By Erica Techo
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Associate Professor Loretta Lee, PhD, CRNP, FNP-BC, CNE (MSN 1991, PhD 2012), has been selected for the National League for Nursing’s year-long LEAD program, one of two tracks in the NLN Leadership Institute.
The NLN Leadership Institute is an initiative of the NLN Center for Transformational Leadership designed for nurses in education and practice who have recently been challenged with rapid transition into leadership positions, those already in positions of leadership who want formal leadership training and those who identify as emerging leaders or have leadership aspirations.
Lee has been a faculty member in the UAB School of Nursing since 2005, rising from the rank of instructor to associate professor. During her academic career, she has held academic leadership roles as nurse practitioner specialty track coordinator in the MSN Program and as director of the adult advanced practice specialty tracks. More recently, Lee has been involved in the UAB Faculty Senate through service on numerous committees and as the School’s representative to the Faculty Senate.
Lee also has participated in several UAB leadership development programs, and she applied to the NLN LEAD program in order to prepare for future leadership roles.
“We are all leaders, formal or informal, and have the capacity to influence others,” Lee said. “The best leaders know they cannot do it alone. I am extremely grateful to the UABSON leadership team and the NLN Leadership Institute for allowing me an opportunity to participate in this program to expand upon my leadership skills and develop into a better leader than I am today. My goal is to make a difference in the lives of UAB’s most valuable resources—its students, faculty, staff and community.”
The 2022 NLN LEAD cohort is a group of 23 nurse educators and practice leaders chosen from colleges, universities and health care institutions. This program requires a significant time commitment for an entire calendar year. Participants identify personal and professional goals, learn about what makes an effective leader and strategize how to retool skill sets and experiences to achieve individual and institutional benchmarks. Everyone also receives one-on-one executive coaching, in addition to attending online group coaching sessions, a retreat and webinars, where they study leadership theory and development that includes case studies.“It is vitally important that, as the most trusted professionals in health care, nurses be prepared to take a leading role in promoting excellence in health care delivery, advancing health access and equity, and ensuring cultural sensitivity and inclusion in caring for an increasingly diverse population of patients and their families, especially those encountering acute health crises and managing chronic medical challenges,” said NLN Chair Kathleen Poindexter, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Michigan State University. “As the nation and the world transition from a global pandemic to dealing with COVID-19 as an endemic disease requiring ongoing response, the demand for competent leadership in nursing is more urgent than ever.”
“Leadership is one of the most important skill sets that nurses need today, whether they are employed at the bedside or in the community, in advanced practice roles or as nurse educators or nurse scientists,” said Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Interim Dean of the UAB School of Nursing Linda Moneyham, PhD, RN, FAAN. “Today nurses are expected to lead and work collaboratively in interprofessional teams to bring about changes to improve both patient and health system outcomes. Nurses hold the solutions to many of the problems in health care delivery today, but without leadership skills, they are less likely to impact such problems.”
