Page 28 - Johns Hopkins Nursing Magazine Spring 2023 - Johns Hopkins School of Nursing

NEWS FROM JOHNS HOPKINS NURSING SEIZE THE DAY

JHSON jumps at the opportunity to build and
share its skills in health policy for all

or so long, policy has been a carrot at the end of a involved in policy and advocacy, there would be more
stick. If nursing could just run faster, jump higher, access to care, there would be more understanding of
F build more leaders with the gumption to overcome people’s structural and social determinants of health and
hurdles—economic, cultural, pandemic-related—to how to change them while seeing people and families as
reach the influencers’ table, it would at last show the communities. More of health care would happen in the
world that health care for all is not an impossible dream. schools and where people are.”

It must be true that carrots sharpen the vision. This year, the school welcomed its inaugural cohort of
Policy Honors Scholars: Master’s (Entry into Nursing)
For the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing has its sights students Meredith Britton, Shane Curran-Hays, Maureen
set on shifting the dialogue on the profession, saluting Gates, Kedrine Gayle, Margaret Gebauer, Kathryn
all who have come before and all the amazing advances Hodges, Christian Jenkins, Tanya Miller, Melissa Noronha,
they’ve made, of course, and then using it all as a Kiana Tolentino, and Olivia Walsh.
fulcrum on policy. It starts, as does everything at
26 the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON), with The program is for students striving to gain experience
the students. and foundational skills in policy analysis and advocacy
to address critical health challenges. The two-semester
“One of the important things, in the policy arena, is program aims to broaden students’ understanding
making sure that nurses have a voice,” explains Professor of nursing’s role in policy and expand their skills and
Jacquelyn Campbell, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN, a mentor confidence to connect with policymakers, effectively
for the brand-new Policy Honors Program whose own communicate policy proposals, and advocate for better
legendary advocacy on preventing violence against health for communities.
women has changed laws and saved lives. “A Policy
Honors Program is a place where [students] can learn “This program offers the opportunity to connect with
about that, how that looks, how to do it, how to be policymakers and to gain an understanding of how to
mentored in both creating policy and implementing it.” navigate difficult health care questions,” explains Miller.
“I came to the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing because
“The possibilities for nurses in terms of impact and health I knew that here I would have the chance to gain
policy and the world we live in are immense,” adds Dean experiences that no other program could offer. It is one
Sarah Szanton, PhD, RN, FAAN. “If nurses were more of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.”