Two UCLA Nursing professors honored by AARP for commitment to health care access

AARP has recognized five nurses from around the country, including two from the UCLA School of Nursing, for their work to end health disparities and improve access to high-quality health care for everyone.

The AARP Center for Health Equity Through Nursing and the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action (an initiative of AARP, AARP Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) teamed with national nursing organizations to sponsor the Equity-Minded Nurse Awards.

The awards honor nurses who promote health equity through nursing practice, research, education or leadership. The “rising star” award category recognizes a student or early-career nurse whose contributions “show promise for ongoing impact.” Each awardee receives a $1,000 prize.

This year’s cohort has tackled issues such as bias in nursing, the opioid crisis and improving health care for people living with HIV/AIDS.

“Dismantling structural barriers” that can prevent some from accessing quality health care “continues to be one of nursing’s top priorities,” said Antonia M. Villaruel, the Margaret Bond Simon dean of nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and chair of the Campaign for Action’s strategic advisory committee. “Each awardee takes a unique approach to this challenge in their work,” she said.

The 2024 awardees are:

• Wei-Ti Chen, UCLA School of Nursing: Equity-Minded Nurse Leader Award (cosponsored by the American Organization for Nursing Leadership)
• Selena Gilles, New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing: Equity-Minded Nurse Practice Award (cosponsored by the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing/American Nursing Association)
• Sabrina Jamal-Eddine, University of Illinois, Chicago: Equity-Minded Nurse Rising Star Award (cosponsored by the National League for Nursing)
• Robert Lucero, UCLA School of Nursing: Equity-Minded Nurse Research Award (cosponsored by the American Academy of Nursing)
• M. Rebecca O’Connor, University of Washington School of Nursing: Equity-Minded Nurse Educator Award (cosponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing)

AARP has a long history of working to strengthen the nursing profession. This year, we provided financial support for grants to bolster the nursing workforce, and we teamed up with the DAISY Foundation to encourage public gratitude for nurses.

AARP also fights for laws and policies that aim to remove barriers that prevent some older adults from accessing the health care they need.

Read more about the 2024 Equity-Minded Nurse Award recipients, and keep up with AARP’s health care advocacy.