Places First for Palliative Care Nursing, Second Edition in the Palliative Care and Hospice Category

Burlington, MA, January 27, 2023 – Jones & Bartlett Learning, an Ascend Learning brand, today announced that eight products from its nursing and public health portfolios have been awarded the prestigious American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Awards. Each year the AJN conducts a peer-reviewed process of newly published textbooks and digital resources across nursing and healthcare selecting three best-in-class products per category. Since 1969, this annual awards competition has been highly regarded by professionals, faculty and librarians in both healthcare and academia.

“We are both honored and humbled to receive eight AJN Book of the Year Awards. Our authors and publishing teams work hard to create trusted, quality resources for nursing and healthcare students and professionals,” said Matt Kane, Director of Product Management, Jones & Bartlett Learning. “We want to thank the American Journal of Nursing for recognizing the efforts of so many as well as the nursing community we continue to proudly serve.”

As leaders in the pre-licensure and post-licensure nursing education markets, Jones & Bartlett Learning is honored to accept so many awards across the categories, particularly the first place recognition for Palliative Care Nursing: Caring for Suffering Patients, Second Edition by Kathleen Ouimet Perrin, Caryn A. Sheehan, Mertie L. Potter, and Mary K. Kazanowski. Jones & Bartlett Learning is also excited to accept awards for three first edition books: A History of Public Health: From Past to Present by Jan Kirk Carney in the History and Public Policy category, Population Health Analytics by Martha L. Sylvia and Ines Maria Vigil and Digital Health Care: Perspectives, Applications, and Cases by Phillip Olla and Joseph Tan, both in the Informatics category.

Awarded second place in the 2022 AJN Book of the Year Awards in the Community/Public Health category: Introduction to Health Behavior Theory, Fourth Edition by Joanna Hayden.

Awarded second place in the 2022 AJN Book of the Year Awards in the History and Public Policy category: A History of Public Health: From Past to Present by Jan Kirk Carney.

Awarded second and third place, respectively, in the 2022 AJN Book of the Year Awards in the Informatics category: Population Health Analytics by Martha L. Sylvia and Ines Maria Vigil and Digital Health Care: Perspectives, Applications, and Cases by Phillip Olla and Joseph Tan.

Awarded second place in the 2022 AJN Book of the Year Awards in the Maternal–Child Health/Prenatal Nursing/Childbirth category: Breastfeeding Management for the Clinician: Using the Evidence, Fifth Edition by Marsha Walker

Awarded third place in the 2022 AJN Book of the Year Awards in the Nursing Management and Leadership category: Financial Management for Nurse Managers: Merging the Heart with the Dollar, Fifth Edition by J. Michael Leger.

Awarded third place in the 2022 AJN Book of the Year Awards in the Nursing Research category: Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses: Appraisal and Application of Research, Fifth Edition by Nola A. Schmidt and Janet M. Brown.

Awarded first place in the 2022 AJN Book of the Year Awards in the Palliative Care and Hospice category: Palliative Care Nursing: Caring for Suffering Patients, Second Edition by Kathleen Ouimet Perrin, Caryn A. Sheehan, Mertie L. Potter, and Mary K. Kazanowski

About Jones & Bartlett Learning
Jones & Bartlett Learning is a world-leading provider of instructional, assessment, and learning-performance management solutions for the secondary education, post-secondary education, and professional markets. Jones & Bartlett Learning develops educational programs and services that improve learning outcomes and enhance student achievement by combining authoritative content written by respected authors with innovative, proven, and engaging technology applications that meet the diverse needs of today’s instructors, students, and professionals. www.jblearning.com

About Ascend Learning
Ascend Learning is a leading provider of online educational content, simulation, software and analytics serving students, educational institutions and employers. With products that span the learning continuum, Ascend Learning focuses on high-growth careers in a range of industries, with a special focus on healthcare and other high-growth, licensure-driven professions. Ascend Learning products, from testing to certification, are used by frontline healthcare workers, physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, certified personal trainers, group fitness instructors, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers. Learn more at www.ascendlearning.com.

At Ascend, we strive to provide opportunities for employees to stretch their skills and advance their careers by moving among business segments, brands and teams — driving personal and team growth while creating a culture where people love what they do, take ownership and are empowered to pursue new career opportunities within the company so we “hire our own talent.”

Aravind Thimmapuram served as the lead software engineer on the learning management systems (LMS) platform team for five years in our Tech & Ops segment before making his move to software engineering manager on the same team in August 2022. Aravind sought guidance from his manager as he considered his move and continues to network with other leaders across Ascend as he settles into his new role.

Ascend Communications (AC): How did your former role help prepare you to make your move into a management role? 

Aravind Thimmapuram (AT): I’ve been working with this team for more than five years. We work together to build each other up and make sure we’re all on the same page by asking for feedback, offering help where we can and making sure everyone feels like their voice is heard. This makes for an atmosphere where people are constantly growing, learning, and challenging themselves.

From writing code and scoping complex tasks to coordinating teams to solve them, I’ve always liked having a broader, long-term strategic perspective in addition to focusing on day-to-day activities. I’ve learned a lot from these experiences including processes, teams and projects, and believe they gave me a unique opportunity to learn what it takes to become a manager.

AC: What was the process like making your move? 

AT: I’ve regularly discussed my career progression goals in 1:1 meetings with my manager. He always guided me and offered suggestions on areas for improvement and helped me understand the impact of my decisions so that I could learn from them. Using his feedback to improve myself, I’ve been able to gain more responsibility and more opportunities to lead independently over time.

I heard about this open position through an organizational announcement email and once the open position was posted on the career website, I notified my manager of my intention to apply. Once it got approved, I applied online and went through three rounds of interviews after which I was offered the position.

AC: How has your day-to-day changed in a management role?

AT: I’m learning how to balance people management, project management and technical knowledge to deliver the right product, the right way while supervising a team of software engineers and platform analysts. It’s quite like product development — you need to know the specs well (duties), build a roadmap (planning and scheduling), negotiate and allocate resources (people, budget), make sure the result (tracked performance) meets the specific client’s needs (company’s business goals), and debug and update (unblock and support engineers).

Each one of us has a mindset of being able to overcome any challenge. We believe in being transparent about our goals and strategies so that everyone has a clear understanding of what we’re trying to achieve, how we’re going to get there, and why it’s important. Ascend’s culture is very dynamic with a “growth mindset.”

AC: Are there any resources or people that have helped you transition into management?

AT: There is a leadership community where leaders from multiple Ascend brands meet monthly to share and learn from each other. I’m also reading a lot of management books to help me transition into management and highly recommend “The Making of a Manager” by Julie Zhuo. These community discussions and books are helping me understand and transition into this new role with ease.

AC: How have our values shaped or influenced this process for you?

AT: Our values have been a part of this process from the very beginning. They have shaped my experience with the team because they’re present in how we treat each other and how we approach our work. We value transparency and we do our best to be as transparent as possible. We also believe that communication is key — it’s how we keep each other informed about what’s happening so we can work together towards our common goal.

AC: What does it mean to you that our work helps change lives?

AT: “We change lives” is not just some corporate buzzword or mission statement — it’s something we live by every day at Ascend. When I see how much our work changes lives for the better, it inspires me to do even better work.

***

When team members move to new roles across Ascend, they grow their skills and stretch their capabilities within a company they already know, maintain their benefits and connections with colleagues, and teams gain an employee already invested in the work, mission and culture — one that can ramp up quickly and bring legacy knowledge to their new role. To learn more about career opportunities at Ascend, visit our Careers page.

A list recognizing the most transformational digital learning and workforce skills companies

Burlington, Mass. (Jan 12, 2023) — Ascend Learning has been included in the GSV 150, a list of the world’s most transformative private companies in education.

Ascend Learning was chosen from over 4,000 venture capital and private equity-backed private companies revolutionizing the world of education technology. GSV estimates that together these 150 companies reach roughly three billion people — almost half of the global population — and generate approximately $25 billion in revenue.

“We’re honored to be recognized in the GSV 150 as a leader in online educational solutions,” said Greg Sebasky, Ascend Learning CEO. “As passionate champions for learners, educators and employers, we’re committed at Ascend to accelerate the learning pathways that can move people into careers of their choice, where they have the knowledge and skills to impact their communities throughout their chosen career.”

“We are excited to release the annual GSV 150, a selection of the leading private companies in digital learning and workforce skilling,” said Alexandra Argo, investor at GSV Ventures. “As we enter into what we call a ‘Brave New World,’ it is clear that you can’t use an old map to navigate a new world. This impressive group of companies continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of learners and businesses at scale. After evaluating over 4,000 companies globally, we are proud to present the list of the 150 most impactful companies in digital learning that are leading the charge in providing ALL people equal access to the future.”

GSV 150 selections were made following a rigorous assessment of over 4,000 venture capital- and private equity-backed companies that met the following criteria:

• VC- or PE-backed companies in digital learning and workforce skills, excluding public and nonprofit companies 
• Companies that have achieved meaningful scale, and primarily, but not exclusively, those that are post-Series A in their development  
• Companies experiencing solid, organic top-line growth 

The final selection is determined by GSV’s proprietary scoring system, which applies scores across several KPIs such as revenue scale, revenue growth, active learner reach, international reach, and margin profile. 

The GSV 150 is distributed across Pre-K to Gray, covering early childhood, K-12, higher education, adult consumer learning, and workforce learning. Of these companies, 33% focus specifically on lifelong learning (which includes adult consumer learning and workforce learning), 32% focus on early childhood and K-12 education, and 5% focus solely on higher education. More and more companies are extending their reach across the lifetime learning cycle, with 30% of the 150 expanding across multiple categories from Pre-K to Gray.

North America — primarily the United States — is the most represented region, accounting for 60% of the GSV 150. India is also a significant contributor to the list, with 14% of the companies coming from that market, which has continued to experience rapid growth. Europe and Latin America each account for 11% and 7% of the GSV 150, respectively. The remaining 8% of companies are dispersed throughout MENA, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

See the full GSV 150 list at www.asugsvsummit.com/edtech-150.

About Ascend Learning
Ascend Learning is a leading provider of online educational content, software and analytics serving students, educational institutions and employers. With products that span the learning continuum, Ascend Learning focuses on high-growth careers in a range of industries, with a special focus on healthcare and other high-growth, licensure-driven professions. Ascend Learning products, from testing to certification, are used by frontline healthcare workers, physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers all along the learning continuum from student through the lifetime career professional. Learn more at www.ascendlearning.com.

About ASU+GSV Summit

The ASU+GSV Summit is the premier global event focused on technology innovation in education and skills. We believe that ALL people deserve equal access to the future. Started in 2010 with a collaboration between Arizona State University (ASU) and Global Silicon Valley (GSV), the annual Summit connects leading minds focused on transforming society and business around learning and work. Educators, investors, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs from around the world come together to innovate the future of education for all. Hosted in San Diego, over 5,300 people attended in April 2022. Speakers from previous years include President Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, John Legend, Common, Marian Wright Edelman, Bill Gates, Sandra Day O’Connor, Reed Hastings, President Vicente Fox, Malcolm Gladwell, Gloria Steinem, Tony Blair, and Howard Schultz.

Clinching its third Emmy in two years, the organization’s podcasts provide inspiring interviews with important information

Gilbert, AZ, Jan. 10, 2023 — National Academy of Sports Medicine® (NASM), an Ascend Learning brand and the global leader in fitness and wellness education and certifications, recently won a 2022 MarCom Gold Emmy Award for an expert-led “Master Instructor Roundtable” with hosts Marty Miller and Wendy Batts in the category of Social Storytelling. The winning episode, titled “Welcome to the (Thera)gun Show,” features Theragun founder Dr. Jason Wersland as a guest, and provides a fascinating window into the origin and impact of modern recovery tools in health and fitness.

The Marcom Award recognizes outstanding achievement by creative professionals involved in the concept, direction, design, production and marketing of communication materials and programs. This year, there were over 6,000 entries throughout the United States, Canada and 43 other countries. 

“Our podcasts are a great opportunity to showcase our content to millions of people around the world,” said Laurie McCartney, President of NASM. “I am very proud to see our Master Instructors, Wendy Batts and Marty Miller, and our entire podcast production team recognized for their hard work and dedication to the mission of helping people live healthier and happier lives.”

This marks NASM’s third Emmy in the last two years. In 2021, NASM Master Instructor Rick Richey, was awarded the win from Sharecare for his in-depth sit-down interview on the NASM CPT Podcast titled “Fight On!” with former USC long snapper and NASM-CPT Jake Olson, who is blind. The powerful conversation shared Jake’s journey to a passion for fitness, and how NASM helped him reach his goals. NASM’s Random Fit podcast won a MarCom Gold Emmy for an interview with 7-time NBA all-star, Grant Hill, where the future hall of famer discussed how NASM’s Optimum Performance Training® Model helped him throughout his two decades in the NBA and into his post-career.

Access and enjoy all of NASM’s award-wining podcasts at nasm.org/resources/podcast-network.  

About National Academy of Sports Medicine: 

National Academy of Sports Medicine® (NASM) is a global leader in fitness and wellness education and certifications. Building on over 35 years of expertise, NASM programs create a roadmap for fitness and wellness professionals to help their clients achieve better physical and mental performance in athletics and everyday life. NASM provides an industry-first training system, with the Optimum Performance Training (OPT™) model, creating robust courses and content based solely on science-backed research. Learn more at www.nasm.org.

About Ascend Learning

Ascend Learning is a leading provider of online educational content, simulation, software and analytics serving students, educational institutions and employers. With products that span the learning continuum, Ascend Learning focuses on high-growth careers in a range of industries, with a special focus on healthcare and other high-growth, licensure-driven professions. Ascend Learning products, from testing to certification, are used by frontline healthcare workers, physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers.