BARRY WILLIAMS /Special

Lucy Marion is chair of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Task Force on Nursing Education.

Dr. Lucy Marion, dean of the Medical College of Georgia School of Nursing, has been appointed chair of the new University System of Georgia Board of Regents Task Force on Nursing Education.

The 12-member group is charged with increasing the number of nurses in Georgia by focusing on the efficiency of the system's nursing programs and boosting the number of students who earn advanced degrees and return to the classroom to teach.

"It is widely recognized that we have a significant shortage of nursing professionals at all levels in both Georgia and nationally," said Daniel W. Rahn, president of the Medical College of Georgia. "That shortage is projected to worsen unless significant steps are taken to change the current trajectory. Lucy is the perfect person to take the lead in ensuring that Georgia universities are doing their part to address that problem at its foundation: the educational level."

Other members of the task force are Jean Bartells, Georgia Southern University; Joan Darden, Darton College; Christina Horne, Kennesaw State University; Anita Hufft, Valdosta State University; Susan Kelley, Georgia State University; Jean Mistretta, Georgia Perimeter College; Julie E. Gould, Georgia Board of Nursing; Freida Hill, Georgia Department of Adult and Technical Education; Denise Kornegay, Area Health Education Centers; Joyce Johnson, Albany State University; and Dr. Maria Warda, Georgia Southwestern State University.

OT AWARD: The Georgia Occupational Therapy Association recently named Susan N. Schriber Orloff the Georgia OT of the Year for her contributions to the advancement of the profession. During her 35-year career, Orloff, OTR/L, has helped develop several programs for children who learn differently, including her handwriting programs, "W.I.N. — Write Incredibly Now" and "Handwriting on the Wall."

Orloff is a columnist for Exceptional Parent magazine and Advance for Occupational Therapy journal.

NURSING SCHOLARSHIPS: Two graduate students attending Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing are scholarship recipients from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Program. Teresa Velzy Bowers and Sara E. Drum are among 77 scholarship recipients nationwide.

The graduate scholarships cover tuition, room, board, fees and books — up to $50,000 annually — for six years. The purpose of the scholarships is to help young people of exceptional promise reach their full potential through education.

A native of Milford, Mich., Bowers graduated from North Georgia College & State University and plans to pursue dual master's degrees in geriatric nursing and public health.

Drum is an Atlanta native who plans to pursue dual degrees in nursing and public health, with a goal of creating better health care systems in Haiti.

NEW DEAN POST: Marsha Lewis, Ph.D., RN, has been named the first associate dean for education of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. In this new position, Lewis focuses on collaborating with administration, faculty, staff, students and the community to fulfill the school's vision of providing the best education for nurses.

For the past live years Lewis has served as the director of graduate programs at the University of Minnesota's School of Nursing Twin Cities campus. She has more than 25 years of experience teaching in undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs at the University of Minnesota.

NATIONAL CHAIR: Shirley Quarles, associate professor of health, environments and systems at the Medical College of Georgia School of Nursing, has been appointed chair of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans. The committee assesses the needs of female veterans for VA programs and recommends improvements to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

A colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, Quarles is the clinical consultant for the Third Medical Command based in Fort Gillem in Forest Park.

AWARD WINNERS: Cindy Cairns, LPN, and Elisha Holtzclaw, RN, both of the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, were recently honored with the Laura Snitzer Boozer Nursing Award. The award honors nurses who have demonstrated professional excellence and leadership in pediatric cancer care.

Founded in memory of Laura Snitzer Boozer, a former Aflac Cancer Center nurse with a strong commitment to education, the award comes with a scholarship for the nurses to attend the nursing conference of their choice.

HOSPITAL OF THE YEAR: The Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals named Piedmont Mountainside Hospital a 2006 Hospital of the Year at its October meeting. The alliance also honored the hospital's president and CEO, Ed Lovern, as CEO of the Year.

Piedmont Mountainside in Jasper won the honor in the small hospital category (not-for-profit with fewer than 150 beds) for its high-quality services.

DIABETES PROGRAM HONORED: Two leading health care organizations have honored WellStar Health System's nationally recognized diabetes program, one of eight pilot Target Diabetes programs in the nation. The program won the VHA Georgia Regional Leadership Awards in the clinical category and also received the Gold Standard Award from Strategy Solutions Group, a health care consulting group based in Norfolk, Va.

GRANT AWARDED: The National Parkinson Foundation recently awarded a $100,000 grant for comprehensive care and outreach to the Medical College of Georgia's movement disorders program. The money will be used to provide the latest medical and surgical treatments and support for patients with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders.

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