Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation

Ways to Study

  • On-Campus

The Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation is designed to produce the next generation of nurse researchers who will lead the realignment of health care to become more effective, patient-centered, accessible, equitable, and affordable.

”Many nurses are drawn to direct care and think that the only way they can make a difference is by taking care of patients one by one,” says Hillman National Program Director Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, FCRN. “We are focused on the power of nurses to reach hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of patients through research and innovation that influence practice and policy.”

The UNC Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation prepares nurse scholars with the substantive and methodological knowledge, vision and personal acumen to study, lead, change and shape the future of health care.

Each year, four undergraduate nursing students at Carolina enter the Hillman Scholars Program, which is designed to accelerate the time from undergraduate nursing degree to completion of a PhD in five years or less.

By integrating aspects of the nursing education traditionally associated with the BSN program with advanced study as nurse scientists and innovative leaders, the program prepares researchers to influence health care early in their careers.

UNC and the University of Pennsylvania are the only two schools of nursing in the United States selected to participate in the Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation.

The UNC Hillman Scholars Program is funded by the Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation, a New York-based philanthropy dedicated to improving the lives of patients and their families through nurse-led innovations. The Hillman Scholars National Program Office is located in Philadelphia, PA.

“I value the perspective I have working as a nurse because nurses see the consequences of policy every day as they care for patients. The Hillman Scholars Program is training me to investigate questions that really matter to the patients I serve.”

– Laura Britton, UNC Hillman Scholar 

To contact the Hillman Scholars Program

hillman@unc.edu
919-966-4260