Faculty & Staff
Barbie AdamsSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-6751
E-mail: adams122@marshall.edu
Barbie Adams is the administrative secretary for the Marshall University School of Nursing. She has worked in this position since May 2011; prior to this, Adams worked in the Bursars Office through Kelly Services. As administrative secretary, she is responsible for maintaining daily administrative operations for the MSN and BSN departments. Adams serves as the liaison between agencies, faculty and students. She has her associate’s degree in business management through Huntington Junior College. Adams said she is always surprised by how much people don’t know about the university and loves to talk with students about the opportunities Marshall University has in store for them.
Rebecca Appleton
School of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2632
E-mail: appleto1@marshall.edu
Rebecca S. Appleton, Ph.D., MS, RN is a professor at the Marshall University School of Nursing. She has been teaching at Marshall since 1996. Dr. Appleton currently serves as coordinator of the MSN education program and teaches MSN core classes. Originally from Portsmouth, Ohio, Dr. Appleton completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and a Master of Science degree with a major in Nursing at The Ohio State University, after completing her thesis called ‘A Secondary Analysis of First Time Fathers.’ Her primary mentors were Dr. Edna Menke and Dr. Nancy Ryan.
In 1995, she earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Utah after defending her dissertation entitled “Validity of Pulse Oximetry during Ventilator Weaning of Adult Open Heart Surgery Patients.” Dr. Appleton’s primary mentors were Dr. Ann Voda and Dr. Sue Huether. She has taught nursing at The Ohio State University, Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Utah and Westminster University in SLC, Utah.
She has taught undergraduate classes between 1996 and 2010 and they were: Nursing Fundamentals I and II for 14 years, delivering didactic and clinical content while serving as course coordinator; Junior Medical-Surgical Nursing I; Pharmacology; Nursing Management; as well as Evidence-Base Practice in Nursing. In 2010, she began teaching graduate classes and managing the MSN Nursing Education Track. She has received several teaching and research awards including Fabulous Faculty and Gamma Beta Phi Professor given by undergraduate students at Marshall as well a two summer research awards and an INCO grant given by Marshall University.
She has served on many university and professional committees: Library, MUDASA, Faculty Senate, University Functions, P & T, and Curriculum. She has been a member of Sigma Theta Tau International since 1985, and serves as the current president of NU Alpha Chapter. She has also served as treasurer, historian and counselor for NU Alpha. She holds memberships in the National League for Nursing and Phi Kappa Phi. Dr. Appleton’s current research interests are in the area of evidence-based practice in which she is currently working collaboratively on a project with nurses at Cabell Huntington Hospital called, “Beliefs of Registered Nurses in Central Appalachia Regarding the use of Evidence-Based Practice.”
Susan BootonSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2622
E-mail: booton9@marshall.edu
Susan E. Booton, RN, ASN, BSN, CCRN, MSN, FNP-BC, is a clinical instructor at the Marshall University College of Health Professions School of Nursing. Currently she provides clinical experiences for students at the sophomore and junior levels in the undergraduate program. She has over 25 years of experience in the critical care setting with an emphasis in cardiovascular critical care and has served as an employee preceptor. She is also a certified BLS instructor. Professor Booton holds an active license as a Family Nurse Practitioner and a CCRN certification. Her areas of research interest include cardiovascular and critical care, particularly the assimilation of new graduates into the role of critical care nursing.
Joy ClineSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-5221
E-mail: clinejoy@marshall.edu
Joy Cline, RN, is an Associate Professor of Nursing at Marshall University’s School of Nursing. Since 2002, Professor Cline has been responsible for teaching the courses: NUR 221, NUR 222, NUR 418 and NUR 419. Prior to her education career at Marshall, Professor Cline worked as an RN manager and nurse executive in acute care hospitals for 36 years. She earned her RN Diploma from Charleston General Hospital School of Nursing, her BSN from Marshall University and her MSN from Bellarmine University. She is currently completing her Ed.D. in Nursing from Marshall University. Professor Cline is a member of the University Faculty Personnel Committee, College Promotion and Tenure Committee (P&T), Nursing Division P&T Committee and the Nursing Division Undergraduate Academic Planning Committee (UGAPS). Professor Cline said she enjoys the dynamic environment of working at a university and looks forward to helping create a nursing simulation laboratory on Marshall’s campus.
Andrea CrissSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-3878
E-mail: lucas69@marshall.edu
Andrea Criss, RN, MSN, is a clinical instructor at Marshall University School of Nursing. She completed her Master's of Science in Nursing with an area of emphasis in nursing education from Marshall University in 2008. During her master's program, she completed her thesis titled "The Effect of a Nurse-respiratory Therapist Weaning Protocol on the Duration of Mechanical Ventilation and the Incidence of Ventilator-associated Pneumonia." Her clinical nursing background is in Adult Intensive Care. She is certified in Trauma Nurse Core Course, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, and Advanced Burn Life Support. She is a member of Nu Alpha chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. She is teaching in the undergraduate nursing program as a senior level clinical instructor and as a First Year Seminar instructor. She also coordinates the senior practicum for the RN to BSN senior practicum. Currently Professor Criss is pursuing her PhD in nursing at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Nancy ElkinsSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2617
E-mail: elkinsn@marshall.edu
Nancy Elkins, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN, is an assistant professor at Marshall University School of Nursing. She is the course coordinator for the NUR 322 Nursing and Human Responses II and provides clinical experiences for students in the undergraduate program. She received her ASN from University of Kentucky in 1999, BSN from Ohio University in 2003 and her MSN from Walden University in 2008 with an emphasis in nursing education. She has completed her doctorate degree courses in higher education, also from Walden University. Professor Elkins is currently finishing her dissertation research, which focuses on academic variables and the HESI exams as predictors of completing the baccalaureate nursing program and passing the NCLEX-RN exam. Her primary research interests include student retention, health promotion practices, prevention of diabetes and the use of technology in nursing education. She is a member of the West Virginia League for Nursing, the American Nurses Association and the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Professor Elkins said she loves interacting with her students and helping them discover their potential in the field of nursing.
Ashlee GallionSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2639
E-mail: ashlee.gallion@marshall.edu
Ashlee Gallion, ASN, MSN, RN, is a clinical instructor at the Marshall University School of Nursing. Since September 2012, she has been responsible for teaching the courses NUR 323, NUR 324 and NUR 422 where she prepares students to effectively provide hands-on care with exceptional beside manner and knowledge of their chosen profession. Prior to her position at Marshall, Gallion worked as a RN at St. Mary Medical Center from May 2007 until December 2012. She received her ASN from St. Mary School of Nursing in 2007, her MSN from Walden University in 2011 and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Nursing Leadership. Gallion is a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the National League for Nursing and the American Nurses Association. As an instructor, Ashlee enjoys working in a clinical setting and witnessing that moment when a student says, “I felt like a real nurse today.”
Susan Imes
School of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2619
E-mail: imes@marshall.edu
Susan Imes, RN, MSN, is an Associate Professor at the Marshall University School of Nursing. Since 2006, Professor Imes has been responsible for teaching the courses NUR 318: “Family and Chronic Illness,” NUR 400: “Transcultural Healthcare,” and the clinical course NUR 422 Lab. Prior to her position at Marshall, she spent nine years at King’s Daughters Medical Center working as a staff nurse and eventually as Director of Medical Nursing Services. She also spent time as an RN at the VA Medical Center working in intensive care nursing, case management and staff development.
Professor Imes defended her dissertation: “Discovering the cultural care meanings and care expressions of men with a spinal cord injury from the Appalachian region of WV: An ethnonursing study” in December 2009. In 2013, she will finish her data collection and earn a Ph.D. in Nursing from Duquesne University. She received her Post Masters Certificate in Transcultural Nursing from Duquesne University in 2004, her MSN from Bellarmine University in 1996, and her BSN in 1986 and ASN in 1983, both from Marshall University. Her research interests include the effects of caregiver stress, Alzheimer’s disease and the benefits of Hospice care. Professor Imes is a member of the West Virginia League for Nursing, the National League for Nursing, the Transcultural Nurses Society, the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and the American Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals.
Professor Imes is a strong believer in understanding a patient’s culture in order to understand how best to care for them. She loves watching her students put the puzzle pieces together in a clinical setting and being witness to their own “Ah-HA!” moments of understanding.
Klara KovacsSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-3298
E-mail: kovacsk@marshall.edu
Klara Kovacs, BSN, MSN, RN, CM, is Clinical Faculty in the Marshall University School of Nursing. Since 2009, she has been course coordinator for obstetrical NUR 321 and responsible for clinical in NUR 319 Lab and NUR 321. Prior to her position at Marshall, Kovacs was employed by the United Health Professionals (2002-2008) and the Riverside OB GYN (1997-2002). She received her Bachelor’s of Music from Westminster College in Pa. (1971), her Diploma in Nursing from Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing in Evansville, Ind. (1987), BSN (1990) and MSN (1994) from Marshall University and her certificate in midwifery from Frontier Nursing in Hyden, Ky. (1997). Kovacs is a registered nurse in the state of West Virginia and faculty advisor for the Nurses Christian Fellowship.
As a certified nurse and midwife, Kovacs delivered over 1100 babies in her lifetime. As an educator, Kovacs said teaching her students is like watching a birth for the first time; it’s amazing to watch them learn, grow and develop into nursing professionals.
Denise Landry
School of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2630
E-mail: landry@marshall.edu
Denise Landry, EdD, RN, is Department Chair and Professor of Nursing at Marshall University. She received her BSN and MSN from the University of Kentucky. In 1985 she came to Marshall University and participated in the development of the four-year BSN program as well as the MSN programs. Dr. Landry received her EdD from West Virginia University and her Post Masters Certificate from the Marshall University Family Nurse Practitioner Program.
Jessica MaynardSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2628
E-mail: maynard207@marshall.edu
Jessica Maynard, RN, MSN, is a clinical instructor at the Marshall University School of Nursing. Since 2011, Maynard has taught clinical in the area of community and medical-surgical nursing to sophomore and junior students at the VA Medical Center in Huntington. She was a preceptor for students in the Senior Practicum for the School of Nursing and worked as adjunct faculty while working toward her degree at Marshall. Professor Maynard earned her BSN from Morehead State University in 2005, her MSN in Nursing Education from Marshall University in 2011 and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Nursing Leadership.
Prior to her position at Marshall, Maynard worked as an RN at Kings Daughters Medical Center in the Cardiovascular and Intensive Care Unit (2005-2008) and at Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital (2008 to present). Professor Maynard has a clinical background in Medical-Surgical and Cardiovascular Critical Care as well as emergency room experience. She completed a Cardiovascular Critical Care fellowship for nurses at King’s Daughters Medical Center in September 2006. Professor Maynard has several research interests including alternative therapies in ICU psychosis, high-fidelity simulation and factors that influence clinical reasoning skills. She is a member of the National League for Nursing and Secretary of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
As a young girl growing up in Greenup, Ky., Jessica said a tragic event in her family shaped the way she felt about the medical field and helped her to realize how important it is to be compassionate and motivated as a medical professional.
Deanna PopeSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-7237
E-mail: evansd@marshall.edu
Deanna R. Pope, DNP, RN, is an Associate Professor of Nursing at Marshall University School of Nursing. She is the director of the nursing program at the Mid-Ohio Valley Center (MOVC) located in Point Pleasant, WV and teaches courses and clinicals in the BSN and RN to BSN programs. She received her BSN from Mount Carmel College of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio, her MSN from University of Phoenix, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. She is a member of Nu Alpha chapter and Rho Omicron chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Dr. Pope is interested in research involving health promotion and disease prevention as well as nursing education.
Tina PowellSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-3821
E-mail:
Tina Powell is the student records assistant for the Marshall University School of Nursing. As student records assistant, Powell is responsible for maintaining RN to BSN files, student correspondence and keeping the necessary records to determine enrollment, retention and graduation rates. She also assists with the admissions process from recruitment to application and acceptance. Prior to her work at Marshall, Powell worked as a legal assistant where she maintained operations for many local law offices. She received her associate’s of applied science degree with a focus in legal assistance through Marshall University in 1998. Since she walked through the doors in 1994, Powell has been a die-hard Marshall fan and supports the Herd’s volleyball, football and softball teams. She takes great pride in being part of Marshall alumni and working for the university where she learned so much.
Sandra PruntySchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2627
E-mail: prunty2@marshall.edu
Sandra K. Prunty, Ph.D., RN has been teaching in the Marshall University School of Nursing since fall 2005. Dr. Prunty teaches in the undergraduate nursing program and is coordinator of the RN to BSN Program. She was a member of the first MSN degree class at Marshall University and completed her MSN degree with an emphasis on the Family Nurse Practitioner in 1992. She received her Ph.D. in Nursing in 1999 from the University of Kentucky. Her doctoral research was entitled “Symptoms of Myocardial Infarction by Sex and Gender Identity.” Since 2008, Dr. Prunty has served as primary investigator for a research initiative related to obesity in children, which focuses on “body mass index percentile, body image perception, and learning about ways to have a healthy body” in children participating in an after school program. This research was presented alongside her co-investigator, Dr. Mary Catherine Gould, at several international, national, and regional conferences. Dr. Prunty also has a research interest in beliefs and use of evidence based practice. Dr. Prunty is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing and has served on the Marshall University Faculty Senate since 2006. She has also been actively involved in the West Virginia League of Nursing, serving as board member and treasurer.
Lisa Ramsburg
School of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2453
E-mail: kruzan1@marshall.edu
Lisa Ramsburg, Ed.D., RN, CNE, is an Associate Professor at the Marshall University School of Nursing. Since January 2013, she has been responsible for teaching courses, NUR 326, Pediatric Nursing, and NUR 219, Growth and Development. Prior to her position at Marshall, Professor Ramsburg worked at the St. Mary’s School of Nursing for nine years and taught fundamentals of nursing, specifically medical-surgical and pediatric nursing. She has also worked in several hospitals in the area as a clinical nurse. Professor Ramsburg earned her diploma in nursing from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in 1980, her BSN (1999) and MSN in Nursing Administration (2000) and her doctorate of education with a focus in curriculum and instruction (2010), all from Marshall University.
Professor Ramsburg is currently completing research on stress among neonatal intensive care unit nurses and the effects of caring for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome. Her other research interests include skill acquisition among nurse educators because she enjoys the process of learning and developing into a better nursing professional.
Professor Ramsburg is a certified nurse educator, member of Sigma Theta Tau International Society of Nursing, board member on the WV League for Nursing and a member of the National League for Nursing.
Diana Stotts
School of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2623
E-mail: stotts@marshall.edu
Diana R. Stotts, PhD, FNP-C, RN, is Professor of Nursing at Marshall University. She is director of the Graduate Nursing program and teaches classes in the family nurse practitioner program. She received her MSN from the University of Texas Health Center at San Antonio and her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Stotts is interested in clinical research which involves effective ways to treat patients in a primary care setting.
Lynda TurnerSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2637
E-mail: turner44@marshall.edu
Lynda F. Turner, Ed.D., MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, is an Associate Professor at Marshall University School of Nursing. She completed her Bachelor of Science with a major in nursing at Olivet Nazarene University in Kankakee, Illinois, in 1978. She earned her Masters in Nursing at West Virginia University in 1984 after completing her thesis called 'A Self Care Client Educational Program for Elderly Clients in an Appalachian Community.'
Robin Walton
School of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2634
E-mail: walton@marshall.edu
Robin Walton, Ed.D., MSN, BSN, FNP, is a professor of nursing at the Marshall University School of Nursing. She serves as coordinator for nursing administration with an area of emphasis in the MSN program. Dr. Walton came to Marshall in 1990 and has worked for the School of Nursing for the past 23 years. Prior to her tenure at Marshall, Walton worked in staff development for Mildred Mitchell Bateman Hospital and served as director of nursing for Huntington Hospice. She received her doctorate in leadership studies from Marshall in 2002. In 1990, she received her MSN from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., and received her BSN from Marshall in 1987. Walton received her Post Masters Certificate from the Marshall University Family Nurse Practitioner Program. She is currently president of the West Virginia Board of Examiners of Professional Registered Nurses, a member of the West Virginia Nurses Association and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
Susan WelchSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2631
E-mail: welchs@marshall.edu
Jeanne WidenerSchool of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-2638
E-mail: widenerj@marshall.edu
Jeanne Widener, Ph.D., RN, CCRN is an associate professor at the Marshall University School of Nursing. Since 2010, Dr. Widener has been responsible for teaching the courses NUR 323 “Nursing Human Responses III” and NUR 324, “Nursing Human Responses IV” (Junior level Medical-Surgical nursing). She is a registered nurse in the states of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia and has been a critical care registered nurse (CCRN) since 1979. Dr. Widener received her BSN from East Tennessee State University in 1980, her MSN from Vanderbilt University in 1983 and her Ph.D. in nursing with a focus in psychophysiology from The Ohio State University in 2008. When she was working on her Ph.D., Dr. Widener worked as a research assistant at OSU with heart failure human and animal research. In 2011, Dr. Widener published her research on peripheral arterial disease and disability in the Journal of Vascular Nursing.
Dr. Widener is the Phi Gamma Chapter Leadership Succession Chair for Sigma Theta Tau International Society. She is also a member of the National League of Nurses, the American Diabetic Association, the Nurses Christian Fellowship, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and serves as advisor for the Student Nurse Association of Marshall University. She previously taught nursing at Eastern Kentucky University and Kentucky Christian University. As an educator, Dr. Widener loves seeing those moments of understanding in a student after what she’s been teaching starts to make sense, making it all worthwhile.
Tammy Workman
School of Nursing
Phone: (304) 696-5272
E-mail:
Tammy Workman is the administrative secretary senior for the Marshall University School of Nursing. As administrative secretary senior, she provides administrative support to the nursing department, coordinates faculty travel arrangements and serves as liaison with university units, outside organizations and the general public. She is also responsible for providing oversight for the entire school of nursing office budget and performing financial transactions.
Prior to her employment in September 2012, Workman worked in marketing and admissions for nursing and rehabilitation facilities in New Smyrna, Fla., where she was responsible for finding new ways to approach her community and bring awareness to the services they offered.
School of Nursing
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