Patricia Davidson, PhD, MEd, RN, FAAN, has been named a Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR) Ambassador to advocate and advance nursing science. Davidson, dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, was chosen for her ability to advance public, health professions, and policy-maker awareness of the critical research agenda linked to the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).
“This opportunity is critical at a time when health care reform is imminent and nurses are key players in the future of care,” says Davidson. “Nursing science impacts clinical decision making and how we implement evidence into practice to improve the health of our communities. This is another pathway to work with sectors outside of the profession and translate our knowledge into sustainable measures of change.”
Davidson, one of 15 picked as ambassadors, will focus specifically on educating Congressional leaders about the high-impact and cost-effective treatments and quality-of-life enhancements coming from nursing science. The goal is to advance research funding to ensure the training of scientists at a time of major scientific breakthroughs and to promote the updated NINR strategic plan that specifies how nurse scientists improve the wellbeing of Americans across the human lifespan.
Davidson has been a proponent of nursing’s correlation to the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields and its strong tie to the scientific community. She has received numerous nursing research awards throughout her career and was recently the first nurse to receive one of Australia’s most prestigious scientific awards, the Australian Museum’s Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Young Researchers.
“We are exquisitely positioned to use science generated by highly-trained nurses to generate cures, reduce symptoms and side-effects, and promote health and wellbeing aimed at individuals, families, and communities,” states Karen Drenkard, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of the FNINR.
“In the last year, we have had important conversations with key Congressional leaders who are understanding and valuing how nurses function as scientists, individually and on integrated research teams. With the large number of newly elected officials nationally and at the state-level, the Ambassadors will join others, including our Board, to bolster awareness and action for those discoveries that save lives, advance health, and reduce costs.”
***
FNINR is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to provide resources to support nursing research and help advance the mission of NINR. FNINR seeks to support research-based nursing practice by educating health care professionals, Congress, and other appointed and elected officials, as well as the public in general about the advances made through nursing research and its benefits to patients, families, the community and the delivery of quality health care.
Located in Baltimore, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is a globally-recognized leader in nursing education, research and practice and ranks #1 nationally among graduate schools of nursing and #2 for DNP programs, according to U.S. News & World Report. In addition, the school is ranked by QS World University as the No. 2 nursing school in the world and is named the “Most Innovative Nursing Graduate Program in the U.S” by Best Master of Science in Nursing Degrees. The school is #1 among nursing schools for Federal Research Grants and National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. For more information, visit www.nursing.jhu.edu.
Media Inquiries
Danielle Kress
410-955-2840