Dear NYPISNHS community,

What a semester to celebrate! Our students are doing extraordinary things from earning awards for innovation, presenting original research, and launching careers that are already turning heads. Our faculty are publishing, presenting at national conferences, earning fellowships, and bringing their scholarship into every classroom and clinic. And our alumni? They are out in the world creating innovative programs, publishing books, and earning well-deserved recognition. The reach of this School continues to grow through Teddy Bear Clinics and Farmer's Markets, Career Days and Faculty Showcases, community outreach and new partnerships — each one a reminder of why this work matters. The NYP Iona School of Nursing & Health Sciences doesn't just educate; it inspires!  I couldn't be prouder!

Sincerely,

Kavita Dhanwada

Big wins and big ideas from OT at this year’s Hynes Innovation Challenge! First-year students Maeve Ingram (right) and Sonia Dobronravov (left) took home both Second Place and the Fan Favorite Award for their project, the Pelvic Power Pack and it’s easy to see why it stood out.

Designed as a therapist-informed movement system, the Pelvic Power Pack helps individuals with pelvic health conditions move with greater confidence and less fear. Blending occupational therapy principles with graded exposure and pain neuroscience education, the kit features resistance bands, symptom-specific exercise cards, flare-day plans, a pelvic health guidebook, and QR-linked workout videos—all built around a holistic, biopsychosocial approach to recovery.

The event also highlighted OT excellence across cohorts, as last year’s first-place winners for Sipsation, Eunice Anderson, MaryBrigid McManus, and Colleen Slevin, returned as guest speakers, showcasing the continued momentum and partnership between the OT program and Hynes Institute.

On May 4, the Social Work Department did what it does best: brought people together.

The day opened with the 24th Annual Ron Federico Senior Capstone Conference in the Kelly Center, where three alumni took the stage as keynote speakers: Luis Amador, LMSW, BS '12, Michael Rodriguez, LCSW, BS '12, and Christopher Rodriguez, LMSW, BS '15. Their message to graduating seniors was both practical and inspiring: social work careers don't have to follow a single path. Case in point: together, the three created Big Feelings, Little Friends, a popular YouTube show helping children explore emotions and build empathy, an idea rooted directly in the foundation they built at Iona. That same spirit of creativity and purpose carried through to the seniors themselves, who then took to the podium to present capstone projects tackling topics ranging from emotional resilience to patient advocacy.

By the afternoon, the focus shifted to the next generation. A group of graduating Westchester Community College students visited campus for an intimate recruitment event, where faculty and staff walked them through transfer scholarship opportunities, the Social Work BS program, and the pathway to advanced standing in the upcoming MSSW program. It was a fitting close to a day already defined by possibility and a reminder that the pipeline into the profession is important to grow.

In one day, the department welcomed alumni, celebrated current seniors, and opened the door to future students. Past, present, and future social workers gathered around a shared sense of purpose.

Kristen Mosier, LMFT, has built her career around one of the most universal human experiences: the feeling that life is somehow happening just out of reach. Now, she's written the book on it. Literally.

Mosier's debut, Restless: How to Stop Living an If-Only Life, was published this April by Bridge City Books/PESI Publishing. Drawing on her clinical expertise, the book explores the psychological and emotional roots of the "grass is greener" mindset and offers readers a practical, compassionate path toward meaning and fulfillment in the present.

For Mosier, the journey from Iona MFT student to published author feels full-circle.

"My time at Iona was foundational," she said. "The MFT program gave me the clinical grounding, the theoretical framework, and the mentorship that shaped the therapist, and now the author I have become. I am so proud to be an Iona alumna, and I hope this book reflects well on the program that trained me."

Just eleven months into her nursing career, Carla Batista, BSN, RN '24 is already being recognized among the best in her profession. Batista recently received the DAISY Award, an international honor celebrating nurses who deliver exceptional clinical care and compassion, while working at NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester.

The DAISY Foundation, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, runs a nomination-based program through which patients, families, and colleagues recognize nurses whose kindness, skill, and dedication exemplify the very best of the profession. Being nominated and selected less than a year into her career is a testament to the patient-centered commitment Batista brings to every shift.

"We are so proud of Carla," said Director of Nursing, Dr. Shery Watson. "This recognition reflects not only her talent and compassion, but the kind of nurse-leader we strive to develop at Iona."

Iona’s Week of the Peacemaker came alive this year as senior Social Work students took center stage to present their advocacy projects, the capstone of a semester-long commitment in Dr. Megan Conti’s Social Work Practice III course. 

Students filled the LaPenta Student Union University Commons with compelling work spanning campus accessibility, local food insecurity, environmental justice, and trash clean-up efforts in New Rochelle.

“Their work highlights the critical role young professionals can play in advancing equity, expanding opportunity, and strengthening the social fabric of our society,” said Dr. Conti.

Grounded in the profession’s core values of social, economic, and environmental justice, the presentations did more than inform, they inspired.  Peers left with a vivid reminder of what ethical, evidence-based advocacy looks like when driven by real conviction and purpose.  

What starts as curiosity in the classroom can become the foundation of meaningful clinical work. That was the message OT alumna Alyson Goodman, MS, OTR/L '25 brought back to Iona on February 5, when she presented to first- and second-year occupational therapy students on Sexuality and Intimate Rehabilitation.

A topic Goodman first explored as an Iona student, it has since grown into a significant focus of her clinical practice and scholarship. Drawing on real case studies from her professional experience, she challenged students to think expansively about quality of life and about OT's role in supporting clients through some of the most personal dimensions of their well-being.

The session sparked candid discussion and genuine reflection, underscoring both the evolving scope of occupational therapy and the value of alumni who return to push the next generation's thinking forward.

On April 30, the Bronxville campus became an emergency scene.

Nursing seniors had to treat 25 "victims" - fellow students and faculty transformed by strikingly realistic special effects makeup into casualties of a toxic blast. Their task: triage, assess, and treat under pressure, just as they would in a real crisis.

This year's scenario, Toxic Blast Simulation: Mass Chemical Exposure in a College Lab, centered on a sudden explosion in a campus chemistry class releasing an unknown dangerous substance. Nursing faculty member Professor Binny Singh played the injured professor, while students from nursing, health and wellness, and other disciplines volunteered as victims, making it a genuinely interprofessional training moment.

The drill extended well beyond the classroom. The Eastchester Fire Department joined the exercise, training alongside our students in a shared emergency response scenario. The realism and scale of the event caught the attention of WPIX11 and News12, both of which covered the drill — a testament to the program's reputation for innovative, high-impact training.

For nursing seniors on the threshold of professional practice, there's no substitute for this kind of experience. When the real call comes, they'll be ready.

The Marriage and Family Therapy program made its Career Day debut in April and if the energy in the Sommer Center was any indication, it won't be the last.

The event brought together MFT professionals, Iona alumni, students, and faculty for a day of candid conversation, meaningful connection, and practical guidance on what an MFT career can look like across a wide range of settings and pathways.

The centerpiece was "Diverse Careers in MFT," a panel moderated by MFT Alumni Association Co-President Dawn Perez and featuring four accomplished alumni and practitioners:

Eunice Escudero, LMFT - Regional Behavioral Health Director, Hudson Valley North, Access: Supports for Living; MFT Adjunct Professor, Iona University

Eon Parks, LMFT - President/Executive Director, Martin de Porres Youth & Family Services; Co-President, Iona University MFT Alumni Association

Kristen Mosier, LMFT- Author, Restless: How to Stop Living an If-Only Life

Dr. Jennifer Aull, LMFT - Founder and Director, North Brooklyn Marriage and Family Therapy

Panelists spoke openly about how they've applied their MFT training across vastly different contexts, shared hard-won career advice, and fielded questions from students mapping out their own futures.

Representatives from The Children's Village, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for, strengthening, and reuniting children, teens, and families, also joined to share insights about the organization and available career opportunities.

The day wrapped with intimate small-group discussions led by panelists and MFT faculty, covering everything from building a private practice and working in community settings to pursuing unique career paths and doctoral study. Students left with not just information, but a clearer sense of the profession's possibilities.

What happens when a first-grader's stuffed elephant needs a cast? At Lee Jackson Elementary School, it becomes a lesson in healthcare and a memory that might just inspire the next generation of nurses.

On April 22, the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Nursing and Health Sciences Academic Outreach Committee hosted its inaugural Teddy Bear Clinic at Lee Jackson Elementary in partnership with the Greenburgh Central School District. The event brought 125 first-graders face-to-face with healthcare in the most disarming way possible: by letting them care for their own stuffed animals.

Teddy bear clinics are play-based, therapeutic programs designed to ease children's anxiety about medical settings. By performing "check-ups," applying casts, and treating imaginary injuries, children build confidence and familiarity with healthcare environments transforming something that can feel intimidating into something approachable and even exciting. Each child received a stuffed animal donated by the Iona community, dreamed up an injury, and watched as Iona nursing students stepped in to help.

On site were Academic Outreach Committee members Dr. Monica Diamond-Caravella (Nursing), Chris Engelhardt (Social Work), and Julia Frampton (Occupational Therapy), along with Stephanie Rapisarda (Nursing) and a dedicated group of nursing students who guided the children through every step of the experience.

The clinic proved so popular that a second session was held just two days later, on April 24, as part of Iona's Bring Your Child to Work Day. Led by Dr. Diamond-Caravella and nursing students who hadn't been able to attend the first event, the session brought the same hands-on energy to the Iona campus and generated such enthusiastic feedback that the Teddy Bear Clinic will now be a permanent fixture of future Bring Your Child to Work Day celebrations.

The impact ran in both directions. The children explored healthcare in a way that felt safe and fun. The nursing students gained meaningful, community-based clinical experience. And with Lee Jackson's principal being an Iona alumna herself, the partnership feels less like an outreach event and more like a homecoming!  The team is already planning to repeat next year.

Hearing loss affects over 1.5 billion people worldwide and early detection can make all the difference. This past March, graduate students in Iona's Communication Sciences and Disorders program put that message into action, offering free hearing screenings at the Iona Speech and Hearing Clinic in New Rochelle in recognition of World Hearing Week.

Led by the World Health Organization, World Hearing Week is a global initiative dedicated to raising awareness about hearing loss and the importance of ear and hearing care. For Iona's CSD students, it was also an opportunity to step into the clinic with purpose — building hands-on clinical skills while delivering a meaningful, no-cost service to community members who might not otherwise seek out a screening.

It's the kind of experience that benefits everyone in the room.

On April 23, the NYPISNHS Dean's Office partnered with Chartwells Dining Services to bring a Farmer's Market to campus, offering a welcome dose of sunshine, fresh food, and community after a long winter. The turnout was strong, the vibes were good, and the feedback was even better.

The market featured seasonal fruits and vegetables, homemade fruit tarts, zucchini and carrot breads, and artisan sourdough and whole grain loaves. Complimentary green juice, pressed fresh from the day's produce, alongside lemonade and to-go cookie packs made sure everyone left with something to smile about.

The energy was unmistakable, and the message from attendees was clear: do it again! Plans are already underway for a fall market, with hopes of growing the event and opening it up to the wider Bronxville community.

What does it look like when cutting-edge healthcare meets everyday wellness? For two years, the Symposium on Health and Well-Being has been answering that question, one conversation at a time.

This spring brought two standout sessions to close out the year. On February 10, the NYPISNHS hosted The Wellness Conversation: Eating Well, Moving More, Living Better, featuring NewYork-Presbyterian dietitians Kate Hoffman, MS, RD, CDN, and Elizabeth Bukac, MS, RD, CDN, CBDCE, alongside physical therapist Alyssa Klein, MPT. Together, they made a compelling case for something deceptively simple: that the everyday choices we make around food and movement are among the most powerful forms of preventive medicine available to us. In a Symposium first, Alyssa got the entire audience on their feet, an energizing moment that proved the point better than any slide deck could.

The series wrapped on April 10 with Digital Innovation in Healthcare: Advancing Health in Our Communities, featuring NewYork-Presbyterian's Elaine Hui-Martinez, DNP, RN, NI-BC, CPHIMS, Program Director for Nursing Informatics, and Sushravya Raghunath, PhD, Director of Data Science. While technology in healthcare was a theme at the very first Symposium in 2024, this session focused on what digital innovation actually looks like on the ground, and what students can expect to encounter when they step into clinical settings.

Two years and eight events in, the Symposium has built something worth building on. This fall, it returns with a refreshed format and an even sharper focus on the ideas and innovations shaping the future of healthcare and the next generation of professionals who will lead it.

Grief is universal, but knowing how to hold space for it is a skill. This past March, the Marriage and Family Therapy program brought students together for its Spring Clinical Training Event, Everybody Grieves: How to Normalize the Grief Experience for Clients. It was a powerful afternoon of shared learning that met students exactly where they are in their clinical development. The event was supported by the HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) grant.

Leading the session were two practitioners who have made grief their life's work: Jacqueline Marlow, M.A., ART-P, a bereavement counselor at Calvary Hospital, and R. Abby Spilka, M.A., LMHC, FT, a grief therapist and thanatologist in private practice and adjunct faculty at NYU Steinhardt's Graduate Applied Psychology Program.

Together, they guided attendees through the landscape of grief; its many forms, how it unfolds, and how our understanding of loss shifts across the lifecycle. The session balanced clinical depth with genuine reflection: students discussed cases, explored practical strategies for supporting clients, and were invited to sit with their own experiences of loss. It was the kind of training that stays with you, not just as a clinician, but as a human being.

This summer, Communication Sciences and Disorders students will trade the classroom for something a little more extraordinary, Iona's Westport, Ireland campus.

Dr. Dorothy Leone, CSD Program Director and Associate Professor, will lead CSD 519: Language Development and Disorders in School-Age Children as a two-week intensive course, blending the academic content with full immersion in one of Ireland's most vibrant coastal towns of Westport. Students will deepen their understanding of language development while gaining hands-on experience working with and learning from Irish Speech Language Pathologists in local schools; a rare opportunity to see the field through a different global lens.

The cross-cultural exchange is at the heart of the experience. When students and practitioners from different backgrounds learn alongside one another, everyone leaves with something they couldn't have found in a traditional classroom. It is graduate school, just with better scenery and richer perspective.

This fall, the Health and Wellness department is launching a new Exercise Science track that’s already generating strong interest across campus. From student-athletes to fitness enthusiasts, it’s designed to connect students’ passion for sport and performance with a clear academic and career path.

The program opens doors to careers in strength and conditioning, personal training, fitness instruction, and wellness leadership, while also building a strong foundation for graduate study in exercise science, kinesiology, athletic training, sports medicine, and allied health fields like occupational and physical therapy.

Students will take career-focused courses such as Science and Practice of Strength and Conditioning, Foundations of Athletic Training and Sports Medicine, Mindset and Performance in Sport and Exercise, and Physiology of Sport and Exercise, with additional offerings to come. Hands-on learning will be a big part of this track, with opportunities to work alongside Iona Athletics’ sports performance staff, gaining real-world experience and leading to internship opportunities.

For students ready to turn their interest in sports into something more, this new track offers a direct and engaging path forward.

The healthcare workforce needs more Family Nurse Practitioners. Iona is answering the call.

The Nursing Department will launch its new MS in Family Nurse Practitioner program in Fall 2026, expanding the School's growing portfolio of advanced practice offerings and creating a direct pathway for nurses ready to take on broader clinical roles.

The demand is already evident. Director of Graduate Admissions Daniel Gallagher has been fielding a steady stream of inquiries from prospective students, including many from NewYork-Presbyterian, reflecting the strong interest for advanced practice opportunities among our closest clinical partners.

With the FNP program, the Nursing department deepens its commitment to preparing nurses not just for the roles that exist today, but for the expanded responsibilities that define the future of healthcare delivery.

This spring, the Faculty Scholars Showcase offered a window into the work happening across NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Nursing & Health Sciences with research and practice reshaping how we teach, how students learn, and how the School shows up in the communities it serves.

The series opened on February 10 with Dr. Christy Solorio's Teaching with AI Awareness: Cultivating Cognitive Fluency in Evolving Learning Environments. As a Senior Presidential Fellow, Dr. Solorio offered faculty and other attendees a thoughtful framework for navigating AI in the classroom; one centered on helping students understand appropriate use and leverage these tools to support their learning rather than using shortcuts.

On March 26, Dr. Jeanne Matich-Maroney's Embodying Presence, Compassion, and Liberation in the Online Learning Environment brought insights from her sabbatical research on building more engaging and inclusive online learning environments. Drawing on Learning Experience Design, she made the case for course design that is human-centered, accessible, and grounded in Iona's core principles of presence, compassion, and liberation providing a reminder that how we design a course is itself an act of values.

The Faculty Showcase closed on April 30 with Dr. Heather Theysohn's It Takes a Village: Empowering Families and Educators, which spotlighted two community-based initiatives supporting early childhood development. Through programs targeting fine motor and pre-literacy skills, Dr. Theysohn shared how practical, evidence-informed resources can equip families and educators alike and help children arrive at school ready to thrive. She plans to continue this work and looks forward to sharing updates at next year's Showcase.

Taken together, the spring series was a vivid reminder of what faculty scholarship looks like when it's connected to purpose in the classroom and well beyond it..

The Iona Family Therapy Center (IFTC) looks different these days, and it feels different too!

Over the past two semesters, Jennifer Loeb, a second-year MFT graduate student and Clinical Graduate Assistant, partnered with interior designer Emma Collins (@emmacollinsinteriors) to reimagine the IFTC space from the ground up. What began as a vision for a more welcoming clinical environment became a community-driven effort; sourcing furniture, décor, and carefully chosen design elements to create a space that is both functional and genuinely warm.

The timing is significant. Since the IFTC relocated from New Rochelle to Bronxville in 2022 as part of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Nursing and Health Sciences, this revitalization represents a continued investment in a space that fully reflects the program's integration of clinical training, community care, and whole-person health.

The results speak for themselves. Students report feeling more at ease and clinically present in sessions. Clients describe the environment as more comfortable and conducive to meaningful therapeutic work. Emma's design expertise brought cohesion and intentionality to the layout, aligning the physical space with the IFTC's commitment to care that is professional and deeply human.

Jennifer's contributions as the Clinical Graduate Assistant extended beyond the redesign. She has strengthened clinic operations, facilitated free consultations, guided clients through intake, and served as a vital link between students, faculty, and the community. Together, she and Emma coordinated donations, transported furniture, and brought this vision to life, all while managing graduate training and motherhood. Their work reflects the collaborative spirit that defines the IFTC itself.

Lawyers. Business professionals. Journalists. Educators. Increasingly, they're finding their way to the Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling programs at the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Nursing and Health Sciences, and they're not looking back.

The School is seeing sustained growth in career changers enrolling in both programs, drawn by a common thread: the desire for work that feels meaningful. Director of Graduate Admissions Daniel Gallagher sees this as part of a broader cultural shift toward service-oriented careers. He notes that these students bring something invaluable with them; years of professional experience translate directly into richer classroom conversations, sharper perspective, and a learning environment that benefits everyone in the room.

The programs’ curriculum allows support for this population. Evening, hybrid, and part-time options give students the ability to pursue graduate study along with the flexibility to help ease the transition back to academia. 

The result is something that goes beyond enrollment numbers; dynamic, experience-rich learning communities where diverse backgrounds converge around a shared commitment to understanding the human experience. Which is exactly what Iona's mission has always been about.

The recognition keeps coming for Iona's Marriage and Family Therapy program.

After being named one of the top MFT programs in the country last year, the program has now earned an even more specific distinction: the #1 MFT program in New York, according to CounselingPsychology.org. The ranking highlighted the program as offering an exceptional pathway for aspiring clinicians seeking comprehensive systemic training, a reflection of its rigorous curriculum, multicultural competencies, advanced interpersonal skills, and deep commitment to ethical practice.

Add to that a robust clinical experience component and a faculty known for hands-on mentorship, and it's easy to see why graduates leave prepared to navigate complex family systems and support clients through some of life's most challenging transitions.

Faculty from the NYPISNHS are helping shape the future of healthcare education, where artificial intelligence and human care go hand in hand.

At the Future of Work Conference, Provost Fellows Dr. Christina Orozco-Nevers (Health Science) and Professor Andrew Peters (Social Work) presented their team’s work on integrating AI into interprofessional learning. Their message: AI is already part of clinical practice, and students must be prepared to use it thoughtfully and ethically.

Their team is developing an interactive workshop that brings together students across nursing, social work, occupational therapy, and health sciences. Through case-based simulations and team activities, students build skills in ethical decision-making, evaluating AI tools, communication, and collaborative care.

The goal is clear: prepare future clinicians to work with AI while keeping human judgment, patient-centered care, and teamwork front and center.

This initiative is led by AI Provost Fellows Dr. Monica Diamond-Caravella, Dr. Gary Grimaldi, Dr. Christina Orozco Nevers, Professor Andrew Peters, Dr. Rhoda San Jose, and Dr. Heather Theysohn.

A new study co-authored by Dr. Mary Zajc, alongside colleagues from the New York Organization for Nursing Leadership Research Committee, has been published in the Journal of Nursing Administration. Titled “Preparation for Disasters Among Nurse Leaders in New York State: A Replication Study and Guide for Preparation,” the article examines how prepared nurse leaders are to respond to emergency disasters.

The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge and confidence levels in emergency management and disaster preparedness among nurse leaders, and to provide recommendations for enhancing nurse leader preparedness. Results identified four major needs that emerged: education specific to emergency preparedness, supply management, infection prevention, and mental health and well-being.

There is a critical need to better equip nurse leaders for future emergency situations. Overall, this study’s findings suggest that targeted disaster training and educational opportunities, especially those emphasizing leadership and well-being, are critical to better equip nurse leaders for future emergency situations.

This past January, Dr. Michelle Veyvoda headed to Denver with a group of current and former students for the annual Association of College Educators Deaf and Hard of Hearing conference.

Centered on the theme Advancing Deaf Education: Transformative and Innovative Approaches Grounded in Research, the conference brought together leading professionals dedicated to deaf education and language development. Representing Iona's Interdisciplinary Deaf Education program, the group shared how their experiences in the IACD program have shaped their clinical perspectives and professional trajectories; a testament to the program's real-world impact.

Presenters included Amanda Howerton-Fox, Izzie Tauheed, and Dr. Michelle Veyvoda, alongside students Gabriela DiBenedetto '26 (CSD), Jael Rivera '26 (EDU), Bridget Graham '24 (CSD), and Jessica Stoffel '24 (CSD).

Nursing students learn to ask about smoking on day one. But what about vaping?

Despite its surge in popularity and well-documented health risks, vaping has remained a blind spot in clinical training. Dr. Shery Watson and nursing colleagues tackled that gap head-on in a new study, "Enhancing Nursing Students' Clinical Confidence and Practice Through Simulated Vaping Experiences," published in the Journal of Nursing Education.

The team introduced a high-fidelity simulation designed to mirror real patient interactions involving vaping. The results were compelling: students who participated showed measurable gains in both their understanding of vaping-related risks and their confidence in conducting patient assessments and health education conversations.

The takeaway is straightforward, when emerging health issues are meaningfully woven into clinical education, students show up to practice ready. As the public health landscape shifts, innovative tools like simulation are helping shape nurses equipped for the challenges of today, not just yesterday.

Dr. Jennifer Gerometta has never been content to stay in place and her most recent accomplishments make that clear.

This past November, Dr. Gerometta completed the Blue Sky Leaders Conscious Leadership Certificate through the California Institute of Integral Studies, a program that takes a distinctly expansive approach to leadership. Drawing from multiple disciplines and grounded in reflective practice, it challenges participants to think more creatively about today's most pressing social and environmental challenges and about their own capacity to lead through them.

More recently, she was accepted as a fellow in the Global Arts in Medicine Fellowship, an international program connecting professionals and students from around the world who share a belief in the power of the arts to support health and well-being. Through coursework, mentorship, and cross-cultural collaboration, the fellowship offers a rare opportunity to learn from global experts and explore how creativity can be a genuine force in healthcare.

Taken together, these experiences speak to Dr. Gerometta's broad view of her work: a commitment to finding unexpected connections between leadership, creativity, and the human dimensions of care.

The best outcomes in healthcare rarely happen in silos. That conviction is at the heart of a newly funded initiative led by Dr. Jennifer Gerometta and Dr. Lauren Telesmanic, who have been awarded an NYPISNHS IPE Seed Grant to support a collaborative project bringing together speech-language pathology and occupational therapy in service of pediatric populations.

Their work centers on the BRITER curriculum, Building Relational Skills through Interoception Training and Resilience. This curriculum is currently implemented at The Mead School of Human Development in Stamford, Connecticut. Rather than treating SLP and OT disciplines as parallel tracks, BRITER integrates both disciplines into a unified approach in supporting children's development in interoception, resilience, and social and relational skills. The result is a model that demonstrates what interprofessional practice can achieve when it moves beyond coordination and becomes true collaboration.

That lesson extends to the students involved. Through observation and supervised participation, Iona students from both disciplines learn alongside one another — developing not just clinical skills, but the communication, humility, and shared purpose that define effective team-based care. In a healthcare landscape that increasingly demands interprofessional fluency, that preparation matters.

Congratulations to Dr. Gerometta and Dr. Telesmanic and to a project that puts collaborative practice exactly where it should belong - at the center.

As the 2025–26 academic year comes to a close, it’s worth pausing to take in just how much we’ve built together.

In a short time, we’ve expanded community outreach through donation drives and our first-ever Teddy Bear Clinic, launched a new campus tradition with the farmer’s market to promote preventive health, and continued to grow academically with new undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs on the horizon. We’ve also seen important work led by our Provost and Presidential Fellows to ensure our students graduate AI-ready, equipped to navigate an evolving healthcare landscape. Along the way, we’ve welcomed new faculty and staff who continue to strengthen our mission.

But what stands out most isn’t just the momentum—it’s the community. Since arriving in Bronxville in 2022, we’ve intentionally cultivated something meaningful, collaborative, and forward-looking. That spirit is what makes all of this possible.

Thank you to our faculty, staff, and community partners for the energy, creativity, and commitment you bring every day. This is what progress looks like.

Enjoy a well-earned summer break!  We look forward to what we’ll accomplish next, together.