A Podium Presentation and Poster Session
Each year, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Symposium is held in August and December to provide a forum for DNP students to present an oral defense of their scholarly projects via a podium presentation and a poster session. The DNP degree represents the terminal degree for nursing practice and prepares graduates to be experts in translating evidence into practice to improve outcomes. ؛£½اشعدك awards the DNP degree in four distinct tracks: Family Nurse Practitioner, Psych-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, and Executive Leadership. As part of the degree requirements, students design and implement an evidence-based scholarly project with the aim of improving clinical outcomes at the patient or system level. The DNP project is guided by rigorous standards to ensure quality, adherence to best evidence, and alignment with the project site’s goals.
During the DNP Symposium, the audience votes to determine the “Best Poster Award†which is announced at the DNP Hooding and MSN Celebration the following week.
The August 2025 poster award winner was McKenna Brown for her project titled “ Beyond the Scale: A Mindful Eating Program for Persons with Overweight and Obesity in Primary Careâ€
Pictured below
August 2025 poster award winner McKenna Brown
One of the highlights of the Graduate Nursing Program is the biannual DNP Hooding Ceremony and MSN Celebration. This ceremony highlights the accomplishments of the MSN and DNP graduates. Congratulations to Dr. Alexandra Hubley (December 2025) for winning the “Best Poster Award†sponsored by the ؛£½اشعدك Chi Phi Chapter of the Sigma Honor Society for her project: Enhancing Interprofessional Education in Graduate Health care Programs: Measuring Perception of Competency Development for Collaborative Practice.
Dr. Michael Vito Nastase (December 2025) was awarded the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence for his project titled “Evaluating the Impact of a Spiritual Wellness Intervention of Health care Worker’s Burnout.â€
DNP Projects December 2025
Robin Buchanan
Improving Pre-Diabetes through Implementation of the National Diabetes Prevention Program’s Pre-Diabetes Risk Test Combined with Translation of the “Game Plan to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes” within the Primary Care Clinic
Soraya Chinloy
De-escalation Strategies and Staff Confidence
Stephanie Couyoute
Integrating Depression and Anxiety Screening and Referrals for Perinatal Women in Underserved Populations: A Nurse-Led Quality Improvement Project
Alex Hubley
Enhancing Interprofessional Education in Graduate Health care Programs: Measuring Perception of Competency Development for Collaborative Practice
Mary Elizabeth Klein
Utilizing the Six Pillars of Comprehensive Lifestyle Change to Improve Quality of Life in Persons at Risk for Homelessness
Michael Nastase
Evaluating the Impact of a Spiritual Wellness Intervention on Healthcare Workers’ Burnout
Jenny Nickless
Improving Provider Documentation of Vaccine Education Using Standardized Dot Phrases