Nursing is a field of more than four million professionals. Less than 10% are Black. In higher education, less than 1% of nurse scientists are Black.
Schenita Randolph knows she is part of an incredibly small minority. As an undergraduate at North Carolina A&T State University, she did not envision herself as a nurse scientist.
"I didn't have opportunities to engage in research outside of our research course my senior year," she recalled. "It was after I received my master's degree that I wanted to engage more in research and find innovative solutions and strategies," Randolph said.
Common experience sparks common goal
In 2020, Randolph met Dawn Aycock, Fawn Cothran and Kamila Alexander, three nurse leaders with whom she has much in common. All four were nurse scientists and faculty at universities across the country. All are members of the inaugural class of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators. And all graduated from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), which, they say, have an undeniable role in creating a more equitable future.
"It wasn't until my undergraduate nursing research course at Prairie View A&M University that I learned that nurses could be scientists, and even then, I questioned whether I would ever have the experience or opportunity to be one," Aycock said.
"I was excited about the prospect of becoming a nurse and Howard University graduate," Cothran added. "I wish I had known that there are paths that naturally align with my talents and strengths. Being curious, thinking and following systematic processes are absolutely a part of the science of being a nurse, but they're also the hallmark of a scientist."
Mentoring future nurse scientists
Driven by the urgent need to develop culturally tailored pathways to increase the number of Black nurse scientists, they are working to change that. A new $100,000 grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is helping to make it happen.. The Black Nurse Scientists Mentoring Program partners with HBCUs to train and mentor Black undergraduate and graduate nursing students to prepare them for successful applications to Ph.D. programs.
The one-year pilot program provides workshops to students at four HBCUs. From that, one scholar from each school will be selected for a fellowship to engage in research and monthly meetings with a mentor.
"It is my hope that this mentoring program will provide participants the resources, tools, language, networks and confidence needed to be successful in their roles as scientists," Randolph said.
"Science is built on past scientific discovery. If that has been from a narrow viewpoint, it becomes harder to prove that there are other culturally specific ways of approaching and developing scientific questions," explained Alexander, a Howard University graduate.
I am still learning and growing in my role and often thought to myself, maybe I should do something like this later in my career. But our communities cannot afford a later - they need us now.-Schenita Randolph, nurse scientist
Path to advance equity
Alexander says investing in the development of more nurse scientists from Black perspectives expands our foundation of knowledge. Cothran hopes this grant helps to identify how and when to strategically support future Black nurse scientists so they can give back to their communities and influence sustainable change.
"Health inequities cannot be addressed without adequate representation of Black nurse leaders in research," said Heather M. Young, fellowship national director. "Such role models allow Black students to see possibilities and opportunities for themselves as future scientists and academics and foster inclusive learning environments, ultimately contributing to more equitable research to address unacceptable health disparities."
These researchers wish they had known more about the possibilities of nursing science when they were in college.
"There are many ways of getting to success, but they are not always clear-cut or transparent. We hope to be in the position to pass along that information through our experiences as nurse scientists, making it a bit easier for those who follow," Alexander said.
"I am still learning and growing in my role and often thought to myself, maybe I should do something like this later in my career. But our communities cannot afford a later — they need us now," Randolph added.
