News Releases

Ten University of Maryland School of Nursing Faculty Members Awarded Nurse Educator Doctoral Grants

April 10, 2015

Recipients will receive a $30,000 grant to assist with educational and professional expenses.

Baltimore, Md. – Ten faculty members from the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) have been awarded the Nurse Educator Doctoral Grant (NEDG) for Practice and Dissertation Research.  Assistant Professors Charon Burda, MS ‘03, PMHNP-BC; Katherine Fornili, MPH, RN, CARN; and Kelley Wilson, MSN, RN; and Clinical Instructors Ben Canha, MS ‘96, RN; Meredid Caves, MSN ‘13, RN; Dzifa Dordunoo, PhD ’14, MSN, RN; Ana Duarte, MS ‘09, BSN ’06, APRN, CRNP-PMH;  Michelle Gonzalez, MSN, MSOM, RN, CRNA; Ann Hoffman, MS ‘11, RN; and Kathleen McElroy, MS ’10, BSN ’97, received awards of $30,000.

This competitive grant program is designed to assist PhD and Doctor of Nursing Practice candidates while pursuing their advanced degrees. Its goals are to increase the number of doctoral-prepared nursing faculty in the state of Maryland, strengthen faculty development for optimal capacity at schools of nursing, and recruit and retain a diverse nursing faculty.

“With the availability of these awards to our faculty, the School of Nursing is in prime position to answer the Institute of Medicine’s call for a more highly-educated nursing workforce and improved nursing education system,” said UMSON Dean Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN. “I fully expect this program to help us build and fortify our faculty infrastructure, which will ensure an adequate educational capacity for the preparation of future nurses.”

Grant recipients can use the funds for professional development; course release time; wages for research-related administrative support; or project-related expenses for supplies, travel, and document creation. NEDG is a statewide funding initiative supported by the Nurse Support Program II and is jointly approved by the Health Services Cost Review Commission and Maryland Higher Education Commission.

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools, and is ranked eleventh nationally. Enrolling more than 1,600 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.