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The Clayton State University master’s of health administration program and program director Thomas McIlwain were recently honored for excellence.
Clayton State’s MHA program was recognized by MastersDegreeOnline.org as one of the best schools and programs in the nation in its annual college program ranking, one of only 41 such programs to be honored. MastersDegreeOnline.org, a leading resource for graduate education, features a directory with more than 90,000 program listings for prospective students.
McIlwain was identified by MHA Guide as one of the nation’s “100 Great Health Administration Professors.” The criteria for the list is based on the personal achievements and leadership positions of the professors, as well as the reputation of their respective institutions.
MHA Guide is an independent publishing company focused on health care administration careers and degrees, and is also a directory of health care administration programs on the web.
New director: Cynthia May, a clinical nurse specialist with 22 years of administrative experience, has joined St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta as specialty director for acute care.
May, RN, came from Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, Wash., where she was vice president, executive director/chief nursing officer. In that role, she had administrative oversight for nursing and led teams to improve core measures, quality initiatives, and pharmacy and practice protocols.
Throughout her career, May has focused on quality care and ensuring that nurses and staff have the training, experience and tools necessary to provide exceptional care.
“Cindy May built her career and skills as a stellar nurse and leader,” said Joyce Soule, RN, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer. “We are thrilled that she is bringing her experience and dedication to our St. Joseph’s family.”
Research grant: The University of Georgia Research Foundation received a $3.4 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand its research on how to eliminate schistosomiasis, a debilitating tropical disease that affects millions of people. This recent award adds to an $18.7 million grant awarded to UGA by the Gates Foundation in 2008, bringing the funding total to more than $22 million.
Researchers will use the additional money to find out how to move from repeatedly treating infected people to eliminating the parasitic disease, which is caused by several species of worms.
“This is going to take combining a number of interventions,” said Dan Colley, director of the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, a microbiologist in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator for the project. “We’re going to have to knock it down at several points along the line, and keep doing that long enough for the disease to disappear in a given area.”
UGA researchers and partners from other institutions working as part of the Schistosomiasis Consortium for Operational Research and Evaluation are already looking for countries or districts in Africa to partner with on the project.
DAISY winner: Leslie Branson, an intensive care unit nurse at Piedmont Fayette Hospital, has been named winner of the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award for Extraordinary Nurses.
The DAISY program is part of a national program honoring nurses for their clinical skills and compassionate care for patients and their families. Honorees are selected quarterly by a selection committee and nursing administration team.
Branson, a 2009 graduate of Clayton State University, was nominated by a patient’s family.
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 in 1999 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
