Student and alumni distinctions

Students

Graduate students at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing come from diverse professional backgrounds and are united in their passion to improve health and transform health care. Students conduct research, sharpen their leadership skills and implement system-improvement projects to address complex health-care issues within regional organizations. The stories below highlight just a few of the school's exceptional students.

Doctoral student analyzes the impact of body temperature after traumatic brain injury Lori Kennedy Madden, a doctoral student at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, received a prestigious fellowship from the National Institute of Nursing Research to hone her skills as a nurse scientist as she conducts doctoral research on traumatic brain injury. Madden, a member of the school’s inaugural class of doctoral students, is the first School of Nursing student to receive this competitive award.
Pediatric nurse conducts research to help tackle childhood obesity As a pediatric nurse, Christy Solorio witnesses the effects of the obesity crisis among youth on a daily basis. Now, through her study in the Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership Master’s Degree Program at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, Solorio conducts research that could help address some of the causes of the obesity epidemic.
Health promotion starts early: building health-care systems that are Baby Friendly Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis graduate student Maya Vasquez has a powerful drive to give all people an equal shot at a healthy life, starting from their earliest days and regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Lead by example: doctoral candidate creates opportunities in rural Northern California As an educator at a Northern California nursing school, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing doctoral candidate Perry Gee recognized his role as a leader within his rural community. He says his experience at the UC Davis nursing school helped him further understand the many ways he can serve his community as a health-care leader to advance health and improve care.
Student develops innovative job shadowing program that brings together medical students and nurses In her first year as a graduate student at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, Amy Doroy developed a unique job-shadowing program where medical students spend a day with registered nurses in a critical care unit at UC Davis Medical Center, where she is also a nurse manager. The experience was part of a School of Medicine pilot program, the 2011 Race and Health Institute.
Doctoral student examines how mobile technology may enhance the value and quality of health care For her dissertation, Kim’s research focuses on the impact of mobile technology and social media on consumers’ ability to manage their health and partner with their providers to do so. She is studying iN Touch, a mobile platform to track daily living for low-income, obese and depressed youth.
Nurse explores technology to help older adults manage their health from home Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing gradate student and registered nurse Anita Depatie loves technology. So it was a natural step for her to combine that enthusiasm with her experience caring for older adults who are managing their health conditions while still living at home.

Alumni

Graduates of the Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership Graduate Degree Program at the School of Nursing utilize their enhanced education and training to affect the interconnected health-care challenges of quality, cost and access, as leaders in their workplaces and in their communities. Read the stories below for a sampling of the impact of the school's alumni.

School of Nursing alumni collaborate to promote high-quality cancer care Equipped with enhanced leadership skills and education regarding system-level challenges in health care, the first graduates of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing now put their new knowledge and skills into action in their workplaces and communities.
An inaugural graduate champions health-care quality and safety at UC Davis Medical Center In his new job, Charley Johnston—an inaugural graduate of the School of Nursing—has shifted his focus from providing high-quality care to individuals to improving the quality and safety of care for everyone in his hospital unit. As a quality and safety nurse champion in UC Davis Medical Center’s burn intensive care unit, he works to prevent hospital-acquired infections among a population that, due to burn injuries, is extremely vulnerable to infections.
Student addresses communication gaps and cultural disconnects in health care Oleg Teleten, a registered nurse and a master’s degree student at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, hopes to improve health care by breaking down communication barriers between people and health-care providers.
Students use geographic information systems to help food bank connect its clients with healthy food Less than six months after classes opened at the recently launched Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, students help improve health through projects that help community organizations solve health issues. One class project, for example, uses technology to make it easier for people to easily find accessible, nutritious and affordable food.