U.Va. Nursing Dean to Ring NASDAQ Closing Bell May 8 for National Nurses Week

Dorrie Fontaine headshot

Dorrie Fontaine

May 4, 2009 — Whichever way the market moves May 8, there will be celebration at NASDAQ as the economic power of the nursing profession is recognized, along with all of its other positive values.

At 4 p.m. that day, Dorrie Fontaine, dean of the University of Virginia School of Nursing and Sadie Heath Cabaniss Professor of Nursing, has been invited to ring the closing bell in observance of National Nurses Week. She will be joined by nursing students, faculty and staff, alumni and special friends at the NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square.

National Nurses Week (May 6-12) includes National Student Nurses Day and ends on Florence Nightingale's birthday. Hospitals, nursing schools and many other health care facilities will use the week to honor nursing clinicians, researchers, educators and students nationwide.

Fontaine's brief remarks will recognize the contributions of nurses, including at the bedside, in patient education, providing primary care, conducting research, teaching the next generations of nurses and engaging in policy decisions. She will highlight nursing's economic impact and the leadership role nurses will play in health care reform.

In addition to the dean's remarks, a video celebrating nursing will play on the world's largest stationary video screen at the NASDAQ MarketSite Tower in Times Square. Beginning at 3:50 p.m., a live webcast will show the closing ceremonies.

Fontaine enjoys a national reputation based upon her distinguished career as clinician, scholar, researcher, educator and professional leader. Prior to assuming her role as dean at U.Va., Fontaine was associate dean for academic programs and clinical professor at the University of California San Francisco. Earlier, Fontaine held associate dean positions and taught at the Georgetown University School of Nursing and at the University of Maryland.

In 2003-04, she served as president of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. That association recognized her contributions with its Lifetime Member Award. She was inducted as a fellow into the prestigious American Academy of Nursing in 1995.

About the University of Virginia School of Nursing

The University of Virginia School of Nursing stands among the top 5 percent in the nation, ranked 19th by U.S. News & World Report; two of its graduate programs are currently listed in the U.S. News top 10 and two others within the top 20. With a vigorous research program that includes studies in rural health care and disparities, oncology, gerontology, complementary therapies and nursing history, the school has implemented new programs and strategies to address the national nursing shortage and the concurrent need for more highly educated nurses to deliver increasingly complex health care. The newly opened Claude Moore Nursing Education Building and upcoming renovation of McLeod Hall allow for an enrollment increase and expansion of the Clinical Simulation Learning Center and the Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry. For information about the U.Va. School of Nursing and its programs, visit its Web site.



 

Media Contact