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U.Va. nursing professor appointed to national policy think tank

Initiative to collaborate with Health Policy Advisory Council

<p>Burnett’s appointment comes in her fourth year as an assistant prof. in the Nursing School.</p>

Burnett’s appointment comes in her fourth year as an assistant prof. in the Nursing School.

Assistant Nursing Prof. Camille Burnett, a Roberts Scholar, recently joined 10 other nursing professionals appointed to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s new Faculty Policy Think Tank.

The think tank is one of three initiatives put in place this year by the association. By partnering with the newly-created Health Policy Advisory Council and using information from the Invitational Policy Faculty Symposium and Policy Faculty Survey, the think tank aims to inform and improve the influence of nursing on health policy.

Members were selected from the faculty of some of the 765 member schools of the association. Burnett previously worked with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing as one of eight inaugural Faculty Policy Intensive Fellows.

Burnett’s appointment comes in her fourth year as an assistant professor in the Nursing School. She teaches in the family, community, and mental health systems department, and her academic research focuses on policy impact, violence against women, public health, structural violence and social justice.

She is a professor known for igniting in her students a passion for health policy, Assoc. Dean of Nursing Christine Kennedy said.

“She has an incredibly engaging and enthusiastic and energetic personality,” Kennedy said. “She is very passionate about the importance of policy related work and nurses influence on it, especially for future generations.”

Burnett was also recently appointed to the Center for Health Policy, an interdisciplinary program organized by the University’s School of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

These appointments provide a unique opportunity to influence future policy, as well as future leaders of the nursing profession, Burnett said.

“I think the biggest part of it is really being able to strategize, and being able to contribute in helping to prepare future nurse leaders, and to have a national direction for making that happen,” Burnett said.

Bringing nurses to the table on issues of health policy is critical, as they offer a different perspective than other medical professionals or researchers, Assistant Nursing Prof. Yasemin Turkman said.

“Nurses offer a unique perspective to healthcare given the role that they play within the system, and up until now nursing has not been well represented in policy decisions and processes,” Turkman said.

Burnett’s professional experience and hands-on teaching style uniquely qualify her for this appointment, Nursing Dean Dorrie Fontaine said in an email statement.

"Camille's energy and enthusiasm inspires everyone around her, and her lessons and messages stick,” Fontaine said. “She is a gifted researcher, already a noted scholar, and this national AACN appointment is testament to her abilities and the respect she earns from her colleagues, peers and students.”

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