Celebrating Reunion 2023

Columbia Nursing welcomed more than 150 alumni and friends to Reunion on April 28, 2023, including a contingent from the Class of 1973 celebrating their 50th year back and members of other classes ending in “3” and “8” celebrating milestone years. 

The festive event kicked off on the school’s seventh floor with breakfast and welcome remarks from Dean Lorraine Frazier, PhD, followed by the State of the School address.  

Students and alumni took part in two panels. The first, “A Day in the Life of a Columbia Nursing Student,” featured Tka Edwards, DNP ’23; 2023 DNP graduate Nia Josiah; Mobolaji Odewole, MS ’21, who moderated; Katherine South, PhD ’23; Nurse Anesthesia doctoral student Katrina Quinn; and Jaspreet Wadhwa, MS ’20. 

Melissa Beauchemin, PhD ’19, moderated the second panel, “Nurses: Why We Do What We Do,” with Donald Boyd, PhD ’17; Kevin Browne, MS ’92; Janejira Chaiyasit, DNP ’17; Latisha Hanson, DNP ’15; and Tener Veenema, BS ’80. 

Judy Honig, DNP ’05, was honored with the Anna Caroline Maxwell Award, given to a Columbia Nursing graduate whose achievements and record of service exemplify the ideals and traditions of the school and its founder. 

Distinguished Alumni Awards were presented to Kenrick Cato, PhD ’14, Nursing Research; Mary Moran, MS ’08, Neighbors Humanitarian Award; Arlene Smaldone, PhD ’03, Distinguished Career in Nursing; and Olivia Velez, PhD ’11, Nursing Administration. Kyungmi Woo, PhD ’18, received the Early Career Alumni Award: Emerging Nurse Leader. 

The day also included a student research poster session and tours of the Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation Center. A video recording of the event is available here; for photographs from the day, click here. 

Interested in joining the reunion planning committee? Next year we will be celebrating the classes ending in “4” and “9.” To learn more, please email us at sonalumni@cumc.columbia.edu.