​J. Margo Brooks Carthon, PhD, RN, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, has been awarded a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to conduct a national survey of minority student recruitment and retention efforts in nursing schools across the United States. Dr. Carthon is among a select group of junior investigators from the RWJF New Connections program to receive the two-year $75,000 grant. New Connections is designed to introduce new scholars to RWJF and expand the diversity of perspectives that inform the foundation’s programming.

For her project, Dr. Carthon will assess the impact of existing nursing academic pipeline initiatives through a national survey and develop a common set of measures.

“My research seeks to understand the mechanisms underlying health disparities and examines how nursing care can be optimized to improve minority health outcomes,” said Dr. Carthon. “Diversifying the nursing work force represents one policy strategy put forth to reduce racial and ethnic health inequities. Up to this point there is little evidence of successful strategies to meet that goal. This award will provide a much needed evidence base for measures of success.”

Upon completion of the study, institution administrators and legislators will be able to use the results to help inform policy and program development at the local and national levels to diversify undergraduate and graduate nursing education.