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Newswise — BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Carrie Ann Gakumo, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, is one of 12 U.S. nursing educators to be selected for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program this year.
The Nurse Faculty Scholar award is given to junior nurse faculty who show strong promise as future leaders in academic nursing. In conjunction with the selection, Gakumo will receive a three-year, $350,000 award to promote her academic career and support her research.
“This award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides a remarkable opportunity to examine management of HIV and associated comorbidities in people who cope with low health literacy,” Gakumo said. “When I was informed I had been selected as a scholar, I was both overjoyed and humbled at the same time. It’s a tremendous honor to be a part of this great organization.” For her research project, Gakumo plans to test a peer support and text/graphic messaging intervention on HIV and comorbid medication adherence in low-literate, older African-Americans with HIV. Patient-centered approaches are used in the design, implementation and evaluation of the project, and findings will inform future studies on improving adherence by overcoming health-literacy deficits in racially diverse populations.
The RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholars program strengthens the academic productivity and overall excellence of nursing schools by developing the next generation of leaders in academic nursing. Gakumo is part of the program’s seventh and final cohort. Supporting junior nurse faculty will help curb a shortage of nurse educators that could undermine the health and health care of all Americans. The Affordable Care Act is vastly increasing the number of people with health coverage in the United States. As the number of patients grows, the demand for skilled nurses is rising, as is the need for nurse faculty to educate them.
Right now, many schools of nursing are turning away qualified applicants because they do not have the faculty to teach them. The RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholars program is helping more junior faculty succeed in, and commit to, academic careers. The program also enhances the stature of the scholars’ academic institutions, which will benefit fellow nurse educators seeking professional development opportunities.
To receive the award, scholars must be registered nurses who have completed a research doctorate in nursing or a related discipline and who have held a tenure-eligible faculty position at an accredited nursing school for at least two years and no more than five years.
To learn more about the program, visit www.nursefacultyscholars.org.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a separate, independent institution from the University of Alabama, which is located in Tuscaloosa. Please use University of Alabama at Birmingham on first reference and UAB on all subsequent references.
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