Li and Lavallee recognized at event featuring mid-Atlantic and Northeast nursing schools

Tuesday, May 13, 2025
A group of nursing students in blue scrubs walk together outside UNH's Health Sciences Simulation Center

Two UNH students earned awards at the recent Eastern Nursing Research Society regional nursing research conference, with Amber Li taking first place among bachelor’s students and Jordan Lavallee wrapping up second place among master’s students.

The annual conference brings together representatives from mid-Atlantic and northeast schools of nursing. Li and Lavallee stood out from the crowd among nursing students from some of the nation’s leading schools in the discipline.

“Among all of those A-list universities, it’s really exciting to see our students get recognized,” says Jing Wang, assistant professor of nursing and Li’s mentor for the competition. “It shows that if you make the effort and you do great work, you do get recognized, even with strong competitors from other universities.”

Li’s presentation was titled “Ethical Considerations in the Use of Intelligence-Assisted Home Monitoring Technologies for Persons with Cognitive Impairment: A Scoping Review,” while Lavallee presented on “Acuity-Based Models of Care: Improving Wait Times and Efficiency in an Outpatient Infusion Center.”

Two women stand in front of a poster at an academic conference
Jing Wang and Amber LI.

Li says she was “pleasantly surprised” to find out that she had received first place for her presentation. She managed to complete the project while juggling multiple jobs in the summer alongside her research, and performing the same balancing act opposite schoolwork during the year. But she “continued to chip away at it,” she says, and was proud of the ultimate reward for the time she put in.

“There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your hard work pay off while reaping the greatest mentorship from experienced nurse researchers like Dr. Wang,” Li says. “I felt so honored, proud and delighted that our work was receiving recognition.”

Lavallee chose Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover as the site for a quality improvement project as part of her capstone for a master’s in the clinical nurse leader program. The work she conducted there inspired her presentation at the conference, which focused on a couple of areas of critical importance in her eyes.

“I was genuinely surprised and incredibly honored,” Lavallee says of earning the honor. “I’m most proud of the balance my project struck between data and compassion. It focused on improving patient care and nurse well-being – two things that are deeply connected but often overlooked in operational decisions. I was able to highlight the voices and concerns of bedside nurses and design an acuity-based model of care that supported both patients and staff. I’m grateful that the judges saw the value in bridging clinical insight with systems-level thinking.”

Pamela Kallmarten, clinical professor and clinical nurse leader and evidence-based nursing program director, served as Lavallee’s mentor for the project and has had an up-close view of her development from an undergraduate student to a master’s candidate poised to enter the nursing field.

“She took a class with me when she was a sophomore, and her growth has just been outstanding,” Kallmarten says of Lavallee. “Jordan has done this program while being a full-time RN, and that’s really challenging. To exhibit that time management and priority management and still maintain that excellence, it’s so impressive.”

Lavallee is quick to give credit to those who lead the UNH nursing program for providing the necessary encouragement and guidance, and is proud that her achievement helps elevate the UNH program at a conference featuring so many national leaders.

Female student poses with a hand on her hip in front of a poster at an academic conference
Jordan lavallee.

“This recognition reflects the strength of the UNH nursing faculty and their commitment to mentoring students not just clinically, but also in leadership and research. The support I received throughout the process — from refining my research to preparing for presentation — speaks volumes about the academic and professional rigor of the program,” Lavallee says.“I never imagined presenting my capstone project at a professional conference, but the faculty pushed me outside of my comfort zone — and in doing so, helped me grow tremendously as a nurse, a leader and a researcher.”

Adds Li: “I just completed my second year, and I can say confidently that I am incredibly happy and lucky to be a part of the UNH nursing program. The nursing faculty make me feel like more than just a nursing student; they see me as an individual and it makes me appreciate the importance of a good educator. They are excellent mentors as clinical leaders and researchers and are great nursing mentors, too.”

Wang is similarly proud of Li’s commitment and hard work, and credits UNH’s dedication to providing research opportunities to undergraduate students as a significant factor in opening doors, for her and future students.

“UNH has a wonderful nursing program, and beyond teaching, it’s great to see how our college and department are putting more resources and effort into creating a nurturing, supportive environment for undergraduate students to do research,” Wang says. “I’m really happy for them to know that there are different paths to contributing to the field of nursing. I’m glad our students can see these opportunities and pathways and have the opportunity to grow as future scholars in nursing, that’s really exciting to me.”

Photographer: 
Jeremy Gasowski | UNH Marketing | jeremy.gasowski@unh.edu | 603-862-4465