By Frank Couch
Nursing PhD student Shameka Rogers Phillips, RN, MSN, FNP-C, has been named a Healthy Nurse, Health Nation student ambassador as part of a partnership between the American Nurses Association (ANA) Enterprise and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. ANA Enterprise and AACN came together to create the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation (HNHN) Student Ambassador program as a way to improve the health of the nation’s nurses and nursing students.
As a student ambassador, Phillips will act as a leader and advocate for the health and wellbeing of nursing students. She will also discuss with key campus leaders the missions of HNHN, as well as opportunities for partnerships. In this role, Phillips will also recruit student , faculty and other nurses to engage with the HNHN platform and engage in wellness activities.
The ambassador program also provides leadership development opportunities and the chance to participate in continuing education webinars and events focused on further developing health and wellness at UAB.
"Through this program, I hope to provide wellness resources for members of our institution in spaces that they currently occupy,” Phillips said. “One example is my first goal: Including a wellness presentation during our PhD Intensive. Next, I want to work on establishing effective and easily accessible ways to provide wellness resources to students, faculty and staff. "
Rogers is a family nurse practitioner who is passionate about helping people from underserved and underrepresented populations increase their overall wellness and decrease preventable disease diagnosis. Phillips earned her bachelor of science in nursing and a master of science in nursing from UAB in 2014 and 2016, respectively. She has medical/surgical and gynecology/oncology clinical experience as a registered nurse in urban areas. She also has clinical experience in rural, family primary care as a nurse practitioner.
