August 2007 News Watch 1.  Input Needed on Baccalaureate Essentials; Regional Meetings Planned 2.  Review the Draft Position Statement on Faculty Guidelines 3.  New Minority Faculty Scholarship Winners Selected 4.  Register to Attend AACN’s Fall Semiannual Meeting in October 5.  Respond Now to the Nurse Faculty and Doctoral Student Roster Survey 6.  Four Universities Partner with the VA on Nursing Initiative 7.  AHRQ Seeks Submissions for Health Care Innovations Web Site 8.  AACN Supports ABHP’s 2008 Minority Health Conference 9.  The Academy Launches the 2007-2008 AARP-AAN Fellowship 10. Three National ELNEC Courses Remaining in 2007 11. Apply Now for a Gerontology-Focused Faculty Development Institute 12. AACN Issues a Call for Nominations 13. American Cancer Society Offers Scholarships to Doctoral Students 14. Dr. Carolyn Williams Named Institute of Medicine Scholar 15. Watch for AACN’s Annual Survey Coming in September 16. New Partnerships and Grant-Funded Initiatives 17. Member News, Announcements and Awards 18. AACN Outreach and Advocacy Update 19. Opportunities and Resources to Consider 1. INPUT NEEDED ON BACCALAUREATE ESSENTIALS; REGIONAL MEETINGS PLANNED The AACN Task Force on the Revision of the Essentials for Baccalaureate Nursing Education has completed the first draft revision of the document which outlines the expected competencies of baccalaureate nursing program graduates. The revised document is available for review and comment at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/pdf/BEdraft8-1-07.pdf. The revised essentials will be discussed at a series of regional meetings from September 2007-April 2008. These meetings will give stakeholders the opportunity to review and provide feedback regarding the Essentials, including the end-of-program competencies. Deans and directors from AACN member institutions, faculty, practice partners, and representatives of other healthcare and education organizations are invited to attend. Meetings are scheduled for September 27-28 in San Diego, CA; November 2-3 in Savannah, GA; January 15-16 in Tucson, AZ; March 13-14 in Nashville, TN; and April 24-25 in Boston, MA. For more information, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/BACEssentMtg.htm. 2. REVIEW THE DRAFT POSITION STATEMENT ON FACULTY GUIDELINES In January 2007, the AACN Board of Directors developed a set of expectations which address the desired education level and role responsibilities for full- and part-time faculty, clinical instructors, and preceptors in baccalaureate and higher degree programs. This document was originally presented to AACN members at the Spring Annual Meeting in March 2007 as a set of AACN Board “expectations”, not as a position statement. At that meeting, AACN received input from members which included many requests to transition the document into an official AACN position statement. Based on this feedback, the AACN Board amended the original expectations and agreed to present this document to the members for a vote during the upcoming Business Meeting at the Fall Semiannual Meeting on October 29 at 11am. To access the document, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/pdf/Facexpect.pdf. Please direct any questions or comments about the draft position to rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu. 3. NEW MINORITY FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS SELECTED AACN and The California Endowment are pleased to announce that the second cohort of scholarship winners has been selected to receive $18,000 awards through a program created to increase the number of nursing faculty from minority backgrounds. The California Endowment-AACN Minority Nurse Faculty Scholarship was launched to support nursing students pursuing master's or doctoral degrees who commit to teaching in a California nursing school after graduation. Scholarship winners include: Beverly Brownell, University of San Diego (PhD) Claudia M. Davis, University of California-Los Angeles (PhD) Therese Doan, University of California-San Francisco (PhD) Jacqueline Gregory, University of California-San Francisco (PhD) Jung-Eun Esther Kim, University of California-San Francisco (PhD) Hyacinth Vega Mussenden, University of California-San Francisco (PhD) Soohyun Nam, University of California-San Francisco (PhD) Cindy Wong, University of California-San Francisco (PhD) For details on this program, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CAEawardApp.pdf. 4. REGISTER TO ATTEND AACN’S FALL SEMIANNUAL MEETING IN OCTOBER AACN’s Fall Semiannual Meeting will be held October 27-30, 2007 at The Fairmont Washington in Washington, DC. The theme Nursing Higher Education:  Internal Impact-Teaching, Learning, and the Institution creates a framework to consider a variety of issues and topics. Program sessions include “The Impact of Good Teaching on Faculty, Students, and the Institution” by  Dr. Lee S. Shulman, President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; “Shaping Health Policy Through Nursing Research” by Dr. Ada Sue Hinshaw, 2006 IOM/ANF/AAN Distinguished Nurse Scholar; “The Impact of Faculty Work and Work Lives” by Dr. Judith M. Gappa, Emerita Professor, Purdue University and first author of “Rethinking Faculty Work: Higher Education's Strategic Imperative;” and a Dialogue with the CCNE Standards Committee. The 2007 John P. McGovern Award will go to Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, Founding Director, Partners in Health, Boston, MA.  To prepare for this award lecture, you may wish to read the book written about Dr. Farmer’s work, “Mountains Beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder. In addition to advancing the important business of the association, the Fall Meeting offers several opportunities for attendees to select topics and discussions of interest, and participate in like-schools discussions. Each member dean is invited to have one associate/assistant dean accompany them at a reduced rate. Deans must be registered in order for their associate/assistant to attend. For program and registration details, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Conferences/07FallMtg.htm. 5. RESPOND NOW TO THE NURSE FACULTY AND DOCTORAL STUDENT ROSTER SURVEY Earlier this month, AACN launched the new Nurse Faculty and Doctoral Students Roster in an effort to enhance the understanding of a variety of faculty-related issues, such as recruitment, retention, relocation, and promotion. Gathering this data is fundamentally important for the nursing education community in forming sound policies to address the growing shortage of faculty. AACN is also collecting data on nursing students in doctoral programs to better understand the relationship between the production of nursing doctorates and the supply of faculty. This project will culminate in an online report resource that participating schools may use to generate their own custom reports free of charge. To participate in this data collection effort, please visit http://ids.aacn.nche.edu/fr and follow the instructions to complete the survey. 6. FOUR UNIVERSITIES PARTNER WITH THE VA ON NEW NURSING ACADEMY The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is launching a new initiative that partners the VA’s health care system with nursing schools located in Florida, California, Utah and Connecticut. The first four nursing schools selected to take part in the new VA Nursing Academy are Fairfield University, San Diego State University, University of Florida, and University of Utah. “The expanded role of VA in the education of nurses will ensure the Department has the nurses needed to continue our world-class health care for veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “Our strengthened partnerships with these four great nursing schools will enhance the faculty and clinical resources needed to educate nurses.” Additional VA-nursing school partnerships will be selected in 2008 and 2009, for a total of 12 partnerships in the five-year pilot program. See http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1365. 7. AHRQ SEEKS SUBMISSIONS FOR HEALTH CARE INNOVATIONS WEB SITE The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking submissions for its new Health Care Innovations Exchange, a dual-component initiative that is designed to support health care professionals in sharing and adopting innovations that improve health care quality. The two components are a searchable, Web-based national repository of health service innovations and dynamic communities of learning. Through the AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange Web site, nurses, physicians, and other health professionals will be able to obtain detailed profiles of innovative activities and tools, and have opportunities to exchange successes, failures, stories and lessons learned with innovators and fellow adopters. Users of this site will also have access to educational materials on how to innovate. For more details, see http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov. 8. AACN SUPPORT ABHP’S 2008 MINORITY HEALTH CONFERENCE AACN is serving as a cosponsoring partner of the Association of Black Health-System Pharmacists (ABHP) 2008 Minority Health Conference which will be held May 16-18, 2008 in Atlanta. Designed for health care professionals interested in multicultural health issues, the conference aims to educate healthcare providers and students on the critical issues behind minority health; provide a forum to discuss barriers facing providers and patients in minority communities; increase recognition and awareness of the critical minority health issues that affect diverse populations of various communities; and serve as an important educational experience for healthcare providers, highlighting multicultural health concerns that affect both minority and non-minority populations. For more details, see http://www.ashpadvantage.com/ABHP2008. 9. THE ACADEMY LAUNCHES THE 2007-2008 AARP-AAN FELLOWSHIP The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) is pleased to announce the inaugural 2007-2008 AARP-AAN Fellowship. This unique public policy opportunity will be housed at AARP’s newly created Public Policy Institute (PPI) led by Susan C. Reinhard, PhD, RN, FAAN. PPI works extensively with all divisions at AARP and with thought leaders in the U.S. and the international public policy arena. The AARP/AAN Fellow will have significant opportunities to impact policy development. The Fellow will report to the CEO of the Academy and the PPI Director. AARP will provide an office with appropriate support and an annual stipend of $75,000/year. Applications must be received by September 14, 2007. For details, see http://www.aannet.org/news/2007/callforapps.asp. 10. THREE NATIONAL ELNEC COURSES REMAINING IN 2007 The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) offers a variety of train-the-trainer courses for nurse educators across settings. An ELNEC-Super Core Course (Washington, DC), an ELNEC-Geriatric Course (Pasadena, CA), and an ELNEC-Critical Care Course (Pasadena, CA) remain for 2007. At each course, participants will receive materials including PowerPoint slides, "talking points" for each slide, supplemental teaching materials, case studies, updated reference list, and the 2006 edition of Textbook of Palliative Nursing, among other resources. Seating is limited for each of these courses, so early registration is encouraged. For more information and/or to register, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ELNEC or contact ELNEC Project Director Pam Malloy at pmalloy@aacn.nche.edu. 11. APPLY NOW FOR A GERONTOLOGY-FOCUSED FACULTY DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE AACN is accepting online applications for the upcoming Faculty Development Institutes offered through the Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium (GNEC). GNEC is an innovative national initiative to enhance geriatric content in senior-level baccalaureate courses. Administered by AACN, this program provides nursing educators with the skills, knowledge and resources needed to ensure that the "best geriatric practices" are imbedded in baccalaureate curricula and subsequently in the clinical care provided by newly educated nurses. Using a "train-the-trainer" approach, nurse faculty attending the GNEC institutes are expected to serve as leaders and mentors by sharing their new expertise with colleagues. This program is generously funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation. Institutes are scheduled for February 27-29, 2008 in San Antonio, TX; and October 8-10, 2008 in St. Louis, MO. The application deadline for the San Antonio institute is October 15, 2007. For more information or to apply, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/gnec.htm. 12. AACN ISSUES A CALL FOR NOMINATIONS   AACN's Nominating Committee has issued a Call for Nominations for candidates to fill five Board seats and two committee vacancies. Chaired by Mary Mundt from Michigan State University, the committee will choose the slate of candidates at the 2007 Fall Meeting based on nominations and the committee's deliberations. The positions under consideration are President-Elect, Secretary, Board Member-at-Large (3 vacancies), and Nominating Committee (2 vacancies). Nominations must be received by October 27, 2007. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/MemberServices/pdf/NOMPACK07.pdf. 13. AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY OFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS TO DOCTORAL STUDENTS The American Cancer Society, the largest not-for-profit funding source for cancer research and training, is pleased to invite applications from master's and doctoral students seeking support for graduate study. The Society is offering scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $15,000. Please note that the annual deadlines for doctoral and master's scholarship applications are October 15 and February 1, respectively. The Society offers several other research and training grants in addition to those described above. For a full description of all American Cancer Society grants, including applications, instructions, and policies, see http://www.cancer.org/research. 14. DR. CAROLYN WILLIAMS NAMED INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE SCHOLAR Dr. Carolyn A. Williams, former AACN President and professor of nursing at the University of Kentucky, has been appointed by the American Nurses Foundation (ANF) and the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) as the 2007-2008 ANF/AAN Institute of Medicine (IOM) Scholar. Dr. Williams will spend a year at the IOM advancing the role of nursing in health policy. Designed as an immersion experience to help nursing play a more prominent role in national health policy development, the program provides a year-long residency for the selected scholar at the IOM. Dr. Williams will devote her residency to the study of "innovative inter-professional practice," according to ANF President Dr. Margarete Zalon. “Synthesizing the evidence in this arena is of critical importance as we make efforts to improve the quality of health care in our country." Read more online at http://www.aannet.org/news/2007/07172007.asp. 15. WATCH FOR AACN’S ANNUAL SURVEY COMING IN SEPTEMBER In early September, AACN will distribute the 2007 Annual Survey of institutions with baccalaureate and higher degree nursing programs. Information collected from the survey will be incorporated into the nation's premier database on trends in nursing school enrollments and graduations; student and faculty demographics; and faculty and deans' salaries. Participation in this survey is vital to AACN's mission of fostering innovation in advancing professional nursing education, research, and practice. We appreciate the effort required to complete the Annual Survey, and we will provide participating schools with free copies of the data reports to which they contribute information. All nursing programs affiliated with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) are reminded to complete the survey to satisfy CCNE's annual reporting requirement. 16. NEW PARTNERSHIPS AND GRANT-FUNDED INITIATIVES In this section, AACN spotlights new partnerships and initiatives launched by members, corporate citizens, philanthropies, and government sponsors that effectively increase student capacity, add new nursing faculty, increase student diversity, address the nursing shortage, and enhance the way education is delivered. The University of Maryland School of Nursing and the U.S. Army Nurse Corps (ANC) have initiated an innovative partnership to help address the nurse faculty shortage. The pilot program calls for up to eight ANC officers to be utilized as undergraduate nursing faculty, at no cost to the school, for a maximum of two academic years. The first six ANC nurse educators will begin teaching this fall. “Faculty shortages across the nation are limiting student capacity,” says Dr. Janet D. Allan, dean of the School of Nursing.  “This mutually beneficial program will help us tackle our faculty shortage, allow us to continue educating large numbers of undergraduate students, and help the Army enhance officer training.  It is a win-win situation for both parties.” See http://nursing.umaryland.edu/news/2007/6-18.htm. A new partnership between the schools of nursing at University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) is focusing on ways to recruit and retain nurse educators, a critical step towards addressing the nursing shortage in Nevada. The surge in nursing school applications throughout the nation has sparked the demand for more doctorally-prepared nurse educators. To address this issue, UNLV School of Nursing Professor Lori Candela was awarded a $710,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop a program accelerating the progression of master’s-prepared nursing students at UNLV and UNR into the existing PhD program at UNLV. The three-year project calls for exposing existing master’s students to doctoral courses, streamlining curriculum, and actively recruiting the current nursing workforce to attract and retain eligible doctoral students. See http://nursing.unlv.edu/about_news.html. Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing has received a pilot grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) to create and implement an innovative quality and safety curriculum. The QSEN program is aimed at fostering revolutionary changes in the education of nurses across the more than 700 U.S. collegiate schools of nursing. "This nation is facing a crisis in healthcare quality and safety," says Dr. Marla Salmon, dean and professor of the school of nursing. "The QSEN program is setting the stage for nurses to play even more central roles in providing safe and positive care experiences for patients and their families. We are honored to have been selected to be among the leading schools of nursing nationally in this important work." For more details, see http://www.nursing.emory.edu/nursing. Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) faculty are partnering with four hospitals from the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan area in efforts to address the state’s nursing shortage. With funding from Maryland’s Health Services Cost Review Commission, the new partnerships are developing innovative programs and research that create both the leadership and an environment conducive to effective nursing practice. One partnership, implemented by Dr. Mary Terhaar in collaboration with the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), will provide complete tuition for four administrators and executives to participate in JHUSON’s Doctorate of Nursing Practice program and for ten nurse leaders to earn their Master of Nursing Science. The program uses an evidence-based practice model to help improve the orientation and preceptor programs at GBMC. For more details on this and other efforts, see http://www.son.jhmi.edu/newsevents/news/news.aspx?id=571. The PhD Program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing was recently awarded a $843,232 HRSA grant to enhance the capacity of the program to graduate more nurse scholars who can educate future generations of nurses. The project’s goals include expanding the number and diversity of PhD students, enhancing the capability of the program’s distance education activities, and formalizing a nursing educator component. The PhD program will also welcome the first distance education class this fall. Until this year, the program has been taught using a traditional classroom environment. By offering non-traditional classes that include Web-based and Web-enhanced methods, the program will increase the opportunity for students to pursue advanced nursing careers, which is an important step in addressing the nursing shortage. See http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/nursing. On August 8, the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) announced an ambitious program to offset the state’s nursing crisis by enhancing the organization’s Nursing Reward Programs. Through this initiative, RNs and LPNs may apply for zero percent interest on Stafford Loans over the first four years of repayment, with the added benefit of $1,000 per year of principal forgiveness during the same four year period. Similarly, through the Nurse Educator Program, borrowers receive zero percent interest on Stafford Loans for the first four years of repayment, as well as $5,000 per year of principal forgiveness over the same four years. To qualify, borrowers must agree to work in an educator/faculty position at any of the accredited nursing schools in Rhode Island. For more details, see http://www.RISLA.com. On July 25, the Kansas Board of Regents announced that it had awarded $600,000 to bolster nursing faculty and educational offerings at 17 public higher education institutions across the state that offer RN programs. Funding was provided as part of the state’s ten-year initiative to address the nursing shortage. Several AACN member schools were awarded funds to add new faculty or bolster faculty salaries, including Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University, University of Kansas Medical Center, Washburn University, and Wichita State University.  For more information, see http://www.kansasregents.org. The Wayne State University College of Nursing received a $336,467, three-year federal training grant to initiate a Workforce Diversity Program aimed at improving recruitment and retention of BSN students from minority or economically disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition to providing scholarships, funding will be used to create a comprehensive support system for minority students, including a new Learning Community Retention Program.  For more details, see http://www.nursing.wayne.edu. 17. MEMBER NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND AWARDS Dr. Divina Grossman, dean of Florida International University College of Nursing & Health Sciences, is spearheading a national Kellogg Foundation project on health disparities in diabetes, childhood asthma and lack of insurance for children.  The project, titled Calling the Circle: A Program to Address Disparities Within Community, will commence this year in the cities of Los Angeles, Detroit, Albuquerque, Cleveland, Memphis, Jackson (MS), York (PA), and Nogales (AZ). See http://chua2.fiu.edu/Nursing. The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, part of the New York University College of Nursing, was awarded a $5 million, five-year grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies to expand its widely praised NICHE (Nurses Improving Care to Health-System Elders) program. Since 1996, the Hartford Institute has administered NICHE, which is a national geriatric nursing program that helps hospitals achieve systematic nursing change to benefit older patients. The program has been implemented in 225 hospitals in more than 40 states and in Canada. See http://www.hartfordign.org/programs/niche. Earlier this month, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing announced that it received approval to change the title of its research nursing doctorate from the Doctor of Science in Nursing degree (DSN) to the Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD)as of September 1, 2007. All former graduates holding the DSN degree can have their diploma reissued as a PhD degree if they make the request before August 31, 2008. For more details, contact 713-500-2101 or Laurie.G.Rutherford@uth.tmc.edu. Dr. Linda Brice, assistant professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing (SON), has been selected by AVON to receive the Hello Tomorrow Fund Award through the company’s Empower Women, Change Our World program. Dr. Brice will use her $5,000 award from this national campaign to help support the SON Annual Stork’s Nest Baby Shower. Stork’s Nest is an incentive program that encourages expectant mothers from low-income backgrounds to seek medical care to ensure their children are born healthy and stay healthy. See http://www.ttuhsc.edu/son. Dr. Sharon Judkins, associate professor and director of the Nursing Administration program in the School of Nursing at The University of Texas at Arlington, has been named as the recipient of the Department of Veterans Affairs Nursing Leadership Endowed Fellowship for 2007-2010. Members of the VA Endowed Fellowship committee unanimously recommended that Dr. Judkins be appointed for a second 3-year period. The Fellowship stipend will continue to support Dr. Judkin's research and presentations nationally and internationally on the topic of hardiness and leadership. See http://www.uta.edu/nursing. Dr. Judy Ozbolt, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, has received a three-year, $950,544 HRSA grant for her study, Nursing Informatics Program Focused on Diversity and the Underserved.The purpose of the project is to increase the workforce of diverse, culturally competent nursing informatics (NI) specialists by revising and expanding the master’s and post-master’s online informatics programs. The grant will allow the school to hire more NI faculty and upgrade Web-based courses. See http://nursing.umaryland.edu/news/2007/7-09.htm. 18. AACN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY UPDATE On August 2, 2007, AACN staff attended a meeting held by the Chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services (L-HHS) and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Representative David Obey (D-WI). For this meeting, Chairman Obey called together representatives from the health care community and thanked them for their tireless work which ensured passage of the L-HHS appropriations bill by the full House of Representatives. Chairman Obey impressed upon those in attendance the importance of continuing to advocate for bipartisan support of the L-HHS appropriations bill as it moves through the Senate and conference committee before ultimately being sent to the President for his signature or veto.   On July 27, 2007, AACN staff attended a presentation titled Shaping Health Policy through Nursing Research given by Dr. Ada Sue Hinshaw, Distinguished Nursing Scholar for the Institute of Medicine (IOM), American Nurses Foundation, and the American Academy of Nursing. The presentation, based on Dr. Hinshaw’s year-long research with the IOM, discussed the importance of incorporating quality research into health policy. Dr. Hinshaw stressed the need for researchers, policymakers, and the media to understand their role in effectively using research to impact policy. In October, Dr. Hinshaw will serve as the Government Affairs speaker for AACN's Fall Semiannual Meeting and will share her findings to AACN members. 19. OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES TO CONSIDER The Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation Education and Research (WISER) and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Center for Quality Improvement and Innovation are planning the first Annual WISER Symposium on Nursing Simulation on December 7 from 8am-5pm. Hosted at the  Regional Learning Alliance at Cranberry Woods, PA, this one-day course is designed to provide a robust introduction to the area of human simulation science and educational methodology in nursing simulation across domains. Full program and registration details will be available October 1, 2007. For more information or questions, contact Leslie Ricci at 412-647-6185. The Katharine J. Densford Center at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing will host the second Summit of Sages conference in St. Paul on October 14-16, 2007. The conference will feature presentations by best-selling author, poet and activist Dr. Maya Angelou; Dr. John Howe, President and CEO of Project Hope; Dr. Afaf Meleis, international champion of the rights of women and dean at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing; Dr. Bill Thomas, Founder of the Eden Alternative and Green House; Rosemarie Reger-Rumsey, Executive Director of Listening House; Gene Thin Elk, spiritual leader and healer in the Sioux community; Dr. Cheryl Robertson, nursing faculty and researcher on survivors of torture and war; and Dr. Jean Watson, professor and scholar in care giving, who will speak on social justice as core to healing. For more details, see http://www.nursing.umn.edu/Densford. The National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations (NCEMNA), a coalition of five national associations, invites ethnic minority nurse researchers and students to submit abstracts for poster and paper presentation during its third annual conference coming in March 2008. Abstracts of completed research will be considered for podium presentations. Research or work in progress will be considered for poster presentations. Abstracts must be submitted by November 19, 2007.  For more information, see http://www.ncemna.org/singlenews.asp?item_ID=1124. If you are a student, faculty member, or practitioner interested in becoming an NCEMNA research  mentee or a mentor, see http://www.ncemna.org/mentee. Applications continue to be accepted for Fulbright Scholar awards for lecturing, research or combined lecturing/research awards in medical sciences or public health during the 2008-2009 academic year, including an award in epidemiology in Zimbabwe. Faculty and other nursing professionals may apply for awards specifically in their field and for one of the many "All Discipline" awards open to any field. Nursing is a priority field for All Disciplines awards in Malawi, Niger, and Uganda. For descriptions of available awards and new eligibility requirements, visit http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/us_awards/awards.htm.    If you would like to have your email removed from the distribution list, send an email to lguetter@aacn.nche.edu with the subject “UNSUBSCRIBE NEWS WATCH”. Top | News Watch Home | Media Relations | AACN Home Copyright © 2007 by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. All rights reserved.