UK College of Nursing Awarded Grant from Jonas Philanthropies to Fund Doctoral Nursing Students
The University of Kentucky College of Nursing is proud to announce it has been awarded a new grant of $10,000 from Jonas Philanthropies, a leading national philanthropic funder of graduate nursing education. This two-year grant will fund the scholarship of Ms. Leighann Koonmen, who will continue to grow in her field in chronic health conditions.
As a grant recipient, the College of Nursing joins Jonas Philanthropies’ efforts to improve the quality of healthcare by investing in nursing scholars whose research and clinical foci specifically address our nation’s most urgent needs. The grant will empower and support nursing students with financial assistance, leadership development and networking to expand the pipeline of future nursing faculty, researchers and advanced practice nurses.
With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 each day, 1 an entire generation of the healthcare workforce is aging at a rapid pace. 2 This, coupled with care for the 22.2 million veterans living across the country, 3 means the United States is facing a dire need for a new era of highly educated nursing professionals. The UK College of Nursing and Jonas Philanthropies believe the investment in the education of nurse leaders is critically important to improve the healthcare system.
Koonmen is part of the new 2018-2020 cohort of more than 200 Scholars pursuing PhD, DNP or EdD degrees at 92 universities across the country whose doctoral work will focus on such critical health priorities as chronic health conditions. They join more than 1,000 Jonas Scholar alumni representing 157 universities across all 50 states.
“Each year, we grow more in awe of all our Jonas Scholars have achieved. It is with great honor that we welcome and celebrate this new cohort of nurse leaders,” said Donald Jonas, who co-founded Jonas Philanthropies with his wife Barbara Jonas. “With more than 1,200 Jonas Scholars to date who are committed to meeting the greatest health needs of our time, we look forward to continuing our work with our partner nursing schools and expanding our impact to advance care for the country’s most vulnerable populations.”
