The Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies

Dr. Karen Burrows is an Assistant Professor of the Practice at the Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, teaches Undergraduate and Graduates students, and serves as the Veterans Administration Nursing Academic Partnership Program Director. She brings over 30 years of healthcare experience in clinical, education, and management.

Dr. Anthony J. Santella is a Professor of Public Health and Director of the MPH program. His research helps improve the sexual health of people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS, gender and sexual minorities, justice-involved persons, youth, and people experiencing homelessness. Dr. Santella earned a MPH in Health Policy and Management from Emory University, a DrPH in Health Systems Management from Tulane University, an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Health Professions Education from Hofstra University and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist.

Dr. Bridget Hussain is an Assistant Professor of Public Health. She is a clinically trained as a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. Her research examines the diet-disease relationship, identifying how nutrition can help prevent, treat, and manage chronic health conditions. Dr. Hussain earned a MS in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics and PhD in Epidemiology from New York University.

Dr. Doughty is a Visiting Assistant Professor and Director the Public Health Program in the Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies. She has received a B.S. in Nutrition & Dietetics from the University of New Haven, a Master’s degree in Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University, and a PhD in Public Health Nutrition from UMass Amherst. Prior to joining Fairfield University, Dr. Doughty was a researcher at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center for many years and co-authored peer-reviewed articles on topics including effectiveness of school-based obesity prevention initiatives and impact of dietary interventions on cardiometabolic risk factors. However, her strongest interests are in maternal and infant health and breastfeeding promotion. Her dissertation explored the relationship between breastfeeding intensity and rapid infant weight gain and differences in breastfeeding by maternal diabetes status.

Dr. Alicea-Planas has worked as a community health nurse in low-resourced areas for over 25 years. Her primary area of interest encompasses chronic disease management, health education and the care of vulnerable populations. In years past she has been part of faculty-led community-engaged trips for public health nursing in Nicaragua and has worked on various community-based research in both urban Managua and rural coffee farm regions in Jinotega. She is also actively engaged in various diversity initiatives both on and off campus.

Dr. Jennifer Schindler-Ruwisch, who has a BS from the College of William and Mary and an MPH from Columbia University, specializes in chronic diseases, nutrition-related diseases, obesity prevention, smoking cessation, and maternal/child health. She completed her Ph.D. at George Washington University, focusing on breastfeeding in the WIC population. Passionate about health education, she studies mobile health to reduce health disparities and teaches public health, advocating for health equity.

Dr. Lisa Sundean is an assistant professor and director of the Master of Healthcare Administration program at the Egan School. Her research and scholarship focus includes nursing leadership, specifically in board leadership roles, health policy, and nursing workforce development.

Adjunct Professor Dan Pumerantz joined the faculty in 2020 and brings his 12+ years of Healthcare experience from Yale New Haven Health (YNHH) as he teaches Healthcare Reimbursement in the MHA program in Egan School of Nursing. At YNHH he is a Director of Revenue responsible for reporting, valuing, and analyzing revenue a cross the System. Prior to YNHH, he spent 6 years in public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Insurance industry. Dan obtained his BS and MS in Accounting from UCONN and also serves on the Board of Directors for Medical Center Pharmacy (MCP), a specialty pharmacy under Yale New Haven Hospital.

Dr. Sally Gerard, Professor and Program Director for The Nurse Leadership and MSN/MBA programs at Fairfield University, boasts a 25-year nursing career with a focus on critical care and hospital education. A Certified Diabetes Educator, Dr. Gerard is renowned for her expertise in diabetes. Her dedicated publications and research aim to deepen our understanding of diabetes and improve patient outcomes. Driven by a profound passion for nursing, she actively advocates for health and quality care, contributing significantly to the healthcare landscape. 

Dorothy Vittner, with a 30-year background in Neonatal/Perinatal nursing and over two decades of research, focuses on high-risk infant care, emphasizing infant brain development and neurobehavioral functioning. As a Senior NIDCAP Trainer and Vice-President of the NIDCAP Federation International (NFI), she leads in the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP). Dorothy consults globally, evaluating hospital systems and training health professionals on infant behavior to improve outcomes. An esteemed international expert, she lectures worldwide on infant neurodevelopment, translating theory into practice. Dorothy integrates reflective strategies into academic and clinical settings and is driven by her passion for enhancing relationships at all levels.