Message from IFG Director Dr. Marie Cueman |
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Welcome to the Winter Edition of the Institute for Gerontology (IFG) Newsletter. Fall was an exciting time at Felician University. The school welcomed students back to campus and we started the return to our new normal. Our Felician Community was active in many events that were important to older adults. Nursing students from our Parsippany campus participated in a Fall Health Fair sponsored by the town of Englewood at the Community Baptist Church. In October, Team Felician, made up of students, faculty, and others, participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. It was great to see the Felician Community active in our communities with these great ventures.
This issue continues to focus on the activities of our faculty and students. Dr. Lauren Van Saders, Assistant Professor from the School of Nursing, is interviewed regarding her work in gerontology. Dr. Hetal Desai is featured regarding her presentation at CareOne in Morristown, NJ. We are proud of the work of our faculty with older adults.
This past fall, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sister Marilyn Minter for the inaugural Institute for Gerontology podcast Focus on Senior Living. The IFG will be featuring guests on our monthly podcasts which are being produced in conjunction with RadioFelician University. You can listen to our podcast here and can also find it on Spotify. Please join me in listening to this exciting program from the Institute of Gerontology.
The Institute of Gerontology is pleased to share with you our initiatives and projects involving older adults. Thank you for your continued support of The Institute of Gerontology.
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Introduction of New IFG Board Members |
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The Institute for Gerontology is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to the Advisory Board. |
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Leslie Wright-Brown PhD(c), RN
Ms. Wright-Brown is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ. She joins the Board with a wealth of experience in healthcare. Prior to her current position, she was the manager of the Department of Nursing Education and Research at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. Her nursing experience includes being a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Renal and Cardiac Intervention and the Director of Nursing Education and Quality Performance at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, NJ. Ms. Wright-Brown is currently in doctoral studies at Rutgers University. She has also served as a member of the US Air Force and was honorable discharged at the rank of Captain.
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Dr. Patricia Drabik DNP, RN
Dr. Drabik is a 2019 Felician University Graduate from our Doctoral in Nursing Practice program. Her doctoral project entitled Engaging the Nursing Workforce with Meaningful Recognition demonstrated the positive difference that a formal staff recognition program has on staff morale. Dr. Drabik brings experience from both the private and public health sectors. She is currently Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer at Heritage Manor and Southgate, an affiliate of Christian Health located in Wyckoff, NJ. Before this, Dr. Drabik was the New Jersey Statewide COVID-19 Vaccine Director, along with being the Chief Nursing Officer and Site Director of the Northern New Jersey Field Medical Director. In the private sector, Dr. Drabik worked in nursing administration and has expertise in management and healthcare finance.
Join me in welcoming Ms. Wright-Brown and Dr. Drabik to our IFG Board.
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IFG Podcast Series Launches with Sr. Marilyn Minter Interview |
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Sr. Marilyn Minter, CSSF does indeed live in the Caribbean as a Felician Sister of North America, where she works among the poorest of the poor in Jacmel, Haiti. She grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey and attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Edison. “That’s when I met Felician Sisters for the first time, and they were women of faith, they were women of energy, they were women of testimony, and they were women of joy, and that is what attracted me. I followed them everywhere I went.” Read More.
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Listen to Focus on Senior Living Episode 2 With Prof. Joe Lizza Below:
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Focus on Students - Jack Sondei |
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At Felician University, the faculty designed assignments that enable students to gain an understanding of older adults. In Dr. Mara Zukowski’s Religious Studies class, students interview an older adult and reflect upon what they have learned.
The following assignment was done by one of her students:
I am Jack Sondei, one of the students in the course who completed this assignment and interviewed my grandfather in Poland. The assignment was to discuss the process of aging with an older adult and then reflect on what was said. I have interviewed my grandfather through a phone call to Poland. As he doesn’t speak much English, I did my best to fully translate everything. Read more.
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Program Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities |
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Prism Paterson is a grant-funded program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities to teach the arts and humanities at Felician by focusing on the writers, musicians, and artists inspired by Paterson, NJ. Felician has developed an 18-credit minor and 12 credit certificate programs open to all Felician students. Since it began in 2020, most of the students in these classes have been retired professionals who re-enrolled in Felician to participate in this innovative place-based program. In addition to their courses and field trips, the students and faculty have participated in Paterson community-based artistic activities such as art exhibits of their photographs and designing the Prism Paterson website. In December 2021, Joan Tabor, a retired High School science teacher will be awarded the first Prism Paterson certificate. The older students returning to college to take these courses include a retired nurse, three retired teachers, a retired Felician professor, a journalist, and a writer working in public relations.
Some students paid full tuition. Others audited each course for $100 thanks to Felician's reduced tuition for older auditing adult students. The grant to develop this program was awarded to Dr. Sherida Yoder, Director, and Associate Director Dr. Julie O'Connell, and to Felician faculty Dr. Kristen Abbey, Dr. Robert McParland, and Prof. Mike Nyklwiecz. The courses offered include literature, writing, art, and music inspired by Paterson.
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Felician Represented in the Walk to End Alzheimer's |
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Members of the Felician University community put on their walking shoes Sunday, Oct. 17 and took part in the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s Disease. The 2-mile walk, part of the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, research, and support, took place in Overpeck Park located in Ridgefield Park.
About 70 walkers represented Felician University’s main team raising $2,650, while the Felician Men’s Soccer team raised nearly $1,100. Participants included Felician University students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Another 20 Felician students volunteered to help at the event. Read More.
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Nursing Students at Health Fair |
In Fall 2021 Felician University’s senior nursing students participated in the Community Baptist Church of Englewood’s annual Health Fair. Over 300 community members attended. The students provided vision testing, blood pressure screenings, glucose monitoring, 1:1 education, as well as disseminated health literature that they created. The event offered live music, food, games, and dancing. In addition to working hard in the classroom, students were competitive as they worked on their dance moves and led the group with the Cha Cha Slide. Our students were very excited to attend this amazing event, get a preview of the life as a Community Health Nurse, and see the great work that happens outside the borders of the hospital, thanks to our dedicated instructors— Bonnie Schreiber, Lea Rodriguez, and Anita Hergert. The community-at-large were very lucky to have such a dedicated group of “nursing students in training.”
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Focus on Faculty - Dr. Lauren Van Saders |
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This issue’s focus on faculty will spotlight the work of Dr. Lauren Van Saders, a member of our School of Nursing faculty. Dr. Van Saders has been a member of the School of Nursing faculty since 2020. Her Felician roots started in 2012 when she was accepted into the University’s first DNP class. She graduated with her doctoral degree in 2015 and has represented Felician’s values in her various positions with geriatric clients and in the development and promotion of palliative care programs. Her love of clinical care and working with older adults started upon her graduation from nursing school was evident in 1992, when she graduated with her advanced practice degree and went into working with geriatric patients. Read more
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Dr. Hetal Desai Presents at CareOne |
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On October 19, 2021, Dr. Hetal Desai DNP, RN, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing gave a presentation entitled Dementia Care and Best Practice at CareOne in Morristown, NJ. CareOne is a subacute rehabilitation and long-term care facility that provides comprehensive care to older adults. Dr. Desai’s presentation discussed the behavioral changes associated with dementia along with giving staff and family members tips on coping with adults who have dementia.
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Felician University President Jim Crawford has been appointed to the Council of Presidents, a standing group of AGB, the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges headquartered in Washington, D.C. The 38 Council of President members from across the nation, work to advance institutional vitality and student success. |
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Join Us for Older is Better this Spring
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Older is Better is the Felician University program for older adults ages 55 and over. First started in 1982, Older is Better meets on Friday afternoons at 1pm on the Lodi campus during the Fall and Spring semesters. Program guest speakers are faculty members, community leaders, and subject matter experts. Topics include health and wellness, improving balance, poetry, birds, cyber crimes, seasonal crafts, and much more. Light refreshments are served.
If you are interested in joining this program, please contact Aneta Wygonik at wygonika@felician.edu or (201) 355-1432 for further information. We welcome your participation!
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About the Institute of Gerontology |
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Felician University, in support of its Catholic-Franciscan mission, created an Institute for Gerontology in 2013 to address the human, societal, and health conditions of a growing elderly population in the United States. Working in conjunction with community partners, the Institute provides educational programs, conducts research, and promotes public policy and legislative initiatives that enhance healthy aging. By involving far-reaching constituents, the Institute prepares and assists community leaders in making a difference in the lives of an aging population. |
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For further information contact
Dr. Marie Cueman, Director
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