Nursing Faculty

Rebekah Bergeron, MSN

Mrs. Rebekah Bergeron serves as the clinical coordinator for the undergraduate School of Nursing. She primarily teaches in Nursing 2750 Fundamentals of Nursing Practice. She completed her graduate degree at Our Lady of the College in 2009. Her clinical background includes oncology/hematology, trauma, med/surg, orthopedics, neurology, urology, rehab and postop.

Michele Blackwell, MSN, BSN

Dr. Michele Blackwell serves as the Retention Coordinator for the Undergraduate Pre-licensure BSN program, teaching the senior seminar, Transition into Practice. She completed her nursing degree in 1997 at FranU, earned a Master’s degree in Nursing Education in 2008 and finished her PhD in Education at LSU in 2020. She has been teaching in the nursing program at FranU for 14 years. Her nursing practice experience includes Trauma, ER, ICU, and Pediatrics.

Latonya S. Dorsey, DNP, RN, CNE

Dr. LaTonya Dorsey is an Associate Professor and serves as program director of the Pre-licensure BSN program. She is a certified nurse educator and the recipient of the 2016 Helen Johnson Cremeens Excellence in Teaching Award. She primarily teaches fundamentals and adult medical-surgical nursing. Dr. Dorsey completed her Master’s degree in public health/community health nursing from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in 2001 and doctorate degree in executive leadership from Loyola University New Orleans in 2017. Her professional accomplishments include CITE Fellow 2018-2020 and Collegium Fellow 2018. Her clinical background includes telemetry and medical-surgical nursing. She is an active member of Sigma Theta Tau National Nursing Honor Society, Baton Rouge District Nurses Association, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Janice Hall, MSN, CNRN

Janice W. Hall is a Nursing Faculty member in the University’s School of Nursing for the Pre-licensure BSN Program. She primarily teaches Fundamentals in Nursing Practice. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing degree, specializing in Nursing Education, from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her clinical background is in the field of neuroscience nursing and she is currently certified as a Neuroscience Registered Nurse (CNRN).

Carla Harmon, PhD, RN

Dr. Carla Harmon is an Associate Professor in the undergraduate nursing program who primarily teaches psychiatric mental health. She completed her undergraduate degree and graduate degrees from Southern University and A &M College in 1995 and 2004, and PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University in 2015. Her clinical background includes orthopedics, neurology, medical-surgical, and hospice.

Lauren A. Hollingsworth, MSN, RN-BC

Ms. Lauren Hollingsworth serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing. She primarily teaches community health and research content in the curriculum. She completed a B.A. Sociology and A.D Nursing from Louisiana Tech University. Additionally, she completed a B.S. in Nursing from University of Texas and M.S. in Nursing from Loyola University of New Orleans respectively. She is currently working towards completing a post-graduate certificate (FNP) from the University of South Alabama. Her professional/clinical background includes acute care experience in intensive care, cardiac care, telemetry, and medical-surgical nursing. She has an extensive work history in the home health industry.

Amit K. Mitra, PhD

Dr. Mitra graduated with his medical degree in 1982. He practiced as a clinical pathologist for 20 years. He also holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science and his field of research includes cell biology, hypertension, and heart failure. Currently, he teaches the pathophysiological basis of diseases in the nursing program at undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Mitra also teaches anatomy and physiology and serves as a research mentor for senior biology students and the Student Independent Research Experience (SIRE) program.

Belinda Munson, MSN, RN

Belinda Munson serves as assistant professor in the undergraduate School of Nursing program and primarily teaches in Nursing Concepts I. She completed her Master’s in Nursing Education from Southeastern Louisiana State University in 2009 and her undergraduate degree from Southern University in 1995. Her background in nursing is medical-surgical.

Amanda Olinde, DNP, APRN, CNM

Dr. Amanda Olinde is an Assistant Professor of Nursing and teaches in the Pre-licensure BSN program. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing in Nurse Midwifery in 2011 and her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2017 from Frontier Nursing University. Her clinical background includes obstetrics, women’s health, and school nursing.

Mindy Patteson, MSN, RN, CPON

Mindy is a native of Baton Rouge and attended Franciscan University, then called Our Lady of the Lake College. She graduated with her Masters in Nursing Informatics in 2015. She joined Franciscan University in 2019 after working for over 10 years at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. She is a Certified Pediatric Oncology Nurse and is certified in bioethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center. She has many years of experience in Hospice and Palliative Care. Mindy currently teaches students in both adult and pediatric concepts. Her passion is taking care of patients wholistically and providing dignity at their end of life.

Tina Rochester, MSN, RN

Christina “Tina” Rochester, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana has been a registered nurse for over 20 years. She obtained her Master of Science in Nursing Education degree from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2005 and has been teaching at the University since 2013. Her nursing expertise includes Medical-Surgical Nursing, Home Health, Hospice and Burn care. She has a passion for Adult Health, Gerontology, and Pharmacology among others. Mrs. Rochester has been teaching Pharmacology in the School of Nursing since 2013 and Medical-Surgical clinical for a variety of student levels.