Faculty

Heide Bursch teaches Art and Science of Nursing, Advanced Concepts in Nursing, Maintaining Wellness in Aging and Chronicity and the final clinical discussion section for senior nursing students. Her clinical expertise comes from years of medical, surgical and critical care nursing at UIHC where she also served as a preceptor and new staff mentor. Her master's portfolio consisted of an evidence-based project to improve communication about end-of-life care in the intensive care unit. As a Hartford Scholar, her doctorate work was sponsored by Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity through the John A. Hartford Foundation. Her research focuses on nursing ethics and the care of older adults with advanced chronic illness. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International. She taught at the University of Iowa and loved being a parish nurse before joining the faculty at Coe College. She has participated in international mission projects in Mexico and Tanzania. As a life-long learner, she quotes Louisa May Alcott to her students: "I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship."

---

Aleesa currently teaches at various levels of the program in the psychomotor skills and physical assessment labs. She also instructs a clinical rotation within the first semester of the program. She has experience teaching many areas of nursing, including medical-surgical nursing, pediatrics, physical assessment and fundamentals. 

She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society and the Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses. Aleesa holds certifications as a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) and Certified Medical-Surgical Nurse (CMSRN).

---

Kelly Siems teaches courses in the areas of Medical-Surgical, she teaches the first clinical course in the nursing program. Kelly’s clinical expertise extends from medical-surgical, dialysis, community health and home health nursing. She enjoyed serving as a preceptor on her unit at Mercy Medical Center as well as participating in the preceptorship program for students from Kirkwood, Mt. Mercy and Coe College. She is finishing her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Clarke University. Her research interests are medication adherence in the community setting as well as nursing curriculum and new graduate nurse mentoring. She has taught pharmacology, pathophysiology, medical-surgical nursing as well as community health. Kelly received certification as a nurse educator by the National League of Nursing in 2011, she is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, American Association of Colleges of Nursing and American Nurses Association. Her graduate portfolio focused as nursing students beginning as novices and emerging into experts. Kelly enjoys serving as a merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts of America and as a troop leader for the Girl Scouts, she serves on the board of her Community Recreation Department.

---

Michelle Umbarger-Mackey teaches Pathophysiology and Assessment, Community & Population Health Nursing,  Mental Health Nursing, Leadership & Contemporary Issues in Nursing, as well as clinical discussions for senior nursing students. Her clinical expertise includes behavioral health, medical/surgical nursing,  mother-baby care, newborn nursery and occupational health. Her master's degree is in occupational and environmental health nursing with a certificate in agricultural safety and health. Her master's research focused on older farmers and arthritis. The John A. Hartford Foundation Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity program supported her doctoral work. As a Hartford Scholar, her doctoral research focused on older farmers, medication use and nonfatal agricultural injury. She has taught in both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. She is passionate about nursing education, behavioral health, elder care, social justice, global health, occupational health, environmental health and agricultural safety and health.

She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, American Nurses Association as well as the Iowa Nurses Association. Dr. Umbarger-Mackey is a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC) with extra training as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE).

---

Hannah teaches at various levels within the nursing program within both the lab and clinical settings. Currently, she teaches the Pathophysiology and Assessment Lab and Clinical, Introductory Concepts in Nursing Lab and Clinical and the Advanced Concepts in Nursing Lab and Clinical. Hannah’s clinical experience is primarily in medical-surgical nursing, veterans health and sexual health and wellness. She also received her Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Training in 2020. When obtaining her MSN, Hannah participated in several research projects related to health and wellness during pregnancy, military sexual trauma and advancing scholarship and pedagogy.

Hannah is currently a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, the International Association of Forensic Nurses, and the Midwest Nursing Research Society.

---

Dr. Sharon Guthrie teaches Community & Population Oriented Nursing, Nursing Research, Maternal Newborn Nursing and facilitates clinical experiences & discussions with junior & senior nursing students. Dr. Guthrie’s clinical expertise includes pediatrics, school health, school nursing, health policy, advocacy, nursing informatics and leadership.  Her master's degree focused on becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner and her doctoral research area focused on “School Nursing Documentation: Knowledge, Attitude, and Barriers to Using Standardized Nursing Languages and Current Practices”. Dr. Guthrie has taught in both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs and is passionate about nursing education, school health, school nursing, innovation, advocacy and continuous quality improvement.

Dr. Guthrie is a member of Iowa School Nurse Organization, National Association of School Nurses, Iowa Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International - Gamma Chapter, Iowa Association of Nurse Practitioners, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Iowa Public Health Association and Iowa League for Nursing.  Dr. Guthrie is a board certified pediatric nurse practitioner (CPNP), nationally certified school nurse (NCSN) and board certified in nursing informatics (RN-BC).