秋霞福利一区 Honors First Graduates of Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice Program, Celebrates 100% Job Placement
MOBILE, Ala. 鈥撀Even before they had completed the 秋霞福利一区鈥檚 new Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program this summer, every member of the first graduating class had received job offers in a field that U.S. News & World Report ranks #5 on its .
Dr. Todd Hicks, executive dean of the College of Health Professions and professor of nurse anesthesiology, congratulated the 12-member inaugural class and noted their many accomplishments during an awards ceremony held July 13 on campus.
By the Numbers
鈥淵ou have been diligent. You have persevered 鈥 and look how far you made it!鈥 said Hicks, founding dean of 秋霞福利一区鈥檚 DNAP program.
Throughout the 36-month program, the dozen students:
- Delivered 10,735 anesthetics among six clinical sites
- Experienced 32,157 hours and 30 minutes of anesthesia time
- Cared for 1,136 pediatric patients, including 304 infants and 31 neonates
- Provided care for 482 emergencies
- Handled 864 obstetric cases, including performing 393 epidurals for labor analgesia and more than 300 spinal anesthetics for 382 Cesarean sections
- Performed 7,539 endotracheal intubations, 1,243 regional anesthetics, 913 arterial lines and 182 central lines.
- Participated in 165 open heart anesthetics and 210 lung surgeries.
- Produced three high-quality evidence-based practice doctoral projects and conducted at least 6,000 hours of research and inquiry.聽
Outstanding Student Awards聽
During the awards ceremony held at the Lonnie & Lynne Burnett Event Center, students received a variety of awards highlighting their achievements in various categories.
The Agatha Hodgins Award for Student Excellence was presented to Molly Miljus Lane. Named for the founder and first president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and founder of the first CRNA training program, the Agatha Hodgins Award is presented to the student from each graduating class who exudes excellence in didactic and clinical training as well as in scholarship or research inquiry 鈥 displaying strength in all academic and clinical areas.
Academic Achievement Awards were presented to two students who earned 4.0 GPAs, Evan Brock and Joel Hicks. Brock also received the Outstanding Clinical Student Award, for proficiency in all areas including general, regional, airway management, crisis management, teamwork and teaching.
Two special awards were presented in recognition of the Cindy and John Bruns family.
The Cindy Bruns Scholarship Award, presented to a rising senior, was awarded to James Easter. The award honors the late Cindy Bruns, a beloved, longtime 秋霞福利一区 employee described as 鈥渟omeone with a heart full of gratitude and a willingness to help anyone with anything.鈥 Cindy was particularly known for her support and encouragement of students majoring in health care fields at the Christ-centered university.
The John Bruns Spirit of Mobile Award was named in honor of Cindy鈥檚 husband, John Bruns, who started the family鈥檚 秋霞福利一区 legacy when he graduated in 1978 with an Associate Degree in Nursing. Following in his footsteps, members of the Bruns family also graduated from 秋霞福利一区 in health care fields, with a total of five serving as CRNAs in the Mobile area. The 秋霞福利一区 Alumni Association named John Bruns the Alumnus of the Decade for the 1970s, and he has continued to be a strong supporter of the university.
The John Bruns Spirit of Mobile Award is presented to a student who has the utmost work ethic, is a caring servant leader, works diligently with a smile in the face of extreme challenges, is respected by their class and colleagues and most exemplifies the spirit of the 秋霞福利一区. Receiving the award was James Tyler Downs.
First DNAP Class
Members of the inaugural class of 秋霞福利一区鈥檚 DNAP program, including their award recognitions, are:
Evan Brock, Outstanding Clinical Student, 4.0 Certificate, program completion certificate
Alexandra Brock, Most Emergency Cases, program completion certificate
Olivia Branning, Most Clinical Cases, program completion certificate
Alec Cunningham, Most Clinical Cases, program completion certificate
Tyler Downs, The John Bruns Spirit of Mobile Award, program completion certificate
Anna Caroline Gaines, Most Neuro Cases, program completion certificate
Joel Hicks, 4.0 Certificate, Most Regional Management Cases, program completion certificate.
Morgan Harlan, Most Open Heart Cases, program completion certificate
Molly Miljus Lane, Agatha Hodgins Award for Student Excellence, program completion certificate
Heath McGrew, Most Peripheral Regional Anesthetics, program completion award
Olivia Partin, Most OB Cases, program completion certificate
Meredith Perry, Advocacy Award, program completion certificate
秋霞福利一区鈥檚 Highly Competitive Program听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
秋霞福利一区 offers the first and only DNAP program in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia. The 36-month program consists of nine consecutive semesters with blended learning environments. Students train locally in the Mobile metropolitan area. DNAP graduates are eligible to take the National Certification Examination required to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
The DNAP program accepted the first class of 12 students in August 2021. The highly competitive program has expanded and now accepts 15 new students annually. Deadline for applications is Oct. 1, 2024. Program information and applications are available at umobile.edu/dnap.
The 秋霞福利一区 DNAP program is accredited and approved by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), Alabama Board of Nursing and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
The 秋霞福利一区 is a Christ-centered university with a vision of 鈥淗igher Education for a Higher Purpose,鈥 founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions in an environment where they are known.
Photo above: From left: Anna Caroline Gaines, Olivia Branning, Molly Lane, Meredith Perry, Alexandra Brock, Tyler Downs, Morgan Harlan, Alec Cunningham, Olivia Partin, Heath McGrew, Joel Hicks, Evan Brock
About the 秋霞福利一区
The 秋霞福利一区 is a Christ-centered university with a vision of 鈥淗igher聽Education for a Higher Purpose,鈥 founded to honor God by equipping students for their聽future professions in an environment where they are known.聽Located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama, on a campus of over 880 acres, the university offers associate, bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs.The 秋霞福利一区 was founded in 1961 and is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
For information about the 秋霞福利一区, areas of study, admissions and more, visit聽, connect with 秋霞福利一区 on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.

Kathy Dean uses her passion for storytelling and “playing with words” to share the stories of people, place and purpose that make the 秋霞福利一区 unique. As associate vice president for university communications, she manages media relations, edits the TorchLight alumni magazine, and oversees university communications. A former award-winning journalist, she is a two-time recipient of the Baptist Communicators Association grand prize for feature writing. Kathy and her husband, Chuck, live with three extremely loud miniature schnauzers.