Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership (VANAP)

About Partnership

The Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership (VANAP) was established in 2007 as a five-year pilot program to facilitate stronger and mutually beneficial partnerships between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Schools of Nursing (SON). The VA Nursing Academy incentivized the development of new models of academic partnerships based on strong and trusting relationships, shared faculty and trainees, innovation in education and patient care, and an emphasis on scholarship and inquiry.

Careers

Clinical Experience at the VA Medical Center

Students interested in veteran centered care have the opportunity for clinical experiences at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center for Foundations in Nursing, Medical Surgical Nursing I & II, Mental Health Nursing, or Community Nursing. Experienced VA faculty from the nursing academic partnership supervise students while at the VA Medical Center. If you are interested in having a clinical at the VA, please complete the simple questionnaire.   

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Faculty

Ms. Grate-Simmons has a strong background in Pediatric Cardiology and Mental Health nursing. Since, June 2009, she has been working at Ralph Johnson VA Medical Center as a member of the VA Nursing Academic Partnership. She also is the coordinator for the VA Learning Opportunity Residency Program (VALOR).

She has also served as an Assistant Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina and an Instructor at Trident Technical College. Dr. Matutina holds multiple national certifications in pediatric nursing, pediatric oncology nursing, ambulatory care, and nursing education. She has received numerous honors, including the Palmetto Gold and the South Carolina Nurses Foundation Ruth Nicholson Research Award. Her research has been widely recognized, with 14 published manuscripts, 13 as first author, and several funded projects. Dr. Matutina is an active member of several major nursing organizations, including the Oncology Nursing Society and the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses. She is a past president of Sigma Theta Tau Gamma Omicron at Large chapter and continues to contribute to the nursing community through her leadership and research.

She has served as a direct care nurse and unit educator in inpatient surgical oncology and BMT Hematology/Oncology, as well as an outpatient clinical specialist in oncology infusion. With 14 years of experience teaching nursing students at the college level, Lynn has also instructed the ONS chemotherapy/biotherapy course for nurses new to oncology. She is dedicated to professionalism in nursing and maintains her national oncology nursing certification (OCN). In April 2024, Lynn joined the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System as part of the Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership (VANAP) Department. She currently serves as the Program Director of the Post Baccalaureate Registered Nurse Residency (PBRNR) Program. Recently, her work on central venous lines was presented at the Oncology Nursing Society Congress in Washington, D.C.

Berry Anderson
Ph.D., RN
Associate Professor
MUSC, College of Nursing VANAP Academic Program Director

Dr. Berry S. Anderson, Ph.D., RN, is an Associate Professor in the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Nursing and the Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership (VANAP) Academic Program Director. He teaches in the undergraduate and graduate nursing program with a focus on mental health and evidence based practice. Dr. Anderson received his BSN from South Carolina State University and his PhD from the MUSC. His specialty areas are brain stimulation treatments for depression and active learning classroom design.