The Students Championing Health Equity Leadership and Anti-Racism in Nursing (also called Scholars) pilot program launched in 2024 under the leadership of Shanell Brown, a nurse consultant with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH).
Effective June 2024, Scholars has been paused. We encourage individuals interested in public health nursing to apply for Pathway paid internships or Pathway professional positions.
Nursing students interested in projects outside of Workforce Pathways should visit the Student Engagement page.
Vision
Scholars envisioned a future where public health nursing leads to a healthier and more equitable Washington state. Scholars aimed to support every public health nurse in fostering respectful, collaborative, and community-centered practices that contribute to improving health care standards.
Scholars was a partnership between:
- DOH’s Workforce Pathways Program
- DOH’s Office of Prevention and Community Health (PCH)
- University of Washington’s Manning Price Spratlen Center for Anti-Racism in Nursing
Objectives
- Raise awareness: Increase visibility and expand opportunities for careers in public health nursing.
- Promote access and opportunity: Support fair and equal access to nursing professional pathways in public health.
- Reduce barriers: Address obstacles that limit public health nursing career advancement across regions and communities in Washington.
- Enhance skills: Strengthen the professional skills, knowledge, and leadership capacity of public health nurses.
- Support system improvements: Increase the number of projects promoting inclusive, respectful, and community-centered public health practices. Address systemic barriers to care in public health nursing.
Scholars placed nursing students in paid and unpaid internships at DOH. Students participated in professional development activities and gained valuable experience in the field of public health.
Previous Scholars recipients were:
- University of Washington nursing students completing a master's or doctoral degree
- Members of communities that have historically faced systemic barriers to employment and access to services
- Supporting DOH projects that promote equitable policies and practices to improve public health and health care services for all communities