Loyola Nursing, Proviso East partnership provides DNP opportunities
Claire Ginsberg, DNP '25, evaluated an evidence-based anti-vaping education program for her Doctor of Nursing Practice project. Her work led to a program being implemented in health education classes at Proviso East High School.
By Ashley Rowland
September 2025
A longstanding partnership between the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and a local high school is giving nursing students opportunities to make real-world impacts.
Take Claire Ginsberg, a pediatric nurse on Chicago’s South Side. For her Doctor of Nursing Practice project—the capstone of Loyola’s rigorous DNP program—Ginsberg filled a need at Proviso East High School in Maywood.
The school, home to Loyola Nursing’s School-Based Health Center, wanted to incorporate the health risks of vaping into its health classes. The principal made it a priority to find the anti-vaping education program that would be the best fit for the school.
That’s when Ginsberg stepped in to help.
Over the course of three semesters, Ginsberg evaluated CATCH My Breath, an evidence-based program aimed at decreasing teen use of e-cigarettes.
The practice, known as vaping, is widespread. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 10 percent high school students use e-cigarettes, the most commonly used tobacco product among youth.
“There was a real need for this,” said Ginsberg, DNP ‘25. “No uniform guidelines for vaping education exist, and there’s a need for careful analysis when choosing a vaping education program for implementation in a school setting.”
Ginsberg conducted an organizational needs assessment and literature review as part of her DNP project. She also taught the CATCH My Breath curriculum in Proviso East health classes, and quickly realized that students were eager for information about the health impacts of vaping.
Many, in fact, told her they wanted to quit.
“A lot of them just didn’t realize the negative consequences of vaping, and the adolescents were expressing the need for education along with the teachers,” she said.
Ginsberg found that CATCH My Breath successfully convinced the teens of the risks of vaping, and Proviso East has since incorporated elements of the program in its health classes.
Susan Buechele, Ginsberg’s advisor and SBHC director, said Ginsberg’s work is an example of how Loyola Nursing finds innovative ways to make sustainable, community-wide impacts and promote better health among students and their families.
It also highlights the strong partnership between Loyola Nursing and Proviso East that started when Loyola opened the SBHC more than 20 years ago. The clinic is run by Loyola Nursing faculty, staff, and students and provides free health care to Proviso East students.
“The SBHC is a great way for students to have real-life experience and learn how nursing can make a big impact in health outcomes,” said Buechele, a doctorally prepared pediatric nurse practitioner. Students from the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, the Stritch School of Medicine, and the School of Social Work also serve at the SBHC.
After wrapping up her DNP project, Ginsberg stayed on at the SBHC for a semester-long clinical rotation. The experience reinforced the importance of taking a community health approach to patient care and learning about a population’s needs.
She described the SBHC as a vital community resource.
“A lot of these kids have built very trusting relationships with the SBHC staff,” she said. “We provide access to care that’s convenient for kids and parents. A lot of that primary prevention care, like disease screenings, can change the trajectory of their lives by preventing chronic disease later.”