San Francisco—A national fellowship program focused on expanding the role of nurses to lead change in the U.S. health care system has named its 2009 cohort of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation® (RWJF) Executive Nurse Fellows. Twenty nurses, selected from among the top nursing leaders nationwide, will join more than 200 nurse leaders who have participated in the program since 1998. With nurses from Oklahoma and Rhode Island, two states new to the program, the Executive Nurse Fellows network now extends across 46 states.
The three-year fellowship program provides extensive leadership development for nurses in executive roles in public or community health, science and research, corporate health, academia, government, or military health service. Fellows remain in their current positions while they receive training and mentoring, and while they manage their own health care initiative. A key part of program participation is the development of an innovative new initiative to improve health care delivery, which Fellows plan and implement in their community.
"Nurses provide a unique perspective in the health care system, understanding both the patient experience and the way policies and procedures affect health outcomes," said Marilyn P. Chow, D.N.Sc., R.N., F.A.A.N., the RWJF Executive Nurse Fellows national program director. "We are excited for the unique opportunity that our fellows have. They will be able to utilize the skills they develop in our program to participate in the national discourse on health reform."
The 2009 Executive Nurse Fellows are:
The fellowship is supported through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and matching funds from each of the Fellows' home institutions or sponsoring organizations.
For more information about the RWJF Executive Nurse Fellows program visit: http://futurehealth.ucsf.edu/
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org .