Connecting and Engaging with Nurses from Across the State

Georgia CTSA leaders Drs. Tabia Akintobi, Eric Nehl, and Latrice Rollins kicked off the 2020 Georgia Public Health Nursing Practice & Education Workshop Summit by sharing approaches to community engagement and evaluation and discussing Georgia CTSA resources that are available for nurses. Over 175 nurses and nursing students attended this year’s summit. Georgia CTSA’s presentation emphasized that nurses who would like to become more involved with the Georgia CTSA have many opportunities to collaborate with others through our network of researchers and healthcare providers.

Key parts of the mission of the Georgia CTSA are to leverage the strengths of our institutions and to expand our reach statewide. Considering the vital leadership roles that nurses play in the research to care continuum, this Georgia Public Health Nursing Summit was an important opportunity to connect and engage with nurses from across the state.

Dr. Nehl comments, “The idea that stakeholders should be involved in every aspect of a project and present from the moment a needs assessment begins to when the final report is disseminated to the community resonated with the nurses. They were also especially interested in learning more about Georgia CTSA’s services and partnerships.”

Since 1996, Public Health Nursing (PHN) and academic leaders have come together to address issues of mutual concern related to current and future preparation of PHNs in Georgia. The 2020 Summit offered a variety of tools about workforce development, capacity building and strategies to forge new partnerships and strengthen existing collaborations to empower Georgia PHNs to reach maximum potential.

“This Georgia Department of Public Health sponsored event was another opportunity to position the Georgia CTSA as a recognized leader in community engagement and evaluation and to increase the visibility of our hub as a partner of choice for research development and implementation towards a healthier Georgia,” says Dr. Akintobi.