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Nurse Innovation Fellowship

Application Opens January 6, 2025 for the Nurse Innovation Fellowship by Johnson & Johnson, Powered by Penn Nursing and the Wharton School
This ground-breaking, one-year, team-based nursing fellowship for Chief Nursing Officers (CNO), nurse executives, and senior nurse leaders, is focused on powering-up nurse-led innovation and leadership within health systems to drive transformative change in the healthcare work environment so nurses and patients can thrive. Johnson & Johnson’s sponsorship of the fellowship covers all attendance and travel costs for participants. Check back on January 6, 2025 to begin your application!
About the Fellowship
The Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship, Powered by Penn Nursing and the Wharton School
The hybrid in-person and virtual fellowship will immerse two nurse leaders from 15 different U.S. health systems in principles of human-centered design and design thinking to be applied to real-world, specific challenges faced by their health system.

The innovation curriculum provided by Penn Nursing will be paired with business acumen, change management and strategic leadership skills development through Wharton Executive Education. At the conclusion of the fellowship, fellows will pitch their innovative solutions with the goal of bringing that solution back to their healthcare system to implement.

Application opens January 6, 2025 and closes February 17, 2025. Check back soon for link.
Join a virtual session to learn more about the fellowship (all times ET)
Fellowship Application Details
  • How is the Fellowship structured?
    The Fellowship program is a combination of in-person and virtual sessions, and teams are expected to attend all sessions. The program begins with a virtual half-day kick-off meeting May 14, 2025 from 11am to 5pm ET, followed by an in-person 5-day Summer Innovation Institute at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA from June 23-27, 2025. Following the Summer Innovation Institute, there are three 2-day virtual synchronous sessions (one each quarter) throughout the year, and a 2-day in-person closing event at Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, NJ, in May 20-21, 2026.

    During the fellowship, participants will work on a healthcare problem specific to their health system. Teams will leave each session with homework to be completed at their institution in order to move their project forward and to sustain buy-in and support from their institutional leaders and stakeholders. While two-person teams from each health system are required to attend all in-person and virtual sessions, fellows may invite extended team members from their health system who can help them identify the problem and develop their solutions to attend virtual sessions as needed. The program will conclude with a final in-person pitch session where fellows will describe the problem they are addressing and their recommended solution.

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  • Application Background
    Fifteen, two-person teams from different health systems across the United States will be selected as fellows through a competitive process using an online application. Each team will be composed of a CNO or nurse executive, and a senior nurse leader.

    The application will be submitted by the CNO/nurse executive from a hospital or health system who will serve as the primary applicant. The CNO/nurse executive will choose another senior nurse leader from their hospital or health system to complete the team. Evidence of health system buy-in and support from the Chief Executive Officer is required. The fellows will be selected by Penn Nursing based on the criteria below.

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  • Applicant Criteria
    Applicants must:
    - Be a Registered Nurse.
    - Reside in the U.S. or its territories or Indian Lands of Federally Recognized Tribes of the United States.
    - The primary applicant will hold the role of Chief Nursing Officer/nurse executive in a hospital or health system and identify a senior nurse leader as the partner on the team.
    - This is a team-based fellowship; each member of the dyadic team must commit to working together as a part of the JJNIF program
    - Have support and buy-in from the executive leadership (e.g., Chief Executive Officer) and c-suite administrators, including a letter of support guaranteeing release time for the in-person and virtual sessions, and how they will support the development, implementation and sustainability of the innovative ideas within the health system.
    - Must serve at an institution that is agile and committed to being at the forefront of healthcare innovation.
    - Both team members must commit to a full year of structured learning, travel, self-study and project activity including attendance at the 5-day summer institute in person in Philadelphia, PA June 23-27, 2025, the closing event in New Brunswick, NJ May 20-21, 2026, and all virtual sessions. Virtual session dates are May 14, 2025 (kick-off), September 10-11, 2025, November 12-13, 2025, and February 11-12, 2026. Each day of the virtual sessions will last 6 hours from 11am to 5pm ET.
    - We embrace racial, ethnic and gender diversity and encourage applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds.

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Program Timeline
  • Applications Open
    1/6/25
  • Applications Close
    2/17/25
  • Selected Fellows Notified
    3/21/25
  • Program Kick-Off (Virtual, 6 hours)
    5/14/25 from 11am-5pm ET
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    Summer Innovation Institute (In-person, 36 hours, Philadelphia, PA @ UPenn Nursing School)
    6/23/25 - 6/27/25
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    Three Virtual Sessions (6 hours per session)
    9/10/25 - 9/11/25
    11/12/25 - 11/13/25
    2/11/26 - 2/12/26
    from 11am-5pm ET (the time is subject to change)
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    Final Closing Event (In-Person, New Brunswick, NJ @ Johnson & Johnson World HQ)
    In person 5/20/26 - 5/21/26
With nurse-led innovation, a brilliant idea is just the beginning. Here's a helpful guide to bringing your solution to life.
Meet the nurses who are changing human health through new protocols, policies, programs, and technologies, every day.
Meet the past Nurse Innovation Fellowship teams
Johnson & Johnson has supported the nursing profession for over 125 years because we believe nurses are the backbone of health systems worldwide.
Group of smiling nurses in scrubs holding folders
Group of smiling nurses in scrubs holding folders
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