Leadership in Action

STUDENT AMBASSADORS

Starting a Leadership Laboratory

For over a decade, the school’s Student Ambassador program has engaged students to represent the face of the School of Nursing — from giving school tours to hosting school events.

Now, the program is charting a new path that will be self-governed by participating students, providing a laboratory for leadership development.

Four ambassadors were recently selected to help manage the program. These coordinator positions aim to develop their leadership skills and drive engagement — recognizing the importance of student-to-student connections. One role, for instance, is to direct social media strategies because social media takeovers are key to informing prospective students about the school, says Admissions Specialist Ashtyn Barber, the staff liaison for the program.

DNP student Michael “MJ” Curtis Jr. is the program’s ambassador acquisition and development coordinator. He is passionate about creating more opportunities for ambassadors to develop professionally and network, and eager to use his role to increase the representation of students of color and the awareness of the nurse anesthesia program. “Seeing is believing, and believing is seeing,” he says.

Various offices within the School of Nursing will host professional development opportunities for ambassadors, covering topics such as LinkedIn profile reviews, interview techniques, and diversity, equity and inclusion conversations in professional settings. The sessions will provide ambassadors with valuable skills to take with them after they leave Emory, Barber notes.

These additional opportunities are helping to drive the program’s most significant recruitment cycles. In Fall 2023, 40 student leaders joined the program — increasing the number of ambassadors to 100.

CONVERSATIONS FROM THE EDGE

Leading a National Dialogue

To lay the groundwork for new thinking in nursing leadership, three of the nation’s leading nursing thought leaders — all connected to Emory Nursing — have started a webinar series, “Conversations from the Edge.” In each episode, a nationally recognized colleague joins them and the audience for a conversation on a timely, relevant, edgy, and perhaps even controversial topic in nursing leadership.

Launched in October 2023, the series explores topics such as recognizing the centrality of nurses as leaders within health care and rebranding the profession to foster a new leadership mindset, says Lalita Kaligotla, PhD, professor of the practice and senior director for leadership and engagement.

Dean Linda McCauley 79MN, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN; Emory Healthcare Chief Nurse Executive Sharon Pappas, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN; and Clinical Professor Tim Porter-O'Grady, DM, EdD, ScD(H), APRN, FAAN, FACCWS, host the webinar series.

Guests have included Sean Clarke, PhD, RN, FAAN, of the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing; Catherine Gilliss, PhD, RN, FAAN, of the University of California San Francisco School of Nursing; Grant Martsolf, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing; Lusine Poghosyan, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, of the Columbia University School of Nursing; William “Bill” Sage, MD, JD, of Texas A&M University; and Olga Yakusheva, PhD, MSE, FAAN(H), of the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

The webinar series has been well-received by nurse leaders nationwide, with attendees engaging in robust conversation. “This response suggests a need to engage in dialogue about the changing landscape within health care,” adds Kaligotla.

LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

Investing in Faculty and Staff

Guided by a myriad of leadership philosophies and the wisdom of “Ted Lasso,” School of Nursing managers and directors spent a year honing their leadership skills — underscoring the importance of trust and culture-building to the success of individuals and the school.

While these thought leaders and Lasso were not present in person, their insights — along with others — were conveyed during a leadership academy piloted in 2022 to help participants develop leadership capabilities, foster community, and learn from and serve as a resource to each other. Larry Kihlstadius, CEO of Vistage Worldwide Inc., co-facilitated the academy’s monthly sessions.

Participants reflected on themes such as authenticity and self-awareness. The academy concluded with a closing ceremony where participants presented their takeaways and how to apply them.

According to cohort member Arnita Howard, the academy was distinctive because it was offered exclusively in the School of Nursing, making it easier to be transparent in a room with peers.

“The leadership academy provided us with invaluable tools for discovering who we are as individuals, leaders and members of the organization, as we work collectively to help achieve the institution’s goals,” says Howard, who serves as senior assistant dean of student affairs.

The ultimate goal of the academy was to foster leadership capacity in the school, which will — in turn — help the school develop nurse leaders, says Lalita Kaligotla, PhD, professor of the practice and senior director for leadership and engagement, who helped envision and co-facilitated the leadership academy.

Following the pilot program’s success, the academy continued during the 2023−2024 school year with a cohort of faculty who lead academic programs at the school.

*Arnita Howard addresses the group.*

*Arnita Howard addresses the group.*

*Staff cohort members share their takeaways from the academy.*

*Staff cohort members share their takeaways from the academy.*

LULLWATER WALKS

Championing Wellness

As Elijah Goldberg started the Master of Nursing (MN) program last fall, the school was launching a health and wellness initiative to support student well-being. Each semester, students can join ongoing nature walks, and during testing periods, they can receive free food, coffee, and chair massages.

The school needed a student leader to champion each event, and one of the students who immediately came to mind was Goldberg. Accepting the invitation, he planned three nature walks during the fall at Lullwater Preserve on the Emory campus, where he enjoyed seeing students relax in nature. “My favorite part of the walks is building community across cohorts — MN students getting to know PhD students, for instance,” he says.

This spring, Goldberg expanded the walks to include faculty and staff members to “create a space that’s more casual” for student-faculty-staff interactions. He also worked with a group of student leaders to spread the word about each event to their cohorts.

As the first champion of a health and wellness initiative event, Goldberg says he is grateful to be afforded this leadership opportunity as a new student.

“Our faculty and staff have a passion for developing leaders like Elijah,” says Dean Linda McCauley 79MN, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN. “Students can rely on the leadership skills from opportunities at Emory throughout their career journey.”

Goldberg (center) leads a wellness walk in January.

BSN HONORS PROGRAM

Growing Research Leaders

With its emphasis on research, the school’s BSN Honors Program prepares students for the outside-the-box thinking necessary for nursing leaders.

In the program, students research issues relevant to nursing and health. Participation involves taking honors classes, conducting research, writing a thesis, and presenting findings at a professional conference.

Program alumna Christine Liang 22BSN, RN, worked with Assistant Professor Jinbing Bai, PhD, RN, to study the impact of the gut and oral microbiome on anxiety for Asian American immigrants. Now a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Liang uses research skills from the program to find solutions to everyday situations on the unit floor.

“The program gave me the tools to understand the ‘why’ behind my decisions as a bedside nurse,” she says. “It also created a space to ask questions, build confidence, and enhance teamwork skills.” Liang credits the program with building a capacity for leadership that will continue into her career.

Assistant Professor Victoria Pak, PhD, MS, MTR, who leads the program with colleague Jessica Wells 12PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FAAN, says that about 20 percent of honors students go on to pursue a PhD, and students from the program make their impact in clinical, educational and policy settings. “The program is dedicated to developing students to become research leaders and pioneers who positively impact health outcomes,” Pak says.

The impact of these leaders will continue to be far-reaching, says Wells, who also serves as an associate professor at the school. “We need health leaders to include the voice of the nursing profession,” she adds. “As patient advocates, nurses can be change agents for quality, equitable health care. The program is helping prepare nurses as innovators in health care.”