SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

LCDR Lalon Kasuske was commissioned a Navy Nurse Corps officer in 1999 after earning his BSN from Lewis-Clark State College, graduating with Presidential Honors. He completed an MBA from the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University in 2007, graduating as a Beta Gamma Sigma Scholar. Previous duty stations include Naval Medical Center San Diego & Naval Hospital Bremerton where he served as a staff emergency nurse. He was stationed at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan, from 2007-2010 where he served as Division Officer, Department of Emergency Medicine; Division Officer, Same Day Surgery & Post-operative Care Unit; and Head, Healthcare Business. While stationed at the Navy Medicine Information Systems Support Activity (NAVMISSA) in San Antonio, Texas, LCDR Kasuske completed simultaneous deployment of the Navy’s inpatient electronic health record and electronic anesthesia record from 2010 – 2012. He completed his tour at NAVMISSA as the Director of Plans & Quality, overseeing the Command Strategic Plan and Business Plan. LCDR Kasuske is currently stationed at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, pursuing a PhD in nursing science with a research focus on the use of health technology to determine cognitive function following traumatic brain injury. LCDR Kasuske is married to Angie (Uhlenkott) Kasuske, and has four children: Isaac (14), Andrew (11), Rebecca (8), and Veronica (1). He is an avid fly fisherman & woodworker; he has trained as a professional chef and is an Ironman triathlete.

Mr. Kaye received his Bachelor’s Degree in International Nursing from the Helsinki College of Healthcare and Social Services in Finland. He received his Master’s degree in Nursing Administration from Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Kaye is currently the Manager of Nursing Education and Special Projects at New York Hospital Queens. In this role his focus is on the planning, creation, and implementation of online learning programs and clinical simulation, plus clinical decision support. He has held numerous clinical, educational, and leadership positions in Emergency and Critical Care Nursing. He is currently certified in Emergency Nursing, Pediatric Emergency Nursing, Critical Care Nursing, Nursing Informatics, and as a Nurse Executive (Basic Level). Mr. Kaye is pursuing a PhD in Nursing to increase his knowledge and skill base. His ultimate career goal is a leadership role where he can combine his knowledge of education, informatics, and leadership to mentor and lead the next generation of nurses.

Scholarly Expertise / Activity Interests:Pediatrics, End of Life Care in Pediatrics, Pediatric Congenital Heart Defects, Family Centered Care Ms. Kearfott has been in the medical field for more than 25 years, with a lifelong passion for pediatrics. Initially, after graduation, she went right into the Pediatric ICU at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Her passion for pediatrics and cardiac conditions helped her to become one of the most recognized new staff in her unit. She realized her unique ability to pass her knowledge and skills successfully on to others, at which time she took that pediatric passion and expertise to the next level and became a valuable faculty member at the Community College level. Ms. Kearfott went on to obtain her advance practice degree specializing as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Currently she is excited to start her newest journey teaching for University of Michigan as a Pediatric Clinical Instructor and has become partnered with a very successful pediatric practice to further advance her practice as a nurse practitioner. Teaching Ms. Kearfott started her teaching career in 2009 at the community college level. She has also been a preceptor to new employees at various institutions. Areas of nursing that she has been a clinical instructor of include: Pediatrics, Advanced Med/Surg, and Management. She has presented numerous presentations on Pediatric End of Life Care and Advance Directives for the Pediatric Population to a variety of colleagues throughout the healthcare arena and continues to promote the need for continued education of these matters.