FSU Colleges of Nursing and Medicine Awarded $1.6M NIH Grant to Train Nurse Scientists in Digital Health and AI
核心洞察
Florida State University's College of Nursing and College of Medicine received a more than $1.6 million NIH T32 Institutional National Research Service Award to train nurse scientists in digital health and AI.
The five-year NURTURe program will prepare nurse-trained postdoctoral fellows to develop, test, and apply digital health and AI tools for disease prevention and chronic condition management, with a focus on rural communities.
The program is based in the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation and supported by the College of Medicine's Center for Translational Behavioral Science, led by three multiple principal investigators.
The Florida State University College of Nursing and College of Medicine have been awarded a more than $1.6 million Institutional National Research Service Award (T32) from the National Institutes of Health to prepare the next generation of nurse scientists to harness technology and artificial intelligence in improving health outcomes for a variety of populations.
The five-year training program, NURTURe: Nurse Scientists Using Research, Technology and AI to Uplift Resilient eHealth Outcomes, prepares nurse-trained postdoctoral fellows for careers as researchers in digital health. Fellows within the program will develop, test and apply digital health and AI tools for preventing disease and managing chronic conditions, with a focus on rural communities where access to care can be limited.
"This award reflects a belief we have championed at the FSU College of Nursing (搜索), that nurses must help lead the future of artificial intelligence in healthcare," said Jing Wang, dean of the FSU College of Nursing. "NURTURe joins a growing list of investments we have made to prepare nurses for an AI-enabled world. By training nurses to develop and test these technologies, we ensure that innovation is guided by the professionals who understand patients best."
Program Structure and Leadership
The program will be based within the college's Institute on Digital Health and Innovation (IDHI) and supported by the FSU College of Medicine (搜索)'s Center for Translational Behavioral Science (CTBScience). The program is led by three multiple principal investigators — Lisa Hightow-Weidman, Jing Wang, and Sylvie Naar — whose combined expertise spans nursing science, digital health technology, health promotion, community engagement, translational behavioral science, and implementation science.
"The promise of this work is ultimately measured in the care this will bring into people's lives," said Lisa Hightow-Weidman, distinguished and endowed McKenzie professor, associate dean for research, founding director of the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation, and co-principal investigator. "Digital health and AI can extend high-quality care to communities that need additional resources, but only if these tools are built and tested with real patients in mind. There is no better place to do that than IDHI, where we bring together the technology, the science and the deep clinical understanding needed to turn innovation into healthier communities."
"The FSU College of Medicine (搜索) and the Center for Translational Behavioral Science are thrilled to help train the next generation of nurse researchers in AI and digital health, grounded in community-engaged dissemination and implementation science," said Sylvie Naar, also a distinguished endowed professor in the College of Medicine. "By placing fellows across IDHI and CTBScience, NURTURe reinforces the close collaboration between our two colleges."
Mentorship and Training Approach
NURTURe draws its mentorship team from across the FSU College of Nursing (搜索) and the FSU College of Medicine (搜索). Primary mentors include Lisa Hightow-Weidman, Jing Wang, Sylvie Naar, Henna Budhwani, Eugenia Millender, Kathryn Muessig, and Bonnie Spring. Secondary mentors include Jie Chen, Lucinda Graven, Adam Hanley, Zhe He, Karen MacDonell, Geraldine Martorella, Norman B. Schmidt, and Laura Widman.
Advancing AI Leadership in Nursing
The T32 award is the latest milestone in the FSU College of Nursing (搜索)'s broader push to lead in digital health and AI, part of its Boldly Rising strategic plan. In recent years, the college launched the nation's first Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in AI Applications in Healthcare, established the Nursing and Artificial Intelligence Innovation Consortium, and partnered with the Coalition for Health AI to create the nation's first micro-credential series on responsible AI for nursing.
Preparing the next generation of health and healthcare professionals is central to FSU Health, the university's integrated academic health system. The College of Medicine and College of Nursing are foundational to that mission, working alongside IDHI and CTBScience to advance education, research and innovation across FSU Health.