Badger Nurses for Life
Alumni are a crucial part of the the UW–Madison School of Nursing community. With over 10,000 graduates worldwide, the Badger nurse network transforms healthcare in Wisconsin and around the globe. We are here to support you in all the places your UW–Madison nursing degree takes you. You inspire us. We look to you as experienced nurses, educators, and researchers to inspire and to support the next generation of nurse leaders.
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Nurses Alumni Organization
The Nurses Alumni Organization links the UW–Madison School of Nursing with alumni. Events and programs include the annual homecoming tailgate and alumni awards; fall career fair; student scholarships; and the graduation celebration and pinning awards.
Badger Nurse Network
The Badger Nurse Network is a professional organization for UW–Madison School of Nursing alumni, whether practicing, retired, or pursuing a different profession. We bring alumni together with the School to share insights, resources, and ideas on healthcare and workforce challenges.
NAO Awards
Each year, the NAO Awards salute alumni who have made significant contributions to the nursing profession. Recipients of the Distinguished Achievement Award and the Outstanding Badger Nursing Award exemplify the school’s legacy of excellence in nursing leadership.
58%
Alumni who stay in Wisconsin
10,000+
School of Nursing graduates
72/72
Wisconsin counties with Badger nurses
Alumni News & Events
Badger Nurses Change Lives
Q&A: Nancy Kaufman ’71 and Jessica Kendall ’14
The UW Nurses Alumni Organization (NAO) salutes alumni each year who have made significant contributions to the nursing profession. The most recent winners—Nancy Kaufman ’71, who received the Distinguished Achievement Award, and Jessica Kendall ‘14, who received the Outstanding Badger Nursing Award—both give their time and talent to the School and are members of NAO and the Badger Nurse Network.
Porter Scholarship Plants Legacy for Future Nurses
A Rhinelander, Wisconsin, native and proud School of Nursing alumna, Judy Porter wanted to provide the same educational opportunities that she had to future Badger nurses from northern Wisconsin. Her husband honored her last wish by establishing the Judy Porter Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Unleashing the Force of Transitional and Home Care
Dwayne Dobschuetz, APRN, Geriatric Nurse Practitioner at Northwestern Medicine and University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing alumnus, started checking in on older patients, as he rode his bicycle home from work. The experience inspired him to go back to school at age 65 to become an advanced practice nurse, and led to his current home care role.
Catalyst for Change
“I’ve been called a catalyst before and I believe that I am one. Challenge the status quo in constructive ways so you can achieve results in the system,” says Rachel Azanleko-Akouete, a recent graduate of the master’s in public health program at UW–Madison and BSN alumna. “We really need to inspire that next generation of researchers and public health nurses.”
Family, Faith, Fellowship, and Fitness
For Uchenna Jones ’02, ’09, it’s all about family. As a labor and delivery nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, she helps start new families. And as the organizer of both the Madison Gospel 5K and the W1N Crew walking group and the co-founder of the Sole Sistas Run Madtown running group, she helps keep those families healthy.
- More Alumni News
Alumni Events | Homecoming
Reconnect with campus and fellow Badger nurses at the annual NAO Tailgate, held in October by the School of Nursing's Nurses Alumni Organization. NAO awards for Distinguished Achievement and Outstanding Badger Nursing are also presented at the event.
Read ForwardNursing
Get the latest in research, education, and practice from the School of Nursing, meet the people leading the way, and celebrate the impact of alumni across the state and around the world. ForwardNursing brings you meaningful stories about and for people working to promote health and advance healthcare.
