(Posted June 11, 2021)
The UCSF School of Nursing has been awarded a new $30,000 grant from Jonas Philanthropies, a leading national philanthropic funder of graduate nursing education, to help fund the scholarship of two doctoral nursing students in 2021. The School is matching the grant with $30,000 of its funds.
As a grant recipient, the UCSF School of Nursing joins Jonas Philanthropies’ efforts to improve the quality of health care by investing in nursing scholars whose research and clinical foci specifically address our nation’s most urgent needs. The grant will empower and support nursing students with financial assistance, leadership development and networking to expand the pipeline of future nursing faculty, researchers and advanced practice nurses.
With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 each day, an entire generation of the health care workforce is aging at a rapid pace. This, coupled with care for the 22.2 million veterans living across the country, means the United States is facing a dire need for a new era of highly educated nursing professionals. The UCSF School of Nursing and Jonas Philanthropies believe the investment in the education of nurse leaders is critically important to improve the health care system.
The two Jonas Scholars from UCSF School of Nursing for 2021-2023 are Gabrielle Jacobs, a Doctor of Nursing Practice student who is working to improve veterans’ health, and Merideth Lewis, a PhD student whose research focuses on environmental health. Including Jacobs and Lewis, 11 students from the School have received Jonas scholarship support over the last five years.
“Our School and Jonas Philanthropies share a common goal of preparing future nurse leaders to transform health care for the better for our communities,” said Dean Catherine L. Gilliss, PhD, RN, FAAN. “Through this grant, Gabrielle and Merideth will have the opportunity to further develop their leadership, clinical and research skills, and those skills will serve them well in advancing positive change.”
Jacobs and Lewis are part of the new 2021-2023 cohort of more than 75 Scholars pursuing PhD, DNP or EdD degrees at 49 universities across the country whose doctoral work will focus on such critical health priorities as Environmental Health, Vision Health, Psych-Mental Health, and/or Veterans Health. They join more than 1,000 Jonas Scholar alumni representing 157 universities across all 50 states.
“Each year, we grow more in awe of all our Jonas Scholars have achieved. It is with great honor that we welcome and celebrate this new cohort of nurse leaders,” said Donald Jonas, who co-founded Jonas Philanthropies with his late wife Barbara Jonas. “With more than 1,400 Jonas Scholars to date who are committed to meeting the greatest health needs of our time, we look forward to continuing our work with our partner nursing schools and expanding our impact to advance care for the country’s most vulnerable populations.”
Past Jonas Scholars from the UCSF School of Nursing have included:
- 2016-2018: Alicia Swartz, Daniel Linen, HyoJin Jennifer Min, Sherry Yamamoto and Kimberly Rush
- 2018-2020: Ariel Baria, Brianna Singleton and Ashley Younger
- 2019-2021: Katherine Reeves