UB School of Nursing Welcome Three Full-Time Faculty

The University at Buffalo School of Nursing welcomes new faculty members Alyssa Weissinger, DNP ‘19, RN, PMHN-BC, Sophia Overton, MSEd, RN, and Tania Von Visger, PhD, APRN, CNS, CCNS, PCCN. 

Weissinger joined nursing faculty as a clinical assistant professor. Weissinger's early clinical experience includes several roles as a registered nurse within the Catholic Health System in Buffalo, NY. She began her nursing career on the medical/surgical and stroke care units at Sisters of Charity Hospital, where she also performed the role of charge nurse on an acute medical unit specializing in neurological care. During COVID-19, she also performed the role of acute care nurse at Sisters of Charity Hospital's St. Joseph campus, the state’s first COVID-19 dedicated hospital. Weissinger earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from UB in 2011 and a bachelor of science in nursing from D’Youville College. She also graduated from UB School of Nursing’s Psychiatric Mental Health DNP program in 2019.

Overton also joined nursing faculty as a clinical assistant professor. Overton has held various nursing roles since 1992, during which time she discovered a passion for educating underserved populations in health care maintenance and advocacy. Prior to this position, she was the clinical nurse educator with Catholic Medical Partners, where she identified health trends, disparities and gaps in care and uses this information to educate medical providers to reduce or fill in the gaps to the population they serve. Overton received an associate degree in applied science in nursing from Niagara County Community College and a bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's degree in nursing education from Daemen College. She is also a recipient of the 2021 University at Buffalo School of Nursing’s Patricia H. Garman Award for Excellence and Service in Nursing for her role in the creation and launch of the school’s mentorship program for students of color. 

Von Visger joined nursing faculty as an assistant professor. Von Visger’s program of research centers on symptom management and quality of life enhancement using integrative approaches, particularly mindfulness-based interventions. Currently, she is a co-investigator and study interventionist on “Mellowing Mind,” a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)-funded study that compares two ways to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among adults from underserved and racial minority communities. She is also completing her second year of post-doctoral training at the Primary Care Research Institute at the UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Science with a focus on implementation science research that is supported by the Health Services Research Administration. Von Visger received her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of California at Los Angeles, her bachelor's and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of Maryland and her PhD in nursing from The Ohio State University.