Betty Irene Moore Fellow receives Protégé Award for nursing research excellence

Oct. 16, 2023

By Megan Hansen

Betty Irene Moore Fellow Veronica Barcelona, center, received the Protégé Award from the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research during the institute's 30th annual NightinGala on Oct. 4 in Washington, D.C. 

Betty Irene Moore Fellow Veronica Barcelona received the Protégé Award from the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research during the institute's 30th annual NightinGala on Oct. 4 in Washington, D.C. She is the second nurse scientist to receive this prestigious award while participating in the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators.

Barcelona, who is a member of the 2022 cohort and assistant professor at the Columbia University School of Nursing, was recognized for her excellence in early career nursing research. The award is given each year to an evolving nurse scientist who shows great promise in advancing science and who is within the first six years of completing either their Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or postdoctoral study. Barcelona earned her Ph.D. from Tulane University in 2015 and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Yale School of Nursing in 2017.

As a public health nurse and reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist, Barcelona is dedicated to researching the impact of racism on maternal health outcomes. Her fellowship project focuses on using machine learning to measure racial and ethnic bias in obstetric settings.

“I am very passionate about advancing nursing science by creating a more just world for birthing people and families through my research,” Barcelona said. “I am extremely honored to receive the Protégé Award and I look forward to continuing to advance nursing science. My vision is that all pregnant people will welcome their baby in an environment of respect, care and love.”

Barcelona credited her fellowship mentors, Rose Horton and Suzanne Bakken, among many others, for supporting her on nursing journey.

“It is such a privilege to do this work, and this award is a wonderful validation that this research matters and is making a difference. I am so grateful to be part of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship, and especially the mentorship of Heather M. Young, in supporting and strengthening this project,” Barcelona said.  

This year’s honor marks the second time a Betty Irene Moore Fellow has received the Protégé Award from the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research while participating in the fellowship program. In 2020, inaugural cohort member J. Nicholas Odom received the award. Odom is the inaugural Doreen C. Harper Endowed Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing and co-director of the Caregiver and Bereavement Support Services UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care.

Heather M. Young, fellowship national program director, said it is exciting to see Betty Irene Moore Fellows recognized for their research and innovative approaches to health care challenges.

“This award serves as evidence of a nurse scientist's exceptional contributions to the nursing community, and I am delighted to see Dr. Barcelona recognized for her dedication to nursing science,” Young said. “She is driving nursing research forward and her work underscores the vital role that nurse researchers play in advancing health equity and shaping the future of health care.”