Innovation in health care focus of Edson College California Center launch event

September 15, 2022

On Aug. 25, Arizona State University's Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation held a launch event at the ASU California Center.

"Innovation in Health Care: Charting the Future" featured a panel of experts discussing innovative solutions and directions for tackling some of our most pressing health care workforce needs. Speakers sit on a stage in the ASU California Center looking out at an audience. Signage for ASU's Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation can be seen in the background. Panelists share ideas for tackling health care workforce needs at the ASU California Center last month. Download Full Image

Edson College Dean Judith Karshmer and members of the college’s executive leadership team were joined by trusted industry leaders with decades of health care experience.

The distinguished participants included:

Keynote speaker Dan Weberg, innovation executive with experience leading change in large, top five health systems and three-time ASU alumnus.

Panelist Diane Drexler, vice president of patient care and system chief nursing officer for Community Memorial Health System in Ventura, California, and ASU alumna.

Panelist Anita Girard, chief nursing officer and vice president of nursing at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and president of the American Nurses Association of California.

“The robust discussion at this event included an assessment about how we can move from talking about workforce issues to putting actionable and impactful practices into motion,” Karshmer said. “It was the start of what will be an ongoing conversation on diverse topics in areas critical to health care professionals, educators and students.”

The panel discussion can be viewed in its entirety here.

Edson College is developing a comprehensive slate of programming and events at the California Center, including programs and workshops on topics around wellness, human trafficking, innovation in healthy and resilient aging, health care workforce development, and clinical research management and regulatory science.

“In addition to alumni and students who call California home, we also have a number of partnerships and collaborative opportunities with area health care educators and providers,” Karshmer said. “Having this physical presence in the Los Angeles area allows us to broaden our reach and deliver dynamic and impactful programming around in-demand health care topics.”

Arizona State University’s California Center is located in the historic Herald Examiner building in downtown Los Angeles. Learn more about upcoming events here.

Written by Lisa McQuerrey, director, Strategic Marketing and Communications, Edson College

ASU partners with Purdue to co-host inaugural Cold Case Symposium

Yellow police caution tape that reads "Crime scene do not cross."

For years, America's consumption of true crime documentaries, books, podcasts, movies and TV shows has steadily grown, with the category easily becoming one of the most popular among all genres. A new event co-hosted by Arizona State University’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences and the Purdue University College of Agriculture’s Department of Entomology seeks to go beyond en...

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ASU partners with Purdue to co-host inaugural Cold Case Symposium

September 15, 2022

For years, America's consumption of true crime documentaries, books, podcasts, movies and TV shows has steadily grown, with the category easily becoming one of the most popular among all genres.

A new event co-hosted by Arizona State University’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences and the Purdue University College of Agriculture’s Department of Entomology seeks to go beyond entertainment and bring awareness to the cold case crisis in the United States. Yellow police caution tape that reads "Crime scene do not cross." Download Full Image

With over 200,000 unsolved murder and missing persons cases in the U.S., increased visibility and advocacy is more important than ever, said Lauren Weidner, assistant professor in the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences.

“I am excited to share this information not only with the ASU and local community but also on a national scale, thanks to our collaboration with Purdue University,” Weidner said. “Through the symposium, we hope to shed light on the cold case crisis in the U.S. while also sharing how we can all be advocates for this important cause.”

The inaugural Cold Case Symposium is open to community members, students, faculty and staff, and will be hosted from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, at ASU’s West campus and online via Zoom in recognition of National Forensic Science Week. The event will feature three speakers who will share their personal experiences working with cold cases, including:

Kelsi German, advocate and sister of Liberty German, who will speak about the 2017 unsolved double murder of Abigail Williams and Liberty German and the experiences and challenges her family faced in their pursuit of justice.
David Robinson II, advocate and father of missing geologist Daniel Robinson, who will speak about his son’s case, the evidence recovered and his continued search to locate his son.
Sarah Turney, advocate and host of the true crime podcast "Voices for Justice," who will speak about the power of social media and her experience with propelling missing persons cases into the spotlight.

Attendees of the symposium will also learn about cold case resources and hear about student work being conducted at New College and Purdue University. Last spring, New College launched FOR 496 - Forensic Science Service Learning, a new course created by Weidner in collaboration with Krystal Hans, an assistant professor of forensic entomology at Purdue University. In the course, students use their knowledge of forensic science to work on various service learning opportunities that include working on cold cases, lesson planning and activity design with high school educators and educating the general public.

“This year, we’ll be focusing on a lot of Arizona cases, particularly ones in the Phoenix area, with the hope that families that are local can attend in person to better network with people who have shared experiences and to understand the resources that are available to them,” Hans said. “We will have counselors on site as well, as we realize the nature of this topic and its accompanying material is triggering. We want to support families and our participants as much as we can.”

Registration for the event is open to ASU students, faculty, staff and community members. Learn more or register at newcollege.asu.edu/destinationwest.