WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange High School nurse Denise Makri-Werzen has received her doctorate in public health, specifically community health. Makri-Werzen has worked in the West Orange School District for the past 14 years and has served as a nurse at WOHS for the past 11 years.
After receiving a Bachelor of Science in medical technology with a minor in biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1975, Makri-Werzen went on to earn her Master of Science in human physiology from FDU Dental. She received an Associate of Science in nursing in 1998 from Bergen Community College and worked as a New Jersey certified school nurse and advanced-standing health teacher at Caldwell University from 2004 to 2006. Makri-Werzen raised three children and grew her own business, Med-Con Associates, established in 2008, consulting for the Food and Drug Administration on MedWatch reports while remaining active as a consultant in the field of assisted reproductive medicine and clinical laboratories.
Makri-Werzen began her doctoral studies at Walden University in 2012 while working full-time and caring for her children, her parents and her husband, Bill, who died in 2018. Her doctoral dissertation was called “Perceived Health/Safety Risks and Critical Thinking Skills in College Students Using Social Media Networking.”
“It was 10 arduous years of hard work and perseverance, through many personal and financial trials and tribulations, but I persevered and reached my goal on Feb. 7 upon receiving my Ph.D. in public health. This is an honor that so few individuals achieve,” said Makri-Werzen, who became an important resource at the high school during the pandemic. “It has been a challenge for our high school population during the COVID-19 pandemic.” It helps that Makri-Werzen is a public health professional, as well as a registered nurse, a certified school nurse, a health technician and a certified medical technologist.
“Understanding so many aspects of dealing with the pandemic, such as contact tracing and knowledge of the COVID vaccines’ key ingredients … helped students and staff understand how the vaccines worked, along with their target mechanisms,” she continued. “My 10 years served at Novartis Pharmaceutical as a senior research scientist in preclinical oncology drug development assisted in explaining to staff and students any questions they presented about the vaccines’ safety/efficacy and any potential serious adverse effects.”
In addition to her work at the high school and her consulting business, Makri-Werzen is the program coordinator of the Essex County School Nurses Association and is a certified basic life support instructor. She received the 2018 New Jersey State School Nurses Association Award for Essex County.
“I enjoy my diverse professional career, and when I retire from the public school system I will remain active as a consultant, working with professional colleagues from diverse pharmaceutical companies, educational organizations, and the CDC, FDA and WHO,” Makri-Werzen said. “In the end, I want to live my life to the fullest and continue to enjoy both professional and personal growth and be thankful for supportive family and friends.”
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