Fellowship program for underrepresented nursing leaders gets a boost from law firm and executives
3/3/2025
Phoenix attorneys Ken Van Winkle and Sam Chang, along with the law office of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, recently made a philanthropic gift that will help increase minority representation in nursing leadership at Banner Health. Thanks to their generosity, the Fellowship Program for Underrepresented Nursing Leaders will provide leadership and growth opportunities for Banner nurses to advance their business acumen, gain knowledge of financial and human resource management, learn strategic leadership concepts, advance patient safety, and participate in professional networking. The program aims to increase the pool of prepared nurse leaders from communities historically underrepresented in the profession. By fostering career growth, the fellowship will enhance the representation of underrepresented populations within Banner’s nursing leadership.
The fellowship program will be structured to grow nurses progressively from entry-level roles such as charge nurse to increasingly responsible leadership roles—nursing associate director, nursing director and chief nursing officer.
"Nurses make invaluable contributions to health care,” says Van Winkle, Vice Chair for Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP and a longtime Banner Health Foundation Board member. “As Banner Health is committed to growing a diverse nursing workforce pipeline in Arizona, Womble Bond Dickinson and my partner at WBD, Sam Chang, and I are equally invested in this through our support for a fellowship for underrepresented nursing leaders. This fellowship aims to mirror the growing diversity within the nursing and patient community, ensuring that everyone has the chance to be seen and heard during their medical journey."
A growing body of research demonstrates that a diverse health care workforce across caregiving professions enhances cultural competency, improves patient-provider communication, fosters trust, reduces health care disparities, and ultimately leads to enhanced patient health outcomes. And yet while some 47% of entry-level nurses are from underrepresented minority groups, fewer than 20% of nursing leadership roles in the U.S. are held by nurses from racial and ethnic minority groups. A 2020 Nursing Forum article on barriers to career advancement highlighted the fact that representation at the executive level can give nurses the ability to influence the overall structure of the health care environment to reduce health disparities and improve patient outcomes.
“This investment from Womble Bond Dickinson and its executive leadership supports Banner Health’s nursing vision to re-imagine health care to promote health and quality of life for all, by advancing the practice of nursing, together,” says Robin Shepherd, Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive for Banner Health. “We are grateful for the support to advance compassion, collaboration and care excellence in our nursing model.”
Funding will support a cohort of six nurses in the three-year Fellowship track, elevating nurse leaders at varying levels of leadership. The selection criteria for the Fellowship Program for Underrepresented Nursing Leaders will be a combination of academic achievement, leadership potential, commitment to serving minority communities, and professional aspirations.