Seventeen New Careers in Nursing students will earn their BSN in 2027 from the Quinnipiac School of Nursing while studying in Hartford as they also continue their roles as Hartford HealthCare employees. Working with the School of Nursing faculty, the inaugural group recently completed six intensive weeks of course work at Hartford HealthCare's Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation in Hartford.

On May 16, university and School of Nursing leadership and faculty, Hartford HealthCare leadership and Hartford Hospital representatives were joined by family and friends at Hartford Hospital’s Education Resource Center for the very special White Coat Ceremony. In a full-circle moment, Hartford HealthCare Hartford Hospital cardiac technician Jeffrey Dobensky, BSN ’27, celebrated with his mom, Quinnipiac School of Nursing alumnus Lori Dobensky, BSN, RN, a Midstate Medical Center team member.

“I have been incredibly inspired by my mom,” Dobensky said. “She is one of the initial reasons I decided to enter the nursing profession.”

Growing up, Dobensky said he saw his mother’s dedication as a bedside nurse of nearly three decades. He said her care and commitment to her patients is as strong today as it was when she started.

“I would specifically like to point out her dedication during the COVID-19 pandemic when she was working in the ICU at Midstate. That was a time of uncertainty for many of us, when we did not know what could happen to us if we got sick. But she never wavered in her dedication to those who needed her,” said Dobensky. “She went to work every day, gowned, gloved, and masked; while most of us got to stay home and protect our health. She lived what many of us just got to read about or watch on TV. It is an honor to be following in her footsteps at Quinnipiac. She truly represents what it means to be a nurse.”

Lori Dobensky said she’s thrilled her son is receiving the benefit of the same strong Quinnipiac School of Nursing education which propelled her nursing career.

“Through the support and teaching offered at Quinnipiac, I felt very prepared for my nursing career,” Dobensky said. “The strengths they provided were good organization and multitasking. They taught me leadership and the ability to be a team player, which has proved to be a vital skill working on a nursing unit. They taught good communication skills and to be compassionate to our patients. These skills and strengths were acquired through all of my experiences as a nursing student in the Quinnipiac program.”

Hartford HealthCare recently recognized Dobensky with a 2025 Nightingale Award for her significant contributions to the Midstate Medical Center team. Among her contributions, the recognition noted that Dobensky consistently offers her wealth of knowledge and expertise across multiple clinical settings, particularly to new staff and graduate nurses.

“What I value most about the Hartford HealthCare-Quinnipiac School of Nursing relationship is that it provides a great opportunity for these students to pursue their career and work in the field throughout the process,” she said. “Midstate has the opportunity to work with the nursing students either through clinicals or as staff. This creates the ability to then hire these new grads who are well prepared and ready to join our team.”

Jeffery Dobensky said he’s grateful for the opportunity to participate in the New Careers in Nursing program.

“Quinnipiac is giving me an opportunity like no other to start my nursing career. This partnership with Hartford HealthCare allows me to create so many connections with those who work at Hartford HealthCare, whether it be at clinicals with the floor nurses or in the lab with the educators,” said Dobensky. “There is so much support coming from the academic team at Quinnipiac. You can really feel that they care about us and want us to be successful in this journey. I’m excited for these next two years, and I have no doubt that I have the support from those at Quinnipiac to become an excellent nurse.”

Dobensky and his cohort were welcomed to the White Coat Ceremony by Provost Debra Liebowitz, PhD.  Liebowitz expressed her tremendous pride and gratitude for this unique partnership and the unprecedented opportunity it creates for students in the program.

“Together, Quinnipiac and Hartford HealthCare thought about how to give access to a program, a curriculum, and a path to a career that can transform people’s lives – both your lives in the immediate term, as you’ve decided to make a career change – and in the long term, in the myriad ways you will have an impact on your patients,” said Liebowitz.

School of Nursing Dean Larry Slater, PhD, MAc, RN-BC, CNE, FAAN, reflected on the importance of the day. He thanked Hartford HealthCare for partnering Quinnipiac to launch the New Careers in Nursing program; recognized families and friends of students for their support; and took a moment to highlight the program’s combination of Quinnipiac, Hartford HealthCare and Hartford Hospital professional, educational, and supervisory team members at the ceremony.

“They are here to make sure you succeed. They are excited to support you in your journey,” said Slater.  “I want to highlight the tremendous support that you have in the room with you. It takes a village to make sure you are successful, and they are going to play a critical role in your success over the next two years.”

The ceremony’s keynote presentation was provided by Hartford HealthCare Vice President of Nursing Professional Development & Practice Excellence Warly Remegio, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, FNYAM.

“This is such a proud moment for all of us, as we orchestrated a great opportunity for not only for our students and colleagues here, but for the profession that we truly love,” said Remegio.

Remegio said the New Careers in Nursing program was created through the ideation and cooperative spirit that is a hallmark of Quinnipiac and Hartford HealthCare's transformative relationship.

“I am humbled and incredibly honored to address you today on this momentous occasion, the White Coat Ceremony of the inaugural cohort of this groundbreaking program,” Remegio said. “It is indeed a special ceremony - the demarcation of your entry into this noble profession; your formal initiation to be part of a healthcare team, especially in our second home, Hartford Hospital.”

Hartford Hospital Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer Laura Bailey, MSN, RN shared the history of the White Coat, established by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation in 1993. In 2014, the Gold Foundation partnered with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to bring the White Coat Ceremony to nursing.

Bailey, a Quinnipiac alumna, said the partnership which has created the New Careers in Nursing program is especially meaningful to her.

“Over 35 years ago, I came to Quinnipiac, and it was really there where I felt like it was the first time that people believed in me. It really set the foundation for what I’ve been able to achieve, and never did I imagine that someday I would become the Chief Nursing Officer of Hartford Hospital. And never did I imagine that these two institutions that I am so incredibly proud to be a part of would come together in a union, and establish a program where there is so much support for your success. I am so excited for all of you,” said Bailey.

Each member of the inaugural cohort crossed the stage to receive their white coat from Quinnipiac Director of Undergraduate Nursing Programs Tyler Traister DNP, RN, CNE, NE-BC, OCN, CTN-A, NPD-BC, MEDSURG-BC.

In addition, each student nurse received a ceremonial pin from the Gold Foundation, presented by Assistant New Careers in Nursing Program Director and Clinical Professor of Nursing Judy C. Ruggiri, DN, MSN, RN.

With the entire cohort wearing their white coats, Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Nursing Lisa Rebeschi, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE led the group in the recitation of the Quinnipiac School of Nursing White Coat Ceremony Oath.

On behalf of all involved in this new venture, Slater congratulated the inaugural New Careers in Nursing cohort.

“We’re excited to watch as you enter into the clinical component of your program. We know that you’re going to make Quinnipiac and Hartford HealthCare extremely proud,” said Slater.