Developing leadership and excellence with vulnerable populations in research, education, and practice

The development of leadership and excellence in an area of nursing scholarship depends on the interactions among practice, research, theory, and education. This article describes the development of leadership at the UCLA School of Nursing through scholarship in the health-related problems of vulnerable populations. Leadership in scholarship began and continues in practice, influences education, generates theory, is tested in research, and returns to influence all of these areas. The vitality and creativity of scholarship and science with vulnerable populations depends on an ongoing infusion of knowledge from practice, research, theory, and education. While focusing on one school, there are many that have followed a similar course in developing scholarship and others that may wish to develop their scholarship based on this model.