UIC Nursing

They say UIC Nursing feels like family -- and for some, it truly is. If you are part of a family in which more than one generation has graduated with degrees from UIC Nursing, please let us know!
We hope to gather enough compelling stories to create a feature in the 2026 issue of our alumni magazine, Vital Signs, to coincide with the college's 75th anniversary. Stories about related graduates from the same generation — siblings, first cousins — are also welcome.
Submit here: https://loom.ly/58c3Kek

Meet board-certified nurse midwife and advanced practice nurse Dr. Leta Vega at our upcoming info session!

As the instructor for NURS 397: Issues in Nursing Practice, Dr. Vega helps Online RN to BSN students explore how social, economic, and policy issues affect nurses and the care they provide.

RSVP to learn more about her course and ask questions your questions live: go.uic.edu/rn-bsn-faculty-spotlight

It's not too late to take the next step in your nursing career. Our Online RN to BSN graduates go on to lead teams, improve patient outcomes, and drive positive change in healthcare systems across the country.

Finish your application by June 5: go.uic.edu/rn-bsn-apply

UIC Nursing alumna Chrissie Kaponda (pictured on the right), PhD '96, is a 2026 UIC Alumni Award winner, the highest award given by UIC Alumni. Kaponda leveraged her UIC Nursing education to advance nursing education and capacity in her home country of Malawi.

“It is difficult to overstate the significance of her contributions to both the development of the nursing profession and improvement of the health and well-being of the citizens of her country,” says former associate dean Linda McCreary.

Read more about Kaponda and this year's other UIC Alumni Award winners: https://loom.ly/EPWmDR8

Alumna Jessica McKearney, MS '15, FNP-C, was named Blood Drive Partner of the Year by the Association of Donor Relations Professionals. She and her husband created the Hudson Strong Foundation after their son, Hudson, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2019. Hudson is finished with chemotherapy, but his three years of treatment included numerous red blood cell and platelet transfusions. The organization raises funds for pediatric cancer research, creates care packages for families, and organizes an annual blood drive each September.
Read more about Jessica and the award in Our Quad Cities News: https://loom.ly/qKX-t30

A couple of guys named Tom stopped by the UIC campus in Rockford yesterday. Sources say they wanted to check out our MSN program for non-RNs, but sadly, they ran "afowl" of our admission requirements and had to remain outside.

Rose Sakai had to fight to become a nurse amid WWII prejudice against Japanese Americans. Now, her son and daughter-in-law have established the Rose H. Sakai Memorial Fund at UIC Nursing to provide scholarships for students who share Sakai's drive.
Read more: https://loom.ly/7sTew2Y

Prof Gabriel Culbert is lead author on a paper published in BMC Public Health, detailing a groundbreaking approach to HIV prevention in Indonesia. The intervention—called Impart—helps people living with HIV in prison to confidentially notify partners who may have been exposed, thus expanding access to testing and treatment.
Read the paper: https://loom.ly/GD84OXM
Co-authors on the paper include: Culbert's co-PI Agung Waluyo, from the Universitas Indonesia; Alana Steffen, UIC Nursing; Judith Levy, UIC School of Public Health; Valerie Earnshaw, University of Delaware; and Arie Rahadi, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia.

Never surprising but always exciting to hear that professor emerita Tonda Hughes, PhD '89, is the first-ever recipient of a new honor. That's especially true when the award is recognizing a "career advancing research, compassionate care, and leadership in nursing." Congratulations to Tonda!

Congratulations to Dr. Tonda L. Hughes, PhD, RN, FAAN, inaugural recipient of the Sigma/DAISY Nurse Scientist Leadership Award! Presented in partnership with The DAISY Foundation, this award celebrates a licensed registered nurse who has demonstrated excellence in research, compassionate care, and leadership. Dr. Hughes' nearly 30-year career advancing health equity for marginalized populations makes her an extraordinarily deserving honoree.

Find out more about Dr. Hughes » https://bit.ly/4uAjxZI

Commencement speaker and UIC Nursing alum Alison Hernandez, PhD '18, challenged 2026 graduates to “advocate, vote and lead.” She knows something about using these levers of change, having worked in both houses of Congress and now as senior policy advisor for the American Nurses Association.

Read more about UIC Nursing's May 7 commencement ceremony: https://loom.ly/QNqIqns