Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2020: Stony Brook – Kathleen Gambino

Kathleen M. Gambino EdD, RN is a Clinical Associate Professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Nursing who has taught in all areas of the undergraduate program.  As the Program Director for the Registered Nurse to Baccalaureate and Registered Nurse Baccalaureate to Master’s programs, she is currently involved in the development of curriculum and clinical opportunities aimed at meeting the unique needs of associate to baccalaureate and associate/baccalaureate to master’s degree students.  She has assisted in the development of academic partnership programs with area health care institutions.  These alliances enhance professional growth, promote education, and provide employment opportunities for RN students.

In 2017, Kathy was appointed the Suffolk County Community College (SCCC)/Stony Brook University faculty liaison for the Nursing First program.  This joint admission partnership was created to provide a seamless transition for nursing students to progress directly from their associate degree to the university’s baccalaureate program.  In her role, Kathy mentors new SCCC nursing students as they begin their associate degree education through their transition to and graduation from the university by coordinating seminars aimed at providing academic advice and personal counseling.  With her support, this innovative program provides a streamlined pathway for associate degree nurses to attain their baccalaureate degree well before the 10-year limit that was recently mandated by New York State.

Kathy and her colleagues transformed the RN to Baccalaureate program curriculum and clinical practice experiences, as per the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s White Paper “Expectations for Practice Experiences in the RN to Baccalaureate Curriculum.”  She has been instrumental in the establishment of the first Team-based Learning platform for on-site and distance-learning nursing education and is involved in designing interprofessional simulation experiences for nursing, medical, and social work students.

Prior to accepting the role of Program Director, Kathy functioned as the Faculty Director for the Nursing Internship program between Stony Brook University Hospital and the School of Nursing for 15 years.  This innovative program provides students with the opportunity to gain clinical experience, and a salary, while earning undergraduate credits.

Kathy has published in several professional journals and presented at local, national, and international forums. Topics of publication and presentation include occupational commitment, interprofessional education, Team-based Learning, and incivility in the nursing profession.  Her other research interests include discerning educational elements that impact nursing curriculum change and how they affect the performance of new nurse graduates in professional practice.  She is also interested in adult learning theory and accommodating learning styles with the goal of supporting and promoting academic success.

Kathy is a member of Stony Brook University’s Institutional Review Board.  She serves as a manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Advanced Nursing and Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing.  She received her Doctorate of Education at Dowling College, her Master of Science in Nursing at University of Tennessee, and her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Secondary Education at McDaniel College.