Obituary of Cynthia M. Stuhlmiller

Cynthia Stuhlmiller had an exciting and fulfilling life and career, living in 5 countries, working at 11 universities. After gaining her BNS at D'Youville College in 1979 and a MS in Mental Health Nursing at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York in 1981 she moved to Menio Park California where she spent 12 years developing the world's first PTSD program for Vietnam veterans. Much of her pioneering work remains gold standard in the field. She completed her PhD in Nursing from the University of California San Francisco in 1991 where she studied extreme stress and wrote a book on her study of the rescue workers of the Loma Prieta freeway collapse. In 1993 she moved to the University of Tronsoe, Norway as a Fulbright Scholar and studied people living in high arctic regions. She spent a year in New Zealand in 1995 developing and delivering graduate programs Statewide for Massey University and in 1997 moved to Australia as foundation chair and professor in mental health nursing for the University of Technology, Sydney. In 2000 she accepted a similar Statewide position at Flinders University, Adelaide Australia. Her innovative work produced new care practices, better access to physical and mental health care, emergency department mental health triage and a graduate program that was named Australia's foremost. She met her husband, Barry Tolchard while at Flinders. They became colleagues and research collaborators among sharing interests in travel, camping and other outdoor activities. Following a tragedy in the South Australian Health System, Cynthia moved to Hawaii and Barry to England. Cynthia's Statewide work in Hawaii yielded a number of important projects that have been sustained over time. She moved back to Hamburg in 2007 to help with her mom and then joined Barry at the University of Essex Colchester England to help develop a graduate program as part of a national agenda. Cynthia and Barry hand-fasted in 2009 and moved to Amidale, Australia. Cynthia gained significant national funding to develop a student-led clinic to offer comprehensive free help to an underserved aboriginal community. The project gained national attention as a one stop shop model of health care. She is most proud of the outcomes that continue to be achieved. She continued to direct the student-led program from the University at Buffalo where she was named Associate Dean of Nursing, all while she and Barry helped with caregiving of her centurion mother. After her mother passed (2017) she was preparing to join Barry in England where he took on directing nursing programs. Early in 2018 she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive leukemia and battled at Roswell Park Cancer Institute until she passed in peace on June 28, 2019. She is survived by her husband, Barry; brothers , Edwin and David (Bob-deceased), in laws, nieces and nephews. She enjoyed returning to Hamburg where she reunited with friends and family and made new friends and colleagues at the University at Buffalo. Cynthia loved to hot tub, dance, dress up and have fun, with a personality that dragged everyone with her. She died with no regrets and feels privileged to have had such a rich adventurous life including a special bond of love and commitment with her husband, Barry.