Neighborhood Nursing Postdoctoral Fellowship
The Neighborhood Nursing program at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing announce an opening for a Postdoctoral Fellow with a focus on community health.
In collaboration with Coppin State University, Morgan State University, and the University of Maryland’s Schools of Nursing, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is leading a pilot of an innovative model aimed at addressing critical gaps in the healthcare system. Called “Neighborhood Nursing”, this program addresses two inter-related challenges. The first is most health promotion efforts in the U.S. operate within existing institutional power dynamics, failing to catalyze just transformations for healthier, more equitable futures. The second is the U.S. health system is not designed to keep people healthy but to repair them after chronic illnesses or accidents. These two challenges result in the shortest life expectancy and highest rates of death for preventable conditions among wealthiest nations. Not everyone experiences these challenges similarly. Marginalized, lower-wealth communities, for instance, confront injustices every day in social determinants of health and lack access to primary medical care. The combination creates vast health and social inequity. For example, in Baltimore, Maryland, the average life expectancy in zip codes a mere 5 miles apart is 16 years.
Neighborhood Nursing creates a platform of equal opportunity for everyone to live healthier lives in stronger communities. Revolutionary in the U.S., this approach is inspired by Costa Rica’s EBAIS system, which spends less than 10% of what the U.S. spends per person yet achieves significantly better health outcomes. Working with community institutions, Neighborhood Nursing provides access to health and social care in people’s homes and community anchors, such as schools, libraries, senior centers, and laundromats. This approach builds trust and agency among communities while eliminating barriers to health and social care through universal access.
Starting in Baltimore, we are leveraging the Maryland health payment systems to expand our footprint statewide. Over the next five years, we will explore opportunities for national adoption, such as pathways through the federal States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD). Through multi-stakeholder activation and mobilization for systemic policy change, care will be paid for by insurers over time (even for the uninsured). Our team has a strong record of accomplishing these goals.
The program will ultimately link every resident in a neighborhood with a dedicated nurse and community health worker (CHW), providing comprehensive, personalized services and referrals that address both physical and mental health needs. Nurses and CHWs trained in diverse care strategies will support Baltimore residents of all ages, connecting them with a range of service providers and provide care on the spot.
Under the direction of Dr. Sarah L. Szanton and Dr. Quincy Samus, the postdoctoral fellow will contribute to the science behind the Neighborhood Nursing program. The role includes many aspects of community-based research including community partnerships, working with multiple levels of data from person specific, to whole communities, to utilization data. The postdoctoral fellow will lead and contribute to publications, conduct data analysis, and helping to advance the theory and science of models of care that address structural racism and improve health equity. The fellow will also participate in grant proposal submission and conference presentations as well as be part of an interdisciplinary leadership team.
The Postdoctoral fellow will have access to exceptional resources to facilitate the conduct of their own research including multiple opportunities to publish, assistance with grant-writing, and project planning for the next stage of their research careers. The postdoctoral fellow will receive individualized mentoring and training to develop the skills and competencies needed to become a successful independent investigator, advance the health of populations, and to design, implement, and evaluate community-based programs.
The initial appointment will be for one year, with an additional year funded if the progress is satisfactory. Decisions regarding Fellowship extensions will be based on scholarly productivity, mid-year and year-end progress reports. The position provides salary and benefits consistent with NIH postdoctoral fellows.