From the dean: Nursing impact — from local to global

Dear friends,

A phrase you’ll often hear at the School of Nursing when we’re discussing our intended impact is “from local to global.” This spring/summer issue of Minnesota Nursing magazine magnificently captures examples of the many ways our students, staff, faculty and alumni are engaged in our own backyard, such as the mentoring program with middle- and high-school students in Columbia Heights showcased in Partnering for Health. This issue also shares the news of the Katharine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership becoming the first school of nursing in the world to be awarded associate member status in the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations.

We share the research of two recently hired, remarkable professors. Professor Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu, PhD, RN, FAAN, studies how the pandemic affected Black and American Indian women who were experiencing intimate partner violence. Another feature in the research section introduces Professor Jenna Marquard, PhD, the Cora Meidl Siehl Chair in Nursing Research for Improved Patient Care, who is leading the effort to bring nursing and engineering together to improve health outcomes.

Our cover story focuses on the school’s efforts to cultivate resilience in nursing students. The University of Minnesota was one of 10 schools nationwide that received a pilot grant from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to develop a competency-based approach to leadership development and resilience for nursing students. In subsequent pages we share how our Office of Student and Career Advancement Services is implementing innovations to provide students support for their success.

This year, 2023, marks the 50th anniversary of our nurse-midwifery program. What was first established as an option within the master’s degree program would become the first Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the country to be approved in 2009. In this issue we profile one of the countless alums who is making an impact in the field, Sakeena Futrell Carter.

We appreciate your readership and support and welcome your reflections, suggestions and shared wisdom in advancing our school, nursing and health.

In gratitude, 

Connie White Delaney
Professor and Dean