Reynolds Sowulewski Speaks at White House

As a member of the board of advisors to the Men's Health Network, Reynolds Associate Professor and Department Head of Health Stephen Sowulewski was recently invited to speak at the White House’s Dialogue on Men's Health. The audience included Broderick Johnson, White House Cabinet Secretary & Chair of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and Michael P. Botticelli Director, White House Office on National Drug Control Policy.

“I was there with a cadre of folks representing academia, medicine and advocacy and to lead a focus group,” said Stephen. “The overarching goal was to collaborate on the development of an official Office of Men’s Health within the Department of Health and Human Services. Secondary to that, the event highlighted the need to engage, inspire, and motivate men to become better stewards of their health.”  

Stephen also noted the conversation moved to how society can get additional men insured, as they account for 57%—nearly six million—of the 10.5 million Americans who are currently uninsured and eligible to purchase health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. 

Alumni Profile: Jenni Rose Johnson, Still Giving to Reynolds!

Jenni Rose Johnson and John Taylor

Jenni Rose Johnson, Class of 2012, is as much a part of the Nursing program at Reynolds as she was as a student – except now she is Jenni Johnson, R.N., Director of the Progressive Care Unit at Johnston-Willis Hospital. 

Recently, Jenni hosted a “Reynolds on the Road” reception, inviting nurses and respiratory therapists employed at the Midlothian hospital to mingle and reconnect with their alma mater. One activity the alumni especially enjoyed was writing notes of encouragement to current Reynolds Nursing students.

It’s the kind of support Jenni loves to give, and she doesn’t stop there. Realizing that recent Nursing graduates were delaying taking their NCLEX exam to become Registered Nurses – “because you’re just flat broke after you finish nursing school,” – Jenni spearheaded the NCLEX Challenge fundraising campaign to help grads cover the cost of the test, increasing their likelihood of performing well on the exam. 

With the help of other Reynolds Nursing alumni, more than $3,000 in NCLEX scholarships have been provided, with recipients employed at RVA hospitals and healthcare facilities. “I got choked up onstage at the Nursing Pinning Ceremony in January,” said Jenni. “It meant a lot to hear one of the graduates thank me in her remarks.” 

To top that? Jenni hired five of those graduates, who are now among her team at Johnston-Willis Hospital. 

Reynolds "Around the World Through Books"

Anthony Coetzer-Liversage, a South African visiting Virginia Commonwealth University this year as a Humphreys Fellow, did not initially find a program on a book set in Nigeria to be an obvious fit for himself. Yet his presentation on Teju Cole’s Every Day is for the Thief at the Around the World through Books program on Jan. 28 had the audience listening in sympathy as he tied the issues in the book to his own difficult experiences as a young man in Cape Town. 

He used quotations from the book to highlight issues in Nigeria such as corrupt government officials, the endemic system of bribery, the hopelessness of poverty and drug abuse, and the harshness of revenge justice, and showed how those things are also prevalent in South Africa and many countries that are struggling toward democracy.

Coetzer-Liversage’s experience providing substance abuse prevention and treatment services to minority groups in South Africa have given him a particularly acute understanding of how difficult it is to make positive changes and overcome systemic moral and economic obstacles, yet he expressed a great hope that progress can be made through small individual contributions. One audience member wrote, appreciatively, “Anthony modelled what he says we need more of—truth, addressing our fears, taking risks, etc.”

Around the World through Books is sponsored by the Multicultural Enrichment Council.

By Lisa Bishop 

Reynolds visits the Virginia General Assembly

In 1985, the Virginia General Assembly declared every fourth week of January as “Community College Week” in Virginia. To honor this special week and to kick off the Virginia Community College System’s year-long 50^th Anniversary celebration, Reynolds recently participated in the VCCS’s “Every Day is Community College Day” advocacy while visiting the General Assembly.

During their visit, Reynolds students enjoyed a motivating speech by Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones before embarking on a walking tour of the Capitol Grounds. The tour concluded with the students visiting the formal session of the General Assembly where they were welcomed from the House floor.

College/Foundation Board members also joined Dr. Rhodes for the day, visiting several legislators in their offices during which time they were able to inform them of proposed legislation that would support the workforce training done by the VCCS.