First lady singles out USF nurses again

Posted Apr 16, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Apr 17, 2012 at 10:33 AM

For the second time in three months, USF’s College of Nursing has received a big high five from first lady Michelle Obama.

In January she singled out USF during an address in Virginia about a new veterans initiative called Joining Forces.

And last week at a conference at the University of Pennsylvania she talked at length about USF’s research into Accelerated Resolution Therapy for the symptoms of PTSD.

She focused on one patient, Josh Thomas.

“Josh had been suffering from insomnia, anxiety, nightmares, high blood pressure, depression,” the first lady said. “But after just two therapy sessions, he saw dramatic improvements.”

Read more of her comments here.

Only 20 nursing deans were invited to this national summit last week on educating nurses to recognize and care for veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury, depression and other psychological wounds of war.

USF’s Dean Dianne Morrison-Beedy was among that select group. With her leadership, the USF nursing college is carving out a niche for itself in veterans health care education and research.

And sadly, that’s sure to be a growth area for the next decade or more.