January 21, 2025 — the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day — is the ninth annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH). Created by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, NDORH "is an opportunity to engage in collective action to create a more just and equitable world."

• Community Engagement
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Social Justice & Advocacy

Nursing schools are turning to virtual reality-based training tools, including UbiSim, to address the nursing and nursing educator shortages. Dean Heather Shlosser is quoted in a Boston Globe article.

• Science and Technology
• Simmons in the News

Simmons University’s School of Nursing welcomed two new faculty members this Fall, with expertise in clinical simulation and gerontology.

• University Leadership and Structure

Simmons faculty from various disciplines received awards in undergraduate and graduate teaching, research, service, and a commitment to DEI at the 2024 Faculty Awards.

• Awards and Honors
• Research

A research paper by School of Nursing faculty Clark Cassone and Patricia Rissmiller was highlighted in the HempGazette, “Survey Finds US Nurse Practitioner Students Support Medical Cannabis.”

• Research

Simmons School of Nursing Adjunct Laura Behm is the co-founder and co-owner of Milky Moms, which offers lactation services and counseling services to mothers. We spoke to Behm about her approach to this work and what she loves about teaching Simmons students.

• Behavioral and Health Sciences
• Health and Wellness

Simmons School of Nursing students Rachel Takes ’24MSN and Elizabeth Strager ’19 ’21MSN, FNP- C, ’25DNP were recruited into the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program (LEND Boston) at Boston Children's Hospital’s Institute for Community Inclusion.

• Awards and Honors

National Nurses Week, May 6-12, 2024, offers a time to reflect with respect and gratitude on the work of nurses. In recognition of the week, here is a round-up of recent stories on the School of Nursing at Simmons.

• Traditions & Annual Events

School of Nursing Dean Heather Shlosser and Nursing Student Amanda Whitbeck attended Capitol Hill Day, where they advocated for crucial funding and support with several congressional offices, including those of Representative Ayanna Pressley, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Ed Markey, and Representative Seth Moulton.

• Mentorship
• Social Justice & Advocacy

The Simmons University School of Nursing was accepted as part of the inaugural cohort in the National Academy of Medicine's Change Maker Campaign for Health Workforce Well-Being.

• Awards and Honors
• Health and Wellness