Spotlight
A PART OF ORPCS DISCOVERY NEWSLETTER
Legacy Grant – Call for Applications
Are you a nurse interested in innovative research? Apply for the Stanford Nurse Alumnae Legacy Grant! The deadline to apply is October 31, 2022 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Click to read more on details of how to apply.
Stanford Medicine Black Nurses Association Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association
Read Michelle Y. Williams’, PhD, RN, piece on the Black Nurses Association from this past July, originally featured in StanfordMed TODAY.
Office of Research Patient Care Services Workers Pursuing Higher Education
Read about the staff from the Office of Research Patient Care Services who are going back to school!
The Stanford Nurse Alumnae Association is now accepting applications for nurse-led research projects!
The Stanford Nurse Alumnae Legacy Grants are intended to perpetuate the Stanford University School of Nursing's tradition of excellence in nursing practice, leadership, education, and research.
Legacy Grant funds provide grant support up to $10,000 to advance innovative research and demonstration projects that improve health care outcomes, the patient experience, and health system efficiency.
For help with the Legacy Grant process:
- Submit a consult request to meet with a nurse scientist to prepare your application and increase your chances of funding!
- Attend drop-in hours with the nurse scientist team to answer your questions or work on your application collaboratively.
- Register for October Drop-In Hours
To submit an application, please click here.
Article By: Michelle DeCoux Hampton, RN, PhD, MS & Regine Lopez, MPH
We are sitting in the windy city’s downtown Hilton Hotel’s illustrious ballroom at the 50th Annual National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) Conference, which was held July 26-31, 2022.
The more than 2,000 mostly Black nurse attendees and I were captivated by the NBNA’s 13th president, Dr. Martha Dawson, and the small-framed, stately woman we soon learned was Dr. Betty Smith-Williams, cofounder (1971), and president of the NBNA (1995-1999).
We hung on their every word. They recounted the lived experiences of marginalized Black and brown nurses and patients and families from communities of color, who, over the decades, found our nation’s health care industry and nursing profession to be racially exclusive.
These observations set the stage for inequitable health care and gaping health disparities among racialized communities and the staggering lack of representation with abysmal professional advocacy for Black and brown nurses nationwide.
Left to Right: Dr. Michelle DeCoux-Hampton, 1st Vice President, SMBNA Chapter; Dr. Martha Dawson, DNP, RN, President, NBNA; Dr. Michelle Y. Williams, President, SMBNA Chapter; Dr. Betty Smith-Williams, Co-Founder & Former President, NBNA; and Ms. Esther L. Kolison, MNS, RN, 2nd Vice President, SMBNA Chapter at the 50th Annual NBNA Conference in Chicago.
Listening and learning that night was at an all-time high, especially for the Stanford Medicine Black Nurses Association (SMBNA) board members who want to strengthen our chapter development!
We are a young board, and this was a perfect way to learn from other chapters. Hearing their stories about their focus on community projects was compelling and inspiring. This gave us lots to ponder with respect to how we could contribute to our community.
Networking with other chapters was informational, especially the Capital City Black Nurses Association (BNA). Dr. Michelle Y. Williams’ leadership strategically opened the door to convene a Northern California BNA chapter alliance to enhance our effectiveness and success.
In between educational sessions, NBNA business meetings, ceremonies, and exhibitors, Dr. Williams convened two board meetings to tend to board business, regroup, and move forward. We have returned with valuable information about how to be more effective and relevant as a board so we can strengthen our efforts in fulfilling our chapter mission. And, we had fun!
NBNA was organized in 1971 under the leadership of Dr. Lauranne Sams, former dean and professor of nursing at the School of Nursing, Tuskegee University, Alabama.
NBNA is a non-profit organization that incorporated on Sept. 2, 1972, in Ohio.
NBNA currently represents over 200,000 African American registered nurses, licensed vocational/practical nurses, nursing students, and retired nurses across the United States, Eastern Caribbean, and Africa, with our 100 charted chapters in 35 states.
The Black Nurses Association’s mission is “to represent and provide a forum for Black nurses to advocate and implement strategies to ensure access to the highest quality of health care for persons of color.”
Thirteen Stanford Medicine colleagues were in attendance at the July conference in Chicago, including Chief Nurse Executive/Vice President of Patient Care Services Dale Beatty, DNP, RN and members of our Stanford Medicine Black Nurses Association chapter of the NBNA. In addition to myself, the SMBNA board of directors includes: Michelle DeCoux Hampton, PhD, RN, 1st vice president; Esther L. Kolison, MSN, RN, 2nd vice president; Crystal Miles-Threatt, MA, RN, secretary; Shenee’ Laurence, MPH, RN, health policy; Sylvia Miller, DNP, RN, parliamentarian; and Maria O’Rourke, PhD, RN, 1st director at-large.
Other Stanford Health Care guests included Emebet Aklilu, MPH, MSBH, chair of the SHC Black Employee Resource Group, project manager, market development and outreach; Lyndsey McLain, MPH, manager, market development and outreach; Tiffany Victor-Castleberry, DNP, RN, former treasurer, member; and, Jaliza Johnson, MBA, MSN, RN, member.
We were honored to represent Stanford Medicine at this NBNA conference, the first in-person event since 2019. We were officially recognized as chartering our inaugural SMBNA chapter on Aug. 5, 2021, during the virtual 49th annual NBNA conference. A resounding round of applause rang through the conference hall as attendees marveled at our Stanford Medicine Black Nurses Association chapter of the NBNA. We are the second chapter in NBNA’s history to be launched within a health care delivery organization and the first in an academic medical center. We have a great deal to be proud of at Stanford Medicine!
[Image caption] Our SMBNA Chapter members in photos with Dr. Ernest Grant, President, ANA; Dr. Dale Beatty, CNE, SHC; Dr. Michelle Y. Williams, President, SMBNA; Dr. Maria O’Rourke, and our SHC HR Talent Acquisition Colleague, Trea Seeley, hosting an SHC Career exhibit at the 50th Annual NBNA Conference in Chicago, July 26-31, 2022!
When and Why Did We Start the Stanford Medicine Black Nurses Association Chapter of the NBNA
So, when and why did I plan to start the Stanford Medicine Black Nurses Association chapter of the National Black Nurses Association?
I joined Stanford Health Care as the Executive Director of Patient Care Research in February 2020, which was at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic quickly reflected the health inequities across communities of color, with a growing number of Black men and women across the United States becoming the targets of social injustices, which led to the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Men and women such as Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-yearold Black man who was murdered while jogging; Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was wrongfully murdered in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment on March 13, 2020; and 12 days later, George Perry Floyd, Jr., a 48-year-old Black man, was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During this time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publicly declared that “Racism is a serious threat to the public’s health.”
Furthermore, on June 8, 2020, in an American Medical Association (AMA) article titled “Why police brutality is a matter of public health,” Aletha Maybeck, MD, MPH, AMA, Chief Health Equity Officer and Director of the Center for Health Equity, stated, “People are dying. That’s our business, whether they are dying through a slow violence, such as structural racism, or COVID-19 or direct violence, like police brutality.”
She emphasized that “If death and injury are outcomes of any disease, we in the health space have a responsibility to understand why - and to act.” It was clear we had an opportunity to follow their lead and seek to make a difference. The plan to launch the SMBNA was then solidified.
Our Stanford Medicine Black Nurses Association Chapter of the NBNA
I felt a deep need to understand how Stanford Health Care could, first, build our knowledge base on social determinants of health, health disparities and, second, progress health equity.
On July 11, 2020, I emailed Dr. Sheldon D. Fields, Associate Dean for Equity And Inclusion and research professor at Pennsylvania State University Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, and the first vice president of the NBNA. I spoke of how to “explore how we might collaborate” on health disparity and social determinants of health research and projects related to health equity.
That first contact led to several virtual meetings and planning sessions that culminated on March 15, 2021, with the formation of our Stanford Medicine Black Nurses Association chapter of the NBNA and recognition as a chapter with 15 members and a board of directors. Our SHC President and CEO David Entwistle fully sponsored the required NBNA chapter fees.
We held our local chartering ceremony on July 29, 2021, at Stanford Health Care’s Assembly Hall in 500P, which was a joyful and momentous event. On August 5, 2021, our SMBNA members attended the virtual 49th Annual NBNA Conference, where we were officially chartered as the SMBNA chapter of the NBNA.
What’s Next for our Stanford Medicine Black Nurses Association Chapter of the NBNA
During the 50th Annual NBNA Conference, Dr. Sheldon B. Fields announced his candidacy for the NBNA’s 14th presidency, which will culminate at the 51st Annual NBNA Conference in 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Excited by this announcement, our SMBNA chapter agreed to convene the California NBNA chapters as the host chapter for a local event in late 2022 or early 2023.
Additionally, members of our SMBNA chapter will pursue NBNA committee positions, such as serving on the NBNA research committee, among others.
We are partnering with the California Capital City BNA chapter, New Jersey BNA chapter, and the NBNA to advance health equity research and programs throughout the United States.
We will also serve as a sponsor for the 51st NBNA Conference in Atlanta and explore potentially hosting the 2027 annual NBNA conference at Stanford Medicine as we uphold the pledge: “We will not be silent. We will use our influence to effect change.”
Article By: Michelle Y. Williams, PhD, RN
Our Stanford Medicine leaders, Dr. Lloyd Minor, Dean of Stanford School of Medicine; David Entwistle, President and CEO of Stanford Health Care; and Paul King, president and CEO of Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, made this pledge on June 4, 2020: “We will not be silent. We will use our influence to effect change. Today, we say enough is enough.”
Johnathan Clevinger
MSN, RN, CCRN, NE-BC
Director, Clinical Trials Operations & Practice
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Dr. Dale Beatty
University of Nevada - Reno
I am looking to further my education to both improve my leadership knowledge in leading teams as well as to be well positioned to impact patient outcomes from a health care systems perspective.
I anticipate utilizing my new knowledge and skills to develop programs and systems to improve the care and experience of the research patients in our own health systems while also disseminating that information to impact the same for research patients in other organizations.
I would also like to increase diversity and access to clinical trials for underserved populations.
Esther Kolison
MSN, BSN, RN
Nurse Manager
Research Quality & Compliance: Analytics/Reporting
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) / Family Nurse PractitionerThis program is only offered to SHC staff.
I am still working on that aspect, but I do have a name in mind, can’t say, because I need to have a conversation with that individual.
University of California
Lisa Morse
MS, RN, AGCNS-BC
Research Program Manager
I am a prospective PhD student looking to start a program during the fall of 2023.
I am investigating local and remote PhD in Nursing programs, including Stanford University’s inaugural PhD in Nursing program. Programs are just now starting to accept applications. I am busy reaching out to faculty and potential mentors, drafting goals statements, and soliciting letters of recommendation.
While I have always felt I was making a difference in the lives of others as a nurse working on the front lines of healthcare, the potential for having a larger-scale impact through nursing research inspired me to return to school for a PhD. My motivation stems from my experience defending and publishing my Master’s thesis just over a year ago. Through this experience, I discovered my passion for systematically measuring and evaluating patients’ experiences to obtain a clearer picture of underlying factors influencing patient outcomes.
As a doctoral student, I am interested in investigating the relationships between demographic, social, and structural characteristics to shed light on how these factors influence symptom burden in individuals with chronic illness.
Only time will tell how I will leverage a PhD in Nursing in the professional setting. There are many potential ways in which I can apply my interests and skills within healthcare or academia. I am grateful for the support and encouragement of Dr. Michelle Y. Williams, PhD, RN who has made it possible for me to engage in meaningful work here at ORPCS while simultaneously reaching for my goals. I am also eternally grateful to the many professors and colleagues who have mentored and inspired me throughout my career.
Priya Prasad-Gabitass
BSN, RN-BC
Patient Care Manager
Office of Research Patient Care Services- Enterprise
I am a currently enrolled in a Healthcare Management MBA program.
Capella University
I find the business management side of healthcare operations extremely interesting and want to further explore the process to supplement my experience and knowledge.
I have had the pleasure and honor of working with some of the best and influential leaders at Stanford Health Care and something they all share is an advanced degree in Nursing.
My ultimate goal is to incorporate my degree in my everyday practice and standard work. By being an effective and transformational leader, I hope to implement best practices to influence change and directly impact patient care outcomes.
Ryan Kelley
BSN, RN, CNRN, PHN
Assistant Patient Care Manager, Inpatient Clinical Trials
Masters Digital Health Informatics (MSDHI)
University of San Francisco
I chose the USF MSDHI program to integrate clinical context and knowledge with practical data science development.
Through the skills that I develop, I hope to create clinical systems that optimize clinical effort with patient’s needs using data and quality improvement science.
Diana Zhen
BSN, RN, PHN, CCRN
Assistant Patient Care Manager, Inpatient Clinical Trials
I am working on my MSN – Clinical Nurse Leader.
University of Nevada, Reno
Expand my knowledge to see what other parts of nursing may interest me and to help expand my skillset/tools in pursuing my current interests.
I hope to use tools and resources I’ve learned in school to apply to projects in my work setting. Also, would love to bridge the gap of academia and practice when it comes to networking professionally and potentially collaborating on projects between the two settings.
Christine Tran
BSN, CCRP
Assistant Patient Care Manager, Research Analytics, Reporting and Implementation
Masters of Nursing Administration
University of Texas at Arlington
In my past experience, not only were nursing leadership opportunities limited but having a say to help improve the nursing profession was not available. In the short amount of time, I’ve been here, Stanford Healthcare exposed all of the opportunities available to help improve healthcare from a nursing perspective and has inspired me to take on the challenge of furthering my education.
My goal is to utilize the knowledge learned to optimize clinical trials processes in a healthcare setting and to ultimately improve clinical trials efficiency, clinical trials job fulfilment and patient outcomes.
