Wayne State University College of Nursing

Brain Health Detroit Returns for 2026! Wayne State University’s A.G.R.E.E.D. Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) is proud to partner once again with the Parenting UP! podcast, hosted by comedian and dementia advocate J Smiles, to promote brain health awareness throughout the month of June.

This special Detroit-based podcast series highlights the voices of individuals living with dementia, family care partners, healthcare professionals, and community organizations dedicated to improving brain health and dementia care across our communities.

The 2026 Brain Health Detroit series has been spearheaded by Cynthera McNeill, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-C, FAANP, Associate Professor (Clinical) and AGNP–Primary Care Specialty Coordinator in the College of Nursing.

Episode Schedule:

🗓️ June 23

Safe Public Spaces: Creating Communities Where Individuals Living with Dementia and Their Care Partners Can Connect, Participate, and Thrive

https://youtu.be/S41J_uHjjE0?is=MGWKIAgrP2Fw8J89

🗓️ June 26

Highlighting the Voices of Individuals Living with Dementia

Featuring lived experiences, advocacy, and the importance of including those directly impacted in conversations about brain health.

🗓️ June 30

Promoting Dementia Screening While Dispelling Fears and Myths

Recorded in a clinical setting, this episode addresses common misconceptions about dementia screening and emphasizes the importance of early detection and diagnosis.

Together, we can reduce stigma, encourage early conversations about brain health, and support individuals and families living with dementia.

🔗 Learn more about the A.G.R.E.E.D. GWEP at agreed.wayne.edu

College of Nursing alumni, friends and supporters are invited to join us for a special evening up north at our annual Dinner with the Dean.

Join Dean Ramona Benkert on Thursday, Aug. 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Inn at Bay Harbor for dinner, conversation and stunning views of Little Traverse Bay.

Connect with fellow Warriors, hear Dean Benkert’s vision for the College of Nursing’s future and celebrate how alumni support is helping shape the next generation of nursing leaders.

Register today: https://www.givecampus.com/schools/WayneStateUniversity/events/dinner-with-the-dean

Nurse practitioners are helping shape the future of health care. At Wayne State, we are proud to prepare advanced practice nurses who are ready to meet this moment.

Becky Peterson graduated this month with a degree that paves the way for her to examine patients, prescribe medication and make diagnoses, just like a physician. But she won’t be Dr. Peterson, and her graduate program took just two years.

Instead, she is becoming a nurse practitioner, a good-paying job that is also the fastest-growing field in healthcare.

“There is a place for medical-school doctors, and a place for nurse practitioners. And all of us are trying to do the same thing, which is meet the needs of people who need help,” said Peterson, who graduated from a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill program and lives in Morrisville, N.C.

These days, heading to the doctor’s office often doesn’t involve a doctor. At least not directly. Instead, nurse practitioners have become major gap fillers, growing their ranks by 60% to 461,000 between 2019 and 2025, data from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners show.

Physician assistants who can fill similar roles are also in high demand, as are other non-MD health providers. They are all part of a broader trend to push basic care beyond the doctor’s office.

🔗 Read more: https://on.wsj.com/4aUmDQz

Happy Father’s Day to the dads, father figures and caregivers who lead with love, support and strength. Today, we celebrate you!

At Wayne State, impact extends beyond classrooms and clinics. It also lives in the stories we preserve and the communities we help connect.

In a new Today@Wayne feature celebrating Juneteenth, Dareno Johnson, development associate in the College of Nursing, shares how the WSU Campus Genealogy Project helped him learn the FAN method and explore family history through a wider lens.

The story highlights how Wayne State helped Detroiters connect with their family legacies, honor those who came before them and reflect on the meaning of Juneteenth through personal discovery.

Celebrating Juneteenth: How the WSU Campus Genealogy Project helped Detroiters connect to their family legacies Through the Campus Genealogy Project cohorts have been encouraged to explore family histories that were often fragmented by racism.

Today, we recognize Juneteenth and honor the strength, resilience and legacy of Black communities. The Wayne State University College of Nursing celebrates freedom and the continued pursuit of equity💚💛

As artificial intelligence continues to shape the future of health care, education and research, Wayne State University’s Division of Health Affairs is taking a thoughtful approach to responsible innovation.

Dr. Robert Ploutz-Snyder, professor of nursing and associate dean for research in the College of Nursing, contributed to the Division of Health Affairs AI Task Force, which developed a framework to guide the ethical, strategic and human-centered use of AI across the health sciences.

“My hope is that by recruiting faculty with all levels of AI knowledge and experience to share their experiences as occasional presenters, we can raise our collective awareness and allow faculty who are curious about the potential uses of AI to begin their journey into applications a little less alone,” he said.

We are proud to see College of Nursing leadership helping advance AI conversations that keep people, care and purpose at the center.

Read more: https://today.wayne.edu/news/2026/06/11/division-of-health-affairs-ai-task-force-charts-path-for-responsible-innovation-69576

Amanda Missel, PhD, RN, assistant professor in Wayne State's College of Nursing, is working to improve survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by helping everyday people recognize the emergency, call 911 quickly and begin lifesaving action sooner.

Her research explores the barriers that can delay response, from confusion around symptoms like agonal breathing and seizure-like activity to gender disparities in CPR and AED use. Through augmented reality simulation and American Heart Association-funded work, Dr. Missel is helping develop new tools to better prepare lay rescuers for real-life emergencies.

Watch the interview to learn how her research is empowering people to respond faster, communicate more clearly and help save lives:

Empowering Lay Rescuers through Education & Simulation | Amanda Missel, PhD, RN Dr. Amanda Missel’s work focuses on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest....

Karina Morfin Munoz’s path to nursing started long before college.

As a child living with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, she saw firsthand how compassionate care can change a patient’s experience. Years later, when her dad was hospitalized, Wayne State nurses left a lasting impression on her family and helped shape her decision to become one herself.

Now, Karina is preparing to begin her journey as a Wayne State Direct Admit BSN student and Honors College member this fall.

Read her story: https://nursing.wayne.edu/news/from-young-patient-to-future-nurse-why-an-incoming-student-chose-wayne-state-nursing-69499

What if quitting smoking was not just an individual journey?

In a new interview, Seung Hee Choi, assistant professor of nursing at Wayne State University, discusses her research on smoking cessation among couples, especially underserved and understudied populations where at least one partner smokes.

Her work explores a powerful challenge: for many couples, smoking is tied not only to addiction, but also to daily routines, emotional connection and shared moments. That means successful cessation strategies must account for the relationship dynamic, not just the individual behavior.

Dr. Choi and her team recently completed a pilot test of the We Quit web app with 44 smoking couples, with promising results. The app builds on a family consultation intervention that previously doubled long-term quit rates compared to similar interventions, while aiming to make that support easier to access at scale.

Hear how Dr. Choi’s research could help more smokers, partners and families move toward healthier lives:

Digital Tools for Smoking Cessation | Seung Hee Choi, PhD, RN Dr. Seung Hee Choi’s research has focused on the effects of engagin...