Top 10 Decker College stories of 2025

Here are the most popular Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences stories from 2025, according to readers at binghamton.edu.

Binghamton grad teaches students to embrace the uncomfortable

Clinical Assistant Professor Nicholas Terela ’10, ’11, MS ’15, is a former EMT, former flight nurse, and current registered nurse in the Emergency Department at United Health Services Wilson Medical Center. He teaches in the undergraduate nursing program and shares his emergency response expertise with students in the Division of Public Health’s disaster management program. He was named a Bearcats of the Last Decade 10 Under 10 Award winner in 2025.

‘Happy coincidence’ brought two sisters to Binghamton

Meredith Smith ’11 and her younger sister, Elizabeth Smith ’24, graduated from Decker College in May 2025 at the same Commencement ceremony. Meredith earned a Master of Public Health degree, while Elizabeth received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Meet the new faculty and staff at Decker College

Decker College welcomed 29 faculty and staff members, with new hires distributed across the college. There were also several appointment changes and one retirement.

Research explores how food insecurity affects stress and mental health

Binghamton Associate Professor Lina Begdache, PhD ’08, and Assistant Professor Melissa Zeynep Ertem and their team investigated how a lack of nutrition affects our resilience, stress mindset, and level of mental distress across different ages and genders.

Decker College graduate takes unique path to nurse practitioner

Olivia Medeiros, MS ’25, studied business administration and hotel management as an undergraduate but discovered her passion for caring for people. In May 2025, she earned a Master of Science in Nursing degree as a family nurse practitioner.

Binghamton dean becomes editor-in-chief of national nursing research journal

Dean Mario R. Ortiz was appointed editor-in-chief of Nursing Science Quarterly in August. A board-certified community and public health nurse specialist, family nurse practitioner, and respected scholar in national and international circles, he contributed to the publication for over 15 years before his recent appointment.

Fellowship empowers PhD student to advance empathy-oriented speech-language pathology

Kiana Tanghatar, a speech-language pathologist and doctoral student who works with Decker College’s Division of Speech and Language Pathology, recently received a Digital Scholarship and Communications Fellowship. The award helped her develop a game-inspired simulation that teaches empathy.

How a unique, virtual clinic helps individuals who stutter

Binghamton’s Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinic hosted a Virtual Intensive Stuttering Clinic for Adolescents and Adults this summer. It was the first of its kind.

Year-end awards honor nursing and public health students and faculty

Decker College’s divisions of nursing and public health held awards ceremonies to recognize students graduating in May.

How the air you breathe affects your health

Deena Thomas, an assistant professor of public health, explores air toxicants and their impact on physical and mental health.