Three of the Great 100 Awards were given to Barry University nursing professors at this year’s Florida Nurses Association Centennial Convention for excellence in nursing.

Nursing professors Gene Majka, Dr. Mary Colvin and Dr. Sandra Walsh were recognized for their work as role models in the September convention held in St. Petersburg. These awards recognize 100 outstanding nurses throughout Florida -Barry was honored with three.

Barry doctoral student, Frances Downs, MSN, RN, was also awarded the 2009 Undine Sams Research Grant from the Florida Nurses Foundation for her dissertation study in Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Assistant professor, Dr. Daniel James Little was elected to the Board of Directors of the Florida Nurses Foundation and American Nurses Association delegate.

Alumnae Josie Schroeder-Guhl and Jennifer Sastoque both completed their bachelors of science in nursing program in May 2009 and were representing the Florida Nursing Student Association as officers at the convention. Schroeder-Guhl serves as president and Sastoque serves as the regional director of district six.



Barry University’s School of Graduate Medical Sciences has announced the expansion of the BU Physician Assistant Program to St. Petersburg, FL that will bring the BUPAP to Florida’s west coast for the first time. Barry will partner with St. Petersburg College to seat the first class of the BUPAP expansion at SPC in August, 2005.


(l to r) Dr. Charles Culver, Barry University Physician Assistant Program professor of medical education; Lars Hafner, associate vice president in charge of St. Petersburg College’s University Partnership Center; and Dr. Doreen C. Parkhurst (standing in front of Hafner), assistant dean and BUPAP medical director.

Students from Pinellas County will attend first year didactic lectures in the two-way interactive classroom at St. Petersburg College’s University Partnership Center transmitted live via video-link and web-based programs at Barry University’s main campus in Miami Shores. The synchronous classes will enable students in St. Petersburg to complete the same Master of Clinical Medical Science Degree with the Physician Assistant Certificate as students in the program at BU’s Miami Shores campus. Over the next year, faculty members will be trained in techniques, technology, and presentation of lectures to students in two locations synchronously. Clinical rotations required for the second year of the program will be offered at clinics, hospitals, doctor’s offices and other health facilities on Florida’s West Coast as well as other locations across Florida and the nation.

“Pinellas County in which St. Petersburg is located in the most densely populated county south of Atlanta, Georgia,” explained Dr. Doreen Parkhurst, director and medical director for Barry’s PA Program. “The area demonstrates serious health care needs for underserved and high risk populations as well as a critical under-representation of physician assistants to serve these populations. Since no baccalaureate or graduate degree programs were available for physician assistant training in the area, Barry took the lead to partner with St. Petersburg College to bring the PA program to place-bound students in Pinellas and surrounding counties.”

“We are extremely pleased to be working in collaboration with Barry University on this highly innovative program,” said Lars Hafner, associate vice president in charge of St. Petersburg College’s University Partnership Center. “We feel that together we will bring an enriched learning experience to area students that will increase PAs in the workforce in our medically underserved communities.”



The Barry University School of Graduate Medical Sciences is offering an innovative tuition scholarship benefit program for its professional Master of Public Health (MPH) degree to hospital members of the South Florida Hospital and Health Association (SFHHA). The program, called the Hospital Affiliate Tuition Scholarship (HATS), enables SFHHA member hospitals with a letter from the CEO and at least two employees enrolled in the MPH program to receive a $4,000 tuition scholarship for each participant. The scholarship will be in the name of the hospital and applied to the final semester of their MPH program enrollment, regardless of who is paying the student’s tuition. This makes Barry’s MPH program the most economical study at work graduate MPH degree available in the State of Florida.

According to Dr. Robert A.J. Fernandez, director of the MPH Program, “This innovative program is an excellent employee benefit package as it gives hospital employees new skills for their institution and creates hospital loyalty by encouraging personal professional enrichment through this project.”

The professional MPH degree is designed specifically for working health professionals. Barry’s MPH program can be completed in 20 months by attending class every other weekend (Friday night 6pm-10pm and Saturday 9am-4pm) and completing reading, computer based assignments and on-line courses while away from campus. Tuition is $20,000 for the full program.

The 40 credit-hour program instills the knowledge and skills fundamental to contemporary public health practice with a focus on health administration. The curriculum is grounded in the five core areas of public health: epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health science, health services administration, and social and behavioral sciences.



Nursing professionals provide a healthy community while also ensuring a healthy future for themselves. Well-educated, skilled and caring nurses will always be in high demand and the Nursing program at Palm Beach Community College helps fill that demand.

The College offers training at many levels of patient care. With classes offered at the Lake Worth and Belle Glade campuses, the program is adaptable to each individual’s career goals and easily accessible. A certificate program as a patient care assistant serves as an entry point into the field. There are three steps in this program. The nursing assistant course is a 75-hour combination of classroom and clinical instruction that prepares the student to work in a skilled nursing facility. Certification as a home health aide requires another 50 hours, which can be completed in about eight days. Another option on the career ladder beyond the nursing assistant and home health aide is patient care assistant certification. This is a 75-hour certificate course that provides the clinical experience needed to work in an acute care setting, such as a hospital. This certification is required by many hospitals.

Practical nurses are always in demand in settings such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, home health agencies and physicians’ offices. Certification in practical nursing can be earned at PBCC after successfully completing 1,350 clinical and theory hours of study at the College. PBCC also offers an LPN to registered nurse transition program.

At PBCC, training as a registered nurse combines traditional nursing strategies with holistic methods such as yoga, music therapy and aromatherapy. Completion of the two-year course earns the student an associate of applied science degree and is approved by the Florida Board of Nursing and accredited by the National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission.

Advanced technical training in critical care and perioperative (operating room) nursing is also offered at the College. These courses are designed for the practicing registered nurse who wants to go to the next level. Both courses require the student to complete a minimum of 12 credit hours to earn the advanced technical certificate.

With the availability of financial aid and numerous local scholarships, financing a nursing education should not be painful. The College offers at least six scholarships as well as numerous others through the PBCC Foundation. There is also an HCA Scholarship offered through a partnership with JFK Medical Center.

“HCA’s community hospitals partnering with the community college, it’s a perfect fit. This scholarship can help local students get excellent training to fill the critical nursing shortage right here in our own community. Then they can work at one of the local hospitals, where they can be mentored and, hopefully advance up the clinical ladder and give back to their community,” said Charlene Ingwell, program director for Workforce and Organizational Development, HCA East Florida Division.



Barry University Division of Medicine is proud to announce that three faculty members have been named in Podiatry Management’s “America’s 175 Most Influential Podiatrists.” Dr. Chet Evans, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the School of Podiatric Medicine, Dr. John Nelson, associate dean of clinical education, and Dr. James Losito, professor, have been named by Podiatry Management’s consulting editors as “some of the brightest lights in the profession.”

Dr. Chet Evans was named for his leadership in graduate medical education, national and international podiatric medical education, and as founder of the American Academy of Wound Management (AAWM). Also a founder of AAWM, Dr. John Nelson is recognized for his contribution to medical literature and his work with residency programs nation wide. Dr. James Losito appears for his national contribution as an author, lecturer, podiatric political leader, and authority on podiatric sports medicine.