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Wenona Bell is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing. She was on the original committee for the development of the REACH Bioethics Quality Enhancement Plan under the leadership of Damon Boria. She remained on the REACH QEP when Valerie Schluter took over as the director. She took the online Teach to REACH course and incorporated REACH-related content in the NURS 4750 course. She continues to serve as a member of the REACH Core Team.
Michelle Blackwell has been a full-time faculty member at FranU since 2008. She is a member of the REACH Core Team, participated in the Teach to REACH course, and earned the NCBC Certification in Healthcare Ethics with Distinction in 2024. Her course, Transition to Practice (NURS 4910) contains a review of Catholic Healthcare Ethics presented in previous courses and the students complete a knowledge quiz at the end of the course. Dr. Blackwell has published in Ethics and Medics, and will attend the NCBC Symposium on Brain Death this Spring.
Kathryn Fakier is an Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics and serves as Program Director for the Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences program. She has been employed with FMOLHS for the past 15 years and has held many positions within the organization, including clinical dietitian, lead dietitian, and clinical nutrition manager before joining FranU in 2016. Kathryn completed the Teach to REACH course in Fall 2023 and facilitates an IPE Ethics simulation each summer, focusing on nutrition support and end-of-life care. She is currently enrolled in the National Catholic Certification Program in Health Care Ethics, where she anticipates receiving her NCBC certification in October 2025.
Mindy Patteson is a native of Baton Rouge and initially attended Our Lady of the Lake College. In 2015, she graduated with her Masters in Nursing Informatics. She joined Franciscan Missionaries of our Lady University in 2019 after working for over 10 years at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. She has completed the REACH badge program and is certified in healthcare ethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center. Mindy incorporates bioethical discussions and ethical decision making related to the BRACA gene and end of life care into her classroom and clinical lectures. She also has many years of experience with 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.
Christopher Ragusa is an Assistant Professor of Theology and specializes in natural law and virtue ethics along with their applications for bioethics. He is the coordinator of FranU’s Bioethics Lecture Series and serves on the REACH Core Team. He also works as a consultant for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. At FranU, he teaches Introduction to Theology, Introduction to Moral Theology, Theological Bioethics, Philosophy for Theology, and The Good Community. He has a forthcoming article on natural law and natural rights due out with the American Maritain Association.
Emily Richard teaches senior-level students in the FranU School of Nursing. Her course addresses complex healthcare issues and touches on ethical issues such as withdrawal of care, euthanasia, organ transplant, and use of methotrexate for ectopic pregnancy. She has been involved with REACH since 2021, when she completed the Teach to REACH course. Since then, Mrs. Richard has been an active member of the REACH Core Team and obtained certification in Catholic healthcare ethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center. In 2024, she was awarded the Sr. Brenda Mary Ortoyne endowed professorship, which is responsible for the REACH Badge, to be offered to undergraduate and graduate students for the first time in Spring 2025.
Christina “Tina” Rochester, a native of Baton Rouge, 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. She has also obtained her NCBC certification in Healthcare Ethics and supports REACH-related activities in the Pharmacology course.
Jennifer Watson has 22 years of experience in physical therapy clinical practice, including 19 years specializing in orthopedics. Board-certified as an Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties in 2024, Jennifer combines advanced clinical expertise with leadership and business acumen, earning her MBA in 2019. Jennifer recently completed her post-graduate Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in December 2023. She joined the FranU DPT faculty in the fall of 2022 as an instructor and assists in teaching Foundations of Clinical Science I & II, Orthopedic Physical Therapy I & II, and Interventions. In February 2025, she will begin the NCBC certification program in Healthcare Ethics.
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