Brian Garcia and Grace Russell of UNC School of Nursing selected as 2026-2028 Jonas Scholars  

Today, Jonas Nursing and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) announced that Grace Russell and Brian Garcia, doctoral students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, have been selected as Jonas Scholars for the program’s 2026-2028 cohort. 

This program aims to improve health care by expanding the pool of PhD and DNP-prepared nurses needed to educate the next generation of nurse leaders. 

Russell and Garcia join a national cohort of 80 doctoral nursing students selected for their commitment to teaching, academic achievement and research. As Jonas Scholars, they will receive financial support, mentorship, and a curriculum tailored to providing students with the learning experiences they need to successfully transition into a faculty role. 

Vice Dean Ashley Leak Bryant and Associate Professor Natalia Villegas Rodriguez will also serve as mentors for the 2026–2028 Jonas Scholars cohort, guiding scholars in professional development, scholarly writing and publication, and preparation for faculty careers.

“Grace and Brian are outstanding emerging nurse scientists and educators whose research is already making a difference, from early childhood development to suicide prevention in rural communities,” said Jessica Williams, assistant dean of the PhD program at the UNC School of Nursing. “We are deeply grateful to Jonas Nursing for investing in the kind of faculty our profession urgently needs, and we are proud to see Grace and Brian recognized among the nation’s most promising doctoral nursing students.” 

Russell works with UNC’s Brain and Early Experience Lab and has co-mentored an undergraduate honors thesis on maternal mental health medication use. Her research, under the supervision of Cathi Propper, focuses on early childhood development and how family and neighborhood environments influence children’s ability to regulate emotions, behavior and attention. She is interested in how these early experiences shape learning, health and well-being over time. 

A pediatric nurse at UNC Health and a Hillman Scholar in Nursing Innovation, Russell is completing UNC’s Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education. Her teaching experience includes serving as a human anatomy teaching assistant at Wake Forest University and a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Thailand. 

“I hope to make an impact by helping students see nursing as a profession where they can identify problems, ask critically important questions, and improve systems of care,” Russell said. 

Garcia is a founding organizer of SON-Pride at the UNC School of Nursing and serves as an educator with the UNC Student Health Action Coalition’s Gender Affirming Care Clinic. He has also delivered guest lectures in the school’s Culture and Nursing Care course. 

Under the supervision of Natalia Villegas Rodriguez, Garcia’s research focuses on mental health and rural health. His dissertation examines how adult men in rural North Carolina who have survived a suicide attempt disclose their experiences and draw on social support. Using interviews, social network analysis and photovoice, a method involving participant-created photographs, he studies how masculinity, stigma and social support shape suicide risk and recovery. 

A psychiatric nurse at UNC Health and a Hillman Scholar in Nursing Innovation, Garcia previously worked as a bilingual public health investigator and Mental Health First Aid coordinator. His teaching experience includes providing instruction in English and Spanish, supervising undergraduate public health trainees and facilitating suicide prevention workshops for LGBTQ+ youth. 

“I am pursuing a faculty career because teaching and research are, for me, inseparable acts: building knowledge alongside communities rather than about them is fundamental to my work,” Garcia said. 

Each scholar will receive $12,000 from Jonas Nursing over two years, matched by the UNC School of Nursing, for a total of $24,000 per student in scholarship support. 

Russell and Garcia expect to graduate in 2028. Both plan to pursue faculty careers combining research, teaching and mentorship. 

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