University at Buffalo Nursing PhD Student Awarded NEF Scholarship

By Sarah Goldthrite

NEF, founded by nurses for nurses, supports leadership and health equity by providing scholarships to nurses pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees in education, practice, service and research.

Nye, who uses she/her pronouns, received the NEF scholarship this summer. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (2005) and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Nursing Education from Drexel University (2016). She is also a clinical assistant professor at SUNY Upstate Medical University College of Nursing. Before her nursing career, Nye earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies with a concentration in Feminist and Gender Studies from Haverford College.

Nye's diverse nursing experience spans reproductive health care, oncology, medical-surgical and emergency nursing, and a decade in nursing education, both in professional development and academic settings. Her career reflects the versatility and promise of the nursing profession.

During her time in professional development, Nye identified critical aspects of the "education-practice gap," particularly among newly licensed registered nurses in the Nurse Residency Program, which she coordinated for seven years. She observed that many of these nurses were unprepared to provide culturally competent care to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) populations. This insight motivated her dissertation study, LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Nursing Education, which explores faculty experiences in incorporating – or omitting – LGBTQ+ health content. As a queer-identified person and dedicated educator, she finds this work especially critical with the current political climate surrounding transgender rights and the broader issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education.

At the University at Buffalo, Nye has received mentorship and collaborated with faculty across disciplines to develop her research program. The NEF scholarship will enable her to further expand the scope and reach of her work. Her long-term goal is to improve, expand and diversify LGBTQ+ health content in pre-licensure nursing curricula to better prepare new nurses to provide culturally competent care to LGBTQ+ populations.

The biographies of all the 2024 NEF scholars are available on the NEF website.

Applications for the next NEF scholarship cycle will open on Oct. 1, 2024, and close on Feb. 3, 2025. For more information or to apply, visit n-e-f.org.