I’m in the news!

For whatever it’s worth 🙂
Full article
Quoted from the tribune, written by Ayana Jones:
“As the nation grapples with a shortage of nurses, Francis Herrera is stepping forward to help fill the need.

Herrera, who will graduate from the University of Pennsylvania this summer with a bachelor’s in nursing, plans to pursue a doctorate in nursing with a focus on long-term elder care, a growing area of need.

According to Census data and the Institute of Medicine, the number of adults aged 65 and older in the United States will almost double between 2005 and 2030, accelerating the demands facing the health care system. At the same time, a substantial number of nurses will retire just as demand for the services increases, reports the Health Resources and Services Administration. The IOM projects that the United States will need an additional 3.5 million health care providers by 2030 just to maintain the current ratio of health care workers to population.

Herrera was spurred to pursue a health career after volunteering at a nursing home in his neighborhood.

“My uncle lived at the nursing home and I was able to check on him. Based on my uncle’s experience, I was left with the belief that the health care system could do better. I saw much room for improving the quality of care older people receive,” he said.

Herrera, a native of the Dominican Republic who grew up in New York, credits Project L/EARN, an educational enrichment program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and based at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., with helping him define his career goals and prepare for graduate school.

“It was very intense but at the end I learned a lot more than I ever thought I would at the end of 10 weeks,” says Herrera, who was a 2009 program participant.

“It really made me realize what research is all about and what it is to really be a health care provider.”

By participating in the program, Herrera was paired with a faculty member that was doing research in his field of interest. Herrera wrapped up the program with his own research presentation.

“The experience boosted my confidence and let me know that I can pursue this work, make a personal contribution and expand my own potential,” says Herrera.

Project L/EARN is designed to increase graduate school enrollment among groups who are underrepresented in health-related graduate programs such as students from economically-disadvantaged families, first-generation college-attendees, African American, Latino, Native American and Pacific Islanders.

Students in the summer health research internship program receive 10 weeks of intensive, hands-on training hands-on training in research skills under the guidance of a distinguished faculty mentor and instructional staff. The internships also provide students with a $3,900 stipend, tuition, and room and board for the duration of the program so that they can “earn while they learn.” Students also receive three academic credits for the program.

“The idea is to prepare students from groups that have been underrepresented in the past, whether in graduate education or in health careers to train and prepare them really well for graduate school and a career in some aspect of health or health research,” says Jane Miller, faculty director.

“Part of that is to help the individual students and a lot of that is also make sure that the perspective of socially and economically disadvantaged groups and racial and ethnic minorities are represented in health policy, health practice and health research because those groups are at a disadvantage in relation to health. They have worse health outcomes and they have worse access to care,” she added.

More than two-thirds of Project L/EARN participants go on to graduate school, with more than 70 master’s degrees and over 40 doctoral degrees completed or in progress to date. According to Miller, the program has trained students in varying areas of public health, sociology and psychology from around the country.

Project L/EARN is currently accepting applications for the summer 2011 session. Applications are due by February 16. For application information visit http://www.ihhcpar.rutgers.edu/projectlearn/howtoapply.asp.”