PASNAP 2024: Opening Doors to School Health

Christine March, MD, MS, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and attending physician in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. March is a health services trained investigator who conducts community-partnered research using mixed methods. Her academic interests are focused on the care delivery and utilization by children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes with a specific focus on optimizing school-based management of type 1 diabetes. To date, her research studies have explored school nurse perspectives on modern diabetes care and collaboration with health systems, the role of engaging community partners in type 1 diabetes research, and the impact of school day routines on type 1 diabetes management and behaviors, among others. She is currently funded by the NIH to adapt and implement a school-partnered collaborative care model for pediatric type 1 diabetes. She has received recognition for her work through the selection to attend the ISPAD Science School in 2019 and the ISPAD-JDRF fellowship award in 2021. In addition to partnering with local school nursing organizations, she sits on both the ISPAD Diabetes in Schools steering committee and the American Diabetes Association Safe at School Working group, contributing to national and international advocacy efforts and guidelines for children with type 1 diabetes to ensure they have access to equal opportunities in school.

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Katherine K. Dahlsgaard, Ph.D., ABPP is Founder and Director of Brave is Better - Consulting and Therapy. She focuses her efforts on the promotion of evidence-based psychotherapy via her clinical practice, speaking and writing, and consultation and training. She was previously the Founder and Clinical Director of the Anxiety Behaviors Clinic and the Picky Eaters Clinic in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She was also the co-founder and co-director of the Food Allergy Bravery Clinic at CHOP's Food Allergy Center. She developed the Scale of Food Allergy Anxiety, which can be downloaded for free for research and clinical use here. Her research on treatment of food allergy anxiety was published here. Dr. Dahlsgaard is board certified in cognitive and behavioral psychology and is a licensed clinical psychologist in Pennsylvania and New York with expertise in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for children, adolescents, and young adults. She specializes in the evaluation and treatment of anxiety disorders, particularly Social Anxiety Disorder, Selective Mutism, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Phobias, Panic Disorder, and generalized fears. Dr. Dahlsgaard also frequently treats children with disorders that commonly present with anxiety, such as sleep problems and food selectivity ("picky eating").

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Dr. Olympia is a 1996 graduate of Jefferson Medical College. He completed his General Pediatrics residency and chief residency at the DuPont Hospital for Children/Thomas Jefferson University (Wilmington, DE/Philadelphia, PA), and his Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Bronx, NYC). He has been an attending physician at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center since 2005. He was born in Toledo, Ohio, and raised in Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE.

Experienced School Nurse with a demonstrated history of working in the healthcare and education industries. Skilled in School Health, Emergency Nursing, Critical Care Transport, Hospice & Palliative Medicine, and Nursing Education. Strong healthcare services professional with a Master of Science in Nursing focused in Leadership and School Nursing from Eastern Mennonite University.

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Rachel Curran is a Licensed Professional Counselor in NJ, and owner of Rain2Roses Counseling LLC. Specialties include eating disorders, body image, self-esteem, and anxiety. Prior to her current role, Rachel served as a Clinical Director at an outpatient group practice as well as an Assistant Clinical Director at a residential eating disorders program. Rachel was a School Counselor for more than 10 years, and in her current role she often collaborates with school professionals to best meet client needs, as well as to offer professional development for local school districts. Rachel serves as a consultant for the National Eating Disorders Association as a trainer and facilitator for The Body Project, as well as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology with Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, at New York University. Rachel received her Master of Arts in Counseling Services and Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Fine Arts from Rider University.

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Brian Parker is a member of the most sought after Foundation in North America on the subject of Appearance and Performance Enhancing Substances, the Taylor Hooton Foundation. Brian serves as the Director of Education for the Foundation which was founded in 2004, the year following the loss of the Hooton Family’s youngest son Taylor. After studying at Elon University and working in baseball, Brian has spent the past 12 years with the organization speaking directly to thousands of people raising awareness about the widespread use of these substances. This program provides a pragmatic view of these substances – What are they? Who is using? Where are they coming from? What are the social issues and pressures driving their usage? How do we navigate dietary supplements? What are the dangers? The program will provide factual information about the world of Appearance and Performance Enhancing Substances so that together we can provide a crucial conversation to our students about properly achieving their goals while living and competing the right way.

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Dr. Karen Coyne is an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. She teaches pediatrics, obstetrics and coordinates the school nurse program which includes a certificate and master’s degree in school nursing. Dr. Coyne is passionate about community nursing and spent many years working as a school nurse in diverse school districts. She was instrumental in development of Children Hospital of UPMC’s CHECS nurse program. CHECS (child health evaluation coordination services) nurses support child welfare in Allegheny County and beyond. Dr. Coyne is founder/president of Boost Girls in Care (our sponsored foundation), which provides new bras to children/people in foster care, independent living, homeless, and others in need. Dr. Coyne strives to engage her students in mindfulness to improve emotional intelligence and is currently studying the progression of emotional intelligence in nursing students. Karen is married to her husband, Michael, whom they share 3 wonderful children and 4 grandchildren while enjoying their busy life which includes a working farm, antique shop and full-time careers. Dr. Coyne serves on the PASNAP board as State Data Collection Manager, AWHONN regional co-chair, and is a member of ANA, where she recently presented at the International Congress of Nursing in Montreal, Canada.

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Dawn Lambert is an associate professor of nursing in the Wehrheim School of Nursing at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the National Association of School Nurses, Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses and Practitioners, and Sigma Theta Tau. At the undergraduate level, she teaches course related to the Professional Nursing Role, Population-Focused Nursing and Scientific Advances in Healthcare. At the graduate level, she is the Coordinator for the School Nurse Certification Program and teaches the School Nurse Certification Courses in the Certification and MSN program. She also teaches Epidemiology and Health Promotion in the DNP program and has mentored several school nurses obtaining their Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree. Dr. Lambert’s clinical experience includes acute and long-term care settings, public and community health, school nursing, and nursing education. Her research interests include servant leadership, particularly its influence on teaching practices and student success in higher education; adolescent and young adult healthcare decision making processes; and adolescent mental health. Dr. Lambert also enjoys volunteer opportunities engaging with individuals and families affected by disability and supporting families and children in the adoption community.

Morgan Plant has been a registered lobbyist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania since 1981. Prior to that time she worked in Washington D.C. in a variety of positions that afforded her the opportunity to become familiar with the workings of the Federal government and the U.S. Congress. In 1989 she founded her own firm, Morgan Plant & Associates, and has been advocating and lobbying successfully for her clients, most of whom are health and human service organizations or associations, ever since.

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Working in the field of Child Welfare since 1985, for the past ten years, Robin has been the Director of Intake Services at Children & Youth overseeing all abuse and neglect investigations. Robin participates on several state and local boards. Mandated Reporter trainer for PA Academy of Pediatrics which provides training to doctors, EMS and school nurses.

Anne-Marie Crawford, RN MSN NCSN, is the president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses and Practitioners (PASNAP). She has been a nurse for 30 years and a school nurse for 17 years, working for the majority of her school nurse career in a special education school. She now works in a large school district in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Anne-Marie received her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She received her Pennsylvania school nurse certificate from Carlow University in 2006, and a Master’s of Science in Nursing Education in 2010. In 2013, Anne-Marie became a Nationally-Certified School Nurse. Anne-Marie enjoys teaching school staff about how to deal with emergencies through CPR, First Aid, Epi-Pen and Stop the Bleed Trainings. She has a passion for supporting students with seizures, as well as the families and staff members who work with these students. In her health office, Anne-Marie likes to focus on health promotion.

Colleen Schultz, M.Ed., RN CSN is the Director of the Division of School Health for the Pennsylvania Department of Health with a decade of experience in school nursing focusing on the K-5 population. Colleen is a Certified School Nurse and has a Masters in Health Education from Penn State. As Director, she plans, directs, and implements statewide consultation and reimbursement programs for health services performed in schools. Colleen develops program policy and goals, serves as a liaison with school districts, private organizations and external stakeholder groups. She collaborates with the Department of Education regarding standards for school personnel and recommends student health assessment policies to the Advisory Health Board. Within her first months of the position, Colleen was forced to confront a worldwide pandemic and the impact on schools and school nurses. Over the past year, Colleen has been an advocate at the state level for the school nurse role in health and safety planning in school reopening and mitigation efforts. She has presented to both small and large groups on a variety of heath topics including hand washing/infection control, nutrition, and dental hygiene.