Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing news briefs

Associate Professor Roschelle “Shelly” Fritz, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., hosted a two-day workshop at the School of Nursing in March with the goal of creating a global gerontology center for nursing science, where scholars from different countries can connect and share ideas faster than through traditional research publications. Fritz said the international center would give nurses working on futuristic care models a dedicated space to collaborate, support each other and advance research that benefits older adults worldwide.

“We want the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, in which this global center will be housed, to be the hub of the organization. Then spokes will go out to different countries where others are working on health technology and nursing care models to position us for what it looks like in the future, especially for nurses,” Fritz said in a web story. “In my opinion, nurses are going to be the health data brokers of the future.” She received a $14,000 seed grant from UC Davis Global Affairs.

A May academic symposium was the first time the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis hosted a formal event where Doctor of Nursing Practice — Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) program students presented the outcomes of their scholarly projects. Projects from the 21 graduating students involved designing, implementing and evaluating a quality improvement or practice change in a specific setting, such as a primary care clinic or community health setting.

Associate Professor Laura L. Van Auker, D.N.P., R.N., F.N.P.-B.C., S.N.-C., received the Chancellor’s Award for International Engagement for outstanding global engagement in advancing the university’s teaching, research and service missions. Her nominators shared that she leveraged 25 years of volunteer experience with the Health Education Africa Resource Team (HEART) to create transformative opportunities for UC Davis students and faculty to engage in primary care medical camps in rural Kenya, enhancing health care access and empowering communities through team-based care. Laura brings expertise in health care policy promoting the use of advanced practice registered nurses to improve community health and access, particularly for underserved, diverse and rural communities.