The Critical Role of Nurses and Midwives in Humanitarian Health and Generating Recovery

2020—the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife—is approaching. The front lines of public health, nurses and midwives comprise over 50 percent of the health care workforce globally and play a critical role in providing humanitarian services as well as promoting resilience.

The time is now to examine the unique role nurses play in global health and how we can better support them, so they can provide the best care for the people they serve.

Nurse leaders from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing along with the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health came together at The Critical Role of Nurses and Midwives in Humanitarian Health and Generating Recovery.

It was an interactive forum to outline current issues in humanitarian health, profile key issues from the field, and discuss key considerations to promote recovery and resilience. Panelists—Johns Hopkins faculty, Dean Patricia Davidson, and doctoral students—discussed their experience on the ground as well as the care continuum—moving from humanitarian assistance to development and recovery.

Here are a few takeaways from the panel:

“Nurses are critical to show what population health looks like,”

• Andrew Corley, PhD student

“Nurses need to look for non-traditional leadership roles,”

• Bruce Schoneboom, Associate Dean for Practice, Innovation and Leadership

“Nurses are affected personally by the profound stress that is unique to humanitarian assistance efforts,”

• Nicole Warren, associate professor

“We need to have a conversation about how to better support nurses in the field. How can we leverage our power to create standards of care internationally?”

• Nadia Andrade, PhD student

“The program’s sustainability after relief leaves should be included into funding”

• Debbie Wilson, PhD student

The event served as Johns Hopkins’ kickoff to the Sigma Nursing Institute for Global Healthcare Leadership Conference. From November 13-15, 2019, health care leaders in public health departments, public or private organizations, and global programs and initiatives come together to address and advance the health of people worldwide. The “Critical Role of Nurses and Midwives in Humanitarian Health and Generating Recovery” was the premiere event at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing’s new office in Washington, DC.

Speakers for The Critical Role of Nurses and Midwives in Humanitarian Health and Generating Recovery:

• Nadia Andrade, MSN, RN, AGAPCNP, AGACNP-BC is a PhD student at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Her research focuses on discrimination, stress response and resilience among Latinx population living in the United States.
• Akudo Anyanwu, MD, MPH is the Associate Dean of Development at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.
• Andrew Corley, MSN, MPH, RN is a PhD student at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. A former Peace Corps volunteer, his research focuses examines the relationship between parent-endorsed gender norms and their early adolescents’ mental health, educational engagement, and nutrition in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Patricia M. Davidson, PhD, MEd, RN, FAAN, Dean of Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.
• Nancy Reynolds, PhD, RN, C-NP, FAAN is the Associate Dean for Global Affairs.
• Bruce Schoneboom, PhD, CRNA, FAAN is the Associate Dean for Practice, Innovation and Leadership.
• Nicole E. Warren, PhD, MPH, CNM, FAAN is an associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and a community-public health nurse.
• Debbie Wilson, MPH, MSN, RN is a PhD student at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She has been working as a registered nurse internationally for the last 30 years.

Read more:

• Nurses and Midwives “Power the Path” to Universal Health Coverage
• PhD in Nursing at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
• The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife
• Center for Global Initiatives

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: SYDNEE LOGAN

Sydnee Logan is the Social Media and Digital Content Coordinator for Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She shares what’s going on with the world.