Distinguished Nursing Professionals Honored by UA Nursing Alumni Board

Akron, Ohio, Oct. 6, 2003 The University of Akron's Nursing Alumni Board will present four Distinguished Nursing Alumni Awards at its annual awards dinner Oct. 8 at the Martin University Center. Honored for their extraordinary commitment and contributions to the nursing profession will be Gail (Witter) Baumlein (M.S.N./Ph.D. '93 '03), Carol (Christ) Brodbeck (M.S.N. '91), Judith (Hill) Cazzolli (B.S.N./M.S. ED. '73 '83), and Melissa Horn (B.S.N. '84).

Dr. Gail Baumlein, instructor and director of the RN-BSN Program at MedCentral College of Nursing in Mansfield, will be recognized for her outstanding contributions to nursing education.

Baumlein's career includes serving as staff nurse at MedCentral Health System in Mansfield, and teaching at a number of nursing institutions, including the diploma program at the Mansfield General Hospital School of Nursing (MGHSON). While at MGHSON, Baumlein and some of her colleagues developed a baccalaureate program that led to the founding of the MedCentral College of Nursing.

Baumlein is chairperson of the Ohio League for Nursing Nurse Educator Collaborative, a newly formed group of nurse educators that promotes faculty development and the nurse's role as educator. She also presents workshops nationwide that highlight the many ways nurse educators can improve student learning by using mutlimedia and the Internet.

A Mansfield resident, Baumlein is active in many organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the annual Relay for Life in Richland County and the National Ski Patrol.

Carol Brodbeck, manager of education and specialty services at Visiting Nurse Service in Akron, will be honored for her outstanding community service.

As a clinical nurse specialist in diabetes, Brodbeck was instrumental in developing the area's first inpatient and outpatient diabetes program at St. Thomas Hospital, and later a similar home-based program at Visiting Nurse Service.

Community service is an integral part of Brodbeck's life. She volunteers for the Open M Clinic, where she provides diabetes assessment and education one evening per month. She is involved in several national and local segments of the American Diabetes Association, including the Profession Section, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and the Akron Area Educational Planning Committee. She is well known for her prevention of diabetes foot problems, and has published as well as spoken locally, regionally and nationally on the topic.

The Akron Area American Diabetes Association named Brodbeck its 1993 Volunteer of the Year. She received the 2002 Excellence in Nurse Mentoring award from the Delta Omega Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and was chapter president from 2000-02. She has served on The University of Akron College of Nursing's Alumni Board.

An Akron resident, Brodbeck has been involved in nursing education at various levels and consults for several area healthcare programs.

Judith Cazzolli, retired director of public health nursing at the Akron Health Department, will be acknowledged for her outstanding contributions to nursing administration.

Her tenures with the Akron Health Department and the Summit County Health Department have gained her the respect of health and community leaders statewide, and have resulted in positive healthcare outcomes for the community.

Cazzolli began her nursing career as a public health nurse for the Akron City Health Department from 1973-81. She would return to the department in 1995 as director of public health nursing, retiring in 2003. As director, she was responsible for the administration of public health nursing programs in the city of Akron and Summit County.

From 1981-95, her career included serving as a nursing supervisor and assistant director of nursing at the Summit County Health Department.

Cazzolli has worked with Colleges of Nursing to provide a variety of learning opportunities for student groups. She also lent her expertise to in the development of Healthy Connections, a collaborative countywide effort to provide health care to the uninsured and underinsured.

An Akron resident, she currently is a part-time instructor in The University of Akron's College of Nursing. She is active with several professional and community organizations, including the UA College of Nursing's Nursing Service Advisory Committee, Ohio Public Health Association and Ohio Nurses Association.

Melissa Horn, instructor of nursing at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western University, will be honored for her outstanding contributions to nursing practice.

As assistant director of the School of Nursing's Learning Resource Center, Horn has been instrumental in developing distance and online courses including an advanced assessment course. She has been a preceptor and guest lecturer at The University of Akron College of Nursing.

Horn is certified as a family nurse practitioner, nephrology nurse and clinical transplant coordinator. In July, she attended the National Institute of Health Summer Genetics Institute.

A Bath resident, Horn is working on her Ph.D. She is active in the American Heart Association's Speakers Bureau. She is a member of numerous organizations, including Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honorary, Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses and American Heart Association Nurses Education Committee.

The College of Nursing Alumni Board was established in 1985 to provide nursing graduates opportunities for education, community service and networking. The alumni board has 12 volunteer members from diverse nursing fields of specialty, and represents more than 5,000 nursing graduates.

For more information, contact the UA Alumni Association at 330-972-7270.