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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. Lisette Dorfman successfully defended her dissertation to complete her Ph.D. program in nursing at Rutgers University recently, culminating a journey of self-fulfillment for the 15-year New York-Presbyterian Hospital of Westchester nurse.
Dorfman, of White Plains, had already earned a baccalaureate and masters degrees in nursing and been working at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester since 1997. But in 2006, she went back to school for her Ph.D. in nursing, while still working full-time, to, "enhance my knowledge and skill-base so I can be a more effective nurse leader, teacher and researcher."
Since 2006, Dorfman has added a few more titles, including wife, mother and homeowner. In 2006, the Business Council of Westchester named her a Rising Star on its Westchesters Forty Under Forty list, and in 2010, she won the New York-Presbyterian Nursing Leadership Award.
In 2012, she is now the patient care director of the hospital's Woman's Program, which treats women who have a diagnosis of depression, bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder with cognitive behavioral therapy.
"The key to the juggling act of life and school is to be organized, motivated and to surround yourself with supportive family, friends and mentors," she said.
Having successfully defended her dissertation this year, an independent scientific determination of the effectiveness of a computerized cognitive behavioral program for depressed hospitalized patients, Dorfman plans to continue working at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester.
Dorfman said she hopes to provide quality affordable care and care to the mentally ill in her role at the hospital, which intertwines direct clinical, staff education and training, and administrative responsibilities.
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