Degree:Doctor of Nursing Practice-Leadership/Education, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Karen Arca-Contreras - Assistant Professor
I am the success coach program coordinator and co-coordinator of NRS. 110 and NRS. 115. I believe in preparing nursing students to meet the complex needs of patients in the health care system. My research interests include: active learning strategies, success coaching, clinical reasoning, inter-professional collaboration, and nursing concepts. Read my faculty profile.
Degree: PhD, RN, PNP-BC
Susan Brillhart
Dr. Brillhart has a BS in Nursing from the University of Connecticut, an MS in Nursing from the College of New Rochelle, a Post-Master’s Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Certificate from Adelphi University, and a PhD in Nursing Science from the CUNY Graduate Center. Her passion is caring for and about children and families, and that has driven her professional and volunteer work over the years. Specializing in infants and toddlers, she spent years working inpatient unit and Peds ICU, as staff or manager. Dr. Brillhart began her faculty career at SUNY Downstate, and then returned to practice as the PNP for Pediatric Surgery, Pediatric Liver Transplant, and for Medically Fragile foster children. She built houses for children with Habitat for Humanity (building with president Carter on several occasions) and volunteered in Family Court as a CASA for decades. She joined CUNY full-time over 20 years ago at BMCC and has enjoyed working with multiple different levels of students at CSI. She currently teaches Pediatric Nursing in the AAS program, is Program Coordinator for the RN-BS program, and works with the DNP students.
Degree:PhD, MS, BS, AAS
Danna Curcio
Dr. Danna L. Curcio is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society in Nursing as well as a member of the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars. Most recently, she was inducted as a Fellow in the New York Academy of Medicine. Research interests include the realm of nurses caring for dying children and also include research involving interventions to reduce nurses’ workplace stress associated with caring for dying children. Dr. Curcio has presented her research at local, regional, national, and international conferences. She has been a Maternal-Newborn nurse for many years and holds certification in this area of nursing.
Currently Dr. Curcio is the Assistant Program Coordinator for the Graduate Programs in Nursing.
Degree: PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF
Heyward Michael Dreher
Dr. Heyward Michael Dreher is currently the Interim Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Acting Chair of the Department of Nursing at the College of Staten Island. Before this posting, he was the Associate Provost at Medgar Evers College in CUNY, and prior to that, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions at the College of New Rochelle. He received his AS, BS, and Master of Nursing degrees at the University of South Carolina. He received his Ph.D. in Nursing Science at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, and completed a 2-yr Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania where he studied sleep in medical and psychiatric illness. He spent 17 years at Drexel University in Philadelphia where he was a teacher, administrator, and scholar and was promoted to Full Professor.
Degree: MSN, RN
Stephanie Erichsen
I attended the College of Staten Island for my undergraduate studies. I have worked in different healthcare settings including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York Presbyterian Hospital, and Weill Cornell Medical Center. I specialized in oncology nursing, research, and nursing education. I have been working as a nurse educator at the College of Staten Island for the past 12 years. I recently completed the Post Masters Certificate Adult Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program at the College of Staten Island. I am currently enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. My research focus is on simulation and nursing education. I recently completed the NYSIM Fundamentals of Simulation Education (FUSE) course.
Degree: MS, BS, Post-Graduate Certificates
Regina Gonzalez-Lama
Master of Science in Nursing Graduated May 1987 Clinical Specialist Program; Acute Care of the Adult Nursing Education
Herbert H. Lehman College Bronx, New York Bachelor of Science in Nursing Graduated June 1979
Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania Post-Graduate Completed May 1992 Nursing Administration Certificate
College of Staten Island Post-Graduate Nursing Education Certificate Staten Island, New York Completed January 2012
Degree: MA,BSN,BBA
Danielle Ann Hunton
Certifications
Medical-Surgical Nursing
CCRN-K
CWON
Degree: BS,MEd,MA,EdD
Marianne Jeffries
Dr. Marianne R. Jeffreys, EdD, RN, is Professor of Nursing, City University of New York (CUNY) College of Staten Island and CUNY Graduate College (PhD in Nursing program) in Manhattan. Her grant-funded research, consultations, publications, and professional presentations encompass the topics of cultural competence, nontraditional students, student retention and achievement, self-efficacy, teaching, curriculum, and psychometrics. Her career includes over 25-years of teaching in associate, baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate programs, with consultations on all types of degree programs nationwide, and as a registered nurse in various clinical settings for 9 years. The first edition of her book Teaching Cultural Competence in Nursing and Health Care: Inquiry, Action, and Innovation received the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Award. She is also author of Nursing Student Retention: Understanding the Process and Making a Difference, and numerous articles, book chapters, and videos. Her conceptual models and questionnaires have been requested worldwide and in various disciplines. Dr. Jeffreys is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and a Transcultural Nursing Scholar. Her awards include the international Leininger Award for Excellence in Transcultural Nursing, Columbia University’s Teachers College NEAA Award for Scholarship and Research, and the Mu Upsilon Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau Excellence in Professional Nursing Award. She was named Consultant of the Month (December 2007) by the National Center for Cultural Competence. Her expertise has been requested for grant-funded projects (HRSA, Kellogg), as well as for institutional and departmental workshops in academic and health care agency settings.
Degree:DNP,MSN,Diploma of Nursing/ RN,Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner
Jennifer Macchiola
Dr. Jennifer Macchiarola has practiced nursing for over 28 years. Her DNP capstone was the development of an education and simulation curriculum which focused on Preparedness Training for College Students to Improve Survivability After Mass Casualty Incidents. She traveled on a medical mission to Port-au-Prince Haiti to set up pop-up health clinics for extremely poor Haitian communities with no healthcare. She has been teaching as an adjunct professor in the Nursing Department since 2008. She is a fellow in the College of Staten Island Student Success Institute concentrating on developing instructional strategies that support student success. Her nursing specialty lies within Emergency Nursing and holds a leadership position of Clinical Nurse Liaison. She is an executive board member of Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society and holds the position of Corresponding Secretary.
Degree:PhD,MS,BS,Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner,Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Susan Mee-Crimmins
Dr Susan Mee-Crimmins is currently the Deputy Chairperson of the Department of Nursing of the School of Health Sciences at the College of Staten Island. She is dually credentialled as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (since 1997) and an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. Her specialty areas of research are Adolescent Smoking and Depression, and Nursing Pedagogy. Her passion is patient centered care and practice with a particular dedication to caring for adults living with Developmental Disabilities.
Dr Mee-Crimmins is a proud CUNY graduate, earning a Baccalaureate in Nursing from Hunter College- Bellevue School of Nursing with special recognition for Clinical Excellence. After that, she earned a Master of Nursing Degree at Seton Hall University, PhD from Rutgers University and post-master’s certificate as an Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner from the College of Staten Island. She has practiced across many settings within New York City in underserved communities in Neonatal Intensive Care, Cardiac Critical Care, Geriatrics, Community Nursing, and Primary Care of older adults.
Dr Mee-Crimmins is honored to be a member of the CUNY faculty and has dedicated her career to helping students achieve their dream of becoming a Registered Professional Nurse. She is humbled by the circumstances that bring our dedicated students to the profession and our school. She is grateful to the CSI nursing students for the opportunity to be a part of their story of becoming a nurse.
Degree: DNP,MS,MS,BS,AAS
Catherine Paradiso
Dr. Catherine Paradiso is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, The New York State Nurse Practitioner Association, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society. Research interests include health needs of transgender people. Dr. Paradiso has presented her research at regional conferences. She is an Adult Nurse Practitioner and a Nurse Practitioner in Psychiatry/Mental Health. She has practiced in many areas of Advanced Practice and held many Senior Leadership positions. Dr. Paradiso maintains faculty practice as a Nurse Practitioner and has been the recipient of many awards and honors in Nursing and the Community. She presently is the program coordinator for all graduate programs.
Degree: EdD,Post Master's Certificate,MA,BS,AAS
Magalie Pantmarakis
Dr. Magalie Pantermarakis has been a maternal newborn nurse for nearly 2 decades. Her specialization includes postpartum nursing, antepartum nursing and care of the healthy newborn. Dr. Pantermarakis holds certifications as Maternal Newborn Nurse and she is a Certified Childbirth Educator. Additionally, Dr. Pantermarakis is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Besides her passion for Maternal Newborn Nursing Dr. Pantermarakis is also interested in implementing the use of high and low fidelity simulation in nursing education and supporting transition to practice for new registered nurses.
Degree: PhD, MS, BSN,Post Doctoral Fellowship,RN
An-Yun (Emily) Yeh
My research area is cognitive performance and sleep in older adults. Human cognitive function has interested me since I took the bio-behavioral courses offered in my master’s program. I was introduced to the influence of physiological factors (i.e., aging, sleep, or physical activities) and pathological problems (i.e., cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer) on human cognition and, in turn, the impact on human functional status, self-care ability, and mortality. To explore my research interest more deeply, I was admitted to the University of Michigan School of Nursing PhD program in September 2009. My dissertation research topic was how sleep disturbances in healthy older adults relate to episodic memory performance. The results showed that episodic memory in healthy older adults was significantly related to sleep disturbances as well as other domains of cognition (i.e., executive function and cognitive reserve). After obtaining my PhD degree, I started my post-doctoral training at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. My post-doctoral training focused on NIH grant writing, actigraphy data re-coding, and analysis to compare the association of executive function with self-reported and objective sleep in heart failure patients, teaching, and post-master certificate training.