A New Year's Message from Dean Cameron Duncan | |
Happy New Year, College of Nursing Family!
As we step into a new year filled with promise and possibility, I am honored to celebrate a personally meaningful milestone. This month marks my one-year anniversary as the Holli Rockwell Trubinsky Eminent Dean of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. Thank you to our College of Nursing family for the extraordinary support, collaboration and spirit of belonging that have defined my first year at our outstanding college.
Together, we achieved meaningful progress in 2025, most notably the opening of the Christine E. Lynn Advanced Nursing Simulation Clinic on our Boca Raton campus. This state-of-the-art learning environment equips our students to sharpen critical thinking and hands-on skills in a safe, risk-free setting, preparing them to lead confidently in today’s complex health care landscape.
I am proud to recognize additional accomplishments that reflect our shared dedication and excellence. We welcomed multiple new team members who have already made significant contributions to our mission to improve health globally through excellence in education, practice, research and service. Our FAU/NCHA Community Health Centers in West Palm Beach served a record number of patients over the past year. The Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center expanded its reach through new partnerships with multiple community organizations. Numerous faculty members earned national and international recognition. Our staff advanced innovations that strengthened operational processes and elevated student success. And most excitingly, we conferred a total of 321 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 2025.
Looking ahead, the College of Nursing will launch a new Strategic Plan in 2026. The plan will focus on five major priorities: student success, caring science, research and scholarship, community engagement, and operational excellence. Together, this plan will guide our college and strengthen our commitment to deliver outstanding academic opportunities for our talented students and to magnify our impact across the communities we serve.
Thank you for your continued support of our remarkable college, grounded in caring science and propelled by purpose. I am inspired by what we will achieve together in the year ahead. Wishing everyone a year filled with health, joy and continued success!
Dean Cameron Duncan
| | Fall 2025 College of Nursing Pinning Ceremony | | |
Congratulations to the fall 2025 College of Nursing graduates and award recipients who celebrated with family and friends at the Dec. 11 Pinning Ceremony! The traditional event, held on the Boca Raton campus, marks students' completion of their nursing degree programs and their official initiation into the profession.
The ceremony included remarks from Dean Cameron Duncan, Dr. Michelle Broadbent, assistant dean for undergraduate programs, as well as student speakers Barbara Khabbaz and Carlos Valladares, who recalled the joys and challenges of navigating nursing coursework with their peers. Read More
| | Contribute Today! Annual Lamplighter and White Coat Appeal | |
Our students’ passion and commitment are unwavering, but they face complex challenges. Your partnership will help nursing students rise to the occasion and deliver care that will allow all of us to thrive well into the future.
There is still time to contribute to the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing's combined Lamplighter and White Coat Scholarship Campaign. Gifts of any amount can be life-changing for our talented students. Donating is simple and convenient! Give Here
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Save the date! Together with Florida Atlantic's Career Center and Roadtrip Nation, the college will host a Nursing Career Fair on Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the college's atrium on the Boca Raton campus. Undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in the College of Nursing are encouraged to attend and explore local and national internships and full-time job opportunities. Register Here
| | Student Spotlight: Medine Yucesoy Isler | | |
Ph.D. nursing student Medine Yucesoy Isler brings an international perspective and a deep commitment to human-centered care to Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. Originally from Turkey, she was drawn to the college for its integration of education, research and mentorship grounded in caring science.
“For me, nursing is a way of listening, being present and asking deeper questions about care,” shared Yucesoy Isler. “It brings together scientific knowledge and human connection.”
Scheduled to graduate in July 2028, Yucesoy Isler serves as both a teaching assistant and research assistant while pursuing doctoral studies focused on patient safety and quality of life, particularly for individuals living with epilepsy. Read More
| | Alumna Spotlight: Julia Kessel '25 | | |
December 2025 BSN graduate Julia Kessel was attracted to Florida Atlantic’s nursing program because of the college's deep dedication to caring science. It also offered a place where her compassion, drive and desire to make a difference could thrive.
“I chose this program because it teaches not just how to treat illness, but how to honor the whole person,” expressed Kessel. “I am also fortunate to have been supported by an entire community of caring professors. Their belief in me has shaped who I am becoming as a nurse.”
Kessel was also inducted as a member of the university’s 2025 Parliament of OWLs (Older, Wiser, Leaders). She received the award as part of the university's annual Talon Leadership and Service Awards ceremony, organized by Florida Atlantic's Alumni and Community Engagement, on Nov. 6, 2025. Read More
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Staff from the College of Nursing joined the Florida Atlantic Alumni Association for their traditional Toast to the Grads on Dec. 11. Congratulations to our newly graduated Nursing Owls!
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Thank you to all who contributed to this year's holiday gift drive for Boca Helping Hands. The gifts were distributed at the organization’s Christmas Day Feast at Boca Town Center on Dec. 25.
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Advance your education! The College of Nursing offers a range of professional development courses, all based in the caring philosophy of our college, which are designed to fit your schedule and your life. Learn more about our certificates including Caring Science, Telehealth and Telemetry/Progressive Care here.
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Our new Advanced Holistic Practice & Nurse Coach certificate program offers those with a BSN degree or higher the tools to care for others and themselves. The fully online, 12-credit course is open to non-degree seeking students and upon completion, students are eligible to apply for board certification in both Holistic Nursing and Nurse Coaching. Apply by April 15, 2026 for Summer 2026! Learn More
| | Honoring History Through Performance | | Last month, the Arts Garage in Delray Beach welcomed the community for the third annual "Delray Stories: Fighting for Freedom, Honoring Our Veteran Community." The evening included a moving monologue by professional actress Autumn Kioti, who brought to life the inspiring military journey of Dr. Candy Wilson, associate dean of research and scholarship and professor, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. Thank you for your service, Dr. Wilson! | | Updates from the Memory and Wellness Center | | |
Exciting developments are underway at the Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center (MWC)! The center recently expanded caregiver support groups, providing even more resources for families and loved ones. It also launched of its first group therapy program for individuals with mild cognitive impairment. Additionally, MWC was recognized as a semi-finalist for the prestigious PBC Impact 100 grant—an honor that highlights the center's ongoing impact and dedication. These milestones demonstrate its commitment to innovative care and compassionate support.
To learn more about the Memory and Wellness and Center and its programs, click here.
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Meenal Rathod, clinical assistant/scheduler for the Florida Atlantic University Northwest Community Health Alliance (FAU/NCHA) Community Health Center, graduated this fall with her master’s degree in public administration.
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Florida Atlantic University released the Fall 2025 issue of Florida Atlantic magazine, and members of the College of Nursing are featured throughout the publication. Read More
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PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS:
*Chukwuere P.C., Butcher H.K., du Plessis E. 2025. Conceptualizing the DREAM Model within Watson’s Transpersonal Theory of Human Caring for Advancing Adolescent Mental Health Nursing. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 0(0). doi:10.1177/08980101251404153
*Horne, C., & Chukwuere, P. C. (2026). Mental Health Challenges at the Intersection of First- Year, First-Generation College Students and Second-Generation Immigrant Identities: A Qualitative Study. Healthcare, 14(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14010021
Palma, L. (2025). Evaluating the effectiveness of the symptom-centered competency assessment frameworks in assessing clinical skill progression in nurse practitioner students. Nurse Educator. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000002043
(* = Data-based, # = Caring Science)
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