Claudia Davis joined the Jeannette C. Rudy School of Nursing at Cumberland University in the fall of 2017. In the BSN program she teaches the Mental Health Nursing Course. Prior to arriving at Cumberland, Ms. Davis taught at Aquinas College where she taught the Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing course in the ASN program, integrated mental health content in the BSN program, and Learning and Self Care in the BSN program. She served on both the college and school of nursing curriculum committees. In addition, Ms. Davis has taught in the Vanderbilt University’s Program in the Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing and at Coe College in the BSN program teaching Community Health Nursing, Nursing Theoretical Development, and in the college core courses. Ms. Davis also has served as a staff development instructor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

Ms. Davis has an extensive clinical practice background. She has been a staff nurse in CCU and Cardiac Stepdown Units at VUMC. She implemented a new Nurse Coordinator Role managing the Cardiac Stepdown Unit at VUMC and was the Nurse Coordinator in the pilot Rehabilitation Unit at VUMC that now has become the Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital. Ms. Davis also was a staff nurse and Program Coordinator at Parthenon Pavilion.   

Ms. Davis received a diploma in nursing from St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital School of Nursing. She earned a BA in Sociology and BSN from Coe College. Her graduate education includes an MSN in Medical-Surgical Nursing and a Post-Master’s Certificate in Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. Ms. Davis also completed a nursing faculty program at the NIMH.

Dr. Beth Chatham began at Cumberland University in 2006 as adjunct clinical faculty in Pediatric Nursing, becoming full time faculty in 2011. Within the School of Nursing Dr. Chatham has taught Pediatric Nursing, Leadership, Research in Nursing, Transcultural Nursing, and Concepts. Dr. Chatham is the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Michael J. Spalding Professorship in Nursing.

Dr. Chatham is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Nursing with a BSN, and a decade later with an MSN.  She earned her PhD from the University of Tennessee Knoxville where she was presented with the Volunteer of Distinction Professional Promise Award. Dr. Chatham’s research focus is the cultural influences related to healthy weight care in children. Dr. Chatham has published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing, Nursing Research, and the Journal of Transcultural Nursing.

Dr. Chatham’s nursing experience has been global, both in specialty areas and location.  She has worked as an operating room nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital, a community health nurse in Mississippi, a certified nurse midwife in the north of England, and a mission nurse in Honduras.

Dr. Chatham was the Maternal/Child Clinical Nurse Specialist at Nashville Metropolitan General Hospital for over 20 years.  While at General, she helped develop the professional ladder program for the nursing department and co-published an article on this program for the Journal Nurse Leader.  Before coming to Cumberland full time, Dr. Chatham was Clinical Educator for Monroe Carroll Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, responsible for nursing orientation and continuing education.