Seven UMSON Faculty Members Awarded Funding to Expand Capacity of Nursing Education in Maryland

Baltimore, Md. – Four University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) faculty members have been named Maryland state New Nurse Faculty Fellows, two faculty members have been awarded Nurse Educator Doctoral Grants (NEDG) for Practice and Dissertation Research, and one faculty member has received a Nurse Faculty Annual Recognition Award. All awards are part of the Nurse Support Program II, a statewide initiative funded by the Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

The New Nurse Faculty Fellowship is available to new nursing faculty members and supports the expenses of graduate education. It is designed to assist Maryland nursing programs in recruiting and retaining new nursing faculty to produce the additional nursing graduates required by Maryland’s hospitals and health systems. The following faculty members received the maximum award amount of $50,000 for fiscal years 2022 - 26, assuming continuous employment as faculty in good standing and the availability of funding:

• Laura Allen, MA, MS ’15, BSN ’06, RN, clinical instructor and program director, Community and Public Health Environmental Initiative
• Trina Kumodzi, PhD, RN, CCRN, assistant professor
• Ngozi Osuagwu, DNP ’19, MS ’08, BSN ’03, CRNP, PNP, FNP, assistant professor
• Catherine Hood, DNP ’18, FNP-C, assistant professor

The NEDG for Practice and Dissertation Research provides up to $60,000 to nurse faculty who are currently enrolled in or who have recently completed a doctoral degree, helping to cover costs associated with graduate education. Awards are contingent upon degree completion and employment as a faculty member for one year for each year of the award. The following faculty members received NEDG awards:

• Richard P. Conley Jr., DNP ’20, CRNA, assistant professor and assistant director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesia specialty
• Claire Regan, DNP ’20, AGPCNP-BC, assistant professor

Joan Davenport, PhD ’00, RN, assistant professor and vice chair, Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, has been named the recipient of a Nurse Faculty Annual Recognition Award. Deans and directors of all Maryland nursing programs may nominate one nurse faculty member annually. Davenport was recognized for demonstrating excellence in teaching, her impact on students, engaging in the life of the School, and contributing to the profession as a nurse educator. This award, available for experienced nursing faculty members, provides $10,000.

The Nurse Support Program II helps increase Maryland’s nursing capacity by supporting initiatives that advance the recommendations outlined in the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing reports.

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling more than 2,100 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.