Nursing Dept

Ann Graber Hershberger has worked in family health, community health, international health and nursing education since 1976. Ann and her husband Jim, a pastor, have spent 10 years in church sponsored service in Central America. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia; her dissertation was “A case study of relationships between Nicaraguan non-governmental health organizations, communities served, donor agencies, and the Ministry of Health.” She spent the 1999-2000 academic year in Nicaragua researching the project. She has been a consultant for a Nursing School in Nicaragua, and has been chair of MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) East Coast since 1997. Mother of two daughters in college and one high school son, she enjoys speaking Spanish, reading and sitting on her porch.

Violet Horst is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner who has been teaching at EMU since January 1993. Her MSN is from SUNY Buffalo and her PNP/SNP is from The Catholic University of America. Two summers she enrolled in the Summer Genetics Institute in Cincinnati. In addition to teaching child health at EMU, she works part time in the Children’s Medical Center at University of Virginia.

Lisa has worked in several nursing roles including emergency department, occupational health and as a nurse practitioner. She currently is in practice as a nurse practitioner in addition to teaching. Lisa is active in the regional nurse practitioner organization and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau. She enjoys traveling and cooking. Lisa is a social work graduate and nursing graduate of EMU. She earned her Master’s Degree from the University of Virginia.

Glenda and her family returned to the US in Aug 2007 after spending 13 years in several countries, working with various NGOs and most recently as a Nurse Practitioner for US Embassies. She enjoys running, biking, cooking and learning how to garden.

Don Tyson has been teaching at EMU since August 1999. During the summer, he works at Rockingham Memorial Hospital in the post-anesthesia care unit on a prn basis. He has previous experience in a variety of clinical and administrative nursing roles related to critical care, post-anesthesia care, and quality improvement. He graduated from Goshen College in 1979 and from the Univeristy of Virginia in 1986. He is currently a doctoral student at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, and is on sabbatical for the academic year 2007-2008 in order to complete course work. He enjoys singing in the choral society, baseball, gardening and camping.

In addition to teaching at EMU, Arlene served on an educational mobility state task force for the Virginia Partnerships for Learning. Her clinical experiences were in rehabilitation, psychiatric, critical care, step-down units and nursing management. Research interests include educational mobility for RNs, transition into practice and historical analysis of nursing supply and demand. She also enjoys biking, reading and landscaping.

Laura has clinical experience in medical-surgical nursing and progressive care/ telemetry nursing, and is a primary care Adult Nurse Practitioner. She is a BSN graduate of Goshen College and holds a MS degree in nursing from the University of South Florida. She enjoys spending time with her daughter, husband, and family, and hobbies include singing, ballroom dancing, crocheting, and reading. Laura is an active member of Park View Mennonite Church. Currently she is half-time at EMU and enjoys the challenge of balancing the profession of nurse-education with caring for her family.

In addition to teaching at EMU, Arlene served on an educational mobility state task force for the Virginia Partnerships for Learning. Her clinical experiences were in rehabilitation, psychiatric, critical care, step-down units and nursing management. Research interests include educational mobility for RNs, transition into practice and historical analysis of nursing supply and demand. She also enjoys biking, reading and landscaping.

Laura Esch joined EMU in August 2005. In addition to being the office coordinator of the Nursing Department at EMU, Laura enjoys spending time with her husband Chad and sons Liam and Elijah. Her hobbies include camping, hiking, painting and drawing.