Fairfield University's Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies has been awarded a four-year grant of $2.59 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), through its Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) program. Kathryn E. Phillips, PhD, APRN, associate professor of nursing, is the principal investigator on the project, titled Nursing Education on Wellness and Telehealth (NEWT). 

“We are thrilled to be selected for this funding. It allows us to continue to provide exceptional learning opportunities for our graduate students, while increasing the number and diversity of nurse practitioners prepared to provide evidence-based, culturally competent primary care and mental health services in underserved communities,” said Dr. Phillips. 

The grant will support the University’s Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs. Students in these programs will receive tuition support and opportunities to provide care for diverse patients in underserved community settings, within an interprofessional team. Through the program, the Egan School will also develop curriculum on cultural competence, wellness, and telehealth.

Fairfield University’s doctoral (DNP) and master's (MSN) Family Nurse Practitioner programs prepare advanced practice nurses to provide holistic care to individuals of all ages, from newborn babies to end of life. Students work in all care settings with a focus on delivering health promotion and disease prevention to people with acute and chronic disease.

The DNP and MSN programs in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner studies (PMHNP) prepare nurses to assess, diagnose, and treat acute and chronic psychiatric disorders in children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Students develop competency in leading therapeutic groups, implementing crisis and case management, prescribing psychotropic medications, and conducting psychotherapy. These programs are designed to meet the national competencies for PMHNP set forth by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF).

The Health Resources and Services Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is committed to improving health and access to healthcare for the medically underserved through quality services, a skilled health workforce, and innovative programs.

Learn more about Fairfield Egan at fairfield.edu/gradnursing.