Meet Our Graduate Student Scholars

Anna and VJ Philipose Nursing Scholarship: Anna's story

In 2021, the Philipose family – Joe, BA ’95 (CAS), and wife Donna, Tom, BA ’97 (CAS), and wife Diana, and father VJ – established the Anna and VJ Philipose Nursing Scholarship in honor of their family’s matriarch, who was a nurse. The scholarship supports nursing students who demonstrate financial need, with preference to immigrants.

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Presidential Scholars

"My areas of interest are human trafficking and sexual assault nurse examining (SANE). My interest sparked while caring for assault victims as an emergency department registered nurse. Coming from a big city with a high prevalence of human trafficking, I also became interested in researching this to support victims’ health care needs, whether it be psychological or medical."
9/21/23
Nina Ali, BSN, RN, Presidential Scholar
"My experience as undergraduate research assistant at UB participating in a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention ignited my interest in pursuing a degree that would help me grow as nurse researcher ... Working in the community and meeting the participants, the people behind the statistics, made me realize why research is so important in improving the care nurses provide."
10/7/21
Leann Balcerzak, BS, RN, Presidential Scholar
"I view my future self as a cardio-oncology nurse leader, scientist and educator. My goal is to contribute to cardio-oncology specialty knowledge, decrease prevalence of cardiovascular disease and advocate for cardio-oncology patient populations, and encourage fellow nurses to pursue involvement in evidence-based practice. "
10/7/21
Victoria Finamore, BSN, RN, Presidential Scholar
My research goals will emphasize a complex interplay of scientific knowledge, relational care and inter-professional collaboration, which will promote safe, effective and high-quality nursing care delivery in diverse health care settings.
8/25/23
Amarjot Gill, MN, BSN, RN, DNS-CT, Presidential Scholar

Schomburg Scholars

Graduate Fellows

"My clinical experience exposed me to the vastly different experiences of health and disease that exist in our own community ... and I seek to discover the root causes of these complex social problems in order to empower patients and their providers with tools to address these issues."
8/25/23
Kayla Wardlaw, MSN, RN, CCRN, Graduate Fellow

Stephanie Mucha Scholars

"I am incredibly thankful for this fellowship, which enables me to pursue my education on a full-time basis. This award gives me the opportunity to achieve my academic and professional goals of becoming a competent nurse researcher and contributing to the evidence base at the foundation of nursing."
10/11/23
Cristina de Rosa, MSN, RN, Stephanie Mucha Scholar
“I appreciate UB’s culturally informed approach to learning and the immersive experiences it offers for students. The faculty are invested in the students’ learning experience and offer a wealth of research and clinical expertise to help foster the students’ education, advancement into nursing science, and community involvement. ”
9/25/23
Alyssa Hamel, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC
"My professional goals are to synthesize and disseminate knowledge that impacts my community and improves patient and provider satisfaction. I additionally aim to continue teaching nursing students and sharing my experiences and passion for learning."
10/7/21
Ashleigh Holmes, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, Stephanie Mucha Scholar
"I chose UB School of Nursing because of its reputation for scholarship and its commitment to diversity, inclusion and health justice."
10/7/21
Danielle Nazarenko, MSN, CNM, CLC, Stephanie Mucha Scholar

Anna and VJ Philipose Nursing Scholarship

"In the long term, I am committed to advancing my role as a CRNA beyond the traditional OR setting in areas of advocacy, education and mission work."
6/3/22
Tenzin Sherab, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, CCRN, Anna and VJ Philipose Nursing Scholar

Senator Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship

“I am passionate about wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) nursing and the impact the associated diseases have on patients' quality of life. Having a PhD will provide the necessary skills to further the profession and WOC nursing science to ultimately improve our patient outcomes. ”
6/2/22
Melissa Hiscock, BSN, RN, CWOCN, OCN, CPPS, Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship
"When weighing my doctoral options as a nurse practitioner, I was drawn to the idea of immersing in research and being at the forefront of the science of nursing."
9/21/23
Kathryn Ledwin, MS, FNP-C, Senator Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship
"This scholarship allows me to focus more deeply on my research and gives me the opportunity to give back to the community."
9/25/23
Sabrina Schwartz, MS, RN, Senator Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship

P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship

"I am currently a Research Assistant in the Center for Nursing Research in the School of Nursing. This helps me better understand my research interest and improve my research skills by allowing me to work with faculty who conduct extensive research in areas relevant to my interest."
6/9/22
Heba Mohedat, MSN, RN, P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship

Nova Gursslin Petsan and Gustave S. Petsan Scholarship

“I chose UB School of Nursing for my graduate education because I wanted a program that educated me not only in how to treat pathological illness, but also how to research and apply evidence-based-practice in my patient care.”
11/15/23
Michelle Simoneit, BSN, RN, Petsan Scholar
"UB is a place where you are challenged to apply your knowledge and collaborate with other individuals to address some of the world's complex issues via research."
11/15/23
Shantel Coleman, AGPCNP-BC, Petsan Scholar