Reunion brings PhD alumni together
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Some 50 alumni of UIC Nursing’s PhD program gathered at the college’s Chicago campus on Oct. 26 to reconnect with the school and one another. Registrants represented more than 45 years of graduating classes, from 1977 to 2024.
The day included an update on the college from Dean Eileen Collins, followed by a panel with alumni Alison Hernandez, PhD ’18, Kelly Jones, PhD ’18, and Katherine Maki, PhD ’19. All three have gone on to work in federal agencies in Washington, D.C., striving to enhance health research and policy for the nation.
Guests also celebrated one of their own, Barbara McFarlin, PhD ’05, MS ’84, BSN ’74, CNM, RDMS, FACNM, FAAN, who received the college’s 46th annual Distinguished Alumni Award. McFarlin retired from the faculty of UIC Nursing in 2022 after an illustrious research career examining the use of ultrasound to better predict the risk of preterm birth.
Before dinner, the group toured spaces in the building that many were seeing for the first time, including the M. Christine Schwartz Experiential Learning and Simulation Laboratory, which opened in 2019, and the Center for Academic Excellence and Cultural Engagement, which opened in 2022. They also visited the Midwest Nursing History Research Center museum and the space that is going to be renovated to provide classrooms and simulation labs for the forthcoming nurse anesthesia DNP program.
The packed day ended with a buffet dinner and a host of memories. A majority of guests took advantage of the microphone being passed around to share fond and funny memories of their time in the UIC PhD program. And everyone enjoyed the slideshow of photo memories being shared throughout the afternoon and evening.
The college thanks the event’s volunteer host committee: Margaret Beaman, PhD ’87, MSN ’82, BSN ’78; Carol Ferrans, PhD ’85, MS ’82; Laurie Quinn, PhD ’96; and Catherine Ryan, PhD ’03.