Nursing news briefs

Nursing and med schools receive national diversity award for second time

The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis and the UC Davis School of Medicine were again named among the nation’s top institutions in higher education for their commitment to diversity and inclusion last fall. In October, the magazine INSIGHT Into Diversity announced the schools are among 62 institutions of higher education to receive the 2023 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award. Each school has earned the honor for two years. Multiple initiatives were highlighted in the award applications, such as holistic admissions processes and robust pathway and student support programs. The School of Medicine has repeatedly ranked as one of the nation’s most diverse medical schools, and the School of Nursing’s students exceed national diversity rates by nearly 50%. INSIGHT Into Diversity is one of the oldest publications dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education.

Nursing dean re-elected to national nursing board

Stephen Cavanagh, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., dean for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, has been selected to serve a second term on the board of directors for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Learn more in the In Brief section.

Team travels to Kenya to improve chronic disease management

A multidisciplinary group of clinicians and health care providers from UC Davis Health traveled to Kenya last year to support, train and elevate the efforts of local providers to manage chronic diseases. The pilot project was partially supported by a Sustainable Development Goal grant from UC Davis Global Affairs. Kenya has made great strides in controlling AIDS and other infectious diseases, but now Kenyans are living longer and chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer are on the rise. In Kenya, the UC Davis group collaborated with a local humanitarian organization to conduct medical camps providing medical assessments, and also provided training through a table-top simulation to faculty and students from the University of Nairobi School of Nursing and Medicine to model multidisciplinary teamwork. Trip participants included Margaret Junker, registered dietician and diabetes care and education specialist at the UC Davis Health Cardiology Clinic; Stephen J. Cavanagh, dean of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis; Laura L. Van Auker, associate clinical professor at the School of Nursing; and Sandra Kamba, a family nurse practitioner resident.