Emily Haozous, Ph.D., R.N. Selected as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar

NEWS RELEASE                                                     Contact: Gretchen Wright or Johanna Diaz

August 31, 2011                                                                        202/371-1999

 

 

Albuquerque, N.M.—Emily Haozous, Ph.D., R.N., an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico College of Nursing, has won a competitive grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to develop interventions to encourage Native American women to undergo cancer screenings. Haozous is one of just 12 nurse educators from around the country to receive the three-year $350,000 Nurse Faculty Scholar award this year.  The award is given to junior faculty who show outstanding promise as future leaders in academic nursing. The grant period begins next month.

 

“Being chosen as a Nurse Faculty Scholar is a huge honor. The selection criteria are rigorous and the people they select are superstars. I am thrilled to be among them and to get the resources and training to start me on that path. This is incredibly meaningful for me and my institution,” Hazous said.

 

For her research project, Haozous will develop a culturally appropriate intervention for Native American women using digital stories to encourage cancer screenings. There is a significant amount of medical mistrust among Native American women, creating a barrier to providing cancer screenings to this high-risk population.

 

The intervention will use video footage of Native American women who have undergone cancer screenings to relay their experience using the words of the community. These digital stories will be shown at outpatient clinics during medical appointments to encourage women who might otherwise be hesitant about receiving screenings to do so.

 

“New Mexico has a huge cancer disparity among Native Americans, and by the time many schedule a medical appointment, the disease has already turned fatal. With this tool, I’d like to reduce the number of cancer fatalities among Native Americans in the state and at the same time help people feel that health providers are trustworthy,” Haozous said.

 

Haozous’s selection comes as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is embarking on a campaign to radically transform the nursing profession to improve health and health care. Based on the recommendations from a groundbreaking Institute of Medicine nursing report released last year—The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, RWJF is spearheading the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action to engage nurses and non-nurses in a nationwide effort to overhaul the nursing profession. The campaign is working to implement solutions to the challenges facing the nursing profession and to build upon nurse-based approaches to improving quality and transforming the way Americans receive health care.

 

Her mentors at the University of New Mexico are: Nancy Ridenour, Ph.D., A.P.R.N. B.C., F.A.A.N., professor and dean at the College of Nursing and Marianne Berwick, Ph.D., M.P.H., a professor of epidemiology and preventive medicine, cancer focus area.

 

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program aims to strengthen the academic productivity and overall excellence of nursing schools by developing the next generation of national leaders in academic nursing. Supporting junior nurse faculty will help curb a shortage of nurse educators that could undermine the health and health care of all Americans. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will vastly increase the number of people who can access health care in the United States. As the number of patients increases, there will be greater demand for skilled nurses and faculty to educate them. Right now, many schools of nursing are turning away qualified applicants because they lack the faculty to teach them.

 

The Nurse Faculty Scholars program is helping to curb the shortage by helping more junior faculty succeed in, and commit to, academic careers. The program provides talented junior faculty with salary and research support as well as the chance to participate in institutional and national mentoring activities, leadership training, and networking events with colleagues in nursing and other fields, while continuing to teach and provide institutional, professional and community service at their universities.

 

The program will also enhance the stature of the scholars’ academic institutions, which will benefit fellow nurse educators seeking professional development opportunities.

 

To receive the award, scholars must be registered nurses who have completed a research doctorate in nursing or a related discipline and who have held a tenure-eligible faculty position at an accredited nursing school for at least two and no more than five years.

 

This is the fourth cohort of Nurse Faculty Scholars. Many members of the first three cohorts have been published and recognized for outstanding work since they were accepted into the program.

The Nurse Faculty Scholars program is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered through the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. It is directed by Jacquelyn Campbell, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., who is the Anna D. Wolf chair and professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

To learn more about the program, visit www.rwjfnursefacultyscholars.org.

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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 health and health care, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, measurable and timely change. For nearly 40 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.