Dr. Shelly Reed: Inducted as a Fellow of American Academy of Nursing, Named Fulbright Specialist
Dr. Shelly Reed (BS ’84) achieved the greatest honor in a nurse leader’s career when she was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in Washington, DC, on November 2, 2024. The year’s fellows were selected from applicants of the highest caliber from across the globe. Dr. Reed created a scale to evaluate the nursing student’s debriefing experience, and her scale has been translated into six languages and has been used in more than 20 countries.
In addition to this high honor, Dr. Reed was appointed as a Fulbright specialist in nursing education. Fulbright specialists collaborate between the US Department of State and foreign governments to share scholarly work worldwide. Winning a Fulbright is difficult, and this appointment enables her to conduct research by working as a nursing educator throughout the world.
Dr. Neil Peterson Receives NIH Grant
Dr. Neil Peterson (BS ’07) is part of a research team that was awarded the first-ever National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant given to BYU College of Nursing. The grant totals more than $400,000 over a three-year period. His research will focus on couples in which one individual has type 1 diabetes and will investigate how coping mechanisms affect their blood sugar control. Coping mechanisms include eating habits, physical exercise, communication, and stress relief. The study is a collaboration between BYU, University of Utah, University of Delaware, and Intermountain Health. Jeremy Yorgason of BYU School of Family Life is the primary investigator, and Dr. Peterson’s main contribution will be interpreting data from the devices that measure physical activity and sleep patterns.
Dr. Corinna Trujillo Tanner Receives BYU Early Career Teaching Award
Dr. Corinna Trujillo Tanner was selected as a recipient of the BYU Early Career Teaching Award in recognition of her love and support for students, in and out of the classroom. A former student of Dr. Trujillo Tanner said, “One thing that I appreciate about her is that she is a door-opener. Any opportunity that she has to open a door for a student to have a good experience that’s going to elevate their growth during nursing school or in their professional life, she’ll take that opportunity.” Dr. Trujillo Tanner has been an assistant professor in BYU College of Nursing since 2019 and specializes in geriatric and end-of-life care.
Marie Prothero Named to AONL Board
Dr. Marie Prothero (MS ’96) has been appointed to the board of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL). She began her two-year term in January 2025. Specifically, Dr. Prothero will be chairing the AONL Competency Committee. This committee will provide the framework for the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with effective leadership—for first time leaders and for experienced executives. This appointment comes after years of dedicated service to AONL and time spent as a nurse leader in clinical settings and as a faculty member for BYU College of Nursing.
Dr. Petr Ruda Receives BYU Career & Experiential Learning Award
Dr. Petr Ruda (BS ’09, MS ’15) was recently awarded the BYU Career and Experiential Learning Award. The annual award is given to a student-nominated professor who made a particularly large impact on students’ experience. One professor in each college receives such an honor.
“I think part of my mission has always been to reach the one that’s least confident or has minimal skills to help them realize their potential,” Dr. Ruda said. “That is a huge goal of mine and always has been.” Dr. Ruda hopes to continue to have excellent experiential learning opportunities with students for the rest of his career. In his words, “I look at [this award] as a starting point for new adventures.”
2024 Daisy Award Winners
Every year, BYU College of Nursing and The DAISY Foundation present awards to students and faculty, honoring exceptional compassion in nursing. Recipients are nominated because of the difference they’ve made in the lives of those they teach or provide care for. This year, Professor Cynthia Johnson (BS ’00) was honored with the Extraordinary Nurse Educator Award and Otavio Tobias (BS ’24) was named the Extraordinary Nursing Student.
Professor Johnson says her time at BYU has taught her a lot about herself and how to become a better teacher. She loves being able to share her nursing experiences and wisdom with her students. “I don’t expect all [my students] to remember what they’ve memorized in my course,” she said. “I hope instead that they will remember the kind of nurse that I hopefully inspired them to be.”
Otavio is grateful for the numerous opportunities BYU has afforded him. He acknowledged that the spiritual focus was partly what made his BYU experience so meaningful. “I’ve always felt like I need to rely on the Savior to do the best job I can do. He will support me because He’s as interested as I am, if not more, in the well-being and the health of His children.” He was honored to be chosen as a DAISY award recipient and looks forward to growing as a nurse practitioner in the future.
Cheryl Corbett Receives Excellence in Teaching Award
Professor Cheryl Corbett (BS ’89, MS ’96) was presented with the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Utah section of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics, and Neonatal Nursing. This national institution aims to improve the care of women and newborns through research and education. Professor Corbett finds creative ways to engage students in the classroom; an example is her Mission: Impossible–themed escape room challenge from her Nursing Care of Women and Newborns class. Students worked in teams to solve puzzles and challenges, all centered on the topic of pregnancy. Professor Corbett clarified that preparing such lessons isn’t the easy road. “It’s a lot more difficult to do active learning,” she said. “It takes more preparation on the professor’s side to create activities and implement them in the classroom.” Even so, the extra effort is well worth it in her eyes, and she’s determined to give her students a rewarding experience.