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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 30, 2023 B5 HEALTHCARE HEROES WINNER CATEGORY Community Service - Advocacy/Policy Post University Team Members: Post University CEO & President John L. Hopkins; Dean of American Sentinel College of Nursing & Health Sciences Kimberly Nerud; and Senior Vice President of Culture, Diver- sity and Associate Experience Wesley Debnam What have been your significant accom- plishments in the past year? Our College of Nursing & Health Sciences this year received a $1 million Nurse Faculty Loan Program grant from the Health Resources and Services Admin- istration to offer financial assistance to aspiring nurse educators. To support our students, we built a robust mental health program offering digital resources, including YOU@Post, a wellness and success platform. Additionally, we offer online anonymous and confidential mental health screenings, and SOAR (Student Online Assistance Resource) that provides 24/7 access to important services, including counseling, financial and legal resources. Administration also invested in upgrading the Student Health Services and The Center for Mental Health and Wellness. The new space offers a tranquil environ- ment while continuing to support and offer services to help our students. We also established an Associate Relief Fund to address the personal emergencies of associates. What's the team's next major goal and/or challenge? Nationwide, demand for nurses is high. We're committed to working with the healthcare community to see nurses graduate with their advanced degrees to meet the needs of our nation's diverse patient population. To that end, we look to expand and form strategic partnerships with health systems. Post University can help you move your nursing career forward. From RN to BSN. From BSN to MSN. Even from MSN to DNP. Learn more about our accredited programs * at post.edu. *Programmatically accredited. Master of Science in Nursing program is accredited by CCNE. Doctor of Nursing Practice program is accredited by ACEN. Post Makes It Personal ® WINNER CATEGORY Community Service - Advocacy/Policy Marina A. Creed UConn Health Director of the UConn Indoor Air Quality Initiative; Nurse Practitioner at the UConn Health Multiple Sclerosis Center Marina Creed is a neuro-immunology nurse practitioner at the UConn Health Multiple Sclerosis Center and director of the UConn Indoor Air Quality Initiative. She manages the care of hundreds of immunosuppressed patients and was motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic to help protect these patients from infections by becoming involved in public health. What have been your significant contribu- tions to your organization in the past year? I founded the Indoor Air Quality Initiative with the goal of studying low-cost, high-ef- ficiency air purifiers, which remove over 97% of viruses from the air in 30 minutes. The Corsi-Rosenthal Box do-it-yourself air purifier can be made from inexpensive materials by students and people of all ages and skill sets. Together, our research team of faculty and students, spanning several depart- ments, created and donated over 600 of these air purifiers to communities in need. Our team created a website and corre- sponding lesson plans for 5th grade, 8th grade and high school classes, to make these as part of a science project with important real-world utility. Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome. We needed funding to get off the ground. I networked with scientists across the globe over Twitter and landed a $300,000 grant given in cryptocurrency. This was UConn's first time accepting a cryptocurrency grant. The logistics of accepting this currency was a challenge, which our team was able to overcome. What's your next major goal and/or challenge? To see public schools build the air purifiers annually, which brings students and teachers clean air for $4 per student per year. Our lesson plans teach concepts about human health, air pollution, global warming and social/environmental justice.