Leadership Team

GLMA Nursing Email List Survey now open!

As we start a new year, the GLMA Nursing Section Leadership team is off to a great start – we are already planning the Fourth GLMA Nursing Summit to be held in St. Louis on September 14th! We hope to see many of you there! Right now, there is one simple, fast and important way you can help as we begin planning for the Summit, and as we refine our goals for the Section — fill out our brief GLMA Nursing Email List Survey! We promise it is brief and easy to complete!

Fill out the form below, or  click here to complete the survey in Google Forms

Leadership Team Report

You might be wondering what is happening with the GLMA Nursing Section these days, or you might not have given this a thought!  After all, it is easy to relegate the GLMA Nursing Section to a once-a-year event that many have come to eagerly anticipate, and that provides a rich experience of inspiration and rejuvenation.  But the GLMA Nursing Section was formed to be much more than something that only happens once a year … it was formed to provide all LGBTQ nurses and our allies a “home” – a year-round “space” to be free of the persistent stigma that many of live with day in and day out, a means of connection with colleagues and friends and re-energize our commitment to the work we do, a network from which to generate ideas and actions to improve LGBTQ health.

So this year’s leadership team is committed to a year-round focus on making the Section an important and vital force for nursing and healthcare.  For starters, we are meeting every month using the Zoom.us video-meeting platform.  Our first two meetings were held on October 1 and on November 5, 2015.  We have set the following goals for the coming year:

  1. Plan for the 2016 summit
  2. Develop a finance plan, including exploration of additional funding, for the summit in cooperation with GLMA staff
  3. Develop an accurate roster and budget
  4. Meet all of the deadlines for GLMA board reports
  5. Increase the engagement of the workgroup leaders
  6. Develop a team of folks to manage the website and blog
  7. Broaden the visibility of GLMA nursing
  8. Develop a transparent and effective voting process.

As you can see, some of these goals are  pretty mundane – just taking care of business!  But others are focused on opening doors of opportunity for becoming involved – particularly # 5, 6, and 7 on this list!  We know that everyone is totally overwhelmed with many pressing responsibilities and demands on time and energy.  But we also know that for too long, LGBTQ health, and LGBTQ nursing concerns have been neglected.  So go back up to the list — and take a close look at # 5, 6 and 7!  If you can become involved in any way to help us meet these goals, please let us know!

Our monthly meetings are on the first Thursday of the month, so our December meeting will be on the 3rd!  You are welcome to join us!  If you want to do so, use the contact form on this site to let us know and we will send you more details!

 

Nursing Summit 2015 – a Great Success!

Our 2015 Nursing Summit was a great success – many thanks to the leadership of Caitlin Stover, who worked tirelessly throughout the months ahead to make sure this happened! Her planning team included Michele McKelvey, Kelli Dunham, Madelyne Greene, Pamela Lin, Eileen Glover, Rob Carroll, Jose Pares-Avila, Sarah Sanders, Mary Foley, Emily Kane-Lee, Pamela Levesque, Amy Wilson-Stronks and Alison McManus.  The 2014-15 leadership team lent support along the way, as well as members of the GLMA staff who orchestrated the GLMA Conference.  Portland, Oregon was a beautiful, interesting and very welcoming city – everywhere we went we heard comments of delight that we were together, sharing interesting ideas, supporting one another, and learning on many levels.

We will be posting many more details of the outcomes of the Summit during the next several weeks, but for now I want to be sure everyone knows our new leadership team for 2015-2016.  Below is a photograph of the newly elected team that was taken by our 6 member – Mary Foley, our Past Chair who will be on our leadership team for the coming year as well!  I have included Mary’s photo from last year!  Shown seated, Peggy Chinn (Recorder) and Michael Johnson (Chair).  Standing L to R: Caitlin Stover (Chair-Elect), Ralph Klotzbaugh (Budget Officer), Natalie Paul (Student Representative from Vanderbilt University).

2015-Leadership

And with great appreciation for her contributions in launching our Nursing Section: MaryMary-Foley Foley, Past-Chair!

Soon to Come for GLMA Nursing Section Members — Online Leadership Team Election!

Our current leadership team is preparing to send out an announcement of the election process for our 2015-2014 Leadership Team!  This will be a terrific opportunity!  The process will start with nominations, and YOU will have the opportunity to volunteer, or to nominate someone to be on the ballot for one of several leadership positions – Chair-Elect, Recorder, Budget Officer, or Student Representative!  The requirements are simple — a deep desire to do something concrete to strengthen nursing’s activism and advance LGBTQ health, membership in the GLMA Nursing Section, and the hardest of all — attendance at the GLMA Nursing Summit in Portland, Oregon on September 24,

So start thinking and planning now!!!  The announcement about the election will be posted here very soon, with instructions on how to nominate yourself or someone else for one of these important roles!

New Role for GLMA Nursing Chair-Elect at the National Cancer Institute

I am delighted, and so proud to announce that

Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson

Michael J. Johnson, chair-elect of the GLMA Nursing Leadership Team, will soon be transitioning into a new role. He was recently accepted into the highly competitive and respected Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, a four year post-doctoral research and leadership fellowship program at the National Cancer Institute. The fellowship starts June 2015.

Michael’s current research focuses on investigating factors that influence cervical cancer screening among LBQ women and transmen. Although he is unsure if cervical cancer will remain his focus during the post-doctoral fellowship, he will continue to focus on cancer prevention among LGBT populations. In addition to bringing his expertise in LGBT populations to the National Cancer Institute, he will also be one of the few nurses in the fellowship program.

Michael and his husband Matthew will be relocating to the Washington DC area next summer.

Meet Kaity Molé, our Student/Health Professional in Training Representative!

Kaity Molé RN, BSN is a recently graduated nurse from the Johns Hopkins School of kaitymoleNursing. She currently works in reproductive health and abortion care at Planned Parenthood as well as at a local domestic violence shelter providing community health education, counseling and healthcare referrals. Kaity is the current director of Baltimore Doulas for Choice and has been a birth and abortion doula for 2 1/2 years. She will soon be continuing on into her DNP in Nurse-Midwifery/Public Health Nursing and is passionate about providing quality care to the LGBTQI population and approaching her work from a reproductive justice and anti-oppression framework. You can learn more about her current work and find resources on LGBTQI birth, parenting and reproductive health on her website, www.queermidwife.com

A warm hello from Patti Zuzelo, your GLMA Nursing Section Recorder!

I attended my first GLMA conference this past September and it was a powerful and uplifting experience. Attendees were friendly and passionate about their areas of interest and expertise. Quite honestly–it was one of the best conferences that I have attended in my 30+ years of conference-attending! I am privileged to serve on the first GLMA Nursing Section leadership team and, as a new and first Recorder, am still learning the ropes (you may interpret this information as an ongoing request for feedback, suggestions, and directions Smiley  color head shot 2I thought that it might be helpful to introduce myself a bit–I am on the faculty of Drexel University’s College of Nursing & Health Professions as a Clinical Professor in the Doctoral Department of the Graduate Nursing Program (http://drexel.edu/cnhp/faculty/profiles/ZuzeloPatti/). Recently, I have focused on developing my understanding of LGBTQ health concerns and contributing to advancing health equality and equity. I have a lot to learn but my delightful LGBTQ colleagues are helping me along (particularly Dr. Peggy Chinn–what an inspiration!). I serve on the American Academy of Nursing’s LGBTQ Expert Panel and am credentialed as an Adult Health CNS and as an Adult NP.

Now that I have shared a brief introduction–I have a request of each of you. Spread the word about GLMA and about GLMA’s newly created Nursing Section. Make certain that your friends, colleagues, and family know about the many varied opportunities to contribute to GLMA’s mission ensuring “equality in healthcare for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and healthcare providers.” Let me be candid–there is a lot of work that must be done in nursing education and practice. This work requires the combined efforts of LGBTQ individuals and straight allies. There are many opportunities to engage and these opportunities are life-changing and life-enhancing. In my role as professor, I am increasingly sensitive to the gaps in nursing education’s lived curricula. There are gaps in what we teach…or what we do not teach…that must be addressed. Please spread the word that GLMA and its Nursing Section are wonderful opportunities to learn and contribute–even if you are not GLBTQ or have no particular expertise–just a passion for health equality and a desire to contribute in large or small ways. Go Phillies

Please stay in touch! If you are involved in nursing education and would like to explore ways to become engaged and connected to LGBTQ and health equality opportunities–I would enjoy hearing from you!

Meet Ralph Klotzbaugh, our GLMA Nursing Section Budget Officer!
Ralph

Ralph with his spaniels!

Ralph is an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire in the School of Nursing. His research includes issues related to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) health equity and the essential role of nursing in ensuring advocacy for this population.   He is currently working on a research project investigating levels of LGBT inpatient hospital satisfaction, as well as research involving perceptions of care among inpatient psychiatric patients identifying as LGBT. Ralph also works as a family nurse practitioner at a community health clinic in Somersworth, New Hampshire. He has also served as a board member and officer for the Southern Tier AIDS program in Binghamton, New York. He is currently developing an LGBT identified faculty and staff organization at the University of New Hampshire and volunteering at the Southern New Hampshire HIV/AIDS Task Force.  Wow!  Here is a message from Ralph as he assumes this role on the Section leadership team:

Hi, I just wanted to take a moment to say how great it was to meet everyone and how invigorating the nursing summit was to our professional and personal collective health!  Sometimes, in the cold blustery days of winter in New England, the work of an out queer faculty member in nursing doing queer research seems to be a solitary act and commitment.  Of course I know that this is not the case: we may be few (so far) but we are happily not alone and the nursing summit serves as a reminder and motivator for us all to keep up our collective efforts in improving LGBT related healthcare.  For this I thank you all!  I am beyond excited and thrilled to be part of the leadership team in the nursing section of the GLMA.

Join me in welcoming Ralph as our Budget Officer!  Leave your messages and good wishes for Ralph here!