
Samantha Bernstein, PhD, RN, an assistant professor of nursing and co-director of prelicensure nursing programs in the School of Nursing, was among 21 nurses named an ambassador by the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR).
The advocacy program, which began in 2014, is comprised of highly qualified individuals, the majority of whom are nurse scientists, who will focus specifically on educating Congressional leaders as to the high-impact, cost-effective interventions and quality-of-life enhancements that emanate from nursing science. Ultimately, the goal of FNINR’s ambassador program is to increase research funding for continued scientific breakthroughs and training of scientists made possible by the NINR.
“Nursing research is how we bring new information into the world,” said Bernstein. “My goal is to help our elected leaders better understand how research gets done and why funding nursing research, in particular, is a high-yield approach to improving patient safety and outcomes. I am specifically focused on increasing the funding of research to address our national crisis of high maternal morbidity and mortality- the worst of all similarly resourced nations.
“FNINR Ambassadors are key players for our organization,” said Victoria Niederhauser, the association’s president. “These nurse leaders share the excellent outcomes resulting from nursing science that is supported by NINR and advocate for continued funding to conduct cutting edge research that improves healthcare and trains the next generation of nurse scientists.”