By Frank Couch
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Associate Professor Pamela Bowen, PhD, RN, RNP-BC, has been appointed to the newly formed National Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research Scientist Advisory Board. The board includes scientists from across the country and will focus on how to meet development needs for Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) scientists.
This advisory board was developed in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and nationwide discourse surrounding racial injustice in 2020. Bowen is one of three nurses who have a seat on the board, which will serve as a mechanism for scientists to discuss sensitive issues such as systemic racism, gender discrimination, power dynamics in academia, and other important topics related to inclusion and representation. The board also represents 18 RCMAR sites from across the country.
This is not the first time Bowen has worked with the RCMAR. Bowen began her journey with the Deep South Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research in 2013, when she was selected to participate as a scholar in the Health Disparities Research Training Award Program at UAB. Funded by National Institutes of Health grants, the main goal of the program was to develop independent researchers in health disparities research through individualized mentoring training.
“I am privileged to have been selected to be a member of the newly formed National RCMAR Scientist Advisory Board,” said Bowen. “lt is my hope that I will be able to provide a unique perspective to the SAB, which I hope will have the opportunity to influence-decision making policies.”
Bowen is a three-time graduate from the UAB School of Nursing, earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing 1988, Master of Science in Nursing in 1992 and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing in 2012.
