Two College of Nursing Students Selected as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars
College of Nursing PhD students Jessica Harman, BSN, RN, CCRN and Sara Duggan, BSN, RN, TNCC, were selected by Susan Frazier, PhD, RN, FAHA associate professor and PhD program director, as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Future of Nursing Scholars for the next three years. The Foundation’s award of $150,000 will support the tuition, stipend, living expenses and fees for the two scholars who will begin their PhD programs in September 2016.
The College of Nursing will match an additional $50,000 per scholar – totaling $125,000 each – in an effort to develop the next generation of PhD-prepared nurse scholars and leaders who are committed to long-term careers that support discovery and develop science, strengthen and sustain efficient and optimal preparation of nurses, and bring about transformational modifications in nursing, nursing science and health care.
Harman, from Lexington, graduated with her BSN from the College of Nursing in May 2014 and has worked at UK’s Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit since graduation. She plans to research patients who are diagnosed with advanced heart failure, the treatment options offered to them and how they affect health outcomes.
“I believe that current health care is focused on the immediate and what we’re doing right now,” says Harman. “But we really need to focus on a continuum of care and how we can improve a broken system. This is why I want to be a nursing researcher.”
Dr. Frazier identified Harman and Duggan for their academic achievement, their demonstrated leadership ability and their career goals that aligned with the goals of the Foundation. The students must complete their PhDs in three years, attend annual summer institute meetings sponsored by RWJF and participate in multiple leadership webcasts and conference calls focused on science and leadership. Additionally, they will work closely with a senior research mentor in the College and a second mentor, a scientist in another discipline at the University of Kentucky, to support their development as a scientist.
“This is an exceptional opportunity for outstanding doctoral students; I am so pleased that I have the opportunity to support these students in their doctoral work. I am confident that Jessica and Sara will excel in our PhD Program and advance the RWJF initiative to increase the number of doctorally prepared scientists and nurse leaders in our nation,” says Dr. Frazier.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. Since its inception as a small community foundation, the foundation has shaped key efforts to improve the nation’s health and health care – from the development of the 911 emergency call system to the improvement of care at the end of life. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on six approaches to health: child and family well-being, health coverage, health leadership and workforce, health system improvement, healthy communities and healthy weight.
For more than 40 years, the Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are working with others to build a national Culture of Health that will enable everyone in America to live longer, leather lives. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
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