership in graduate programs. In addition, she served as Director of the Office of Professional Education (OPE), developing professional continuing education (CE) programs as well as launching and chairing an interprofessional CE consortium with colleagues from the Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Social Work and Law. As PI on a $2.5 million, 5-year state awarded grant to build nurse leadership capacity in Maryland, Franklin designed and ran the School's first Leadership Institute. She retired from School of Nursing in 2019 and continued to work as a consultant.
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- Member of the DNP Judicial Board
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- Chairman, Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health
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- Member of the DNP Judicial Board
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- Associate Dean for Research
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- Member of the BSN Judicial Board
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- Chairman of the Executive Board
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- Director of Nursing and Patient Care Services / University of Maryland
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- Member of the BSN Judicial Board
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- Center Director
- Director, SYNAPSE Center
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- Member of the DNP Judicial Board
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- Member of the Operations Team
- Associate Director, Admissions Operations
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- Admissions Specialist / Student Financial Planning
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- Member at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
Dr. Noel is a faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. He attained his Bachelor's of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees at Rutgers University. He then completed residency training in Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice at University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. After joining UMB's faculty, Dr. Noel has taken on a number of psychiatric pharmacy practice roles, including in intellectual/developmental disabilities, acute psychiatry, and long-term care. He is an experienced clinical educator, serving as an instructor in UMB's Pharm.D., advance practice nursing, and physician assistant programs. He also has over ten years of experience administering the School of Pharmacy's ACPE-accredited continuing education program. His research interests include optimizing integrated treatment and contextual effects for psychiatric and behavioral disorders in people with developmental disabilities. He is board certified by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties in Psychiatric Pharmacy. Additionally, he is pursuing a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore.
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- Member of the DNP Judicial Board
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- Center Director
- Co - Director, Biology and Behavior across the Lifespan Organized Research Center
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- Member of the Active
- Member of the Staff Action Committee
- Chairman - Community Engagement
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- Member of the BSN Judicial Board
When Katie Casper, BSN, RN, was a child, her mother, a clinical nurse specialist in pediatric oncology, was working in hospice care. "I always loved going along with her as a kid and making friends with her patients," Casper says.
A Doctor of Nursing Practice student at UMSON, Casper attended Marquette University in Wisconsin on an Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship. "Combining ROTC with my nursing program was like jumping off a cliff - it was such a demanding schedule but I adjusted and thrived," she recalls. After graduating, she was commissioned into the Army Nurse Corps, and in her almost 10 years of active duty as an ICU nurse, she was deployed twice to Afghanistan, in 2009 and 2011.
"We were in tents with a small team, a few beds for surgery, and a few for our ICU," she recalls. "We treated soldiers and local nationals, including adults and children who had been injured in improvised explosive device explosions. I think because I was a relatively new nurse, I didn't have many expectations and was able to adapt to the environment, which was a sort of organized chaos."
After completing her service commitment with the rank of captain, Casper decided it was time to take a new path and change her area of specialization. "The children I cared for in Afghanistan were resilient and inspiring, and I'm excited to work in a pediatric ICU after graduation," she says. She's scheduled to complete the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner specialty in May.
"Being back in school is a bit of an adjustment, because I was so accustomed to having the support and commonality of the military mindset," Casper continues. "But I've met good friends - and in both the military and nursing, you find many people who are dedicated to always learning, getting better, and wanting more."
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- Center Director
- Biology and Behavior across the Lifespan ( BBAL ) Organized Research Center
- Co - Director, Biology and Behavior across the Lifespan Organized Research Center
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- Associate Director, Admissions
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- Member of the Operations Team
- Enrollment Coordinator
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- Secretary of the Executive Board
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- Chairman - Elect
- Member of the Active
- Member of the Executive Board
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- Student Financial Advisor / Operations
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- Member of the BSN Judicial Board
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- Assistant Professor, PPEP
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- Professor and Executive Vice Dean / Johns Hopkins School
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- Member of the BSN Judicial Board
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- Assistant Dean for Information and Learning Technology
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- Member of the Active
- Member of the Executive Board
- Immediate past - Chair
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- Nurse Anesthetist Traineeship
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- Center Director
- Co - Director, Center for Health Outcomes Research
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- Member of the BSN Judicial Board
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- Assistant Director, Admissions
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- Simulation Technician, PPEP
Nickolas Forsten, BS, joined the Clinical Simulation Labs in the fall of 2018 as a Simulation Technician. A graduate of the University of Utah, he undertook an interdisciplinary engineering degree including coursework in research psychology, computer science, and game design. Many of the games he has worked on are educational in nature, such as a virtual reality (VR) Marimba for students to practice on at home, and an upcoming VR mystery which was one of the five finalists of the U.S. Department of Education's EdSim Challenge. He finds the work of helping to provide experiential learning deeply rewarding and hopes to continue exploring new ways technology can enhance education, health, and social impact.
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- Member of the DNP Judicial Board
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- Member of the MSN Judicial Board
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- Member of the DNP Judicial Board
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- Assistant Professor, PPEP
Rachel Breman, PhD RN, is an assistant professor in the Clinical Simulation Labs and coordinates the simulations for the maternity care and community health courses. She has worked clinically in maternity care and public health in the U.S. and globally. Her research is focused on implementation of evidenced based care practices to improve maternal health outcomes. She is actively engaged with the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nursing and the American College of Nurse-Midwives in both research and quality improvement initiatives locally and nationally. She received her PhD from UMSON and her BS, MSN and MPH from Johns Hopkins University. She also has a BA in Latin American Studies from Brandeis University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the DNP Judicial Board
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- Member of the MSN Judicial Board
Samantha, MS, CPNP-PC, has experience as a pediatric nurse practitioner (NP) and in academic and clinical settings with pre-licensure nursing students. She worked as a bedside nurse for five years in University of Maryland Medical Cener's Pediatric Progressive Care Unit (PPCU) and has been a practicing pediatric NP for three years at Bay Area Pediatrics in Kent Island, Maryland, where she remains 1-2 days a week. While she adores working with children and families through patient care, she fell in love with teaching through simulation while working as a graduate teaching assistant in the Clinical Simulation Labs. Samantha is enjoying merging her love for patient care with her passion for education. She earned her BSN from Stevenson University in 2011 and while working in the PPCU and her MS from UMSON.
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- Member of the MSN Judicial Board
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- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director of Admissions and Student Scholarships
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- Assistant Professor / Biostatistician, RES
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- Member of the Active
- Senior Program Specialist, PPEP
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- Member of the Active
- Member of the Staff Action Committee
- Chairman - Staff Engagement
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- Associate Dean for Administration and Finance
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- Chairman
- Member of the MSN Judicial Board
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- Member of the Active
- Program Specialist
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- Administrative Assistant
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Admissions & Scholarship Coordinator
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Job Titles:
- Member of the Active
- Member of the Staff Action Committee
- Chairman - Professional Development
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- Center Director
- Co - Director, Center for Health Outcomes Research