Anne Mason has been named dean of WSU’s College of Nursing, effective Nov. 1. Mason, who has served as interim dean since September 2025, was selected for the permanent role following a comprehensive internal review and meetings with external stakeholders.
WSU nursing students worked with Spokane Regional Health District and community partners to plan and deliver October vaccine clinics at Salish School of Spokane, Family Promise, and House of Charity, connecting classroom learning with community care.
Beginning in spring 2027, WSU’s RN-BSN Concurrent Enrollment Program will expand to SPSCC’s evening nursing cohort, allowing students to begin working toward a BSN while completing their SPSCC nursing program.
WSU College of Nursing PhD student Kristy Ivicek Lanciotti has been selected for the 2026–2028 Jonas Scholars cohort, supporting her environmental health research and preparation for an expanded nursing faculty role.
After nearly 20 years in labor and delivery, Zibby Merritt loved bedside nursing—but wanted to shape care on a broader scale. Earning her Master of Nursing from Washington State University College of Nursing gave her the tools to think bigger, lead systemwide change, and pass her love of obstetric nursing on to the next generation.
Julie Postma, PhD, RN, professor at the WSU College of Nursing, has been selected for induction as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She is part of the Academy’s 2026 Class of Fellows and will be inducted Oct. 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
WSU College of Nursing assistant professor Claire Richards has published new research in Environmental Research: Health examining cross-sector collaboration around energy infrastructure, wildfire and public health and safety needs emergency planning, energy disruption, infrastructure risk and public health needs in Alaska communities.
Ross Bindler, PharmD, Research Investigator at the WSU College of Nursing, is studying how wearable technology can help researchers, clinicians and patients better understand health outside the clinic. His work includes projects focused on chronic pain, sleep, substance use recovery, wildfire smoke, stress, activity, and workforce readiness.
The Nurse Faculty Loan Program helps WSU graduate nursing students pursue advanced education and prepare for full-time faculty roles. For Angela Brittain, PhD, RN, the HRSA-funded program is both professional and personal: she now helps steward the program after using NFLP support during her own path from patient care to academia.
Megan Connolly, instructional design consultant at WSU College of Nursing, helps faculty build courses that are clear, accessible, and aligned with student learning. Her work supports course design, digital accessibility, faculty development, and the behind-the-scenes planning that shapes the student experience.
For Joshua and Veranica Alexeyenko, nursing school has been a shared journey shaped by family, service and the example of Joshua’s father, Robert “Bob” Jackson. As part of WSU College of Nursing’s “nursing in the family” series, their story shows how one person’s call to care can influence the next generation.
WSU College of Nursing professor Tracy Klein connects research, teaching, clinical practice and policy to advance safer prescribing. Her recent national work on benzodiazepine tapering guidelines, along with her teaching in pharmacology and rational prescribing, helps prepare future nurse practitioners to reduce harm and make evidence-based decisions.
A five-year, $2.6 million NIH-funded study led by WSU College of Nursing researcher Dr. Marian Wilson and Dr. Beth Darnall at Stanford University will examine how rural nurses can help expand pain management options in their communities.
Anne Mason never planned to become interim dean of the Washington State University College of Nursing. What began with Running Start classes and a CNA program in Walla Walla evolved into a nursing career spanning clinical practice, advanced education, teaching, and leadership. Along the way, mentors, family influences, personal challenges, and a commitment to lifelong learning helped shape her path from ADN student to interim dean.
WSU College of Nursing celebrates the staff and faculty behind 1,415 hours of simulation across Spokane and Tri-Cities. Their work supports nursing students’ preparation for patient care and earned the Center for Experiential Learning recognition at the 2025 Chancellor’s Excellence Awards.
Taek Huh’s path to nursing wasn’t a straight line. After two attempts at an RN program, personal hardships nearly led him to leave WSU’s RN-BSN program just before graduation. A simple question from a faculty member—”Are you okay?”—changed everything. Today, Huh is preparing to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, carrying forward a lesson that transformed both his life and his nursing practice: empathy begins with understanding.
As wildfires affect communities across the Pacific Northwest, Washington State University researchers and Extension specialists are available to discuss topics ranging from property protection and animal evacuation to lightning-caused fire risk, power-grid resilience and postfire recovery.
Working from home is often seen as a good solution for new mothers, but a new Washington State University study reveals that the blurred boundaries between home and work can introduce barriers to sustained breastfeeding.
Washington State University College of Nursing is expanding its Rural Nursing Pathway through a new partnership with Arbor Health in Morton, WA. The collaboration will provide rural clinical learning experiences for nursing students while supporting workforce development in East Lewis County and surrounding communities.
James created a novel training program to combat inherent bias in decision-making by police officers, which hundreds of officers have taken at departments around the country. That program began in the research lab as James was working on her PhD; she had developed simulations to study officer responses, and potential biases, when making decisions in encounters involving the use of force and other situations.
