The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has unveiled permanent signage at Webster Hall officially recognizing the home of the Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing. The school was renamed in honor of Dr. Nancy Atmospera-Walch for her transformational gift that will have an enduring impact on the quality of nursing education, student success, community service and the nursing profession.
The new signage at Webster Hall was unveiled on Friday, May 20, 2022, at a naming and dedication ceremony that included a traditional Hawaiian blessing followed by an outdoor celebration attended by community healthcare leaders, school donors, UH administrators and other school supporters.
- Related UH News story: UH Mānoa nursing alumna Nancy Atmospera-Walch makes lasting impact on Hawaiʻi, August 19, 2021
Atmospera-Walch is a UH alumna with multiple degrees from the School of Nursing. She is the founder of ADVANTAGE Health Care Provider Inc. and the AIM Healthcare Institute and worked for The Queen’s Medical Center for nearly 30 years.
“It is a tremendous honor to be the namesake of the nursing school because my nursing education has had a great influence on my career and my life,” said Atmospera-Walch. “Without the UH School of Nursing I would not be who I am today. It is my sincere wish that every nursing student who passes through these doors will use the education they receive here to achieve their dreams, too.”
“This bold, transformational gift from Dr. Nancy Atmospera-Walch elevates UH Mānoa’s School of Nursing here in Hawaiʻi and on the national stage. These new resources will be strategically invested in critical areas that enable UH to improve the health of people and communities across our islands,” said UH President David Lassner. “We are proud to display Dr. Atmospera-Walch’s name on the school she is helping to do so much for Hawaiʻi.”
Atmospera-Walch’s gift focuses on four areas of nursing— improving school health for Hawaiʻi’s keiki; addressing the State’s nursing workforce shortage; supporting future nurses; and developing early-career nursing faculty.
“Nancy’s generosity and commitment to nursing is truly inspirational,” said Clementina D. Ceria-Ulep, interim dean of the Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing. “She is a compassionate nurse, savvy businesswoman, dedicated family woman, and role model for our nursing community. As the first immigrant woman to have a UH school named after her, we are immensely proud of her achievements and her support.”
Tim Dolan, vice president of advancement at UH and CEO of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, said the strategy behind Atmospera-Walch’s gift means nursing students and faculty will benefit from her generosity for many years to come.
“We are grateful for visionary philanthropists like Nancy Atmospera-Walch, whose giving can change the course of an individual nursing student’s life as well as the greater healthcare community,” Dolan said. “Her giving will create opportunities for generations of future nurses.”
About Nancy Atmospera-Walch
Born and raised in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines, Atmospera-Walch and her family moved to Hawaiʻi after she graduated from high school. Despite being initially discouraged from attending college, she went on to earn her AS ’71 and BS ’77 in nursing, MPH ’88 in health education and Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in Organizational Leadership in 2017 at UH Mānoa.
After 29 years of service at The Queen’s Medical Center in clinical, management and administrative areas, Atmospera-Walch founded ADVANTAGE Health Care Provider, Inc. in 2009, a local company that provides health care services and support to intellectually and developmentally disabled clients. She is also the founder and CEO of AIM Healthcare Institute, a health care education and consulting company.
Atmospera-Walch serves on the boards of numerous organizations including the current President- elect of the Hawaii American Nurses Association (HI-ANA), the official Constituent State Nurses Association (C/SNA) of the American Nurses Association, Philippine Nurses Association of America, the PNAA Foundation, Aloha Medical Mission, State of Hawaiʻi Small Business Regulatory Review Board and is the founding president of the Filipino Nurses Foundation. She has also served as the President of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaiʻi and the Filipino Business Women’s Association.
She received the 2017 Dean’s Scholarly Project Award in recognition of her DNP project “Improving Patient Safety Through Structural Empowerment.” The program has since been implemented nationwide.
