UC Davis nursing school welcomes Betty Irene Moore fellows for fifth annual convocation

The national program office for the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators held its annual Convocation July 9-19 in Sacramento, featuring the largest gathering of fellows in the program’s history.

Nearly 60 fellows from five groups assembled from across the nation for structured learning activities centered on leadership, innovation, collaboration and strategic communications. They were joined by more than 20 Fellowship National Advisory Council members, nurse leaders and program faculty.

“Convocation offers fellows a unique opportunity to advance their thinking and explore the latest nursing and health care issues with other nurse scientists,” said Heather M. Young, national program director for the fellowship. “This year, we welcomed our fifth cohort of fellows and celebrated completion of the fellowship by the second cohort of fellows. This gathering was energizing, productive and instilled a great deal of confidence in all of us about the future of nursing.”

Celebrating the 2021 cohort

On Fri., July 15, attendees gathered at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento for a special dinner reception celebrating the accomplishments of the 2021 cohort across the three-year fellowship program. Cohort members discussed their collective impact, presented the latest results from their fellowship projects and shared how the fellowship has impacted their lives.

Rachel DiFazio, a nurse scientist from Boston Children’s Hospital, said completing the fellowship represented the culmination of both profound personal growth and significant professional achievement.

“It was a moment filled with a sense of pride, having advanced my leadership skills and innovative thinking. The fellowship has prepared me to tackle complex challenges in health care, allowing me to make meaningful improvements in patient outcomes and health care delivery,” DiFazio said.

Her fellow cohort member Dora Clayton-Jones agreed.

“Completing the program has not only firmly established my networks but has also connected me with a cohort of peers who have become my family for life. This experience has been incredibly affirming, reinforcing my leadership capacity and empowering me to make a meaningful impact within my community and beyond,” said Clayton-Jones, an associate professor from Marquette University College of Nursing.

Keynote session at Betty Irene Moore Hall

The day after the celebration, attendees gathered at Betty Irene Moore Hall for the keynote session. The 2022 cohort presented their projects to a panel of four local journalists. Each fellow delivered a two-minute pitch, after which they received feedback from the journalists on how to craft effective messages and gain media coverage.

“It was really fun to pitch a story to the media and I went into the experience realizing that this is a great opportunity to highlight the research that I do with vulnerable older adults and their care partners,” said Joan Carpenter, an assistant professor from the University of Maryland School of Nursing. “I now understand that this role is just as important as my research and I need to make sure the public is informed of my work.”

Fellows received media coaching from prominent nurse journalists and fellowship program faculty members Barbara Glickstein and Diana Mason, who lead courses focused on strategic communications. This year, they also worked with the 2023 cohort to help them communicate their vision for their research projects. Fellows shared the vision sessions during the keynote event.

Lauren Covington, a 2024 cohort fellow from the University of Delaware School of Nursing, said it was inspiring.

“It opened my eyes to how big I can dream with this funding and how I can truly allow my passion to come to life. I left with a renewed faith in humanity. The brave innovation in pursuit of health equity by the scholars ahead of me and in my current cohort was exhilarating and heartening,” Covington said.

It opened my eyes to how big I can dream with this funding and how I can truly allow my passion to come to life. I left with a renewed faith in humanity. The brave innovation in pursuit of health equity by the scholars ahead of me and in my current cohort was exhilarating and heartening.—Lauren Covington, 2024 cohort fellow

Showcasing community commitment

The keynote event also honored the fellowship’s namesake, Betty Irene Moore, who died in December 2023. Moore’s vision to equip and empower nurses to improve health and health care is reflected in every facet of the fellowship program and is demonstrated by each fellow’s commitment to the communities they serve.

One example of this commitment is 2021 cohort fellow Michelle Litchman’s project focused on improving access to diabetes education and care for people who are deaf. Her work is highlighted in the “Language of Care,” a short film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2023. Attendees watched the film and listened as Glickstein interviewed Litchman about her experience and advice for others.

Attendees also heard from 2020 cohort fellows Kamila Alexander, Dawn Aycock, Schenita Randolph and former fellow Fawn Cothran about their Black Nurse Scientist Mentorship Program. Born from the fellowship and supported by a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the program aims to mentor and inspire students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to pursue careers as Ph.D-prepared nurse scientists. The four inaugural fellows visited the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University earlier this year and plan to visit additional sites in the coming year, enhancing awareness about careers as nurse scientists and mobilizing support for aspiring applicants.

Enjoying learning together

Throughout convocation, fellows engaged in educational sessions focused on helping them propel their projects forward and advance their leadership and innovation journeys. Sessions were led by the national program office, UC Davis Graduate School of Management and expert program faculty from across the nation.

Heather Nelson-Brantley, a 2023 cohort fellow from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said she was particularly grateful for the anti-racist leadership sessions led by program faculty member Jann Murray-García.

“I’ve been longing for a deeper understanding of racism and how it continues to impact health care and health outcomes in the United States. I walked away with a greater understanding of my identity, the historical roots of racism in the nation and an even greater sense of purpose in the work I am doing,” Nelson-Brantley said.  

Other convocation sessions focused on:

• Leadership development
• Innovation and taking risks
• Human-centered design
• Interpersonal relationships and negotiation skills
• Networking
• Strategic communications
• Technological innovation
• Writing for publication

Alvin Jeffery, a 2022 cohort fellow and assistant professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, said the bonds he shares with his colleagues will last a lifetime.

“There are very few places where I feel like people really ‘get me’ and being with all the cohorts at convocation is definitely one of those places. You get to bring your authentic self into a group of other authentic scientists, all of whom want to improve health and health care,” Jeffery said.

About the Fellowship

The Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators launched in 2020 with a $37.5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The foundation gave an additional $7.4 million in 2023 to increase the number of future fellows and build on the fellowship’s momentum. Early- to mid-career nursing scholars and innovators are selected every year to participate in the program and take part in an innovative project or study. Fellows receive $450,000 in funding over three years for their project plus $50,000 for their home institution. Fellows gather annually at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis for a week-long convocation and participate in an online learning community and mentorship throughout the three-year period. The foundation has funded five cohorts of fellows, with the fifth cohort concluding its three-year program on June 30, 2027.