By Alison Cooley
Jennifer Adamski (MSN ’02) and John Gallagher (DNP ’16) are both Pitt alumni and faculty members at Case Western Reserve University. Their paths often crossed at critical care nursing conferences, but they now travel to those events together as colleagues and spouses. Shared passion in critical care medicine brought them together, and now they share their lives together in Cleveland, Ohio, with their daughter, Quinn, who says she wants to go into the medical field like her parents.
Adamski: “Grounded in Service”
Adamski knew she wanted to go into the medical field and began shadowing her stepmom, who was a nurse. “I was drawn to the nursing field because it’s a profession grounded in science, service and impact,” she said.
Adamski earned a diploma in nursing at St. Francis School of Nursing, then a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Carlow University. She chose the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program at Pitt Nursing because she was interested in acute and critical care and the MSN program is known for its excellence in those specialties, as well as how it prepares nurses to lead complex systems.
She credits Pitt with helping her find her passion in critical care: “Pitt really helped me to see nursing not simply as a role at the bedside but really that platform to lead, mentor others and champion meaningful change across health care and health care systems.”
Adamski has continued to practice as a critical care nurse practitioner for the past 24 years and spent most of her career in intensive care units, until recently. She now does what she calls “critical care in the air” as the director of flight education at Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. The Flight Nursing Program allows nurses to learn about critical care in the nation’s first medical helicopter simulator.
She also earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from the University of South Alabama and holds other positions at Case Western as a clinical associate professor, assistant dean of professional programs and director of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse/Master of Science in Nursing program.
Adamski is affiliated with numerous organizations and is the immediate past president for the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the American College of Critical Care Medicine and has received numerous awards throughout her career, most recently a Pitt Nursing Distinguished Service Award.
Gallagher: “It’s Always Been About the Bedside”
Gallagher, whose mom was also a nurse, began working in health care as an emergency medical technician and paramedic as a teenager. He was influenced by the nurses he interacted with in the emergency room; they taught him and helped him grow. He was also influenced by nurses while working as a respiratory therapist. Gallagher saw that the nurses had the most influence on patient outcomes, which is why he sought out the profession. “They were the ones everyone looked up to—not only the other nurses but also the physicians and those in training,” he said.
Most of his 38-year nursing career was in critical care and trauma at large level one trauma centers and safety-net hospitals. He continued to work as needed as a staff nurse to keep himself clinically focused while in his administrative roles. “For me, it’s always been about the bedside and always about the clinical piece,” he said.
As he was researching a DNP program, he sought one that was unique and flexible because he was running a trauma program in Philadelphia at the time. “I chose Pitt initially for the flexibility and for the rigor and innovation and opportunity that really stood out. But ultimately when I got in the program, I realized how different it was and much better than others I saw,” he said. “I realized how talented the faculty was and how much they could provide.” Years after graduation, Gallagher had the opportunity to teach at the Pitt School of Nursing and see how the DNP program was developed.
He currently works as a professor and director of simulation strategy and innovation at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, one of only two universities in the United States with a medical helicopter simulator.
He also continues to work as a clinical nurse specialist in trauma and critical care and consults for companies that make medical devices.
Gallagher currently serves in the Society of Critical Care Medicine Nursing Section and as chair of the Airway and Mechanical Ventilation Task Force. Like Adamaski, he is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the American College of Critical Care Medicine. He has also received many awards and honors in his career, including Trauma Nurse of the Year through the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
“Walking the Walk” Together
Adamski and Gallagher have more than 60 years of combined nursing experience. They are grateful for their Pitt Nursing education and the impact it has had on their careers, emphasizing how it prepared them for clinical, leadership and academic roles.
They agree that staying connected to the bedside is essential for their fulfillment and the benefit of their students. “That’s where our passion stems, and we wouldn’t be good at our jobs if we didn’t stay connected to the bedside in some way,” Adamski said. “We need to walk the walk because I think it benefits our students to see what that looks like clinically at the bedside before they experience it.”
Adamski and Gallagher enjoy collaborating about critical care medicine and often attend conferences together—like they did before they were married. They also enjoy time with Quinn and make time for one another, attending music events, dining out, kayaking and even taking cooking classes together. The couple joked that Gallagher is best as a sous chef in their kitchen.
Advice for Fellow Nurses
Adamski did not have mentors early in her career because she waited for someone to ask to mentor her. “I wish someone would have told me really early in my career to get connected with nursing professional organizations, whatever that is,” she said. “It could be a general nursing organization or something in your specialty because that networking is invaluable. Those resources and that relationship-building are really the foundation.”
Gallagher also recommends joining a professional organization and getting involved with the local chapter. He also suggests going to conferences and educational events if possible and taking time to connect with the people there. He tells his students, “These are the things that will help you move forward. People will remember you if you introduce yourself.” They may reach out to you later and ask you to get involved with a project.
Adamski wants early-career nurses to know something she wishes she knew then: “Your voice matters at every stage. You can lead from wherever you are.” The nursing field needs leaders who are willing to speak up, mentor others and champion change. “We can’t always be looking to another discipline or another specialty to define what that looks like,” she said.
She always tells her students, “You are going to be uncomfortable until you feel comfortable, and as soon you feel comfortable, I want you to push yourself to be uncomfortable and stretch outside of that comfort zone—because that’s really when growth and change happen.”