ESU Hosted Annual Yvonne Troiani Sweeney Lecture Series for Nursing Enrichment

Posted by: admin on May 1, 2015, No Comments

Yvonne Troiani Sweeney loved taking care of her patients. She worked as the head nurse at the burn center of what is now the Lehigh Valley Health Network. Four years ago, Sweeney, of Mountaintop, Pa., was diagnosed with a form of early onset dementia called posterior cortical atrophy.Sweeney graduated from East Stroudsburg University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing.

After the diagnosis, Linda Niedbala ’83, Sweeney’s sister, did not want Sweeney’s passion for medicine to be a lost memory. With the help of her husband, Sam Niedbala ’82, she started the Yvonne Troiani Sweeney Lecture Series for Nursing Enrichment, which kicked off in March 2014. On April 30, 2015, ESU hosted the second annual event with a lecture titled “Magic and Mystery of the Mind.”

This year’s speaker was John Castaldo, M.D., professor, USF College of Medicine, and Chief of Neurology at Lehigh Valley Hospital’s department of medicine.  Dr. Castaldo received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and completed his medical school and residency training in Neurology at the Dartmouth College and Medical School in Hanover, N.H., and has specialty training in Vascular Neurology (stroke) as well as headache disorders.

Over 75 people joined Dr. Castaldo in ESU’s Lehigh Valley Center, which is located in Bethlehem, Pa., as he educated the audience on the mystery of the mind.

Sweeney’s husband, Christopher, and sons Christopher III and Michael, will continue to carry on her commitment to providing compassionate care and preserving dignity as they dedicate their days to her care and well-being while enjoying her to the fullest.

For more information about the lecture series, please contact Laura Waters, Ph.D., ESU associate professor and chair of nursing, at (570) 422-3569. Those interested in making a gift to the Yvonne Troiani Sweeney Endowed Lecture Series for Nursing Enrichment may call ESU’s Office of University Advancement at (570) 422-7000.