March 19, 2026 – Research College of Nursing (RCoN) is proud to celebrate its distinguished faculty members recognized in the 2026 Nursing Faculty Development Awards presented by The Research Foundation. This year’s honorees reflect RCoN’s ongoing commitment to teaching excellence, scholarly advancement, leadership, and investment in the future of nursing education.

The annual awards highlight educators who advance academic quality, support student success, and contribute meaningfully to nursing practice and community impact across the Kansas City area.

Excellence in Teaching: Margaret Bjelica, DNP, ACNS-BC, CRRN

Dr. Margaret Bjelica was honored with the Teaching Excellence Award, recognizing her outstanding ability to create a supportive, effective, and engaging learning environment. Her contributions continue to strengthen the academic climate at Research College of Nursing and inspire future nurses to excel in both clinical practice and compassionate care.

Scholarly Achievement: Nicole Kreimer, DNP, MSN, RN, PHNA-BC

Dr. Nicole Kreimer received the Scholarly Achievement Award for her ongoing leadership in advancing nursing research, academic scholarship, and professional practice. Her work exemplifies the rigorous inquiry and innovative thinking that drive RCoN’s academic mission.

Significant Investment in Doctoral Advancement

The Research Foundation recognized multiple RCoN faculty members with Doctoral Funding Awards, supporting their pursuit of terminal degrees and further specialization. These investments strengthen the college’s academic excellence and ensure sustained leadership in nursing education.

2026 Doctoral Funding Recipients – Research College of Nursing

• Anne Batchelder, MSN, RN, RNC-NIC
• Charla Clark, MSN, RN
• Jill Morsbach, MSN, RN, RNC-MNN
• Ashlye Speer, MSN, RN

These educators represent the future of advanced nursing practice and academic leadership at RCoN.

Faculty Scholarship Grant Awardees

One Research College of Nursing faculty member were selected to receive Faculty Scholarship Grants, which fund short-term research and study initiatives that enhance faculty development and contribute to innovation in nursing education.

• Margaret Bjelica, DNP, ACNS-BC, CRRN

Her projects will further strengthen the college’s contributions to research, evidence-based practice, and academic advancement.

Advancing Excellence in Nursing Education

This year’s honorees demonstrate Research College of Nursing’s dedication to cultivating outstanding educators, supporting professional growth, and preparing the next generation of nursing leaders. The recognition by The Research Foundation underscores the college’s role as a leading institution in the Kansas City region.

RCoN celebrates these remarkable faculty members and their continued contributions to the college, its students, and the nursing profession.

Congratulations to the exceptional students in our baccalaureate nursing program who earned a place on the Fall 2025 Honor Roll. These students achieved a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher while maintaining full-time status in a challenging nursing curriculum.

Your hard work, resilience, and commitment to academic excellence reflect the high standards of Research College of Nursing. Congratulations on this well‑deserved recognition.

September 4, 2025

Congratulations to the exceptional students in our baccalaureate nursing program who earned a place on the Summer 2025 Honor Roll! These dedicated individuals achieved a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher while maintaining full-time status in a rigorous nursing curriculum.

Your hard work, resilience, and commitment to excellence inspire us all. Well done!

August 20, 2025

Kansas City, MO – Research College of Nursing (RCoN) — the region’s largest and longest-standing single-purpose nursing institution — today announced the appointment of Amy Townsend, EdD, MSN, RN, CNE, as president. Dr. Townsend brings over a decade of experience in higher education and healthcare leadership to RCoN, which is consistently ranked among Missouri’s top 10 nursing schools by Nursing Schools Almanac.

In her new role, Dr. Townsend will lead strategic academic planning and oversee all undergraduate and graduate programs to ensure RCoN continues to deliver best-in-class nursing education, preparing the next generation of clinical leaders. The college currently enrolls more than 165 students in its Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.

A results-oriented nursing executive, Dr. Townsend brings over a decade of leadership experience in healthcare education, with a track record of advancing institutional effectiveness, fostering program innovation, and enhancing student and faculty engagement. She is recognized for her expertise in curriculum development, accreditation, and strategic planning across diverse academic programs, including nursing, radiography, occupational therapy, and nutrition. Most recently, she served as President of Cox College in Springfield, Missouri, where she led the institution through a strategic transition, managed multi-million-dollar budgets, and ensured program quality and accreditation standards were upheld. In earlier roles at Cox College, including Vice President for Student Nursing and Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, she directed successful reaccreditation processes, expanded program capacity, unified academic departments, and implemented data-driven systems that enhanced outcomes and operational efficiency.

Her appointment comes at a pivotal time for Research College of Nursing. In September 2024, HCA Midwest Health, Kansas City’s largest healthcare provider, broke ground on a new 78,000-square-foot Center for Clinical Advancement on the Research Medical Center campus. It is slated for completion in early 2026, coinciding with the college’s 120th anniversary. The $36.5 million investment in RCoN’s parent organization, HCA Healthcare, will support the college’s growth and long-term vision.

Since welcoming its first class in 1905, RCoN has graduated more than 6,500 professional nurses and remains a vital source of clinical excellence for the Kansas City region and beyond.

“Dr. Townsend’s deep experience in academic leadership and her forward-thinking approach make her the right leader for this exciting next chapter at Research College of Nursing,” said Keith Zimmerman, President of HCA Midwest Health. “As we continue investing in nursing education through the new Center for Clinical Advancement, her guidance will be key to ensuring RCoN remains a national model for innovation and excellence. We are proud to welcome her to the HCA Midwest Health family and look forward to the lasting impact her leadership will make on our students, our hospitals, and the communities we serve.”

“It is an incredible honor to join Research College of Nursing at such a transformational time,” said Dr. Townsend. “RCoN has a long-standing legacy of excellence in nursing education, and I look forward to building on that foundation to prepare students for the evolving demands of healthcare. Together with our dedicated faculty, staff, and community partners, we will continue advancing academic innovation, supporting student success, and empowering the next generation of nurses to lead with purpose and compassion.”

Dr. Townsend earned a Doctor of Education in Nursing Leadership from Northcentral University in Phoenix, where her research focused on the impact of transformational leadership on faculty satisfaction. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing with a focus in Nursing Education from Cox College, where she received the Academic Excellence Award, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri.

For more information on Research College of Nursing and its dedication to educating nurses, visit Research College of Nursing.

August 19, 2025

Congratulations to the exceptional students in our baccalaureate nursing program who earned a place on the Spring 2025 Honor Roll! These dedicated individuals achieved a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher while maintaining full-time status in a rigorous nursing curriculum.

Your hard work, resilience, and commitment to excellence inspire us all. Well done!

June 6, 2024

Congratulations to the Research College of Nursing students in the baccalaureate degree program who earned a place on the Honor Roll for Spring 2024! These outstanding nursing students in the traditional and accelerated tracks held full–time status and a nursing semester grade point average of 3.5 or above.

Your hard work, resilience, and commitment to excellence inspire us all. Well done!

BSN (Juniors & Seniors)

February 13, 2024

We sat down with three couples who chose Research College of Nursing (RCoN) to pursue their nursing dreams. Below, you’ll get to know our students and alumni, along with their inspiring nursing journeys.

Lucy and Sam Cannella are natives of Massachusetts and Connecticut, respectively. The two met at college in Ithaca, New York, where they earned their first Bachelor’s degree. The newlyweds enrolled at RCoN’s 12-month accelerated BSN program and began their nursing journey in January 2023.

Before nursing school, Sam worked as an emergency medical technician (EMT), while Lucy worked in marketing and advertising. She later got a job as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) for two years before nursing school. When we asked what drew them to our Kansas City program, Lucy said, “RCoN offered a one-year program and a competitive price, which was hard to beat!”

Accelerated BSN students come to RCoN with a wide variety of life experiences. Lucy made the career transition to nursing after a sibling was involved in an accident, which required a lot of care. Being there for her loved one inspired Lucy to switch careers into nursing. Sam loved his time as an EMT and enjoyed the patient care and critical thinking that came along with it. He opted to go back to school for nursing as well.

Coming from out of state, they weren’t sure what to expect. The Cannellas soon felt at home among RCoN’s close-knit community made exclusively for nursing, which they described as kind and welcoming, from the faculty to the students.

While earning their degrees together, the couple also shared the stage again at the induction ceremony as new members of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. On their path to practice readiness in 12 months, they enjoyed numerous opportunities to attend professional development sessions, volunteer in the community, and deepen their nursing skills.

“It was a great experience. It was actually our first year of marriage, so we put our relationship to the test,” says Lucy. “It was great having a built-in study buddy and someone you can talk to about things who understands what you’re going through, because they’re going through it with you.”

The Cannellas graduated from RCoN in December of 2023 and moved back east. Both Sam and Lucy recently accepted new grad nurse positions at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. Lucy will join their Med/Surg unit, while Sam will work in the Medical ICU. The couple plans to move into their new apartment in February and start their RN jobs on March 4, 2024.

Their dog Hudson has been with them through it all, but they say he’s excited to finally settle in their home.

“We made some great lifelong friends during our time at RCoN, who we are so grateful to have crossed paths with!”

April 5, 2021

Kansas City, Missouri – More than 140 Research College of Nursing students, faculty, and non-clinical staff recently volunteered to help facilitate Research Medical Center’s first community COVID-19 vaccine clinic.

The two-day event enabled 1,200 community members to receive their first dose of the Moderna vaccine. The Research College of Nursing Days of Service continued on March 11-12, when community members returned for their second vaccine dose, with volunteers again assisting with greeting, screening, escorting, data entry, vaccination, and observation.

The accelerated BSN Class of 2021 learned to administer injections ahead of the curriculum so more students and faculty could participate in administering the much-anticipated “shot of hope” to frontline workers at Research Medical Center on December 23. Accelerated nursing students who graduated from the College on December 13, 2021, returned to assist during the holidays.

“We are proud to maintain a commitment to excellence that started when Research College of Nursing was founded in 1905, and part of our mission is to not only educate nurses and develop leaders, but to care for our communities,” says Research College of Nursing President Thad R. Wilson, PhD, RN, FAAN. “It was our pleasure to join with our partners at Research Medical Center to provide one of the area’s largest community vaccine clinics.

“It was a heartwarming experience for our team that was filled with such positive feedback from our community. From the moment the public walked in the door to the moment they walked out, there was somebody there helping them, and almost always it was a Research College of Nursing student, faculty, or staff member.”

Research College of Nursing is one of the few nursing colleges in the U.S. integrated with a hospital. Sharing a campus with Research Medical Center also positioned students to be among the first in the region to administer COVID-19 vaccines. After pivoting their education to virtual settings during the pandemic, the nursing students were eager for the opportunity to step up in the fight against COVID-19.

“It is remarkable to see our students, faculty, and staff all doing their part to help end the pandemic,” says Research College of Nursing Professor and Director of Accelerated BSN Program Rebecca Saxton, PhD, RN, CNE. “Our skilled volunteers have worked in every aspect of the vaccination clinics and in some cases, actually injecting the vaccine.”

“I vaccinated people, getting valuable hands-on clinical experience,” says Research College of Nursing BSN Student ’21 Tasia Roberts. “It was wonderful to see people so excited to participate in such a life-changing moment.”

“Having the support of Research College of Nursing for our vaccine clinics was an invaluable community outreach experience for everyone involved,” says Research Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Ashley McClellan. “The aspiring nurses’ partnership, along with the staff and faculty of Research College of Nursing, allowed us to be seamless in offering compassion and camaraderie for a single purpose — to administer the vaccine, which is giving hope in the midst of the pandemic.”