As the first MSN (Entry into Nursing) student to continue as a DNP (AGNP)-PhD student at Johns Hopkins, Emerald Jenkins is studying pain in older adults with cognitive impairment. Through her research, she hopes to incorporate her knowledge as a psychiatric nurse and caregiver to her great-grandmother with Alzheimer’s disease. As an American Association of College of Nursing GNSA Advocacy Leader for Maryland, Emerald is developing advocacy skills to introduce policy change for Medicare coverage for caregivers. As a Black Student Nurses Association (BSNA) board member, Emerald created a 12-day course for JHU BSNA students and local RNs to teach medical terminology to older teens and young adults via the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development’s Job Training for Youth Program. Emerald’s career goals are to increase minority involvement in health care education, improve pain recognition by providers and caregivers, and delay transitions of elders from home to institutionalized care.
