NEWS
SON Founding Dean Honored with Nightingale Award Loretta Ford, EdD, RN, PNP, FAAN, FAANP, the co-developer of the nurse practitioner model and founding dean at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, was recently honored with a prestigious award from the Center for Nursing at the Foundation of New York State Nurses. Ford, whose innovations thrust the nursing profession in a new direction and revolutionized the health care system, was the first individual recipient of the Nightingale Award, given to those whose actions mirror the legacy and accomplishments of the great Florence Nightingale. An internationally renowned nursing leader whose vision and habit of questioning the status quo galvanized colleagues and continues to inspire those who have followed in her footsteps,
Ford’s studies on the expanded scope of practice in public health nursing led to the creation of the first nurse practitioner (NP) training program at the University of Colorado in 1965. Her work revolutionized the delivery of health services and the role of nursing in clinical care. Today, there are more than 350 academic institutions offering nurse practitioner programs and more than 270,000 practicing NPs. In 1972, Ford was recruited to become the first dean of the newly independent School of Nursing at the University of Rochester. She brought the same passion and powerful thinking to her role as an administrator and educator, guiding the school to new heights. It was at the University of Rochester that she developed and implemented the Unification Model of nursing, where research, practice, and education are combined to provide nurses with a more holistic education. She retired from the school in 1986, but continues to be a sought-after speaker on the nurse practitioner movement. Named a “Living Legend” by the American Academy of Nursing, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2011.
PhD Student Martez Smith Honored for Contributions to LGBTQ Community Martez Smith, LMSW, a University of Rochester Provost Fellowship Recipient and third-year graduate student in the University of Rochester School of Nursing’s PhD program, was honored with two prestigious awards for his contributions to the LBGTQ community. Smith was awarded the 2019 Plug’d Trailblazer of the Year Award from the Haitian-American Community Coalition on Aug. 30 and received the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Student Mentorship Scholarship on Nov. 9. The Plug’d Trailblazer of the Year Award is presented to one community activist who has demonstrated excellence in their contributions to the LGBTQ community via advocacy, activism, and community organizing. Smith, a licensed social worker, was chosen for the award because of his tremendous work in addressing HIV health disparities and improving health for racial/ethnic, sexual orientation, and gender minorities. He was presented with the award at the 2019 Plug’d Masqerade Gala on Aug. 30 at the Alibi Lounge in New York City. Smith was selected for the ANAC DEI scholarship after being nominated by Mitchell Wharton, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, CNS, an assistant professor of clinical nursing at the University of Rochester School of Nursing. Smith has been a voracious advocate for the House Ball Community (HBC), a global network comprised of “houses,” which serve to groom LGBTQ people for participation in elaborate competitions against other houses, known as 8 NURSING 2020 Volume 1
“balls.” His interest in HIV care is motivated by his experiences as a child in the House of Lanvin, an HBC house which is composed primarily of LGBTQ individuals of color. As an openly gay black man living with HIV and as a co-chair of the Black Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) subcommittee of the New York State AIDS Advisory Council’s Committee to End the Epidemic, Smith has observed the positive impacts of his research on the individuals and communities he advocates for. Smith is co-founder of the Keeping Ballroom Community Alive Network (KBCAN), a national network of house ball community members and activists. In August, Smith worked with KBCAN and local New York City organizations to host a ball at the New York City Mayor’s Office, advocating for the end of cash bail and remand, solitary confinement, and the decriminalization of sex work in New York state. Smith has also worked with KBCAN to create the Crystal LaBeija Organizing Fellowship, which provides 10 trans and gender nonconforming activists in the house ball community across the United States with resources, leadership development, and capacity-building opportunities.