During this National Nurses Week, NINR proudly celebrates the power of nurses and their unwavering dedication and profound impact on the health of our nation. As professional clinicians and scientists, nurses stand at the forefront of our healthcare system, embodying compassion, expertise, and innovation.
Throughout my tenure at NIH, as NINR’s Deputy Director and now as its Acting Director, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside many exceptional nurse scientists and clinicians. This has deepened my respect for their dedication and expertise. Since coming to NINR, I’ve gained an even greater appreciation for the rigorous science that underpins nursing practice and contributes to the overall biomedical enterprise. Nursing research, driven by nursing’s values and perspective, is core to the power of nursing. Both nursing practice and nursing research are crucial to solving our Nation’s most pressing health challenges.
Today, NINR continues to leverage and support this unique perspective to provide evidence-based solutions to advance health for all and address real world health challenges. Nurse scientists and clinicians prioritize people and the whole picture of health. As such, NINR-funded investigators lead discoveries of innovative new systems and models of care. They identify practice and organizational solutions that are responsive to the realities of people’s lives and living conditions. They also find breakthroughs in disease prevention and health promotion that empower people to take charge of their health.
Just as it was true 40 years ago when NINR was established, NINR-funded research teams across the nation are developing solutions to drive improved quality and efficiency of care, reduce healthcare costs, and quickly move new discoveries to the individuals who need them the most. NINR is proud to fuel these innovations today and into the future, for the benefit of people, families, communities, and—of course—nurses.
Courtney Ferrell Aklin, PhD
Acting Director, NINR
