Louise LaFramboise, PhD, longtime educator and leader in the UNMC College of Nursing, died Jan. 21 at age 69.
Visitation for Dr. LaFramboise will be Sunday, Jan. 26, from 3 to 5 p.m., with a wake service at 5 p.m. at John A. Gentleman Mortuaries Bellevue Chapel. Mass of Christian Burial is Monday, Jan. 27, at 10 a.m. at St. Columbkille Catholic Church, 200 E. 6th St. in Papillion.
Dr. LaFramboise, a registered nurse who retired in 2023, was part of the UNMC community for nearly four decades, beginning in 1986 as an instructor and later serving as director of the accelerated BSN program, director of the baccalaureate program and, beginning in 2020, as the assistant dean for the college’s Omaha division, the position she held at her retirement.
“Dr. LaFramboise has made a significant contribution to the UNMC College of Nursing over the course of her career,” said Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, DNP, dean of the UNMC College of Nursing. “Her wisdom and compassion touched countless lives, leaving a legacy of care that will forever inspire future generations of nurses. Though she is no longer with us, her spirit remains in every heart she has healed.”
At the time of her retirement, Dr. LaFramboise said: “One of the things that fills my bucket is watching people succeed. When we are able to help a patient with health challenges and they live better, that’s a reward for me.
“Their joy is a little pick-me-up.”
“Dr. LaFramboise was a committed educator and a proud representative of the nursing profession,” said H. Dele Davies, MD, interim chancellor of UNMC. “Not only that, our travels across the state together to celebrate our graduates for commencement demonstrated her deep dedication to our students’ success. While we mourn for Louise and her family, we also recognize that her nearly 40-year career as a nurse-educator and her passion for nursing left a stamp on the profession, in the form of the students she guided and mentored, that will endure for generations in Nebraska and beyond.”
Throughout her career, she was heavily involved with grant work, including $3 million in Health Resources and Service Administration funds to develop the accelerated nursing program. She was co-program director on the $2.6 million primary care HRSA grant led by Kate Fiandt, PhD.
Dr. LaFramboise also was project director on a Robert Wood Johnson Quality and Safety Education for Nurses Pilot School Learning Collaborative Grant. The UNMC College of Nursing was one of 15 schools selected nationally to receive this grant in the first year of funding.
Juliann Sebastian, PhD, former dean of the UNMC College of Nursing, worked throughout her own 12-year UNMC career with Dr. LaFramboise.
“She was one of the first people I got to know when I joined the college, when she was directing the BSN program,” Dr. Sebastian said. “I had total confidence working with her.
“She was always dedicated to her students, and she cared deeply about not only the students, but the faculty, staff and all her colleagues – even outside of nursing and UNMC,” Dr. Sebastian said. “I found her to be highly knowledgeable as a nurse and teacher and an individual of great empathy and caring. She spoke often about her lovely family and how she cherished them and their time together. Louise was much loved by all, and she is really going to be missed.”
Outside of the classroom, Dr. LaFramboise enjoyed serving on local and statewide committees, including the Nebraska State Board of Nursing, where she served as part of the full board and had the opportunity to chair its education committee.
Katherine Bravo, PhD, interim assistant dean of the Omaha division, said Dr. LaFramboise’s passion toward nursing always was apparent.
“She always got a twinkle in her eye when she reflected on her time as a bedside nurse and the comradery she shared with the other nurses, taking care of patients,” Dr. Bravo said. “She loved life, and she loved being a nurse.”
My deepest sympathies. Sending Dr. LaFramboise family strength and support during this challenging period.