The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced on Jan. 10 a new scholars program to develop the next generation of nurse leaders in academia and boost the stature of junior faculty in nursing schools. The RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholars program will provide $28 million over the next five years to outstanding junior nursing faculty to help them advance in their fields and seek faculty positions earlier in their careers by providing mentorship, leadership training, salary, and research support.
The program will be run out of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, and will award up to $350,000 for three years to each RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholar; up to 15 scholars will be selected each year. Scholars will be given opportunities to develop a research program and other scholarly activities; work closely with institutional and national mentors; participate in leadership training; and network with scholars, experts, and colleagues in their field and other related fields. Scholars also will be able to gain much-needed protected time to get the critical skills needed for a successful career in academic nursing.
“Universities are turning away thousands of qualified applicants to nursing schools each year because they lack the faculty to teach them,” said RWJF president and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD. “We have a pipeline problem. We need to fill that pipeline or we all will suffer the consequences.” More information.
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