About Michelle

Dr. Michelle Munro-Kramer is an Assistant Professor of Nursing and the Suzanne Bellinger Feetham Professor of Nursing at the University of Michigan, School of Nursing. Michelle’s clinical background includes certifications as a Family Nurse Practitioner and Certified Nurse Midwife, which she currently uses to provide reproductive and sexual health in community settings. Michelle's program of research focuses on trauma, comprehensive care of vulnerable populations, and missed opportunities for care within domestic and international contexts. At the University of Michigan, Michelle teaches graduate and undergraduate students, where she developed the first undergraduate elective course focused on gender-based violence.

Michelle has adapted and piloted an innovative web-based app, called MKit, focused on healthy relationships and sexual violence using a life skills perspective. She is currently working on evaluating this app within different types of college and university settings.

Michelle’s J&J Nursing Innovation Fellow Journey

When Michelle first started in the Fellowship program, she was working on research and accessibility for her MKit app. She was initially interested in the Fellowship to contribute her skills and knowledge as a nurse to improve education for healthcare providers and primary prevention youth programs. However, she ended up shifting her project to focus more on the university students she works with regularly to begin to cultivate an innovative mindset while they are still studying. From her own experience with mentorship as a nursing student, Michelle knew how important it was for her students to be exposed to innovation at the start of their careers. This culminated in an inaugural Innovate 4 Change event, that brought together interdisciplinary groups of students to develop innovative solutions to complex healthcare problems.

Michelle believes in the power of mentorship to enhance innovation at all levels of career and education. And the student group she created bears striking similarities to the comradery and community within the Fellowship program. From Michele’s perspective, the Fellowship provided her with the critical support system that she needed to flourish. She will continue to expand her program through annual hackathons, larger student cohorts and global missions, and she will carry the values of the Fellowship along with her each step of the way.