 
| Former Dean Suzy Kim has an international reputation as a researcher in nursing. | |||||
A Nursing Scholar for the WorldBy Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87 When a friend of Ginette Ferszt’s at the University of Pennsylvania learned that she was pursuing her doctorate in nursing at the University of Rhode Island, the friend couldn’t contain her enthusiasm. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you are going to have the chance to work with Suzie Kim. She is internationally known,” the friend told Ferszt. Those are typical reactions when the name Hesook Suzie Kim is mentioned among nurses and scholars. A professor at URI’s College of Nursing since 1973, Kim will retire in May after gaining legions of disciples from Kingston to Los Angeles and from Norway to South Korea.
Ferszt, now an associate professor of nursing at the college and a colleague of Kim’s, wasn’t surprised when told that Kim is one URI’s quiet stars. “I said to her, ‘why don’t we know this about you?’ But she is so modest. She is by far one of the most widely respected individuals in terms of knowledge development in nursing. She is a visionary, a true scholar!” Even when Kim’s colleagues and former students paid tribute to her during a Friends of the College of Nursing event in November 2003, she was at a loss for words. Overcome by the attention and the praise, Kim offered brief remarks and a thank-you. Others weren’t so reserved. “It’s an honor and privilege to pay tribute to Dr. Kim, who has served the college and me as a teacher, mentor, and friend,” said her former student Steve Alves, who organized an effort to establish a $20,000 endowment fund in her honor. “We thought it would be great to develop an endowment that would provide graduate students with seed money to present their research findings at conferences. Because of our graduates’ strong feelings for Suzie, it didn’t take us long to reach our goal.” “We are forever grateful for all your support and all your work,” Alves said to Kim during the event. Alves, who earned his doctorate in nursing from URI in May 2002 and is now an assistant professor and coordinator of the Graduate Nurses Anesthesia Program at Northeastern University, said Kim influenced his career in many ways. “Dr. Kim has provided me the fundamental knowledge and skills I needed to successfully develop a program of research.” Nancy Bittner, assistant professor and curriculum coordinator at Regis College’s Center for Health Sciences, has similar things to say about her mentor. “Dr. Kim is incredibly intelligent, but she has a way of bringing students along that propels them well beyond what they think they can accomplish,” said Bittner, who earned her master’s degree in 1991 and doctorate in 2002 from the college. “I now have administrative and classroom roles, and I use many of Dr. Kim’s methods to present materials. She has the ability to bring a high level of nursing research to the bedside for the benefit of both the patient and the nurse.” Kim has been a visiting professor at the University of Oslo’s Institute of Nursing Science since 1994 and has collaborated with colleagues in Korea, Sweden, Finland, and Germany. Her work in Norway has resulted in strong ties between URI and the University of Oslo. After retirement from URI, she will return to Norway as a professor at the University of Buskerud. Kim, a resident of Exeter, R.I., who raised five boys with her husband, Hyung Park, has been an international researcher and leader in nursing theory development with an emphasis on the nature of nursing practice. She joined a nursing study on pain assessment that involved scholars from Sweden, Korea, and the United States. She also coordinated a series of five conferences at URI on nursing knowledge development from 1991 to 1995. And while her research has won her accolades around the globe, her ability to serve as a mentor to students and faculty members has won her equally strong praise.“One of the most striking things about her is that she is so collegial, so supportive of students and faculty, and always willing to share her knowledge and expertise,” Ferszt said. “It’s not often that you find a woman with her stature who’s also very down to earth, very understated, and always available as a mentor to her students. Every time I think about her retiring, I tear up. I just can’t imagine her not being here.” In the early 1980s, the University thought Kim had the vision to lead the college and appointed her dean from 1983 through 1988. “It was during that period when the college and I had an internal focus and devoted our time to curriculum and program development,” Kim said. Alumni and colleagues credit her with being one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the doctoral program in the college. “We also tried to develop a great commitment to research among the faculty,” Kim said. “I am most proud that we have so many great doctoral graduates in the field teaching and conducting leading research. They are out there influencing other students and the nursing field as a whole. I see their publications in nursing journals regularly.” In the mid-1980s, Kim participated in several classes in Norway, which led to more international collaboration for the college. “URI was probably one of the first U.S. universities to participate in international research conferences in nursing. When we ran international conferences here at URI, they really put us on the map,” said Kim. Each of those two-day conferences attracted 200 participants, including URI doctoral students. While such research and scholarly accomplishments make her proud, Kim said she’ll miss other aspects of her career as well. “We have a fantastic college with great colleagues and a very open culture,” she said. “I could not have reached my goals without the support of the college. We have very powerful faculty in our focus areas.” “You know, some have asked me why I stayed at such a small school, and I tell them that my colleagues have played a central role in my growth. And now, we as a college are really beginning to make our mark on research on a national and an international basis.” Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87, is the assistant director of URI’s Department of Communications. |
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