Upstate is, and always has been, part of my professional integrity. I hold strong memories of that formative time which became the basic platform of my practice and my career.”
– Fay Whitney, PhD, RN, FAAN
CHECK BACK FOR LINKS AND OTHER RESOURCES DISCUSSED BY THE PANEL.
February 5, 2025 at 5:30 pm
at the CNY Biotech Accelerator, 841 E. Fayette Street, Syracuse, NY
This year’s Whitney Lectureship will present a hybrid event, live-streamed from the Central NY Biotech Accelerator. It includes a screening of the documentary Everybody's Work by SHIFT Films and will be followed by a dynamic panel discussion. There is no cost to attend this event.
Panelists include:
- Peggy L. Chinn, RN, PhD, DSc(Hon), FAAN - Professor Emerita of Nursing at the University of Connecticut.
- Anna Maria Valdez, PhD, RN, CEN, CNE, CFRN, FAEN, FAADN - Professor of Nursing, Sonoma State University
- Lucinda Canty, PhD, CNM, FAAN, FACNM - Associate Professor, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, UMASS Amherst
- Trina Northardt, BSN, RN, LNC - Director of Patient Safety Emergency Medicine Department at Upstate Medical University
Attendees can join in person to enjoy the documentary with their peers or participate online.
Continuing Education Credits
2.0 contact hours are being provided for this educational activity by the Institute for Continuing Nursing Education (ICNE). Update Medical University Institute for Continuing Nursing Education is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Northeast Multistate Division Education Unit, and accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
About The Whitney Lectureship Endowment
The Whitney Lectureship is made possible through the very generous support of Fay and Roy Whitney. Fay Whitney, PhD, RN, FAAN, has a long and distinguished career in medical practice, nursing education and research. Her efforts were instrumental in the establishment of Upstate’s Nurse Practitioner program in the 1970s and, indeed, to the beginning of the national Nurse Practitioner movement. The Whitneys established this lectureship to provide an annual on-campus visit by a nationally renowned health care expert.
About the film:
From Shift Film''s Website:
START YOUR SHIFT
Like blood in our veins, racism pervades healthcare.
It pushes some people’s pain, voices, and bodies aside. It distorts care and kills people faster, but it continues to be an invisible risk factor.
Too many continue to deny or look past this reality — that this system meant to heal is causing harm. But some fearless nurses are saying it’s time to get to work.
Address human suffering. Advocate for the voiceless. This is where nursing began.
But to heal, it will take everyone standing up and speaking out. Health justice, after all, is everybody’s work.
Watch the trailer here
About the Panelists:
Peggy L. Chinn, RN, PhD, DSc(Hon), FAAN
Nurse Scholar, Educator, Author
Peggy L. Chinn, nurse activist, author, editor of Advances in Nursing Science and Professor Emerita of Nursing at the University of Connecticut, has a strong core belief that has informed her decades-long career: peace and power. It’s a framework she’s carried through to her writing, editing, and even mentorship — particularly of University of Connecticut School of Nursing grad Dr. Lucinda Canty. Together, Drs. Chinn and Canty are exemplars of individual and collective power and allyship that has led to their cofounding of Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing. They are bringing the voices of nurses of color to the center and exploring the deep-seated persistence of racism in nursing to inspire a long-awaited reckoning.
Anna Maria Valdez, PhD, RN, CEN, CNE, CFRN, FAEN, FAADN
Professor of Nursing, Sonoma State University
Dr. Anna Maria Valdez, a professor and the Chair of Nursing at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, CA, says that the talk around building a diverse workforce isn’t new. But in many ways, Dr. Valdez herself is a conversation starter. In 2021, Dr. Valdez was asked to join the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing. After joining the Commission, she served as a subject matter expert and was a contributing author of the Commission’s foundational paper on racism in nursing. In 2022 and 2023, Dr. Valdez was selected as one of 30 best nurse influencers to follow on social media. Dr. Valdez plans to continue the conversation of anti-racism in nursing both on and offline.
Lucinda Canty, PhD, CNM, FAAN, FACNM
Associate Professor, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, UMASS Amherst
Lucinda Canty wears many hats: nurse-midwife, nursing professor, researcher, author, activist, historian, poet and dreamer. As an Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she, alongside mentor Peggy Chinn and Christina Nyirati, co-founded Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing: a series of discussions on racism in nursing, which started in late 2020 to center the voices of nurses of color that often go overlooked.
Dr. Canty is the founder of Lucinda’s House, a maternal health collective that supports Black mothers and mothers of color and works to address structural and systemic issues in care through research, health education, and community engagement.
For more about the panelists featured in the film, CLICK HERE.
Trina Northardt, RN, BSN
Native American Liaison, Upstate Medical University
Trina Northardt, a member of the Wolf Clan from the Kahnawake Mohawk Nation, has dedicated over 30 years to nursing at Upstate Medical University Hospital. She currently serves as Native American Liaison and has held leadership roles, including Director of Patient Safety in the Emergency Department. Her clinical career includes experience as a staff and charge nurse in the SICU and Emergency Department.
Recognized for her commitment to equity and innovation, Trina has received the Upstate Medical University President’s Award for DEI activities and the Nursing Excellence Award. She is also an inventor and co-founder of Harris Skeele, Corp., where she holds a medical device patent.
Caitlin M. Nye, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CHSE, CNE
Clinical Assistant Professor and RN-BS Program Director, SUNY Upstate Medical University College of Nursing
Caitlin M. Nye (she/her) is shaping the future of nursing education as a Clinical Assistant Professor and RN-BS Program Director at SUNY Upstate Medical University College of Nursing. A PhD candidate at the University at Buffalo School of Nursing, Caitlin is on track to graduate in May 2025. Her groundbreaking dissertation research explores how pre-licensure nursing faculty incorporate LGBTQ+ content into their teaching, reflecting her passion for fostering inclusivity and health equity in nursing education.
Caitlin’s academic achievements have earned her prestigious accolades, including the 2024-2025 Margaret Gould Tyson Scholarship from Nurses Educational Funds and the Senator Patricia McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship from New York State. Her other scholarly and professional areas of interest include using simulation to enhance faculty training and professional development.
SeQuoia Kemp, BSN, BA
Founder, Doula 4 a Queen | Co-Founder, Sankofa Reproductive Health and Healing Center
SeQuoia Kemp is a passionate health justice advocate and birth worker dedicated to advancing maternal health equity in Syracuse, NY. As the Founder of Doula 4 a Queen and Co-Founder of Sankofa Reproductive Health and Healing Center, she weaves ancestral wisdom and healing justice into her work. With degrees in Public Health and Nursing from the University of Rochester, SeQuoia addresses racial health disparities through innovative collaboration and advocacy.
She serves as co-president of NY CPM Inc., championing licensure for Certified Professional Midwives, and contributes to Crouse Health’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Advisory Board. From doula training to lactation education, SeQuoia’s work uplifts her community, fueled by her vision as an aspiring Certified Nurse Midwife to deliver culturally-congruent care and advance reproductive justice.
Larissa Morgan, MSN, RN
Healthcare Leader, Advocate, and Researcher
Larissa Morgan is a healthcare leader and advocate with over 20 years of experience, spanning bedside nursing, nursing leadership, and talent acquisition. A champion for health equity, Larissa is dedicated to removing barriers and creating pathways for underrepresented communities in healthcare.
At Penn Medicine, she helped launch the Earn to Learn Program, a workforce development initiative that fills critical healthcare roles while fostering employee growth. As Principal Investigator with the Women of Color qualitative research group, Larissa leads a study exploring the systemic factors influencing the career advancement of Black women in nursing.
Through her work, Larissa remains committed to advancing equity and opportunity in healthcare.