2012 Champion of the College of Nursing: Lisa Reese

In November 2012, the University of South Florida College of Nursing named Ms. Lisa Reese as the 2012 Champion of the College of Nursing for her selfless support of the College’s initiatives to support and assist the nation’s military, veterans and their families or RESTORE LIVES at USF Nursing.

The news is full of stories of veterans returning home unable to adjust to society. News headlines speak of veterans committing crimes and the tragic stories of suicides among the veterans. Some just shake their heads, saddened and tune in to another channel or flip the page in the paper. But not Lisa Reese! For Lisa, who served in the U.S. Army as a Legal Specialist in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps, this was a call to action.

USF Nursing Lisa Reese Champion of College 2012

“We have a saying in the military,” said Lisa Reese. “We leave no one behind. Complete the mission.”

Lisa has a cause, Leave No One Behind. To her this doesn’t just mean bringing veterans home, it means helping them to re-integrate back into society.

“As a veteran I have a duty to support veterans, as an American I have an obligation to honor their service. When I served I left no one behind on the battlefield. When current veterans come home I will make sure their mission is complete and their service is honored.”

Lisa attended a meeting in February at the University of South Florida College of Nursing and “listened in awe and inspiration” to Dr. Kevin Kip, and his research team, describe the innovative work in the areas of PTSD and Biobehavioral research, and the inspirational stories of those who have participated in the studies. Kevin Kip, PhD, FAHA is Professor and Executive Director Research Center at the USF College of Nursing.

At the USF College of Nursing, Lisa found professionals who not only wanted to help veterans, but were actively engaged in studying new therapies to accomplish this. At the end of the meeting, Lisa took action, and made a contribution for Restore Lives at USF: Education and Research to Rehabilitate and Restore the Lives of Veterans, Service Members and their Families. She has also agreed to serve on an advisory board for RESTORE LIVES at USF.

“I strongly believe veterans returning from the current wars will need a lot of mental health support in their reintegration back into society. Whether it be finding a job, or finding someone to talk to about their experiences, support is key in helping them. Barriers have to be removed to allow veterans to talk about their experiences and feel comfortable in their transition back home. Restore Lives at USF is front and center in helping veterans make that transition.”

Through her timely and generous support of Restore Lives at USF, Ms. Reese is directly impacting the lives of veterans and service members, as well as furthering her cause to Leave No One Behind.

The story We Leave No One Behind was originally published in the college’s magazine Nursing on the Move in Summer 2012. 

–RESTORE LIVES at USF Nursing-

The USF College of Nursing RESTORE LIVES – Research and Education to Rehabilitate and Restore the Lives of Veterans, Service Members and their Families directly impacts the lives of veterans and service members. USF has a long history of supporting our nation’s service members, veterans and their families with workforce issues, innovative educational programs and out-of-the-box nursing research conducted by our world class faculty. The USF College of Nursing is Transforming Healthcare, Transforming Lives: Creating the Nursing Leaders of Tomorrow and the Research that Improves Health. For more information on RESTORE LIVES or other USF Nursing initiatives visit health.usf.edu/nursing.