A Hope College student and professor each received individual recognition for excellence during the recent induction and installation ceremony of the Kappa Epsilon Chapter-at-Large of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
The chapter presented senior Marlee Bogema of Grandville with its "Excellence in Student Performance Award" and Dr. Susan Dunn, associate professor of nursing and chairperson of the department, with its "Excellence in Nursing Education Award."
The event was held on Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Applied Technology Center in Grand Rapids. The chapter includes the Calvin College, Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University and Hope nursing programs.
Also during the ceremony, students from each of the four schools were inducted into the society. The students from Hope, all seniors, were: Abby Andersen of St. Johns; Marlee Bogema of Grandville; Kim Cook of Clarkston; Stephanie Cotter of Zeeland; Joanne Gabl of Saline; Jana Johnson of Petoskey; Meghan Katner of Orion; Jeana Longoria of Howard City; Andrea Mathews of Grand Rapids; Jessica Morscheck of Lafayette, Ohio; Jessie Parsons of Anchorage, Alaska; Rachel Richter of Belleville; Erin VanOordt of Jenison; and Rachelle Victory of Hudsonville.
Bogema is majoring in nursing and minoring in Spanish at Hope. During the spring semester she will hold a nursing internship while participating in the college's off-campus Chicago Semester program, and after graduation she hopes to work in nursing in Mexico for a year and then return to the Chicago area.
Her activities as a student include participating in a nursing research project, serving on a nursing committee, tutoring through the college's Academic Support Center and working in the college's Van Wylen Library. Through the years she has also participated in the student-run Dance Marathon on behalf of Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, the student Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society, the freshman-sophomore Nykerk Cup competition and intramurals, and served as an assistant during New Student Orientation. She is a 2006 graduate of Jenison High School, and the daughter of Ron and Jackie Bogema of Grandville.
Dunn is an associate professor of nursing and chairperson of the department. She has been a member of the Hope faculty since 1997.
Her emphases as a researcher include cardiovascular nursing, cardiac rehabilitation, hopelessness, depression, exercise participation and physical functioning. In 2008, a paper that she co-authored about the symptoms of hopelessness experienced by some patients who were hospitalized for a coronary heart disease event received the "New Investigator Award" presented by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). Other recognition of her research has included the 2006 Excellence in Nursing Research Award from the Kappa Epsilon chapter, and the award for "Best Research Presentation by a Practitioner" during the 2005 Family Practice Research Conference XXVIII, held at Michigan State University.
She has had numerous articles published in professional journals. Among other professional activities, she has been a peer reviewer for the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Dunn holds her Ph.D. from Michigan State University, her M.S.N. from Grand Valley State University and her B.S.N. from the University of Michigan. Immediately prior to coming to Hope she had been a member of the nursing staff at ButterworthHospital for 12 years, during which she taught at both Grand Valley State University and Grand RapidsCommunity College. She was previously on the staff of hospitals including St. Joseph Mercy, Bronson Methodist and Blodgett, as well as with a private practice.
The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the learning, knowledge, and professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health worldwide. Founded in 1922, the honor society has inducted more than 400,000 members in 86 countries. Members include practicing nurses, instructors, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and others. The honor society's 469 chapters are located at 586 institutions of higher education throughout Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ghana, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Swaziland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, the United States and Wales.
The college joined the Kappa Epsilon Chapter-at-Large in 1996.