PhD Student Jewel Scott Receives Future of Nursing Scholars Grant

PhD Student Jewel Scott Receives Future of Nursing Scholars Grant

Jewel Scott, MSN, FNP, RN, is a 2016 recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Future of Nursing Scholar at Johnson & Johnson grant that will support her research in the Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON) PhD program. The scholarship is funded by RWJF to increase the number of nurses holding PhDs.

Scott’s research interests, which include women’s health, chronic obesity and health disparities, have been influenced by her personal experiences and her work serving vulnerable populations in urban, rural and international settings. She spent 16 months as a missionary volunteer in the Dominican Republic working with women and youth in school and community settings, and she previously worked at a school-based health center operated by Loyola University School of Nursing in Maywood, IL, and in primary care at Lawndale Christian Health Center on Chicago’s Westside. A DUSON alumna, she currently works for Piedmont Health System and practices at the Moncure Community Health Center in Moncure, N.C.

Scott’s PhD research will specifically focus on the interplay of stigma, obesity and chronic disease in minority populations. She said that patients are sometimes embarrassed to share their economic struggles and food insecurities and how these issues impair their ability to manage a chronic illness. These social challenges often come with a sense of stigma, real or perceived, that can cause a heavy burden of distress for patients and cause a delay in care. Scott hopes to alleviate this burden and limitation of care through her research with an emphasis on community health.

Scott will receive $125,000 in financial support, in addition to mentoring and leadership development, with the commitment to complete the PhD program in three years.

“Having the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is crucial in supporting the work of our future nurse leaders,” said Debra Brandon, PhD, RN, CCNS, FAAN, program director of the PhD program and associate professor at DUSON. “As faculty members, nurse researchers stimulate discovery science in collaborative teams that include students and faculty. I know that Jewel will make a huge impact in the lives of patients and communities with her work.”

The Future of Nursing Scholars program was created to address a recommendation from the Institute of Medicine that the country double the number of nurses with doctorates to advance health, help educate the next generation of nurses and promote nurse-led science and discovery.

Enrollment in PhD in nursing programs has increased less than 15 percent between 2010 when the report was released and 2014. In addition, 46 is the average age at which nurses receive their PhDs in the U.S., 13 years older than PhD earners in other fields. RWJF strives to not only increase the number of nurses with PhDs but also provide an incentive for nurses to start PhD programs earlier so they can have long leadership careers after earning their degree.

This is the third year of the Future of Nursing Scholars program, and DUSON is one of 32 schools selected nationwide to receive this grant for its students. Last year’s scholars included PhD students Kristen Elmore, a pediatric clinical nurse, and Ethan Cicero, a critical care nurse. The inaugural cohort of scholars included PhD students Rose Mary Xavier, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, and Brittney Sullivan, a pediatric nurse practitioner.

The Future of Nursing Scholars program is a multi-funder initiative with RWJF, Johnson & Johnson, Inc., Independence Blue Cross Foundation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System and the Rhode Island Foundation. RWJF works to improve the health and health care of all Americans.

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