Emerging Nurse Scientist Fellow

opportunities for research and fellowships that enhance practical and clinical skills of nursing students. One of our many innovative programs available to undergraduate students is our Emerging Nurse Scientist Summer Fellowship, an opportunity made possible by a generous donation from Carl Goff, PhD, RN. This eight-week research experience allows selected students to work closely with interdisciplinary faculty mentors on research projects.

“So many of the things we do today, we couldn’t do without research,” said Goff. “Research truly drives the practice and helps us continue to be better.”

The goal of the program is to encourage and support the training of undergraduate nursing students who are motivated to undertake careers in basic, clinical and/or behavioral research.

Dr. Victoria Marshall, mentor of the fellowship, said, “This program allowed for a rich encounter with various aspects of the research process including responsible conduct in research, the institutional review board process, study protocols, ensuring quality assurance in data collection and literature reviews. Additionally, this program allowed faculty to grow skills and experience in mentorship, and influence enthusiasm and potential among individuals entering the nursing field.”

After earning his bachelor’s in nursing from USF in 1986, Goff wanted to find a way to give back to the university. In 2018, with the passing of his mother, Betty Virginia Goff, he was able to use part of her inheritance as a donation to fund the Emerging Nurse Scientist Fellowship in her name.

“Having raised six boys and her caring attitude, she was very much a nurse, just without the official title,” said Goff.

He hopes the fellowship will get nursing students interested in research. The goal of the program is to encourage and support the training of undergraduate nursing students who are motivated to undertake careers in basic, clinical and/or behavioral research.

The Emerging Nurse Scientist Fellowship training occurs through guided, carefully chosen, didactic and experiential training in USF wet or dry laboratories, research programs and clinics. Each student is assigned a faculty mentor and have the opportunity for hands-on laboratory and/or community experiences, regular lab meetings, clinical observations, and participation in research activities as member of the mentor’s research team.

Mentors are assigned nurse fellows based on the fellow’s experiences and interests, then they are matched to the mentor’s research program. Mentors guide and supervise undergraduate trainees through experiences on their research teams in settings aligned with the mentor’s research program (e.g., College of Nursing Biobehavioral lab; Genomics core; community settings; clinical settings). Fellows are expected to complete required trainings such as biosafety and human subjects considerations. Fellowship Program Benefits:

• Membership in a community of undergraduates committed to nursing research

• Invitation to special events and meetings with distinguished guests

• Opportunity to submit a poster to USF Health or USF and coauthor a publication

Fellowship Program Requirements:

• The Fellows must complete the full 8 weeks, 20 hours per week, of directed research experience

• The fellow and the faculty mentor meet at least once per week or more often, depending on the project and the level of faculty mentor guidance needed

• Submit a research poster to Health Research Day and/or USF Research Day if they have a program available

• Participate in co-authoring at least one research publication (should be submitted by the end of the fellowship)

• Presentation of finding and experience during last week of the program

• Complete a brief final report related to the fellowship experience

For more information on the Emerging Nursing Scientist Fellowship, contact Carmen Mitchell at carmenmitchell@usf.edu. ■