Ventures Winter 2020-2021 | Page 18

WITH COURAGE , CARE
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen its share of heroes — and quite a few members of the Stevenson University family , unsurprisingly , number among them . Students , alumni , and faculty from the university ’ s Berman School of Nursing and Health Professions and Fine School of the Sciences have been hard at work caring directly for patients or working long shifts in laboratories to develop testing and antibodies that provide hope for the future . Here are their stories .

LIFE ON THE FRONTLINES

While things were still relatively calm in the United States , Tanya Castagna — who received a bachelor ’ s degree in Nursing from Villa Julie College in 2004 — was already hard at work fighting the pandemic in Italy . The Baltimore native works as a peri-operating room nurse at a university hospital in Sardinia , Italy , a region that was particularly hard-hit in the early months of the pandemic and is now experiencing its second wave of cases and lockdowns .
Castagna describes the pandemic as a “ surreal experience ,” noting that elective surgeries have recently been put on hold again as her hospital attempts to avoid overload . “ But this time , I have more clarity and less fear ,” she says . “ My destiny has called me to be a nurse during this pandemic … I ’ m sure it will be a trying winter for many — however , after the storm passes , there will be rebirth . There will be renewal .” She adds that her time at VJC helped prepare her for the work she now pursues . “ I remember studying about pandemics but never thought I would witness one in my career . In the early days of the outbreak , I often thought about my preparation at Villa Julie and the very reasons why I chose this profession . With time , my fears quickly changed into courage .”
As the virus progressed to the United States , many medical workers of all types also saw their jobs change overnight .
Christopher Toth graduated from Stevenson in 2016 with a degree in Biochemistry , and now works as a family medicine physician assistant at GBMC ’ s Family Care clinic in his hometown of Jarrettsville , Md . As a primary care specialist , Toth has seen significant changes to his job since the onset of COVID-19 — particularly with a shift to telemedicine . “ Oftentimes , as primary care providers , we are the first ones contacted by patients with questions and requests for recommendations , testing advice , and so on ,” he explains . “ At the beginning of the pandemic , we were getting maybe 10 calls a day from people worried that they ’ d been exposed .”
While Toth returned to the physical office relatively quickly , most of his cases were people who needed urgent medical care — but as safety guidelines and PPE protocols have become clearer , Toth says he ’ s now been able to return to normal primary care appointments . One unseen benefit of the pandemic ? Toth says there ’ s been an increased focus on addressing underlying issues of anxiety and depression — particularly through the increase in video visits , which allow him to see those patients sooner than normal . “ For addressing mental health concerns , telemedicine has a huge role ,” he notes .
It ’ s not just Stevenson alumni working on the frontlines . Current Nursing student Regina Nicoli , who will graduate in May 2021 , works as a patient care technician and student nurse
16 | VENTURES / WINTER 2020-2021