Jonas Philanthropies scholarship to support PhD student
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UIC Nursing is proud to announce receipt of a $15,000 grant from Jonas Philanthropies, a leading, national philanthropic funder of graduate nursing education. Matched by $15,000 of its own monies, the college will fund the scholarship of PhD student Heather Nimmagadda, MS, RN-BC, APN, over the course of two years.
“I am humbled and honored to be selected as a Jonas Veterans’ Health Scholar in the 2021-23 cohort of Jonas Scholars,” says Nimmagadda, who is studying veterans’ health. “I consider being a Jonas Scholar an opportunity to honor and serve our nations’ veterans and contribute to the discipline of nursing.”
As a grant recipient, UIC Nursing joins Jonas Philanthropies’ efforts to improve the quality of healthcare by investing in nursing scholars whose research and clinical foci specifically address our nation’s most urgent needs. The grant will empower and support nursing students with financial assistance, leadership development and networking to expand the pipeline of future nursing faculty, researchers and advanced practice nurses.
Nimmagadda says she plans to study societal factors involved in racial and ethnic disparities in veterans’ health across the continuum of cancer care. UIC Nursing associate professor Elizabeth Tarlov, PhD, RN, is her advisor.
She is part of the new 2021-23 cohort of more than 75 scholars pursuing PhD, DNP or EdD degrees at 49 universities across the country whose doctoral work will focus on such critical health priorities as environmental health, vision health, psych-mental health or veterans’ health.
“With more than 1,400 Jonas Scholars to date who are committed to meeting the greatest health needs of our time, we look forward to continuing our work with our partner nursing schools and expanding our impact to advance care for the country’s most vulnerable populations,” said Donald Jonas, who co-founded Jonas Philanthropies with his late wife Barbara Jonas.
With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 each day and 22.2 million veterans living across the country, according to Jonas Philanthropies, the U.S. is facing a dire need for a new era of highly educated nursing professionals.
“I am grateful for the support of Jonas Philanthropies in their commitment to the development of nursing doctoral students and veterans’ health and the matching support provided by the UIC College of Nursing,” Nimmagadda adds. “I look forward to participating in the dynamic combination of support and opportunities, including networking with experts and fellow scholars, leadership development and learning experiences that are part of the Jonas program.”