UM Nurse Selected for Prestigious National Fellowship

July 28, 2009 — Coral Gables — A national fellowship program focused on expanding the role of nurses to lead change in the U.S. health care system has been awarded to Elias Provencio-Vasquez, Ph.D. N.P. F.A.A.N. F.A.A.N.P., associate professor at the University of Miami (UM) School of Nursing and Health Studies. He is one of twenty nurses selected nationwide as a 2009 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Executive Nurse Fellow. Now in its 12th year, the fellowship program provides extensive leadership development for nurses in executive roles in public or community health, science and research, corporate health, academia, government or military health service. Fellows in the three-year program remain in their current positions while they receive training, mentoring, and the opportunity to implement innovative health care strategies in their communities. 'Nurses provide a unique perspective in the health care system, understanding both the patient experience and the way policies and procedures affect health outcomes,' said Marilyn P. Chow, D.N.Sc.