Public Health Nurses: Where Public Health and Nursing Meet

Watch the career panel on public health nursing

Nurses are the front lines of public health.

Locally and globally, public health nurses increase access to care. They don’t wait for patients to come to them—they step out into the community, educate people about health issues, improve community health and safety, and provide direct patient care to individuals and families.

The Nursing Public Health Network and Global Health Nursing Interest Group hosted a panel for nursing students interested in public health to get to know the field. Here’s what the panelists had to say:

From Teresa Brockie, PhD, RN, FAAN:

“Those interventions that I’m currently working on, I cannot separate what I do as a scientist, a public health nurse, or a representative of my culture.”

From Nikki Akparewa, RN, MSN, MPH, BCC:

“Nurses are leaders in this field; social justice is what we do.”

From Molly Greenberg, MPH, RN, BSN:

“Nursing has just enhanced my love for public health and the two are married for me.”

Panelists:

Teresa Brockie, PhD, RN, FAAN, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing; Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health
Nikki E. Akparewa, RN, MSN, MPH, BCC, Founder & CEO of Diversity and Inclusion Coach & Transform Nursing
Emma Clark, MSN, MSPH (GDEC), CNM, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health; Technical Director at Chemonics
Dr. Peter Johnson, MSN, PhD, Director, Global Learning at Jhpiego; Senior Director of Nursing & Midwifery at Jhpiego
Jessica Raphaela Mirano, RN, MPH, Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health
Molly Greenberg, MPH, RN, BSN, Medication Assisted Treatment Nurse Coordinator at Healthcare for the Homeless