Jones named inaugural Stout scholar
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UIC College of Nursing Urbana campus director Krista Jones, DNP ’11, MSN ’07, RN, PHNA-BC, FAAN, was named the inaugural Jean C. Stout Endowed Faculty Scholar.
The Jean C. Stout Endowed Faculty Scholar was established earlier this year with a gift from the estate of Jean Stout, a longtime supporter of UIC Nursing. The scholar position is a high honor, designated for a regional campus faculty member who demonstrates exceptional expertise and academic achievements within the field of nursing education.
Jones’ new position will take effect Aug. 16.
“Dr. Jones has an impressive record of research and scholarly contributions,” says UIC Nursing Dean Eileen Collins. “She is the primary or co-investigator of 24 population health grants, with funding totaling almost $5 million. Most notable is her work to create academic practice partnerships to improve the health of populations.”
For the last 10 years, Jones has been leading a team of nurses and academic librarians to increase the use of evidence-based practice among nurses and other public health professionals. The project, called Nursing Experts: Translating the Evidence, has received five cycles of grant funding from the National Libraries of Medicine to provide face-to-face and online instructional sessions. Evidence-based practice is a process used to review the latest scientific evidence and incorporate it into clinical practice.
Her leadership in academic practice partnerships has improved rural health. Funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has allowed her to conduct statewide service projects that have enhanced mental health counseling and sexual health services for teens. Under her guidance, an initiative at a 600-bed facility resulted in a substantial decrease in hospital-acquired infections.
Internationally, through collaborations with the Pan American Health Organization, Jones’ initiatives have influenced healthcare professionals in Guyana and several other countries
For her work, Jones received the 2024 Mid-Career Investigator Award from the Midwest Nursing Research Society’s Nursing Education Research Interest and Implementation Group.