Maria C. Olympia Resol, BSN, RN

As a nurse and self-professed "social entrepreneur," Maria C. Olympia Resol has displayed her skills in a diverse number of nursing specialties (chemical dependency, business management, community sciences, and international development). Her community work has included two years at Huntington Hospital's community outreach department and five years as Community Outreach Chair for the Philippine Nurses' Association. Maria was involved in sending an educational and medical mission to developing communities in the Philippines, including her own hometown. These missions provided valuable medical and surgical services to 625 people who otherwise would have not received care due to economic circumstances. Maria currently operates her own small business, providing health training and education services to a niche market of grassroots non-profit organizations and small, for-profit businesses in Los Angeles, CA. She also currently acts as the Addictions Educator for the Glendale Adventist Alcohol and Drug Services and is in the process of attaining the Chemical Addiction Specialist (CAS) and Chemical Addiction Registered Nurse (CARN) licenses. As the perfect example to the positive influence and impact of continued education, Maria is currently enrolled in UCLA's Master in Public Health for Health Professionals. Being in this very intense graduate-level program has helped Maria realize the immense impact of education on health as a whole - enough so to steer her decision to pursue a doctorate in public health and/or nursing and become a professor.

Deborah L. Byrum BSN, RN, PHN, CCM

With over 25 years in nursing, Deborah L. Byrum has earned numerous academic nursing distinctions while continuing to pursue even more. After earning an associate's degree and her BSN, Deborah hasn't stopped there. She is currently enrolled in the MSN program at Cal State Fullerton to further expand her nursing accreditation. In addition she serves as the Cancer Care Coordinator with Kaiser Permanente in Riverside, CA. As a certified case manager, Deborah is working towards becoming certified in Oncology. She facilitates the "I Can Cope" education program for cancer patients and coordinates all care for newly diagnosed cancer patients. Also, she is involved in international outreach related to cancer care. In November of 2007, Deborah spent time in Morocco educating the people there about administering Chemotherapy, recognizing side effects, handling oncology emergencies, central line care, infection control and the anatomy of cancer in general.

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