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Dr. Lorin Ramocki and Dr. Katelyn Perrault Recognized for their Passion and Innovation in Teaching

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Motivated. Innovative. Passionate. A trailblazer.

Those were some of the words used to describe this year’s faculty honorees of the Chaminade Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship awards, which recognize those going above and beyond to ensure student success in the classroom and contribute to their area of study in meaningful ways.

Lorin Ramocki

Dr. Lorin Ramocki, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing and Health Professions, received the Chaminade’s 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award for her tireless work to create hands-on simulations that promote “learning by doing.”

The simulations—which ranged from a mock homeless camp on campus to a COVID vaccination clinic to an “unfolding case study” into a Hepatitis A outbreak—were especially vital during the pandemic because COVID made some community placements for Nursing students impossible.

“The COVID pandemic created a loss of clinical rotations in both hospitals and community settings and faculty pivoted to simulation on campus as well as supporting COVID vaccination efforts,” said School of Nursing and Health Professions Dean Rhoberta Haley, PhD, who nominated Ramocki for the award.

Haley said Ramocki ensured experiential learning continued for students during the pandemic. “Dr. Ramocki is a truly creative, innovative, motivated, and effective teacher,” Haley said, “who makes Public Health content and clinical experiences come alive for each of our Nursing students.”

Ramocki said she is honored by the recognition and takes joy in using her creativity to develop “engaging learning environments to give students the best experience possible.” She added that her teaching philosophy is rooted in “developing a community within the classroom.”

“My philosophy on teaching students is really embedded in trying to inspire them to find their own interests—and then connect it back to something in public health to help them enhance their understanding and how they can impact the health of their own communities,” she said.

Katelynn Perrault

Meanwhile, the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics’ Dr. Katelynn Perrault was recognized with the 2021 Fr. John F. Bolin Excellence in Scholarship Award for substantial contributions to her field of study. The associate professor of Forensic Sciences and Chemistry was also recently honored with the John B. Phillips Award, which recognizes early career researchers who are making advancements in the field of two-dimensional gas chromatography, which involves separating chemicals present in complex samples.

Perrault is studying odors produced by bacteria associated with decomposing bodies.

Dr. Hans Chun, director of Education Leadership Programs at Chaminade, nominated Perrault for the honor and said she has been a “trailblazer in research” since she arrived at the University. “Kate embodies the concept that teaching and research are not mutually exclusive,” Chun said.

Chun also said her work has helped to “raise Chaminade’s scholarly profile.”

Perrault said receiving the award is a “landmark moment for me” at the University and has driven her to reflect on her work—and on the work of the student researchers she is mentoring. “Seeing their contributions to science recognized gives me great joy as a mentor,” she said. Perrault added that while many people think of research as something that’s done outside of the classroom, she sees it as something central to classroom learning. “Great things can be accomplished within a class when students are set with the task of creating new knowledge on their own accord. There is something about that experience that cannot be learned in any textbook.”

Alum Named Straub Clinic’s Most Valuable Team Player

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Michael Ono ‘14 made friends at Chaminade that he “still considers family” today.

It’s those relationships and others that have helped buoy him as he works on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic as a registered nurse at Straub Medical Center’s Kahala Clinic and Urgent Care. “Working as an RN during the pandemic has been challenging,” said Ono, who received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Chaminade. “But I am so happy to have a great team and leadership support.”

Michael Ono '14 named Straub Clinic's Most Valuable Team Player

And they are grateful for him, too.

In fact, Ono was recently recognized as the Straub Clinic Most Valuable Team Player. As part of centennial celebrations for Straub, he was also named a “100 for Straub 100” honoree—one of 100 employees who are continuing Dr. George Straub’s legacy of providing quality care to patients.

Ono was nominated for the Most Valuable Team Player recognition by Straub clinic colleague Sheryl Doropan, who called him a huge blessing. “Coming from an ER background, he knows how to handle the difficult situations that walk in,” she said, in a Straub Facebook post. “He’s a solution seeker and a team player, caring and always energetic. There’s never a dull moment working with him.”

Ono said as a Straub nurse, he sees patients of all ages.

He previously worked in the ER and the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. He said he is so grateful to his mentors at Chaminade and Kapiolani for helping him grow into the registered nurse he is today. “The ability to see their dedication to their patients and the community has helped me set the bar high for myself and keeps me engaged,” he said.

Ono added, “I am still learning so much about outpatient nursing.”

Learning and Growing by Doing

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Dr. Lorin Ramocki believes in the power of learning and growing—by doing.

The School of Nursing and Health Professions professor has gotten high praise from her students, colleagues and community stakeholders for her innovative use of simulations—centered around hands-on, project-based learning—that help bring her curriculum to life and underscore its relevancy.

With clinical opportunities limited because of the pandemic, over the last academic year alone:

  • To prepare more than 60 Nursing students for work in COVID vaccination clinics, Ramocki created a mock clinic of her own and handed it over to participants to manage. Students learned about the varying roles at vaccination clinics, along with the patient education and monitoring.
  • Ramocki created a mock homeless camp (complete with volunteer actors) on campus for a simulation that gave Nursing students vital experience “treating” patients who are living on the streets, coordinating care with a treatment team and overcoming barriers to helping them.
  • Ramocki even had students put on their public health detective hats for a fast-paced epidemiology “unfolding case study” that tasked them with working out the source of a simulated Hepatitis A outbreak with 25 mock patients, each with unique back stories.
School of Nursing and Health Professions homeless simulation

Dr. Rhoberta Haley, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions, said these types of simulations are obviously more engaging than lectures or rote memorization. And engaged students learn more. But their real power, she said, is in their immersive nature. In a simulation, students are embracing their roles as critical thinkers, as leaders and as team-based collaborators.

“Every step of the way in these simulations, Dr. Ramocki is asking her students to apply what they’ve learned and then build on it as they also work with their peers—whether it’s puzzling out a public health problem that impacts an entire community or ensuring that a single patient gets quality care,” Haley said. “Her students emerge from these simulations much more prepared for success.”

Haley added that she is especially impressed with how Ramocki has stressed not only the key foundational elements of her curriculum in the simulations, but important soft skills—like how to work with a patient to understand their unique needs or how to overcome the stigma of homelessness.

School of Nursing and Health Professions students participate in a vaccination clinic simulation

“That’s what learning by doing really means—doing the real work to understand its many facets.”

Dr. Ramocki said that she designed the simulations to engage students and provide critical clinical hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. Placements in the community for Public Health Nursing clinical course students were limited in 2020, with strict health protocols in place, so Ramocki improvised. “I wanted to give students the best experience possible during this time period,” she said, “when we were restricted to providing clinical experiences only on campus.” And so innovation was born out of adversity.

Dr. Ramocki’s simulated homeless camp was especially intricate.

School of Nursing and Health Professions homeless simulation

The realistic camp was built on campus and included eight case studies, with “patients” who had divergent backgrounds, back stories and health issues that were representative of the broader homeless population. In addition to helping students consider the psychosocial, financial and common medical problems among homeless residents, it also sought to help students develop empathy and reduce stigma as they worked comprehensively to serve a unique and high-needs patient population.

Dr. Ramocki also developed a tuberculosis clinic simulation that included modules for contact tracing, screening and testing, precaution protocols and various treatments. Each patient had a back story that students had to sift through in order check them in assessment and triage them to the appropriate service.

She said while the pandemic created the need for these simulations, she’ll continue to use them.

After all, she’s gotten her own hands-on learning in creating the simulations and rolling them out.

Future Healthcare Professionals: Nursing Pinning Ceremony

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Nursing Pinning Ceremony 2021

Members of Chaminade’s School of Nursing and Health Professions gathered virtually earlier this month to celebrate the time-honored Nursing Pinning Ceremony together, marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another—our nursing graduates’ careers as healthcare professionals serving our communities.

A total of 59 Nursing students were pinned May 7.

Dr. Rhoberta Haley, dean of the School of Nursing of Health Professions, offered her hearty congratulations to the graduating seniors and thanked them for their hard work, sacrifice and resilience.

“I believe that Nursing is a calling—and the nurses who have served on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic for more than a year have illustrated that point,” Haley said. “I am so incredibly proud of our Nursing students, they have experienced many challenges because of the pandemic and have overcome them all to get to graduation day.”

The Pinning Ceremony was an opportunity for family members, friends and mentors to recognize the significant achievements of each Nursing graduate. The ceremony has a history in the Nursing profession dating back centuries and symbolizes each student’s initiation into the global fellowship of nurses.

“In addition to congratulating each member of our Class of 2021 Nursing students, I would like to personally thank you all for your pledge to serve in this noblest of professions,” said Dr. Lynn Babington, Chaminade president, who is also a former nurse and healthcare administrator.

“As someone who served in healthcare for many years, I can tell you that there is nothing more rewarding than knowing you have made a significant positive difference in the lives of your patients and their families. I wish all of our graduating seniors the greatest success in their future endeavors.”

Nursing graduates 2021

Participants in the Pinning Ceremony said they were honored to mark the end of their academic journeys and the start of their Nursing careers with peers, professors, family members and friends.

“This Pinning Ceremony means a lot to me for all the long years of education I have done and to make my family proud, especially my Dad, who is definitely looking down at me from up above,” said graduate Oscar Tomas, adding that the experience feels “surreal” after so many long days and nights of studying.

“It’s an honor to reflect on all that I’ve learned and all who I’ve met on this special journey as I go forth in my career,” he said. “And I look forward to making a big difference in the lives of many while exemplifying Chaminade University’s Marianist characteristics and Native Hawaiian values.”

Graduate Kimberly Aguada said the Pinning Ceremony felt like the culmination of all her hard work.

“Being able to share this moment with my loved ones feels like a way I can give back to them for sacrificing time with me, for being patient with me and for being understanding of the strenuous process we have been under since day one of Nursing school,” she said. “I cannot wait to spread my wings!”

Aguada also called it “humbling” to be entering a profession whose critical role in society has been highlighted again and again during the COVID-19 pandemic. “You realize how important yet dangerous healthcare can be,” Aguada said. “I look forward to working with the many healthcare heroes who have been the champions of this pandemic and I hope to be half the nurse they are. Knowing that I can change someone’s life in a positive way just by doing my job, it just blows my mind.”

Errlyn-Jan Sejalbo called the gathering moving and symbolic.

“To think that I will be going into the real world is super surreal and exciting for me!”

Sejalbo said she was especially honored to be able to choose a loved one to affix the pin for the ceremony. “It is like a stamp of accomplishment from the person who has supported us the most,” she said. “In my case, it was my mom. She has been my biggest supporter throughout this journey.”

Sejalbo added the pandemic made her final year in school even more difficult. But she said it also opened her eyes to the incredible sacrifice nurses make each and every day. “It really challenged me to focus on the bigger picture of being that ‘hero’ to those around me,” she said.

Jasmine Joy Pineda joked that a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into the Pinning Ceremony.

“Mostly tears,” she added.

“The Pinning Ceremony signifies the end of one of the hardest things I ever went through,” she said. “Simultaneously time flew yet the end couldn’t have come any faster. I have carried the identity of being a student for almost my entire life and to have this chapter come to a close is bittersweet.”

Pineda added that it has always been her dream to become a nurse and the pandemic doubled her resolve to serve in a profession that helps people every day—and when they need it the most. “In light of the pandemic, anxieties have increased for everyone,” she said, “but it is so reassuring to be reminded that the profession of being a nurse never fails to be gratifying and respected.”

Students and Professor Co-Author Publication

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Two Nursing students at Chaminade and a recent graduate are making important academic contributions to the field, with separate co-authored publications in a noted peer-reviewed nursing journal that focuses on nursing trends, policy issues and clinical practice in Asia and the Pacific.

The publications appeared in the December 2020 issues of Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal.

Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal

Nursing student Nainoa Gaspar-Takahashi, a sophomore, was the lead co-author with Nursing and Health Professions Professor Dr. Edna Magpantay-Monroe of an article entitled, “Experiential Lens in Nursing Education and Thriving Lahui (Community): A Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Student Experience.” The piece explores high-impact, community-centered learning that benefits nursing students, allowing them to hone critical thinking skills and empathy for those they serve.

In the article, Gaspar-Takahashi discusses how he has taken to heart Chaminade’s commitment to service learning and described two recent community projects he contributed to, including one that focused on Native Hawaiian ways of learning and knowing with hands-on service in the community.

“The ability to inspire others, leaving their comfort zone to learn about other communities and recognize the strength of it can form deeper understanding and acknowledge the place students call home,” Gaspar-Takahashi wrote with Magpantay-Monroe, in the journal article.

“The impact to nursing as a profession is the integration of evidence-based care to clinical practice.”

Dr. Edna Magpantay-Monroe

The same issue of the Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal included an article in which Magpantay-Monroe joined Nursing student Kamaile Aipa and recent Chaminade Nursing graduate Ofa-Helotu Koka to underscore the importance of community engagement in forming nursing students’ professional identities and helping them become “well-rounded,” community-minded future nursing leaders.

The trio also discussed how vital it is to ensure students participate in professional development opportunities so they can see themselves as active participants in a robust learning community. “Being an active participant of professional conferences allow students to be a part of conversations with those who have practiced in different aspects of nursing,” exposing them to situations that help them “think more critically and professionally, guiding their actions as future nurses,” the three wrote in the piece.

Magpantay-Monroe is also adding to the body of research in Nursing in other ways. She recently contributed and co-wrote a chapter in the professional resource, “Veteran-Centered Care in Education and Practice: An Essential Guide for Nursing Faculty.” She intends to use the text for supplementary material in the Nursing elective course, “Introduction to Veterans and Military Health Care.”

Nursing Students Part of Hawaii’s COVID Vaccination Efforts

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One vaccine at a time, Hawaii is beating back COVID-19.

And Chaminade University is proud to be part of the effort.

Working with community healthcare partners, the University has deployed senior Nursing students to clinics on O‘ahu to administer COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Lynn Babington, Chaminade President, said the project underscores the University’s public service mission and its commitment to build a healthier Hawai‘i. “Being part of the community and being able to serve our community is part of our mission,” she said, adding that the vaccines are a “light at the end of a long tunnel” and offer hope that many of the activities we used to consider normal will soon be resumed. She said it’s heartening to see students play a key role in “helping to bring the pandemic under control.”

Dr. Lorin Ramocki, Chaminade University School of Nursing and Health Professions Assistant Professor and clinical/academic partnership coordinator, said the students giving vaccinations are seniors in their Public Health Nursing rotation. To prepare for the challenge, they participated in mock clinics on campus, studied CDC and facility training modules, and attended on-site orientations.

The students will be administering vaccines through the duration of vaccination efforts.  

Nursing senior, Serina Lipman, is among those serving as vaccinators. She said she feels incredibly fortunate to participate in a vaccination clinic and do her part to stop the spread of COVID-19. “It felt humbling knowing that we were out in the community making a difference,” she said.

Lipman added her training and preparation at Chaminade helped her feel up to the challenge.

“Through this experience, I have learned about how much effort and planning it takes to set up a massive vaccination clinic,” she said. “This experience was one of the best I have had throughout school and I hope that I get the opportunity to continue to vaccinate even after graduation.”

Dr. Rhoberta Haley, School of Nursing and Health Professions Dean, said the vaccination project highlights the importance of experiential learning and strong partnerships in the community. “For our nursing students to play a role in the State’s vaccination efforts not only strengthens our partnerships with healthcare organizations, it gives our students additional first-hand experience,” Haley said.

Ramocki said the vaccination clinics are powerful educational experiences, offering students a strong appreciation of the value of focusing on population health, and of the role of community education and disaster response during periods of disease outbreak. “By participating in these efforts, they will be able to make the connection between what they are learning in the classroom and the importance of these topics,” Ramocki said. “They get to be a part of these efforts during one of the greatest public health crises in our lifetime. This is what public health nursing is all about, responding to and meeting the needs of the community.”