To Our Fellow Colleagues:
Our first year leading this esteemed association has been inspiring. From the vantage point of our roles, we get to see the full cascade of nursing impact, from clinical care to policy design to research, governance, and leadership of systems of care. We have much to celebrate as alumni of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and we are delighted to champion your work and your voices.
This past year, we have been fortunate to partake in several events at our school, both in person and virtually, and in parts of the country where our alumni live and work. We had the joyous opportunity to celebrate the reunion of so many classes of the Johns Hopkins and Church Home alumni at our Reunion Weekend this past June. It was truly a special weekend as we celebrated the 50-year reunion of the Class of 1973, the last graduating class of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Training Program. Their commitment to nursing, to one another, and to our school is palpable and contagious.
Our Alumni Association, much like the School of Nursing, continues to evolve to meet the needs of our alumni. We have done this by centering our dialogue around what we can do as nurses to improve our working conditions, to prepare for and respond to our changing climate, to plan for the anticipated caregiving needs of our aging society, and to dismantle structural racism, all with the goal of advancing healthier, more equitable communities. What has been apparent to us this past year is that as alumni, we remain an important resource for one another—and for students—as we strive to elevate our discipline and broaden the scope of both our narrative and narrators.
With so much happening here at Johns Hopkins, your involvement in the Alumni Association has never been more valuable. Your continued support and active participation are essential for sustaining our connective tissue, so we hope to see you at any of our many upcoming events—at the School of Nursing, virtually, or at any of our regional events in California, Illinois, Washington, DC, and Massachusetts.
In solidarity,
Fernando Mena-Carrasco, MSN, MSW, RN (BSN 2015, MSN 2018)
President, JHNAA
Korrina Lau, MSN, FNP-BC, AOCNP (BSN 2005, MSN 2008).
Vice President, JHNAA