Holy Family Nursing Alumni Panel Share Wisdom, Advice During 50th Anniversary Nursing Celebration Event
Holy Family University nursing alumni shared their collective expertise, advice, and words of encouragement to an audience of alumni and current nursing students during a panel discussion hosted on October 20 at the University’s Northeast Philadelphia campus. The event was organized as part of a year-long celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Holy Family University School of Nursing.
Holy Family University President Dr. Anne Prisco, Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake, president of Independence Blue Cross
Foundation, and senior Francesca Valenti, president of the Student Nurses Association at Holy Family (SNAHF) and a recipient of an IBX Foundation scholarship, were featured speakers as part of the event.
With a welcome address from Dean Margaret Harkins, DNP, MBE, MSN, GNP-BC, RN-BC, and facilitated by Vice Deans Dr. Jinsy Mathew, DNP, MSN, RN and Dr. Michelle Murphy-Rozanski, Ph. D., MSN, RN, CRNP, the discussion for current staff and nursing students focused on current trends in the field, as
well as the future of nursing. The distinguished panel of nursing graduates featured:
Karyn Book M’08, DNP, RN-BC
Vice President of Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer at Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Chaudron Carter-Short ’00, PhD, EdD, RN, NEA-BC
Chief Nursing Executive at Temple University Health System and Temple University Hospital Inc.
Janice Gibson ’10, M'14, RN, NPD-BC, CCRN-K, PCCN-K
Nurse Educator/Coordinator of the Nurse Residency
Program at Jefferson Health Northeast
Tricia Nichols ’98, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPXP
Director of Patient Experience at Jefferson Health - North Region
Margaret "Peg" O’Grady ’84, RN, MSN, OCN
Administrative Director of the Asplundh Cancer Pavilion at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center -
Jefferson Health System
Allen Zelno'16, MSN, CRNP, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner, TriValley Primary Care, PC - Quakertown, PA
“We are so happy to be marking the 50 th Anniversary of our School of Nursing, and we are just getting started,” President Prisco said in opening the event. “This milestone is possible only through the excellence of our faculty, the applied talents of our alumni, and the hard work of students who aspire to a career in nursing, which truly is the linchpin of quality healthcare.”
The panelists shared common stories of the challenges of the profession and nursing burnout, that were amplified during the pandemic, and fielded questions related to nursing shortages, changing technology, and telehealth. They left the audience with sound advice, personal anecdotes, and reassurance that their decision to be nurses would prove impactful and rewarding.
Many of the panelists touched on the importance of mental health and self-care to thrive in the field and praised the resiliency of nurses as a shared badge of honor. Ultimately, nursing comes down to communication, compassion, and connection.