The VCU Department of Health Administration will host its first-ever National Nurses Month webinar in partnership with the National Association for Health Services Executives (N.A.H.S.E.), the professional society for Black healthcare leaders, the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), and the VCU School of Nursing.

The webinar, titled “Leading While Black in Academic Nursing”, which will feature national nursing leaders representing prominent schools of nursing, academic medical centers, and professional societies, will be held during National Nurses Month on May 30. 

Last year, the Department of Health Administration hosted its inaugural webinar series in collaboration with N.A.H.S.E., which attracted thousands of students and early careerists across the country. When Stephan Davis, D.N.P., M.H.S.A., FACHE, FAAN, associate dean for inclusive excellence and belonging for VCU College of Health Professions and the VCU School of Nursing, met with Lisa Mallory, Ph.D., chief executive officer of N.A.H.S.E., to discuss plans for their continued partnership, they decided to expand to include additional associations and new areas of focus.

“Nurses are the heartbeat of healthcare and Black nursing leaders are a key constituency for N.A.H.S.E.”, said Mallory. “As we work to advance health equity, we must collaborate with organizations such as NBNA to increase representation within the workforce and at all levels of leadership in our healthcare organizations.”

“The National Black Nurses Association, Inc. (NBNA) is honored to partner with VCU and with N.A.H.S.E. for this important discussion on Black leaders in academic nursing”, said Sheldon D. Fields, Ph.D., RN, FNP-BC, AACRN, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, president and chief executive officer of NBNA. Fields, who delivered the Black History Month lecture for the School of Nursing and the College of Health Professions is also an esteemed academic nursing leader and scholar, and serves as associate dean for equity and inclusion and research professor for the Penn State University Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. “As president and CEO, I am proud to see NBNA members advancing the national dialogue on representation and equity as this is core to the NBNA mission.”

All of the panelists and presenters are members of NBNA. In addition, Davis, who is serving as moderator for the webinar, is a member of N.A.H.S.E. and its national education committee.

While there are many webinars focused on Nurses Month each May, a unique element of this webinar is that it will center the lived and professional experiences of Black academic nursing leaders. Their perspectives will shed light on changes that need to be made to ensure that we increase the representation of Black nurse executives in higher education and in academic medical centers, which is critical for graduating a more diverse nursing workforce and developing the next generation of educators, scholars, and leaders.

Stephan Davis, D.N.P., M.H.S.A., FACHE, FAAN, associate dean for inclusive excellence and belonging

“The VCU Department of Health Administration has a legacy of strong nurse leaders who have been influential in the College of Health Professions and the field, said Paula Song, PhD, interim dean and Richard M. Bracken Chair and Professor of Health Administration. “From Dr. Ken White, to Marilyn Tavenner, to Tracey Kemp Stallings, our alums and faculty have demonstrated the power and synergies of nursing and health administration. We are proud that Dr. Davis continues this legacy of excellence and is expanding the reach of our work to advance inclusion in belonging in health administration, nursing, and the broader interprofessional context.”

The VCU Department of Health Administration has had many nurses pursue its master’s degree program in health administration, ranked number three in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, and also offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in health services organization and research that is relevant to nurses who wish to conduct healthcare organizational analysis and health services research. The VCU School of Nursing offers a doctorate of nursing practice (D.N.P.) in nursing leadership and organizational science that prepares graduates for leadership and management roles in health care settings. Additionally, the school of nursing offers a Ph.D. program to prepare nurse scientists.