CSUS Students and Alumni are Caring for Connecticut

Alumni, faculty and students of the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) — who work and learn in healthcare facilities throughout the state — have an impact on Connecticut in many different ways. Meanwhile, the CSUS universities are working to educate the next generation of healthcare workers and teachers.

The Demand for Nurses

Lisa Rebeschi, an alumna of Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) and Nursing Department chairwoman, said the quality of SCSU’s nursing program drew her to the school in which she earned both a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) and master’s degree in nursing (MSN).

Enrollment in SCSU’s nursing program, she said, is at an all-time high with 225 nursing students each year, while about 115 new undergraduate students are accepted into the program per year. The popular Accelerated Nursing Program — for individuals holding a bachelor’s degree who wish to become nurses — recently graduated 30 students in its fourth class.

She points out that SCSU students are working in healthcare facilities statewide; Yale-New Haven Hospital has hired the largest number of SCSU alumni in the last few years.

“We make a huge impact in the state’s workforce needs,” said Rebeschi, who is also an assistant professor. “The job market has tightened, but SCSU students are successful in securing positions. Our graduates are highly desired, and we are really proud of that.”

During the past five years, CSUS has awarded more BSNs than any other institution of higher education in Connecticut, including a 46 percent increase between 2008 and 2010. Enrollment increased from 1,185 students in 2004 to 1,655 in 2010.

At Danbury Hospital, Monica Sousa, assistant professor in the Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) Nursing Department, influences the future of healthcare by working with WSCU nursing students doing their clinical rotations. There, students do patient assessments and get hands-on training.

At WCSU, Sousa earned her BSN and MSN and began her career at Danbury Hospital, and was eventually offered a full-time teaching position at WCSU. Now she is working on a doctorate in Educational Leadership at the University of Bridgeport.

“Nursing is a career that will open many doors because there is so much opportunity with a vast variety of patients and settings,” said Sousa. “You will always be in high demand and always have a job.”

Trish Joseph, a WCSU alumna and nurse manager at Danbury Hospital, agrees. “Whenever we hire WCSU nurses, we are confident they are well-trained,” said Joseph.

At WCSU, the class of 2011 had a first time 100 percent National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) pass rate. “As we strive to deliver the highest quality education, we have been meeting and Catherine Rice, WCSU Nursing Department chair. “We continue to have 95 to 100 percent pass rate on the NCLEX Licensure Examinations.”

Kristen Lamanna of New Fairfield always hoped to enroll into WCSU’s competitive nursing program. Lamanna, a 2010 WCSU BSN graduate, now works on a medical surgical floor at Danbury Hospital. While at WCSU, she did her clinical studies at Waterbury, Danbury and Yale-New Haven hospitals and worked as a nursing assistant at Danbury Hospital. She was hired there in July 2010.

“I received a good education at WCSU and am very pleased I went there,” said Lamanna. WCSU — a local and reasonably priced school, she said — completely prepared her for a nursing career.
Jeannette Bronsord, director of Patient Services at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, earned her BSN and MSN degrees at SCSU. Her career has spanned from being a staff nurse at Meriden/Wallingford Hospital to vice president for patient care at the Hospital of Special Care in New Britain.

“What I learned at SCSU was a certain foundation in nursing and patient care that you need to have and take with you in multiple areas,” said Bronsord. “I clinically oversee a very diverse area – but there is a theme that includes nursing and patient care that was instilled in SCSU’s undergraduate and graduate programs.”

Educating to Meet Future Needs

Even as the universities continue to educate healthcare professionals, graduates are rising through leadership ranks.

Dr. Brian Doran, senior vice president of Medical Services and chief medical officer at Greenwich Hospital, oversees the medical services and healthcare delivery provided to the local community. He was previously medical director of the hospital’s Emergency Department.

A graduate of WCSU with a biology degree, Doran earned his doctor of medicine from Chicago Medical School at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, was chief resident in emergency medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital and recently earned a master’s degree in healthcare management at Harvard University School of Public Health.

“Education plays a great role in strengthening the healthcare system, and the Connecticut State University System is central to that mission,” said Doran. “We need to train and educate people to bring about an effective change.”

To that end, CSUS hopes to meet the increasing demand for nurses through the recently approved Education Doctoral Degree Program (Ed.D.) in nursing education. The program to be offered collaboratively by SCSU and WCSU will be the only one in Connecticut to focus on preparing future nursing faculty.

Despite the shortage of RNs, which is predicted to reach about 22,000 in Connecticut by 2020, nursing programs have recently turned down many applicants due to lack of faculty. “This program would significantly impact the critical faculty shortage as well as the nursing shortage,” said Cesarina Thompson, SCSU interim associate dean, School of Health & Human Services.

Robin Goodrich, assistant professor and undergraduate coordinator\ for WCSU’s Nursing Department, said there is a tremendous need for the Ed.D. program, as shown by frequent inquiries from those interested in WCSU’s nursing program.

“There is a real projected shortage of nurse educators because there is no pipeline of qualified nursing faculty and more students who want this major,” said Goodrich, an RN at Danbury Hospital who earned her MSN at WCSU. She is now a doctoral candidate at Teacher’s College at Columbia University.


David Depukat, nursing care coordinator in child and adolescent psychiatry at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, graduated from SCSU in 2009 and is on the nurse educator track for a master’s degree in 2012. He said SCSU’s reputation in the community is what drew him to the university. “My ultimate goal is to teach nursing,” said Depukat. “The quality of SCSU instruction and faculty made me want to continue my education.”

Professor Linda Wagner, Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) Department of Nursing chairwoman, said CCSU’s BSN program will graduate its first undergraduate class in 2012 with 46 students. The students work in clinical rotations at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford Hospital, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Midstate Medical Center, as well as others.

In addition, enrollment in CCSU’s RN-BSN program has increased within the last few years to 100 students. “We continue to get a huge number of inquiries and applicants into the RN to BSN program as hospitals are looking for bachelor degree prepared nurses,” said Wagner, a WCSU graduate.

At CCSU, nursing is also a global profession. Next year, students will again travel to Jamaica to work with healthcare professionals and students from Jamaica’s University of Technology. At SCSU the master’s in public health degree — with a specialization in community health education— focuses on issues that affect the health of individuals, communities and society.

The Healthcare Challenge

In addition to the nursing shortage, hospitals nationwide are facing economic challenges brought on by the nation’s stalled economy. Continuing to provide high quality care in the face of declining resources is an ongoing struggle.


“We are facing more challenges in healthcare as costs continue to rise and we must develop strategies to reduce costs and provide services to our communities,” said Doran. Greenwich Hospital is part of the Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS), which includes Greenwich Hospital, Yale- New Haven Hospital and Bridgeport Hospital. Doran said being a corporate member in a larger system allows the institution to share resources without duplicating services and provide a broader continuum of care.

Richard D’Aquila, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Yale-New Haven Hospital and executive vice president of Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) graduated from CCSU with an economics and business degree and earned a master’s degree in hospital administration from Yale University School of Medicine.

He began his career at Mount Sinai Hospital in Hartford, rising to chief operating officer (COO) at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport and COO of New York Presbyterian’s Cornell Campus. In 2006, he joined Yale-New Haven Hospital and is responsible for day-to-day operations in what has evolved into a successful mission to be a destination hospital.

“Despite what is happening in most of the state, we are financially sound and growing,” he said. In fact, YNHHS and The Hospital of Saint Raphael recently announced the signing of an agreement for YNHH to purchase the assets of Saint Raphael’s, creating one hospital with two campuses and an integrated care delivery network in greater New Haven that would enhance access, improve quality and drive cost efficiencies.

"The agreement provides a meaningful way to coordinate care in a cost efficient manner that drives quality and access for the patients we serve," said D’Aquila.

Douglas Magazu, CFO-WCMG at Western Connecticut Medical Group, attended CCSU and majored in corporate studies – a combination of biology, exercise science, health and business.
The healthcare structure in Connecticut, he said, lends itself to opportunities for growth and expansion. Last year, Danbury Hospital completed its merger with New Milford Hospital and has been expanding. “Patients in western Connecticut will now have greater access to both hospitals, and area doctors can practice at both facilities,” he said.

In the current economic climate, his goal as CFO is to keep doctors and programs viable in the communities the hospitals serve. “Payment reform is driving us to be more responsible in providing high quality medicine at the most affordable price,” said Magazu.

Community Connections

The state’s leading hospitals are increasingly reaching into communities to provide healthcare and services.

David Whitehead, president and chief executive officer of The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, said the challenge for Backus is how the hospital will improve community healthcare — especially for those dealing with obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes — and reposition itself to be a healthcare delivery system for the future.

“It is the coordination of care and how we evolve our system to encompass everything from home-based chronic care management to acute hospital inpatient care to improve the health status of\ those in the community,” he said.

Whitehead is the third generation of his family to attend Eastern Connecticut State University — where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He also holds two master’s degrees in labor relations and healthcare administration from the University of New Haven. His son now attends Eastern.

He began his career in human resources at General Dynamics Electric Boat Company and then at the Norwich Bulletin, soon becoming president and publisher of The Marietta Times in Ohio, and then president and publisher of the Norwich Bulletin. He joined Backus Hospital as vice president of Corporate Communications, becoming president and chief executive officer in 2009. “We work hard every day to improve health in the community and ensure individuals are well served in eastern Connecticut,” Whitehead said. “To provide this service to the community is very special.”

Universities Provide a Solid Start

At Eastern, Whitehead said his instructors were working professionals who grounded his education in both the practical and theoretical. Now, he is working with Eastern’s Business Administration Department to develop an internship program around health informatics at Backus Hospital to give students an opportunity in the field.

Magazu attended CCSU on a football scholarship and earned a master’s in cardio and pulmonary rehabilitation at Springfield College and an MBA in finance and healthcare at the University of New Haven. He excelled in CCSU football, earning Kodak First Team All-American Honors and New England Player of the Year.

“I came into the field from the clinical world and converted it into the business world,” said Magazu. “The teachers at CCSU laid the groundwork for me to help people become healthier and gave me the business background to help people look at the value of health.”

D’Aquila feels his career was launched at CCSU because of his mentors – tough professors who wanted to teach. “It all goes back to my foundation, and CCSU helped me get it,” he said. “The state university system forced critical thinking and prepared me for graduate work at Yale in a highly competitive market.”