New Faculty

I am pleased to announce three new faculty appointments for this summer.

Nicole Petsas Blodgett, PhD, RN, will join DUSON’s faculty on July 1, 2020 as the Director of the Center for Nursing Discovery.  She will be a member of the Health Systems and Analytics Division. 

Dr. Blodgett is currently an Assistant Professor of Nursing and the Coordinator of Simulation and Clinical Learning at Purdue University Northwest. Under her leadership, their simulation program has grown by 1250%.  She brings a wealth of experiences to DUSON integrating simulation throughout the undergraduate nursing curriculum; orienting and mentoring faculty, graduate assistants, and simulation staff to use evidence-based and creative simulation-based learning experiences; and evaluating the use, effectiveness, and quality of simulation. She has created a student-centered, psychologically safe, realistic simulated clinical environment for meaningful learning opportunities. Most recently, she was a key advisor for designing a new nursing building that will significantly increase simulation capacity. 

An active member of INACSL, SSH, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and the Midwest Nursing Research Society, Dr. Blodgett serves on the INACSL Awards Committee, the SSH Nursing Section’s Substitution Sub-committee, the Northwest Indiana Nursing Research Consortium Planning Committee, and the Northwest Indiana Simulation Consortium.

Dr. Blodgett earned her BSN from Marycrest International University, MSN (Occupational Health focus) from The University of Iowa College of Nursing, and PhD from The University of Iowa with a focus on Adult & Gerontological Nursing.

Thomas J. Blodgett, PhD, RN, AGACNP-BC, will join the faculty on August 1, 2020. Dr. Blodgett will be a member of the Healthcare in Adult Populations Division and will have teaching responsibilities in the ABSN and MSN program and involvement in our IPE activities.  

Dr. Blodgett studied at the University of Iowa for his BSN, MSN, and PhD in gerontological nursing and epidemiology, and at the University of Southern Indiana for his post-master’s AGACNP certificate.

Dr. Blodgett comes to DUSON from Valparaiso University where he is currently on the faculty in the College of Nursing and Health Care Leadership.  At Valparaiso, he serves on numerous college and university committees, including the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Interprofessional Education Committee, and Mission Realignment Task Force, and has chaired the University Committee on Assessment and Accreditation and the Teaching Resources Committee.  In addition, Dr. Blodgett brings over a decade of clinical experiences as a nurse, a geriatrics and medical-surgical clinical nurse specialist, and a hospitalist nurse practitioner.   He has also been an active member of various professional societies such as the American Nurses Association, the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and the Midwest Nursing Research Society.

Jessica Pitman, DNP, CRNA, MSN, ACNP, joins the faculty on August 1, 2020. Dr. Jessica (Szydlowski) Pitman’s teaching responsibilities will be within the Nurse Anesthesia Specialty and she will be a member of the Health Systems and Analytics Division.

Dr. Pitman received a BS in Neuroscience and Philosophy from the University of Miami with a minor in Chemistry, a BSN from Mount Saint Mary College, and then her MS in Nurse Anesthesia and DNP degrees both from Columbia University.  

Dr. Pitman’s previous clinical experience includes work as an Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse in the Neurosurgical and Pediatric ICU at Kaleida Health in Buffalo, NY prior to obtaining her nurse anesthesia degrees. Dr. Pitman then worked clinically as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), clinical preceptor, DNP mentor, and new hire preceptor at NYU Langone Medical Center.  She practices currently in Westchester, NY, as the first CRNA in a multispecialty practice and provides anesthesia at an ambulatory surgery center.

Dr. Pitman has been a strong advocate for the nurse anesthesia profession in New York, serving her state association as a member of the GRC committee, Board of Directors, Vice President, President, and current Past President. She has lectured at NYU Langone Medical Center, the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, Columbia University, and at various CRNA conferences.

Nikki and Tom will be relocating from Indiana and Jessica from upstate New York with their respective families to the Durham area soon, and we look forward to each of them joining the DUSON community in just a few months.  Please feel free to reach out to Nikki at nblodget@pnw.edu, Tom at tom.blodgett@valpo.edu and Jessica at jessicadszydlowski@gmail.com to personally welcome them!

Please welcome Nicole, Tom and Jessica when you get a chance. In these times of virtual community, I know that will mean a great deal lot to each of them.

New Faculty Appointments

It my pleasure to share three new appointments that were approved by the Board of Trustees at their May, 2020 meeting.

Allison Stafford, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, effective July 1, 2020 (Track 1)

Allison A. Lewinski, Assistant Research Professor in the School of Nursing, effective July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 (Track 3)

Stephanie A. Gedzyk-Nieman, Assistant Clinical Professor in the School of Nursing, effective July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 (Track 2)

Marion E. Broome, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean and Vice-Chancellor for Nursing Affairs, School of Nursing, Duke University
Associate Vice-President for Academic Nursing, Duke University Health System