Around AUHS
This issue of Trinium reflects a common theme across the AUHS community: growth with purpose. In her President’s Message, Caroll Ryan, PhD, looks back on more than three decades of service while emphasizing that AUHS continues to move forward through expanded academic opportunities, stronger facilities, new partnerships, and new ways for students to learn and serve—all while remaining grounded in faith, learning, service, and compassion. That same spirit can be seen in our profiles of faculty member Ledi Loot and DNP graduate Ghadeer Hamieh. Loot’s journey from early experiences in her family’s maternity clinic in the Philippines to nursing practice, psychiatric-mental health care, and teaching demonstrates how education can multiply its impact through both patients and future nurses. Hamieh’s graduation with highest distinction in Population Health and Leadership likewise celebrates perseverance, family encouragement, and the fulfillment of a nursing dream that began when she was 18.
Our Salt and Light article considers growth from another perspective: spiritual formation. Drawing from 2 Peter 1, it asks how the resources God provides—Scripture, prayer, Christian community, spiritual practices, and the work of the Holy Spirit—become genuine capabilities for faithful living. Knowledge and opportunity matter, but their fullest value is realized when they form people who are increasingly able to love, serve, persevere, discern, and care for others. Across these stories, that movement from opportunity to capability is evident: education becoming service, experience becoming mentorship, faith becoming love, and individual growth becoming a blessing to the wider community.
Together, these articles offer a picture of AUHS as a community in formation—honoring what has been built, celebrating those who are growing, and preparing students and graduates to use what they have received in service to others. As AUHS looks toward its next chapter, the goal remains not simply achievement, but the formation of knowledgeable, compassionate people equipped to make healthcare and their communities better.
