Alumni Association Board

Pat Beam, DNP '15
Patricia Hosang Beam is a Professional Development Specialist and a member of the University Hospitals System educator team with expertise in pediatric nursing and located at UH/Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. With more than 45 years of clinical experience, Dr. Beam has published and presented on topics related to guiding and developing the nurse at the bedside. Her research includes the influence of emotional intelligence and self-awareness on the bedside nurse’s perception of clinical leadership, as well as evaluating RN education programs in a pediatric setting. As a member of the Society of Pediatric Nurses, she participated in the development of the core curriculum for pediatric nurse residencies. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, the Association of Nursing Professional Development, and the National League of Nursing.

Latina Brooks, PhD '02, MSN '98, BSN '95, BA '93
Latina Brooks is an assistant professor and director of the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). In addition to program administration, teaching and research, Brooks has been a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) specializing in primary care for women for over 20 years. She has provided primary care services for women of all ages, with a particular interest in African American women, the medically underserved and women with cognitive and functional disabilities.

Erika Cheung, MSN, BSN '12
Erika Cheung is a pediatric nurse working as the Manager for Emergency Management and the Pediatric Disaster Resource Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). She has almost a decade of clinical nursing experience, and has worked at several different hospitals across the United States. At CHLA, Erika initially served as the nurse champion and primary educator for its special pathogens program, in addition to full-time clinical duties. Now, her passion for conducting meaningful training sessions and developing sustainable processes has translated into organizational preparedness for an all-hazards response. 
Erika holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University and a Master of Science in Nursing with a focus in Health Care Policy from Chamberlain University. She also earned a Diploma in Tropical Nursing from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

Christina Burrell Clark, MSN '08, BSN '04
My name is Christina Clark, a native Clevelander, wife, mother of 2 beautiful children and dedicated Acute Care Nurse Practitioner since 2008. Since graduation, I’ve held a number of roles as a Nurse Practitioner across multiple specialties and various clinical settings. My clinical acumen has equipped me with the knowledge and skill set to precept both undergraduate and graduate nursing students for the entirety of my career as a nurse.

Elizabeth Click, DNP, ND, RN, CWP
Elizabeth Click is the Medical Director, and an Associate Professor, at Case Western Reserve University.  She created and directs the university’s faculty/staff wellness program and provides strategic support for the implementation of population health initiatives. Her professional pursuits focus on wellness and behavior change efforts for individuals and groups within corporate and academic organizations. Dr. Click received her DNP from CWRU and has a B.A. from the College of Wooster. She is a Certified Wellness Practitioner.  Prior to joining the CWRU faculty, Dr. Click managed the wellness training program at The Progressive Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio.

Lauren Currie
Graduated in 1981 from Duke University with BSN. Received MSN from FPB in 1986. Worked all over the country focusing on oncology, administration positions, and hospice and palliative care. Various clinical positions held that focused on oncology care at Duke, Metro Health Medical Center, University of Kentucky, Bellevue Medical Center in Bellevue Washington. Accomplishments include being the Director of Nursing at Boone Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, part of the Barnes Jewish Christian system, where I started their Palliative Care program and managed the Oncology program including the Institutional Review Board, the inpatient unit, and Radiation Oncology. Opened the Palliative Care Unit at Summa Health System in Akron. Worked as the Resource nurse for a team at Hospice of the Western Reserve. My last position was with the Cleveland Clinic in the Palliative Care Department where I developed/grew the outpatient Palliative Care services at Hillcrest and the Palliative Medicine at home program. Retired in 2020.

Mary Alice Dombrowski, DNP '04, MSN '00
I was born and raised in Michigan but have lived in Cleveland, OH for 25 years. After graduating with a liberal arts degree from Boston College, I enjoyed working for a few years as a research assistant. Working alongside some brilliant and dedicated nurses, I decided to become a nurse. I went back to school and pursued advance degrees at CWRU, FPB SON. Over the years, I have been fortunate to work with and learn from great clinicians and researchers; and feel each experience has led me to the next. Although I am a family nurse practitioner, I have worked primarily in Pediatrics. I spent 10 years in private practice and then joined RBC Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology in 2010. I have a strong interest in integrative health and wellness which I hope to continue to incorporate into my clinical practice and research endeavors. Finally, I am married and have three wonderful children; my most challenging and rewarding experience yet!

Karen Estridge, DNP, MSN
Estridge has 33 years of experience in hospital administration, nursing management, and nursing education. She has taught nursing courses for over 30 years at the ADN level, BSN education level, and 4 years at the doctoral level of nursing education. Her passion is to challenge students to think differently and become innovative nurse leaders who serve local and global populations. Previous leadership role include Chief Nursing Officer, Morrow County Hospital; Associate Dean, MedCentral College of Nursing; Assistant Professor, Ashland University; Gerontology Director, Ashland University; and Director, Heidelberg University. Teaching interests include Nursing Theory, Leadership and Management, Gerontology, and Evidence-based practice. Research interests include Hemodialysis, Comfort and Interteaching. She us a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) since 1986 and the Delta Kappa Gamma International Honorary for Female Educators (DKG) since 2012.

Paula Forsythe, MSN '82, BSN '84
I received my BSN and MSN from FPB. I practiced as an Advanced Practice Nurse for Neonatal Services at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, UHCMC, for 31 years, most of the time serving as the Division’s CNS. I practiced in an academic setting that expected, valued and celebrated educational achievements, continued learning and interprofessional relationships. I was active in the development, implementation and charter formation of the UHCMC APN Council and the APN Clinical Promotion Program and served as the Chair of both entities for several years. I served in the role of FPB Adjunct Faculty. More recently I have worked PRN for UHCMC as a Document Writer and wrote the pediatric documents of evidence for Magnet Certification.

Kathleen Frato, MSN '93, RN
Currently retired after working 35 years at Cleveland Medical Center. Last position was Staff Development Coordinator for PeriAnesthesia Units (Adult and Pediatric) at UH Cleveland Medical Center; also included the Ambulatory Surgical Units at Westlake, Mentor and Lyndhurst. Nurse Manager position from 1984 to 2008 iorvarious Operative Services Units including the Outpatient OR, PACU, ASU and Preadmission Testing.  Co-investigator of research project at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center "Interruptions in Preanesthesia Nursing Workflow: A Pilot Study of Pediatric Patient Safety." Received grant funding of $9,978.90 from the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses; project completed. Presented as a Poster Presentation at the ASPAN at National Conference twice.  Podium presentation of project at ASPAN National Conference. Article published in the April 2017 JOPAN.  Podium Presentations: "Interruptions in preanesthesia nursing workflow: A pilot study of pediatric patient safety" presented at the evidenced based practice seminar for the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses National Conference, April 2014, Las Vegas, Nevada and "Implementation of a New Graduate Nurse Program in the Perianesthesia Unit" presented May 3, 2017 at the ASPAN 36th Annual National Conference.

Elias Gebremariam
My name is Elias and I am a clinical RN IV with over 4+ years of CVICU, Transplant, Operating room, and Endoscopy background with extensive experience as resource nurse, preceptor, committee member, and training in devices such as ECMO, IABP, Impella, Dialysis, and Pacemakers at world renowned healthcare facilities such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Stanford Healthcare. I graduated from CWRU in 2018 with Master of Nursing degree with emphasis on quality and leadership and B.Sc. in International Business, Finance from United States International University (USIU).

Susan Glodstein, DNP '18
Susan Glodstein is a board certified Adult Psychiatric- Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, board certified Adult Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, and a visiting Clinical Associate  Professor at Binghamton University in the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Glodstein has been a psychiatric nurse working with individuals throughout the life lifespan for over 30 years which helps to inform her faculty position and practice. Her private practice is in psychotherapy and medication management. Her clinical practice interests include mental wellness, mindfulness, and teen and young adult mental health issues. Her doctoral studies at Case Western Reserve University, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing were completed in 2018 with a research focus on suicide prevention and education in teens and young adults. Her recent peer reviewed 2020 publications include providing support for camp nurses related to COVID-19 and analyzing qualitative data related to suicide prevention. The last 2 years she has served as the co-chair of the conference planning committee for the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses. Glodstein is a trained 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline volunteer.

Julia Rose Golden, BSN '09
I serve as the Nurse Practitioner for the Akron Children’s Hospital Hemostasis & Thrombosis Center. Prior to this role, I worked as a provider for the inpatient Hem/Onc/BMT team. My nursing career has taken me to multiple cities working at Lurie Children’s in Chicago, Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland and at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. I received a BSN from Case Western Reserve University and  MSN from the University of Pennsylvania. My professional interests include process and quality improvement, transition from pediatric to adult care, as well as clinical and educational outreach. I am a mother to three young children and live in Shaker Heights Ohio where my husband and I are currently renovating our 1934 home.

Heidi Ann Goodwin, MSN '08
I have been a nurse for 26 years and a nurse practitioner and midwife for almost 13 years. I am a nurse leader currently practicing in the area of surgical breast oncology with my own practice at University Hospitals of Cleveland. I specialize in breast, both malignant and benign and I run the high risk breast clinic for the hospital system. I manage a group of advanced practice providers and maintain active membership on several hospitals committees. Most recently I was chosen to be a part of the 2021 Nurse Leader Fellowship program at University Hospitals. I was born, raised and reside in Mentor, a Cleveland suburb. I have three children and three step children. My son lives in Jacksonville and works in politics, my elder daughter is a junior in nursing school and my youngest is a senior in high school and will be attending Kent State in the fall. My husband work in IT at Progessive and my two special needs stepsons live nearby, one who works at Walmart. I am honored to be returning to CWRU to serve on the alumni board.

Esther Gravis
Esther has been a Pediatric nurse for over 15 years. While working at the bedside she pursued a career in nursing education. Since then, she has taught Pediatrics, Med/surg, lecture and clinical in Undergraduate nursing programs for the last 12 years. Her work includes preparing new nurse faculty for the work of being a nursing educator and working on new simulation experiences for students. She finds joy in working with nursing students and faculty to improve the learning process. Her goal is to find new and innovative ways to improve the learning experience for nursing students.

Karen Hogan, ND'83
Karen Hogan has been the Director of Behavioral Health Services at the Cleveland Clinic, Chief Nursing Officer for Generations Behavioral Health Hospital (Youngstown), Director of Nursing for the Mercy Health Behavioral Health Institute, and Head Nurse Manager for Psychiatry at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (Cleveland). Karen earned the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at Case Western Reserve University, as well as a MSN, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry and Biology. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Board Certified as a Nurse Executive, has completed  certification for Women in Healthcare Leadership from Weatherhead School of Management at CWRU, as well as certification in Lean-Six Sigma through Kent State University. She has been on the clinical faculty of Case Western Reserve University, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, as well as University of Akron and Kent State University Schools of Nursing. As a subject matter expert in Psychiatric Nursing, Karen is specifically focused on Trauma-Informed Care and Workplace Violence.

Marie Ilse
I was lucky and fortunate to attend FPB and earned my BSN in 2009. Here, I learned the fundamentals and skills to be the backbone of my nursing career. I also made lifelong friendships. At CWRU, I met my husband Trevor (a Chemical Engineer who graduated in 2008) Following graduation, I worked as a telemetry RN in NY and SC. In 2013, I graduated with my MSN-FNP from The George Washington University. I started my FNP career at Minuteclinic in CVS. I worked for them in  SC,  TX, and  FL, (we moved frequently for my husband's engineering career). Throughout these moves, I became involved in CWRU's Alumni Associations. In 2014, we welcomed Mark Harvey to our family and then in 2017, Cecilia Carol. In 2019, Trevor's career took us to Caen, France for 2 years. We lived there during the pandemic, and I started my journey in Telehealth. It was quite the experience living abroad during the pandemic with 2 small children but it strengthened our bond as a family and emblazoned my passion for accessible health care. My husband and I had a conversation about where we wanted to settle down as our kids were getting older. We chose to move back to Cleveland because we fell in love with the area during our time there, have many friends still in the area, and wanted to get involved at CWRU. After a year working for a start up company, I started working for Cleveland Clinic's Express Care Online.  I am honored to join the alumni board and am eager to share my passion for the school.

Lauren Kusi, MSN '20
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Lauren Kusi, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC is currently a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Lauren attended Cleveland public schools until sixth grade. Then she attended the Andrew School in Willoughby, Ohio where she graduated in June of 2000. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Hondros College of Nursing in Independence, Ohio. In 2018, Lauren decided to attend Francis Bolton school of nursing at Case Western Reserve University to pursue her master’s degree in nursing. While pursuing her master’s degree and working full-time at Northcoast Behavioral health hospital she was awarded a Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) grant. She also received the Joan German scholarship through Northeast Ohio Nurse Practitioner (NEONP). She graduated with her masters in January of 2020. Recently, Lauren has become certified by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) to write letters for surgery. Lauren is also an influential member in the nursing community. She has taught clinicals, mentored, and precepted for nursing students on all levels of nursing. Currently, Lauren is an active member with Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses (OAAPN) and International Association of Forensic Nursing (IAFN). She has been nominated for the 2022 APP provider of the year award and rising star award, and was awarded the 2022 Medical staff excellence award by MetroHealth.

Colleen Leners, DNP '12, MSN
Colleen Leners is the Director of Policy at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing AACN) in Washington, D.C.  AACN serves as the voice of academic nursing, encompassing education, research, and practice. Leners was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in the office of Senator John Thune (R-SD) of the Senate Finance Committee. Colleen serves on the board of Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINER), Case Western Reserve Alumni Board and many committees for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).  She has maintained an active family nurse practitioner practice for over 26 years and has served our  country in the United States Army Nurse Corps. She has many notable achievements both civilian and military and was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and my of Nurse Practitioners. Leners was awarded the Bronze Star for her service overseas. She received her DNP in Leadership from Case Western Reserve University, MSN FNP from University of San Diego and her BSN from California State University Dominguez Hills.

Rachel Lim
I am currently a third year BSN student at Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. I was born and raised in Queens, New York. On campus, I am an office assistant for the Alumni Relations Department at FPB. I also work as a clinical technician in the medical intensive care units at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. This year I have the honor of being the student representative for the Alumni Board!

Germaine Cheryl Nelson, DNP '17, MSN
Germaine C. Nelson, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, CPXP, CEN is a graduate of The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing Case Western Reserve University and is core faculty of the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nursing Leadership Academy. An all-encompassing subject matter expert and award-winning transformative nursing and healthcare leader with 20+ years' in emergency services and clinical care of 9/11 responders.

Ruth O'Brien
Retired as Professor Emerita from University of Colorado College of Nursing, Anschutz Medical Campus in 2010. Previously taught nursing at University of Rochester (1981-1988), Pennsylvania State University (1978 - 1981), and FPB Bolton School of Nursing (1966-1973).

Abeer Omar
Abeer has had a diverse teaching experience since 1997. She got her BSN and Master’s degree in nursing from Alexandria University, Egypt. In 2013, Abeer gained her Ph.D. in nursing from the FPB School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University and started a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Windsor, Canada. While working on getting an RN license in Canada, she held many research positions at different Canadian universities. In addition, Abeer utilized her teaching skills to help master and Ph.D. students understand biostatistics and analyze their data. In 2019, Abeer was thrilled to join Trent University. Dr. Omar’s research focuses primarily on women’s health, activity restriction and rehabilitation. However, the scope of research interest was broadened to include health services research and nursing best practices. Dr. Omar has earned multiple awards and has been recognized by the Council of Ontario universities. Shortly after Abeer joined Trent University, she received two awards in 2020 (Excellence of teaching and mentorship). In 2022, Abeer received the Dean’s award for excellence in teaching, a commendation letter from the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) for Programs in Nursing (COUPN), and was recognized by the COU in the nursing week.

Mary Quinn
Mary E. Quinn, DNP, RN is currently Senior Director, Nursing Quality and Improvement Initiatives within the Institute of Nursing Excellence and Innovation, at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York, NY.  She has been at NYP since 1999 and has held leadership positions as Manager, Internal Audit; Director of Quality & Safety; and Director of Nursing Quality.  Prior to NYP, she held several positions at Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, NY spanning an 18 year period transitioning from Staff Nurse, to Head Nurse, and a Director within Materials Management. Her education includes a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (1981) and a Master of Science in Nursing Administration (1991) at Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, New York. In May 2017, she earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nursing Leadership from CWRU-FPB. Her professional memberships include the ANA, AONL, NY-AONL, NAHQ and Sigma Theta Tau. She is passionate about the nurse’s role as it relates to quality and patient safety and has been a lecturer for various schools of nursing programs on the nurse leader’s role related to the quality and safety.  She also mentors students in their scholarly projects at NYP.  She is designated as an Adjunct Associate Faculty at CWRU-FPB. She is proud to be a founding member the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy Founder's Circle. Quinn has been selected as a Director for the FPB Alumni Association Board of Directors beginning January 2023.

Ramona Sowers, DNP '09, MSN
Experienced Family Nurse Practitioner with a demonstrated history of working in the government administration industry. Strong healthcare services professional skilled in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Patient Advocacy, Pediatrics, and Medicine.

Courtney Donahue Stathis, DNP '19
Courtney Donahue Stathis, DNP, RN, FNP-BC is a stroke nurse practitioner at NY Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. She has over 7 years experience in the nursing field with a specialization in acute care. She loves caring for her stroke patients and helping them improve their outcomes and quality of life. She serves as a UN Representative for CICIAMS. Dr. Donahue Stathis is a native NYer and in her spare time enjoys running and competing in triathlons. She is married with one daughter and enjoys the outdoors,
especially the beach.

Joanne Thanavaro, ND '04
​​​​​​​Joanne Thanavaro is a Professor and Associate Dean of Graduate Education at Saint Louis University, Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing.  She also serves as the director of the Advanced Practice programs and DNP programs at Saint Louis University. She received her MSN in Cardiovascular Nursing Research at St. Louis University, her post-master’s certificate as an Adult Nurse Practitioner at the University of Missouri and her post-master’s certificate as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner at Southern Indiana University. Her doctorate in nursing is from Case Western Reserve University. Thanavaro is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and is actively engaged in clinical practice and is the founder of the health resource NP run clinic at Saint Louis University. She has published widely and spoken locally and nationally on topics related to advanced nursing practice with a focus on cardiovascular care.  Her text “Clinical Decision Making for Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioners” was released in 2016.

Nancy Wagner, DNP '09
​​​​​​​Nancy Wagner is the director and professor of the Youngstown State University Centofanti School of Nursing, where she has been on the faculty for more than 25 years and has led the school since 2013. She is an alumna of the University of Cincinnati, Indiana University and earned her DNP at Frances Payne Bolton in 2009. Prior to teaching, her professional career began at Cincinnati Children's Hospital where she cared for children with cystic fibrosis and their families. Some of Nancy's professional highlights include creation of the John and Dorothy Masternick Nursing Simulation lab, accompanying students and faculty to Mexico for a mission and organizing a study abroad trip to Israel where the students experienced care of patients at Galilee Medical Center, a hospital near the Lebanese border. Her research focused on scenario simulation, under-served students and incarcerated mothers and babies. She is a member of various community organizations and has been recognized for her leadership. Most recently she was awarded the FPB Alumni Award for Excellence.

Joi Yuhas, MSN, '09
​​​​​​​Beginning in 1992, I took a temporary position working at FPB School of Nursing for the baccalaureate program and subsequently stayed for 12 years! Inevitably I recruited myself into the nursing program and continued my education through the MSN program. Due to the internship requirements, I took a position at the Cleveland Clinic in IT as a system analyst. For 15 years I worked in a variety of roles from business intelligence clinical lead to management of the health information exchange teams and finally lead reporting analyst in population health; specifically focused on social determinants of health. During my tenure I was honored to collaborate on research projects and publications and had the pleasure of mentoring masters and freshmen students. After 15 years, I needed to take some time off to grieve as we experienced 5 family losses in a short period of time.  When I was ready to re-engage in the workforce, I was pleased to take a position as a Quality and Patient Safety Review Nurse at Medical Mutual. I am currently certified in Reiki Level 1 and plan to continue this wellness journey in conjunction with my yoga practice. For relaxation and enjoyment, my husband and I are beekeepers and I take great pride in providing resources for them and sharing our products with friends and family. I love to volunteer and for four years now, I have participated in Grateful Giving – giving back to first responders. I look forward to growing and thriving with fellow nurses!