Dr. Janie Canty-Mitchell Selected for
Prestigious National Fellowship to Improve Health Care
Wilmington, North Carolina – 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 Dr. Janie Canty-Mitchell, Associate Dean for Research and Community Partnerships, at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is one of twenty nurses selected nationwide as a 2009 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation® (RWJF) Executive Nurse Fellow. She is the only North Carolina fellow in the 2009 cohort.
Now in its 12th year, the three-year 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 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., R.N., F.A.A.N., the RWJF Executive Nurse Fellows national program director. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Janie Canty-Mitchell join the 2009 group of fellows. “The experience will enable her to bring new skills and resources to improve healthcare in the Wilmington community.”
As part of the fellowship, Dr. Canty-Mitchell will have an opportunity to design and implement a leadership project to address issues of essential importance to the future of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, as well as to the broader health care system.
“I am honored and excited to have this opportunity to explore new solutions to prepare minority and other underserved youth for careers in nursing through the development of a Nursing and Health Academy for Children and Youth.” Two initiatives already begun at UNCW are the Camp BONES Academy and the Annual Youth Health Summit. Within the next three years, Dr. Canty-Mitchell plans to work with health professionals, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and community groups to expand the initiatives and ultimately endow the Nursing and Academy to provide health-related programs to underserved youth in eight counties in the southeastern NC region.
Dr. Janie Canty-Mitchell has more than 30 years of professional nursing experience, including work in psychiatric and public health nursing, clinical research, supervision and management, and higher education. She has been a leader in promoting positive health behaviors in youth through university-community partnerships, service-learning, student engagement, research, and academic teaching. Her multiple awards, honors, grants, and publications are a testimony to her concern and commitment to improving health care outcomes for children, youth, and families. Her initial nursing education was completed at Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing, Durham, North Carolina. After relocating to Florida in the middle 70s, she went on to complete associate, baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees in nursing. She relocated to Wilmington in 2007 with her husband Joseph to accept her current administrative position at UNCW and to also to be closer to her family in Sumter, South Carolina.
The fellowship is supported through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and matching funds from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. For more information about the RWJF Executive Nurse Fellows program visit: www.enfp-info.org
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.