First Nursing Endowed Chair Awarded Fulbright Fellowship
A nurse researcher, scholar, educator, and social change advocate was named NDMU’s first Frances Kay Pitts ’96 Endowed Chair for Nursing Leadership in Women and Children’s Health and awarded a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship to conduct research in Thailand in summer 2021.
Dr. Tina Bloom joined the faculty at NDMU’s School of Nursing as an associate professor with more than 25 years of experience in the nursing profession. Her research focuses on intimate partner violence and its impact on maternal stress, pregnancy, children, and parenting. She also has worked with undergraduate and graduate students in and outside of the classroom.
The endowed chair was established in 2014 through a generous gift from the Pitts Family Foundation and Kay and Jim Pitts. Kay Pitts is an NDMU nursing graduate, who has dedicated her career to excellence in the healthcare of women and children as a Registered Nurse and Certified Nurse Midwife.
“Our goal in funding this endowed chair was to enable the nursing program at NDMU to move to the next level of recognition in its pursuit of excellence in not only the clinical skills and research of nursing, but the equally important leadership qualities and caring that nurses provide on a daily basis,” said Kay and Jim Pitts. “Notre Dame has a unique value set in community and faith, which enables the student to reach beyond the physical boundaries of the University. We are honored to welcome Dr. Tina Bloom as the first person to occupy an Endowed Chair in Nursing at NDMU.”