Subscribe to Notes on Nursing, our monthly news digest.

Nurse Innovation Fellowship

About the New J&J Nurse Innovation Fellowship Powered by Penn Nursing and the Wharton School
This year-long, hybrid in-person and virtual fellowship will immerse participants in principles of human-centered design and design thinking to be applied to real-world challenges. The innovation curriculum provided by Penn Nursing will be paired with business acumen, change management and strategic leadership skills development through Wharton Executive Education.
Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship: 2023 Cohort
Meet the 10 teams that form the 2023 Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship cohort. The teams represent geographically diverse areas across the US, and come from large and small health systems as well as stand-alone hospitals and public health systems in urban and rural locations.
Jeannette Bronsord, BSN, MSN, DNP & Ena Williams, PhD, MBA, RN, CENP, Yale New Haven Hospital
Yale New Haven Hospital
Jeannette Bronsord, BSN, MSN, DNP
Executive Director Surgical Services

Ena Williams, PhD, MBA, RN, CENP
Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer
    Johnson & Johnson Nursing Innovation Fellowship 2023 cohort: Salvacion Francisco, EdD, OL, MSN, RN & Noreen B. Brennan, PhD, RN-BC, NEA-BC, James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
    James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
    Salvacion Francisco, EdD, OL, MSN, RN
    Deputy Chief Nursing Executive

    Noreen B. Brennan, PhD, RN-BC, NEA-BC
    Chief Nurse Executive
    Johnson & Johnson Nursing Innovation Fellowship 2023 cohort: Dr. Susan Haynes Little, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, CPH, CPM, FAAN & Angela Callicutt, MSN, CPHQ, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
    North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
    Dr. Susan Haynes Little, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, CPH, CPM, FAAN
    Chief Public Health Nursing Officer

    Angela Callicutt, MSN, CPHQ
    Assistant Director of Nursing and Field Staff Manager
    Aaron Possin, MSN & Vickie Swanson, MSN, Olympic Medical Center
    Olympic Medical Center
    Aaron Possin, MSN
    Emergency Department Director

    Vickie Swanson, MSN
    Chief Nursing Officer
    Tracy Methered, MBA-HCM, BSN RN & Amy Thomas, MSN, APRN, FNP, Hawaii Pacific Health System
    Hawai'i Pacific Health
    Tracy Methered, MBA-HCM, BSN RN
    Director of Clinical Informatics

    Amy Thomas, MSN, APRN, FNP
    System Chief Nurse Executive
      Charlene Eltman, MSN, RN, RN-BC & Colleen Mallozzi, MBA, RN, Jefferson Health System
      Jefferson Health System
      Charlene Eltman, MSN, RN, RN-BC
      Division Director Clinical Informatics, North Region

      Colleen Mallozzi, MBA, RN
      Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Informatics Officer
      Jill M. Wegener, RN, MSN & Kara Dyer-Dombroski, RN, MSN
      Blythedale Children’s Hospital
      Jill M. Wegener, RN, MSN
      Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer, and Patient Care Services

      Kara Dyer-Dombroski, RN, MSN
      Nursing Director of the Pediatric, Adolescent & Traumatic Brain Injury Unit
      Peggy Norton-Rosko, DNP, RN, NEA-BC & Dawn Vollers, MSN, RN, NEABC, Trinity Health
      Trinity Health
      Peggy Norton-Rosko, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
      Regional Chief Nursing Officer

      Dawn Vollers, MSN, RN, NEABC
      Regional Director for the Center of Professional Practice & Development

      Dr. Lya Stroupe, BSN, MSN, DNP & Melanie M. Heuston, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, West Virginia University Health System
      West Virginia University Health System
      Dr. Lya Stroupe, BSN, MSN, DNP
      Director of Nursing Professional Practice and Education

      Melanie M. Heuston, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
      Inaugural Chief Nurse Executive
        Johnson & Johnson Nursing Innovation Fellowship 2023 cohort: Natalie Baggio, MBA, BSN, RN & Sandra Plank, DNP, CNOR, NPD-BC, Corewell Health
        Corewell Health South
        Natalie Baggio, MBA, BSN, RN
        Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations and Chief Nursing Executive, South Region

        Dr. Sandi Plank, DNP, CNOR, NPD-BC
        Senior Director Clinical Education, Talent Development & Resiliency
        Program Timeline
        • Applications Open
          3/3/23
        • Applications Close
          3/31/23
        • Selected Fellows Notified
          5/1/23
        • Program Kick-Off
          Virtual 6/5/23
        • lightbulb icon
          Summer Innovation Institute @UPenn Nursing School
          In person 6/26/23 - 6/30/23
        • business processes icon
          Virtual Sessions
          9/12/23 - 9/13/23
          11/7/23 - 11/8/23
          2/13/24 - 2/14/24
        • handshake icon
          Final Closing Event @Johnson & Johnson World HQ
          In person 5/22/24 - 5/23/24
        Frequently Asked Questions

        How much does it cost to participate?

        Johnson & Johnson’s sponsorship of the fellowship covers all attendance and travel costs for participants.

        Can School of Nursing faculty members apply to the Fellowship?

        Unfortunately, no. Given the Fellowship’s goal of trying to maximize positive impact within health systems, the primary applicant must be a Chief Nursing Officer/nurse executive in a hospital or health system, and the secondary applicant must be a senior nurse leader within that same health system. It is always possible that we will reconsider this decision for future cohorts.

        Would you consider other combinations of nurse leaders without a CNO?

        The combination of senior nurse leaders will depend on the reporting structure within your health system. However, to maximize impact within health systems, the primary applicant must be a Chief Nursing Officer (or nurse executive with an equivalent title) in a hospital or health system. That CNO or equivalent must then choose a senior nurse leader within that same health system, who they will team up with throughout the fellowship.

        Does the senior nurse leader have to report directly to the CNO or CNE?

        No. The lead applicant (CNO or CNE) can decide who is best within their organization to partner with to define and address a problem within the health system to solve.

        How do you define a senior nurse leader? Would a nursing educator (or other position) count as a senior nurse leader?

        Different health systems use different titles so it’s hard for us to define by title who would qualify. Our objective is to have a team of two applicants per health system who are senior enough within their health system to be able to effect positive, meaningful change as a result of this Fellowship. The primary applicant should be a CNO or CNE or someone of an equivalent level who can drive change. The secondary applicant would be the person who can best partner (as decided by the primary applicant) with them to define and address a problem in their system. Therefore, the combination of senior nurse leaders will depend on the reporting structure within your health system.

        Can applicants from the same health system but different hospitals within that health system apply?

        Yes. As long as the two applicants are from the same health system, they can apply.

        Can public health systems apply for the Fellowship?

        Yes, public health system leaders can apply for the Fellowship. On the application, there is a “other” option for the question on the number of hospitals in your health system and the total number of licensed beds. Please leverage this option to enter any information that can help us understand the scope of your role if those questions are irrelevant.

        Is it OK to leverage the Fellowship to advance a solution that is already being piloted in the health system?

        No. To maximize the benefit and learning offered in this Fellowship, it is best if a solution is not already being piloted. Part of the human-centered design process that is being taught in the Fellowship is how to accurately define the problem and ideate solutions based on insights gained over the course of the fellowship.

        How will applicants be notified if they were selected for the program?

        All applicants will be notified via email on May 1, 2023 if they were selected for the Fellowship or not. 

        When will applications for the next Fellowship cohort open?

        More information about the next Johnson & Johnson Innovation Fellowship cohort will be provided in Q1 2024.
        Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship
        Our Past Nurse Innovation Fellows
        Meet the 12 nurses who formed the 2019-2022 Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship cohort.
        Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship 2019-22 cohort
        Proudly Advocating for, Elevating and Empowering All Nurses to Drive Transformative Health Change
        Johnson & Johnson has supported the nursing profession for over 120 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
        Subscribe to Notes on Nursing, our monthly news digest.
        Explore issues of our monthly newsletter, which features the many ways nurses' innovation and leadership drive transformative change in healthcare.