When Christina Tram ’27 was considering a career, her experience with illness during high school influenced her thinking. In and out of hospitals as a teenager, Tram said she rarely felt motivated to heal, and often identified more with her illness than her potential.
Then, one day, a nurse changed her outlook on life.
“It was the first time in a long time that someone treated me like a person and not just a patient,” said Tram, a Pace University nursing student. “It was through her kindness that I realized how much of an impact a nurse can have, and this helped me see a professional future in something meaningful.”
Today, Tram is a nursing student scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the president of the Pace Nursing Student Association. She’s also among the more than 1,000 nursing students currently pursuing degrees at Pace’s Lienhard School of Nursing (LSN) within the College of Health Professions, which marks its 60th anniversary this year.
“I’m so grateful that the contributions of my professors and clinical instructors and the knowledge I gained in Lienhard prepared me to excel in my internships,” Tram said.
From pioneering nurse-led healthcare to advanced clinical simulation, Lienhard has for decades been at the vanguard of training the next generation of nurses. More than 12,800 alumni have earned their nursing degrees at Lienhard.
“I’m so grateful that the contributions of my professors and clinical instructors and the knowledge I gained in Lienhard prepared me to excel in my internships,” Tram said.
In 1966, when Pace University welcomed nursing students to the Westchester Campus, it marked a turning point for healthcare education in the region, opening new pathways into a profession that would become increasingly central to the region's healthcare system.
Along the way, Pace's school of nursing has grown into a national powerhouse for nursing education, research, and clinical innovation, preparing nurses to serve patients, lead healthcare teams, and respond to changing community needs.
The need for nurses has never been greater. While many industries are contracting amid a wave of technical disruption, health care remains an economic brightspot. A recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report found that healthcare employment is surging, and projections for future growth in healthcare occupations remain robust.
Brian Goldstein, PhD, dean of the College of Health Professions, said the goal at Pace is to ensure that graduates are ready to serve from day one.
“Through education by exemplary faculty who are scholar-practitioners in their areas of expertise and advanced simulation experiences in our accredited Center for Excellence in Healthcare Simulation, we’re preparing students to align with workforce demands,” said Goldstein. “With strong teaching, scholarship, and clinical and practice partnerships, our model of education directly benefits students, faculty, and the communities we serve.”
Innovation has been part of Lienhard's identity from the beginning.
In 1977, Pace established what became University Health Care, the first nurse-managed academic health center in the United States. Initially supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the initiative demonstrated how nurses could lead in healthcare delivery while expanding access to essential services, which continue to be offered at the Westchester campus.
Throughout the decades, the school continued breaking new ground. It established a nursing research center in 1982 and expanded advanced nursing education to include a nurse practitioner master's programs, a Doctor of Nursing Practice, and then a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing.
"We are poised to lead, honoring our legacy while embracing innovation, advancing nursing education, and preparing the next generation of nurses to shape the future of healthcare.”
The school's evolution also helped lay the foundation for Pace's College of Health Professions, established in 2010.
“As we celebrate 60 years of the Lienhard School of Nursing, we recognize that we stand on the shoulders of generations of dedicated nursing educators, visionary leaders, and colleagues whose commitment and passion have built the exceptional nursing program we are today,” said Esma Paljevic, EdD, RN, CPNP, FNYAM, senior associate dean and chief nursing officer at the College of Health Professions.
“Our rich history is not only a source of pride but also the foundation that informs and inspires our future,” said Paljevic. “As healthcare continues to transform through technological innovation, artificial intelligence, and new models of care, we are poised to lead, honoring our legacy while embracing innovation, advancing nursing education, and preparing the next generation of nurses to shape the future of healthcare.”
Today, Lienhard combines industry experience with contemporary approaches to learning.
Through partnerships with leading healthcare institutions, students gain clinical experience in settings such as NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, Northwell Health, and Westchester Medical Center. The school's Center for Excellence in Healthcare Simulation provides opportunities to practice clinical decision-making, develop technical skills, and navigate complex patient-care scenarios in a controlled environment.
From undergraduate nursing education to master's and doctoral programs, Lienhard prepares nurses for roles in direct patient care, advanced practice, research, and healthcare leadership.
“I know the feeling of looking at other students and viewing them as extraordinarily talented or intelligent—beyond any perceived capacity I would ever achieve—and thinking that there was no way I could ever be so capable,” said Tram. “And yet, through trial and error, and not being afraid to say yes to opportunities (or being afraid and still saying yes), I am the student I once looked up to.”
On Sunday, October 18, alumni, faculty, clinical partners, and friends will gather at Pace's Westchester Campus for the Lienhard School of Nursing's 60th Anniversary Celebration. Register to attend.
Christina Tram ’27 came to Pace inspired by a nurse who changed her life. At the Lienhard School of Nursing in the College of Health Professions, she’s discovering how she can do the same for others, through patient care, research, leadership, and advocacy to raise the age of consent for sex.
Pace University’s undergraduate nursing program climbed 25 spots to #135 nationally in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, highlighting the strength of a program built around clinical experience, hands-on learning, and career preparation.
From virtual patients to real-world readiness, students are training in high-stakes scenarios before they ever enter a clinic. Nancy Owen reveals how AI is reshaping that experience at Pace’s Center for Excellence in Healthcare Simulation.