SON Announces Spring 2026 Faculty and Staff Appointments

The Stony Brook University School of Nursing (SON) is pleased to announce new faculty and staff appointments for the Spring 2026 semester. These individuals bring vital expertise and experience that will help us provide the highest-quality education to our students. 

Colleen Walsh-Irwin, DNP, RN, ANP-BC, AACC, EBP-C, FAANP, FAAN, a licensed nurse practitioner specializing in adult health, will serve as clinical assistant professor and DNP program director. A triple alumna of Stony Brook, Dr. Walsh-Irwin became an adjunct professor at the SON after she completed her DNP in 2014. 

An accomplished researcher in a wide variety of fields, Dr. Walsh-Irwin has long worked in various Veterans Affairs (VA) roles and, most recently, served as the associate director of evidence-based practice in the Office of Nursing Services at the VA central office in Washington, D.C.

Board-certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner Krystal Plummer, DNP, PMHNP-BC, has been appointed psych-mental health program director and clinical instructor for graduate studies and advanced practice nursing. A proud SBU alumna, she is dedicated to advancing evidence-based mental health education and mentoring future nurse practitioners. Her extensive clinical expertise spans private practice and specialized outpatient care for child, adolescent, and geriatric populations.

Kimberly Swan, MSN, RN, joins as simulation coordinator and clinical instructor for simulation education. A dual-degree alumna of the School of Nursing, she has a diverse clinical background, including intensive care and dialysis, and is committed to fostering student development and clinical scholarship. She previously served as adjunct clinical and laboratory faculty at the SON. 

Christine Pfundstein, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, IBCLC, is the newest clinical instructor in the Department of Undergraduate Studies. A board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in pediatrics, obstetrics, and lactation, she is an alumna of Stony Brook University and leverages over 15 years of clinical experience — including a decade working in maternal-child health at Stony Brook Medicine. 

Eva Liang, MA, will support the Office of Research and Innovation as a research instructor. She specializes in optimizing research infrastructure, developing pre- and post-award policies, and providing technical support for faculty and doctoral students in data management and analysis. A Stony Brook alumna, she brings a wealth of experience in managing large-scale behavioral intervention clinical trials and qualitative research projects from previous roles at New York University and the City University of New York.

Laurel Loh, MA, joins the SON as executive assistant to the dean. For the past two years, Laurel worked as an internship coordinator for experiential programs at Stony Brook University’s Career Center, where she developed new on-campus internship opportunities for students. Previously, she worked in an administrative assistant role at Stony Brook’s Renaissance School of Medicine. 

Rosemarie Casaceli arrives from the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine and will serve as senior staff assistant for academics at the School of Nursing. Rosemarie was the assistant to the chair of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the School of Dental Medicine for nearly two years, and, prior to that, was a senior administrative assistant at Southampton School District.