Nurse Innovation Fellowship

The program begins with a virtual half-day kick-off meeting on April 23, 2026, followed by an in-person five-day Summer Innovation Institute at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA, from June 8-12, 2026. Following the Summer Innovation Institute, there are three two-day virtual synchronous sessions on September 9-10, 2026, November 11-12, 2026, and February 10-11, 2027, and a two-day in-person closing event at Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, NJ, on May 19-20, 2027. Teams are expected to attend all sessions.

During the fellowship, participants will work on a challenge specific to their health system to create a healthcare work environment where nurses and patients can thrive. 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 healthcare system are required to attend all in-person and virtual sessions, fellows are encouraged to invite extended team members from their healthcare 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 describing their problem and recommended solution.

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. The application opens on January 6, 2026. 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 for the participation in the Fellowship and implementation of the solution from the Chief Executive Officer is required.

The fellows will be selected by Penn Nursing.

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 Fellowship program.
• Have support and buy-in from the executive leadership (e.g., Chief Executive Officer) and c-suite administrators, including a signed letter of support on letterhead guaranteeing release time for the in-person and virtual sessions.
• Commitment from the executive leadership (e.g., Chief Executive Officer) and c-suite administrators, included in the signed letter of support stating 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 in-person and virtual sessions. See key Fellowship dates above.
• Must focus on a problem that when solved better supports a healthy work environment for nurses (that then impacts patients).
• Must work in an acute care hospital or health system.