Six groups of seniors from the University of Lynchburg’s school of nursing were accepted to the Virginia Henderson Research Symposium, where they presented their research on Friday, Nov. 7.
The symposium, organized by local nonprofit healthcare system Centra Health, is held annually and gives local nursing professionals and students a chance to network. This year’s event was held at the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance in downtown Lynchburg.
The topic of the symposium was “Empowering Health: Strengthening Communities.”
The following students presented their research in six groups:
- Group 1: “Causes of Medication Errors and their Outcomes” — Jahia Read ’26, Brooke Cason ’26, and Morgan Clarke ’26
- Group 2: “Estrogen-Containing Contraceptives and Cardiovascular Risk in Women” — Mackenzie Joly ’26, Devon Rountree ’26, and Trevor Loving ’26
- Group 3: “How the Social Determinants of Health have Negative Impacts in Prenatal Outcomes from a Lack of Appropriate Care and Access within Lower Income Areas” — Tiffany McCune ’26, Josie Davis ’26, and Reese McAtee ’26
- Group 4: “Access to Adequate Healthcare in Low Socioeconomic Communities” — Madison Walker ’26, Peyton Ruggieri ’26, and Naomi Watkins ’26
- Group 5: “Fetal Alcohol Disorders: Improving the Diagnosis” — Sydney Dumas ’26, Regan Leach ’26, and Caroline Marotta ’26
- Group 6: “The Impact of Low Socioeconomic Status on Postpartum Depression in the United States” — Kyrie Thibodeau ’26, Hannah Herr ’26, and MacKenna Moss ’26
“It was really interesting,” said Dr. Susan Braud, associate professor of nursing. “We were talking about … how we can bring communities together and support health and impact care. …
“We want [our students] to see what they can do after graduation, how they can make a difference.”
Watkins, who presented with Group 4, spoke about providing access to adequate healthcare in underserved communities.
“Healthcare is a right,” she said. “It’s very important that we find ways and avenues to better support people. …
“I think our research really drives the connection for how nurses can better show up [for the community].”
Braud said she was “just so proud” of all her students.
“This is a remarkable testament to the hard work, intellectual rigor, and commitment to scholarly inquiry demonstrated by our future leaders in nursing,” she said.
“The acceptance of so many high-quality abstracts underscores our program’s commitment to advancing evidence-based practice.”
