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Celebrating Loyola Nursing

May 3, 2021 

The Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing is celebrating three faculty who have been recognized for their outstanding leadership, research, and educational excellence.  

Assistant Professor Jenny O’Rourke lead a symposium introducing a new Telehealth Education Toolkit at the 47th annual National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) Conference in April. The toolkit provides faculty with content and examples to integrate telehealth across the curriculum for health professions programs. O'Rourke is the co-project director of the National Telehealth Toolkit Taskforce, which includes 45 nursing faculty from 19 states plus Canada and 28 universities. The toolkit is a result of over two years of work supported by a HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) grant, Extending P-PATH (Primary Care-Promoting Access to Healthcare) to M-PATH (Mental Health), for which O'Rourke is project director.  

Associate Professor Jorgia Connor was selected to participate in Loyola’s Inaugural Magis Leadership Program, which provides professional development opportunities for faculty who want to explore campus administration and leadership roles. The core of her leadership and scholarship journey is to advance health equity as a change agent for social determinants of health (SDOH). Her vision is to create a paradigm shift in nursing education to prepare registered nurses for practice as change agents for SDOH across all care transitions. To advance her vision, Connor would like to lead efforts to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of our student population through implementation of holistic admission and the development of pipeline transfer initiatives. She also would like to lead the development of an honors track within the BSN program that focuses on health equity and work with underserved and marginalized communities.  

Professor Regina Conway-Phillips was selected as a runner-up in the 2021 Ignatius Loyola Award for Excellence in Teaching. This prestigious award is named for Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order and patron saint of the University. St. Ignatius Loyola’s commitment to education comes from a belief that society could be changed for the betterment of all if future leaders received a rigorous curriculum based in ethics and the humanities. The Loyola Award recognizes faculty whose teaching involves a commitment to excellence, raises global awareness, promotes social justice, and educates the whole student. The award honors faculty who embody excellence in all aspects of teaching, including advising/mentoring, teaching to mission, and engaging students in their learning. 

Celebrate Conway-Phillips at the Faculty Teaching Awards Ceremony on May 6 at 4 p.m.