Yamnia Cortés receives Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators

UC Davis nursing school announces 2021 nurse leader fellows
Group includes diverse group of nursing scholars and innovators from around the U.S.

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) —The national program office at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis today announced the 10 members of the second cohort of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators.

The fellows are affiliated with major public and private universities across the country. This year, two nurse leaders from health systems join the program. Fellowship leaders said the group offers great potential to advance the nursing profession.

“These fellows represent issues across the lifespan. Many are focused on health equity, prevention and optimal chronic disease management,” said Heather M. Young, national program director and professor. “These are all such important topics, vital to advancing population health and bringing diverse perspectives to health care systems.”

The program recognizes early- to mid-career nursing scholars and innovators and requires they take part in an innovative project or study. Fellows receive $450,000 over three years for their project plus $50,000 for their home institution. Fellows gather annually, when safety guidelines permit, at UC Davis for a week-long convocation and participate in an online learning community throughout the three-year period.

The fellowship, which runs for three years, is supported by a $37.5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Roughly 10 fellows are selected every year for five years. It was launched in 2020.

The first cohort began amid the coronavirus pandemic, but the fellows were undaunted. Their subject areas range from advancing health equity through prevention and education and addressing caregiver stress in African Americans to technologies that support clinical decision making. Others are using telehealth with adolescents with neurological conditions and for remote forensic exams and web support for cancer treatment in underserved areas.

“They are risk takers and open to new ideas. They incorporate innovation into their work,” Young added. “They have been flexible as they faced so many unexpected barriers and changes due to the pandemic. This is a vital attribute for successful leaders and scientists — being able to reshape in response to the environment.”

Fellows focus on populations across the lifespan and their projects aim to address issues in prevention, health care delivery and education. The cohort has strength in health promotion, care for vulnerable populations and how to leverage technology to improve care.

The 2021 fellows include:

Applicants completed a rigorous review process. National program office leaders, along with members of the Fellowship National Advisory Council, ultimately selected a diverse group pursuing innovative approaches to challenging problems. The program forms a learning community among fellows, combined with a strong curriculum to build skills and confidence in leadership and innovation.

Supported by a $37.5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, roughly 10 fellows are selected every year for five years. The program recognizes early- to mid-career nursing scholars and innovators with high potential and requires they take part in an innovative project or study. Fellows in this program receive $450,000 in funding over three years for an innovative project plus $50,000 for their home institution.

Faculty from the UC Davis Graduate School of Management contributed their expertise to develop the hybrid curriculum for the fellows, designed to enhance leadership and innovation capacity, strengthen strategic thinking and collaborative skills, expand professional networks and propel innovative ideas to fruition. Applications for the 2022 cohort open Sept. 24. To learn more, visit the fellowship program webpage.


Yamnia I. Cortés, PhD, MPH, FNP-BC, FAHA, an assistant professor at Carolina Nursing, leads an interdisciplinary research program focused on understanding the sociocultural, environmental, behavioral and biological factors that impact midlife women’s health, as well as the interface between reproductive aging and chronic disease. She also designs interventions to reduce inequities in reproductive health and chronic disease, particularly in Latinas. She is a Fellow of the American Heart Association and serves on committees in the North American Menopause Society. Her fellowship project explores associations between menopause and blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia in midlife Latinas. Findings among Latinas may be of importance given the expected growth of the Latino population with these conditions in the United States. In addition, findings may identify potential targets for future interventions among all midlife women.