Meet Decker College’s 2024 Alumni Achievement Award winners

Binghamton University’s Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences hosted a Homecoming Brunch Saturday, Sept. 28, welcoming alumni from the past five decades and students, faculty, staff, donors, family and friends. The second-of-its-kind event honored recipients of Decker’s 2024 Alumni Achievement Awards, recognized donors to the college’s Assessment Kit Sponsorship program and students who received those kits.

“We hope you make great connections with each other while celebrating all that Decker College and our community have accomplished,” said Courtney Wheeler, Decker’s engagement and events coordinator, who opened the celebration at Binghamton’s Health Sciences Building in Johnson City, home to Decker College since 2020.

Dean Mario R. Ortiz announced that Decker College now boasts over 7,000 alumni, including two 2024 graduates from the first-ever Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy cohort. These two individuals are the first to earn this degree in the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

“Our nursing, public health and occupational therapy graduates come from many different countries and backgrounds, but all have committed their careers to improving the health of others,” Ortiz said. “We’re tremendously proud of the alumni making positive impacts around the world and equally proud of those who have remained in our local community, some of whom continue to teach our future Decker graduates.”

Ortiz reported the college welcomed 246 new undergraduate and 131 new graduate students this fall. This includes 27 students in the inaugural cohort of the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program.

“I’m excited about Decker College’s growth and the impact we have made and will continue to make on healthcare,” he added.

Alumni Awards

Four alumni received awards at the event, all graduates of Decker’s nursing programs.

Lynn Gallagher-Ford received the Dean’s Alumni Impact Award for her outstanding contributions to healthcare that have left a lasting legacy of excellence and inspired future nurses. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Binghamton in 1981. Gallagher-Ford is the chief operating officer and director of the Helene Fuld National Trust Institute for Evidence-based Practice at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. She is a leading figure in evidence-based practice and actively promotes innovation in clinical care. Additionally, Gallagher-Ford is a member of the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences Nursing Advisory Board and has been acknowledged as a distinguished practitioner and fellow of the National Academies of Practice, the Nursing Academy and the American Academy of Nursing.

Rachel Kimani was honored with the Emerging Leader Alumni Award as a graduate from the last 10 years who has shown promise as a future healthcare leader. Kimani graduated from Decker College with a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2012, a master’s degree in community health nursing as a nurse practitioner in 2014 and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2015. She is an instructor in clinical investigation at The Rockefeller University and an adjunct professor of nursing at Aga Khan University in Nairobi County, Kenya. Her research focuses on the impact of racism on physical and psychological health. Kimani was unable to attend the event.

Kayoll Galbraith Gyan received the Accomplished Alumni Award, which honors individuals who demonstrate excellence in clinical practice, research, health policy, health education, or health administration, provide exemplary service to humanity or have distinguished careers in healthcare. Galbraith Gyan earned bachelor’s degrees in nursing and Africana studies from Binghamton in 2011. She is the associate director of the Phyllis F. Canto Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Additionally, she directs research and development at Therapeutic Innovations, Inc., where she studies cancer prevention for women in underserved communities, including the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines among diverse populations in the U.S.

Kali Minier was honored with the Decker Connections Alumni Award for maintaining strong ties with Decker College and Binghamton University. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2013 and works as a registered nurse at United Health Services. Minier is an advocate for providing impactful opportunities for Decker students and also serves as an adjunct instructor for the college’s RN-BS program. She played a key role in the addition of a six-story tower at UHS Wilson Regional Medical Center, managing the clinical transition for the project by identifying and mapping thousands of individual clinical processes and transitioning them to new care environments. In 2022, Minier was honored by the Professional Nurses Association of South Central New York.

Assessment Kit Sponsors and Recipients

Undergraduate nursing students must have medical assessment kits for clinical and simulation experiences starting with their first nursing assessment course. These kits cost around $150 and include a professional-level stethoscope, blood pressure unit, diagnostic penlight, bandage scissors and a Kelly hemostatic clamp. Decker’s Division of Advising and Academic Excellence established the Assessment Kit Sponsorship program six years ago to help students afford these essential items.

At the Homecoming Brunch, sponsors were honored for their generosity in funding 48 kits for the 2023-24 academic year.

“Being in nursing school can be quite expensive,” said Kelly Li, a junior in the traditional nursing program who received a sponsored kit. “The assessment kits have relieved some of this financial burden, and I hope you all recognize the impact of your kindness.

“Your generosity of sponsoring our assessment kits and being here today shows how much you believe in each and every one of us,” she added. “I hope that we can make an impact on our patients like so many of you do each and every day.”

Other Decker Homecoming Events

Lynn Gallagher-Ford and Kali Minier were the featured speakers at an Alumni Panel and Networking event Sept. 27, where they answered students’ questions and had individual discussions with them afterward.

Decker College hosted a tent at the University’s Fall Festival Sept. 28, just before the Binghamton men’s soccer team game at the Bearcats Sports Complex on the Vestal campus.