Page 17 - Johns Hopkins Nursing Magazine Spring 2023 - Johns Hopkins School of Nursing

Five faculty members from the Johns Hopkins Yvonne Commodore-Mensah,
Inaugural JHSON Rising Professors
School of Nursing (JHSON) have been selected as the PhD, MHS, RN, FAHA, FPCNA,
inaugural holders of the Term Professorship for Rising FAAN, seeks to reduce the
Faculty (Rising Professorship). burden of cardiovascular disease
risk among Africans in the
The Rising Professorship is a three-year period of U.S. and in sub-Saharan Africa NEWS FROM JOHNS HOPKINS NURSING
funding for emerging and distinguished faculty to through community-engaged
grow their research, increase their local, national, research and implementation science. She is a
or global collaboration, strengthen their policy cardiovascular nurse epidemiologist and co-founder
involvement, and advance their leadership within and president of the Ghanaian-Diaspora Nursing
nursing and beyond. “This significant investment in Alliance, which advances nursing education in Ghana.
faculty underscores our commitment to offering rising Commodore-Mensah is principal investigator of the
stars a place where they can both succeed in their LINKED-BP and LINKED-HEARTS trials, aimed to
careers and build the science, research, and networks improve hypertension control and management of
needed to further nursing and improve health,” says chronic conditions in community health centers.
JHSON Dean Sarah Szanton, PhD, RN, FAAN.
Laura Samuel, PhD, MSN, RN,
The Rising Professors: FAAN, addresses socioeconomic
disparities by advancing health
Kamila Alexander, PhD, MSN/ equity for individuals and
MPH, RN, uses health equity and families with low incomes. Her
social justice lenses to examine research examines the pathways
the complex roles that intimate that link low income and
partner violence, HIV resilience, financial strain to physiologic aging. This includes
societal gender expectations, investigating the health impact of policies and
and economic opportunity play programs related to economic well-being for low-
in the experience of intimate human relationships. income households. Her research also looks at aspects 15 15
Alexander is inaugural chair of the Nursing Initiative of neighborhood and household environments that
of the Mid-Atlantic Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) may influence health disparities. Her interests stem
Consortium, lead faculty for the Violence Working from clinical experience as a family nurse practitioner
Group at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury where she witnessed the myriad ways that a lack of
Research and Policy, chair of the HIV/STI Committee financial resources can be detrimental to health.
of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine,
and the associate director of the NIH-sponsored Janiece Taylor, PhD, MSN,
Interdisciplinary Research and Training in Trauma RN, FAAN, addresses pain
and Violence T32 Training Program at Johns Hopkins. disparities among older women
from underrepresented racial
Teresa Brockie, PhD, MSN, RN, and ethnic groups and helps
FAAN, focuses on achieving health individuals with disabilities
equity through community-based increase social participation
prevention and intervention of and independence. Taylor is principal investigator
suicide, trauma, and adverse of a study that addresses unmet needs of caregivers.
childhood experiences among She is co-associate director of JHSON’s RESILIENCE
vulnerable populations. Brockie Center and principal faculty of its Center for Equity
is a member of the White Clay (A’aninin) Nation from in Aging. Taylor has received funding from the John
Fort Belknap in Montana and leader of the Young A. Hartford Foundation, National Institute of Nursing
Medicine Movement (YMM), which introduces Native Research, Mayday Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson
youth to health science careers. Her intervention Foundation, and Henry M. Jackson Foundation.
called Little Holy One aims to instill traditional MAGAZINE.NURSING.JHU.EDU
Dakoda and Nakoda cultural values in children as “These faculty are already making tremendous
a protective factor against adolescent suicide and impact,” Szanton says. “We can’t wait to see what they
substance use. accomplish next.” ◼

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