Climate & Intergroup Relations: Inclusive Excellence Webinar Series
Webinar Details & Objectives
Institutional Climate and Culture is critical to the experience of faculty, staff, and students within nursing schools. Fostering environments where diverse backgrounds are valued and respected is an imperative for achieving the mission-driven goals and commitments. Diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environments where there is a collective sense of belonging and all individuals thrive and do their best work are critical to achieving the nursing school’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
This webinar will discuss how the dimensions of the Inclusive Excellence Ecosystem for Academic Nursing align and assist nursing schools with organizing and guiding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
This webinar is the third installment for the Inclusive Excellence Webinar Series. For more information, on additional webinars in this series, visit www.aacnnursing.org/diversity/webinars.
Objectives:
- Describe the Climate & Intergroup Relations dimension of the AACN’s DEI Faculty Tool Kit
- Discuss the impact of intergroup dialogue on building an inclusive learning environment
- Discuss strategies for nursing schools to improve diversity and feelings of belonging of historically underrepresented and marginalized groups
- Identify best practices from the AACN DEI Faculty Tool Kit to promote belongingness, provide safe spaces for intergroup relations, assess climate and create inclusive learning environment.
Speakers
Barbara A. Fowler, EdD, PhD, RN
Professor of Nursing
Wright State University
Barbara A. Fowler holds an EdD in Curriculum Instruction & Design from Teacher’s College at the University of Cincinnati, OH in 1988 and later earned a PhD from Rush University – College of Nursing in Chicago, IL (2003). She has more than 30 years of experience in teaching and mentoring the next generation of nurses across programs (non-licensure BSN, RN-BSN, accelerated BSN, MS and DNP) on providing equitable and evidence-based nursing care to racial/ethnic minorities and marginalized groups (i.e., immigrants and homeless) in underserved urban communities. She has received the Graduate Teaching Excellence Award in the College of Nursing and Health at Wright State University on several occasions. Dr. Fowler’s program of research is funded by the American Nursing Foundation (ANF), Oncology Nursing Society and Bristol-Myers Squibb Community Health Research Grant, Sigma Theta Tau – Honor Society of Nursing/Beta Iota Chapter (Cincinnati, OH) and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (Population-Health Grant) on health disparities faced by racial/ethnic minority females in accessing preventive breast health screenings in underserved urban communities. Recent research on systemic or structural barriers to leadership development and career advancement for minority nurses in public health nursing departments was published in Public Health Nursing in 2020; the findings were presented (virtual) via poster at the Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) Annual Conference in April 2021 and oral/podium (virtual) presentation at the Association of Public Health Nursing (APHN) Annual Conference in May 2021. Dr. Fowler was an inaugural member of the AACN subcommittee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in 2019, and later played a leadership role on the Campus Climate & Intergroup Relations portion of the Diversity Tool Kit by compiling available data and co-authoring a scoping review of the literature on systemic, structural barriers and implicit biases affecting racial/ethnic minority nurses across practice settings. In 2020, Dr. Fowler was appointed by the Interim Dean in the College of Nursing and Health to serve on the President's Advisory Council on Inclusive Excellence at Wright State University.
Patricia G. Francis-Johnson, DNP, RN
Director of Diversity and Inclusion
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Patricia Francis-Johnson is an Assistant Professor and Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the School of Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC). She received her DNP with a concentration in Executive Leadership from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas. She has over twenty years of experience in traditional and online education, clinical teaching, quality improvement, patient safety, and interprofessional teamwork. Dr. Francis-Johnson is also a TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer who conducts training classes for students, faculty, and staff. Dr. Francis-Johnson led a diverse group of faculty and staff to design and implement Shared Governance at the School of Nursing, which resulted in the development of an Academic Shared Governance Model for Nursing Education. She serves as the inaugural Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the School of Nursing to increase diversity and inclusion among faculty, staff and students. She represents the School of Nursing (SON) on the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Dr. Francis-Johnson is a member of the search committee for the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion (VPDEI) position at TTUHSC. She is a member of the AACN Diversity Equity, Inclusion Leadership Network (DEILN) and participated in developing the AACN Diversity Toolkit. She represents TTUHSC as an Executive Board member of the Texas Tech University/ Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTU/TTUHSC) Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA), which includes faculty and staff from the Texas Tech System. She also chairs the Texas Nurses Association Leadership Succession Committee. Dr. Francis-Johnson has participated in Unconscious Bias training and attended a webinar on National Inclusive Excellence. She serves as a member of various admissions and progressions committees, bringing the perspective of diversity, inclusion, and unconscious bias into the process. Dr. Francis-Johnson has led the dissemination of educational innovation through invited presentations to various groups.
Antonea’ Jackson, PhD, RN, CNE
Director of Undergraduate Programs
Prairie View A&M University
Antonea’ Jackson is a Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs at Prairie View A&M University College of Nursing, where she has served as faculty since 2009. She is a Certified Nurse Educator, and has been recognized a nominee for the President’s Teaching Award Service Learning Award from Prairie View A&M University. In 2020, Dr. Jackson received her PhD from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and completed both her undergraduate and graduate studies at Prairie View A&M University. Her research interests include nursing education, cultural competence of nurse educators, and health disparities and health equity. She is currently the PI of the Texas COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach and Education Grant designed to reduce vaccine hesitancy in communities of color, and the Co-PI of the Nursing Innovation Grant Program funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board designed to improve interprofessional communication via telehealth in nursing students. Dr. Jackson has presented at professional conferences on the national level and is an active member of several professional nursing organizations including Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, Eta Delta Chapter. Dr. Jackson has a passion for nursing and nursing education, and believes in educating students by providing opportunities that foster student success academically and professionally. She values education and the opportunities it creates, specifically for students of disadvantaged backgrounds.
Janelle R. Sokolowich, PhD, MSN Ed, RN
Academic Vice President, Dean
College of Health Professions
Western Governors University
Dr. Sokolowich is an accomplished visionary academic leader. She has been an academic leader for over a decade, having held various roles, including dean of academic operations, interim dean, and faculty. In her current role as the Academic Vice President/Dean for the College of Health Professions at Western Governors University (WGU), her goal is to close the equity and access gap in the health professions by providing degree programs and certifications to student who seek to advance their education. Her passion for student success, specifically the underserved, is marked by her drive for innovation to reach all who desire a degree. Her research includes the successful orientation of nursing faculty and intentional, focused academic support of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Dr. Sokolowich has presented nationally and internationally, highlighting the use of technology in the classroom, non-academic support strategies for high-risk students, and cultural inclusivity in the classroom. She is a member of the inaugural American Association of College of Nursing, Diversity Equity and Inclusion leadership network, National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, and numerous other academic societies. She serves as an American Nurses Association Mentor and is a National League for Nursing Writing Scholar. Dr. Sokolowich earned her bachelor's and master's in the science of nursing degrees from the University of Phoenix and Ph.D. in Education, with Distinction from Capella University.
Pricing and CE Credit
This webinar is free to deans, faculty, staff and students from AACN member schools of nursing. All non-member audiences will be required to pay a $59 webinar fee.
Continuing Education Credits
Eligible attendees may receive one continuing nursing education (CNE) contact hour for participating in this webinar. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is an accredited CNE-provider by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) works with the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) to provide CPH credits.