The challenge of closing the diversity gap: development of Hispanic nursing faculty through a Health Resources and...

Underrepresentation of minority faculty in schools of nursing is well reported. Recently, there have been multiple initiatives from both public and private sectors to alleviate the shortage of minority faculty. This article describes how the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Nursing took advantage of one such initiative: the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Minority Faculty Fellowship Program (MFFP) grant. This program grant provides stipends to enable health professions educational programs to increase the number of faculty who are racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented in the health professions. It enabled the college to recruit a Hispanic nurse and to assist her in preparing for a successful academic career. HRSA provided a stipend in an amount not exceeding 50% of regular faculty salary of the institution for 3 years, to be matched by the institution. Expert faculty mentored the nurse's development in the areas of pedagogy, administration and leadership, design and conduct of research, grant writing and scientific writing for publication in peer-reviewed journals, and cultural competence. Dr. Susan Jacob was the project director of the MFFP grant received by the College of Nursing at UTHSC, and Zoila Sanchez, a Cuban American, was the minority faculty fellow supported by an HRSA MFFP grant. Dr. Sanchez was the first minority faculty fellow selected from the nursing profession. Past fellows represented the other health professions such as medicine and dentistry.