Becky Johns is a nurse in the Critical Care Float Pool with 13 years of PICU and CVICU experience, both domestically and abroad. She entered the nursing profession with the aspiration to work in the field of global health. After two years as a PICU nurse, she moved to the Republic of Congo to work with Mercy Ships onboard the Africa Mercy, a hospital ship providing free surgeries to the people of West Africa. She has since returned to the Global Mercy to work as a pre/post-op ICU nurse, most recently in Senegal and Sierra Leone. Additionally, she works as a medical transporter for Children's Heart Project, transporting children with congenital heart defects to hospitals where they receive free life- saving surgery. She is currently enrolled in the Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing course at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is excited to combine my love for travel and international healthcare through this opportunity to be a BCH Global Health Nurse Fellow.

Lisa Marie Gerolamo is a nurse at BCH with the Critical Care Float Pool. She has been an ICU nurse for nearly 11 years, with experience in Pediatric Emergency as well as an Adult Trauma Resuscitation Unit. She co-chairs the Morale Committee for the ICU Float Pool and is pursuing her International Board Certified Lactation Consultant certification. Lisa holds CPN and CCRN certifications and is a member of the AACN for Critical Care Nurses. Lisa's passion for international work began in college, when she volunteered in El Salvador building schools and volunteering within the local community. After college she lived abroad in Kenya, volunteering at an orphanage and the local clinic, solidifying her dream of becoming a nurse. Lisa goes to Haiti every year with a Pediatric Medical/Surgical team providing care and nursing education in pediatrics, ICU and labor and delivery at a local hospital.

Paula Cruz, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CNOR, is a Nurse Practitioner at the Colorectal and Pelvic Malformation Center at Boston Children's Hospital. Paula began her nursing career as an operating room nurse at an adult hospital and transitioned to the Boston Children's Hospital operating room in 2016. As an OR nurse, she worked globally, performing colorectal and urological pediatric surgeries. She joined the Colorectal and Pelvic Malformation Center in 2019. Paula holds a Master's in Nursing with a concentration in Global Public Health from UMass Dartmouth and completed her post-master's FNP program at UMass Boston. She is passionate about promoting and supporting global health partnerships, particularly in bowel management for pediatric colorectal patients. Paula has worked in Haiti, Ghana, China, and Taiwan in pediatric colorectal and urological care. She is set to work with a team at Children's Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to enhance pediatric colorectal care by performing surgeries and assisting in bowel management alongside local providers.

Amy Federico is a pediatric nurse practitioner with over 30 years of nursing experience specializing in emergency medicine, oncology, hematology, stem cell transplant, and clinical research. Amy's current work in sickle cell gene therapy clinical research focuses on cutting-edge advancements in healthcare to improve the lives of individuals affected by this complex condition. Her healthcare career reflects a dedication to enhancing patient well-being and quality of life.  This commitment extends beyond local clinical practice and research. As a BCH 2023 Global Health Nursing Fellow, Amy contributes to the broader landscape of healthcare, advocating for equitable access to quality care both worldwide and at home in Boston. In 2017, she shared clinical expertise at a pediatric oncology nursing conference at Yangon Children's Hospital in Myanmar. In 2020-2021, during the covid pandemic, she partnered with the Boston Children's Hospital Global Health Program as a mentor in supporting the Boston Public School nurses with covid education and back-to-school readiness. Amy holds a BSN from Villanova University and an MSN from Rush University.

Rasha Srouji DNP, CPNP, CNRN is a pediatric nurse practitioner working in the outpatient Neurology clinic at Boston Children's hospital. She has been the main provider for the urgent access clinic for the past nine years. She also works in the Movement disorder and procedural clinic. Prior to that she worked in Emergency Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.  Rasha obtained her nursing degree at McGill University, her master's- NP at the University of Toronto/ Canada and her DNP at Simmons. She is passionate about health equality and access especially for pediatrics. As well as strengthening nursing education and onboarding. She currently serves on the board of the Association of Child Neurology Nurses. She is a first-year global health fellow and currently working on raising awareness and increasing access for neurodevelopmental screening and resources in Palestinian refugee camps. She is also involved in several educational initiatives addressing pre-hospital and trauma care in conflict zones. She has worked with several Global NGOs such as S.O.S, Red Crescent and Doctors without Borders.

Jessica Sexton is a pediatric emergency nurse. She is the network clinical coordinator at Boston Children's Hospital and a first-year nursing global health fellow. She has a BS in Biotechnology in addition to her BSN and a comprehensive MSN with a concentration in quality improvement. Jessica is enrolled in the Nursing PhD program at Boston College, with a focus on the role of pediatric nurses during preventable adverse event disclosure. Jessica has participated in providing nurse education in Haiti and Mexico and has a research and practice interest in developing pediatric nursing education programs in community and LMIC settings.

Carly Campbell earned her BSN at Robert Morris University in 2016. Later that year, she began her nursing career in her hometown of Johnstown, PA at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, on the Medical Stroke Unit. In February 2018, Carly made her leap to Boston Children's Hospital and the pediatric nursing career she long aspired for when she joined the inpatient neuroscience team on 9NW. During her time at BCH Carly has gained experience in caring for many complex diagnosis and works as a work-flow/resource nurse on her unit. She holds certifications in APHON Chemo and Biotherapies as well as SPECT testing. She enjoys being involved in quality initiatives at BCH and currently serves as chair on the 9NW Unit Based Council and as a member of hospital's Dissemination Council. In her own words, Carly approaches her nursing practice with the question - How can I be my best version of a resource to families? She works to answer this question by seeking opportunities to expand her nursing knowledge while utilizing her strengths in creativity and music to best care for patients and her unit. Through service trips to Esteli, Nicaragua and Puerto Penasco, Mexico as well as nearly 6 years as an acute care nurse, Carly has gained a sharpened awareness of the disparities in our global health system. Carly hopes to utilize her fellowship to bridge the gap between some of these disparities. She aspires to ignite positive change in the clinical areas she is most passionate about; pediatric LGBTQ+, Neuro-Oncology, and Neurosurgical nursing care.

Prior to Michelle's nursing career she was a paralegal before venturing into the medical world. Michelle graduated from Mercer University in Atlanta in 2010. She then worked at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta before moving to Boston and embarking on her new position at Boston Children's Hospital in 2013 as a staff nurse. Michelle attained her MSN at Northeastern University and graduated in 2018 as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. She currently works in Plastic and Oral Surgery. Michelle chose to work with the pediatric population to be their advocate. To further her efforts she chose to pursue the fellowship in Global Health to share advancements in healthcare among the pediatric population. With the fast pace changes in the world, catalyzed by factors such as war and climate change, Michelle will be focusing on learning what the needs are among the refugee population.

Christine Placidi is a dedicated nursing professional who completed a Global Health Nursing Fellowship focused on pediatric cardiac care. During her fellowship, she participated in six pediatric cardiac surgeries in Bomet, Kenya, including four Tetralogy of Fallot and two Ventricular Septal Defects, with an average hospital stay of seven days. Christine maintained a 1:1 mentorship model with Kenyan nurses, fostering a collaborative learning environment that encouraged ongoing evaluation and real-time feedback. Building on her previous experience, she worked closely with local senior nurse to enhance knowledge sharing through a custom OpenPediatrics channel for Tenwek. This platform provided access to crucial resources on congenital heart disease, including arrhythmias, post-operative care, and cardiac interventions. Christine's efforts aimed to support the development of a self-sustaining pediatric cardiac surgery program.

Sonia Nettey contributed to the development of an accredited Pediatric Oncology Nursing Specialist program during her Nursing Fellowship. Collaborating with physician and nurse leaders from Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), along with the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, local clinical experts, and international partners, Sonia helped create a curriculum as part of a Center of Excellence in Pediatric Oncology. This initiative, launched in 2018, aims to improve childhood cancer diagnosis and treatment across Ghana, addressing the critical need for specialized nursing education in low- and middle-income countries. Despite challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, Sonia and her team adapted by implementing a blended curriculum of remote and in-person teaching. The program prepares nurses to lead in their institutions and support the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer's goal of expanding capacity and delivering best practices in childhood cancer care.

Kimberly Shepherd contributed to the development of an accredited Pediatric Oncology Nursing Specialist Program during her Nursing Fellowship. This program, created in response to the high childhood cancer mortality rates in low- and middle-income countries, was developed in alignment with the 2019 WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) priorities. Collaborating with physician and nurse leaders from Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, and international experts, Kimberly helped design a blended curriculum of remote and in-person teaching. The one-year program features theory blocks and clinical practicums, and has seen impressive results, with high student satisfaction and successful assessments. The initiative aligns with the WHO GICC goal to expand capacity and enhance childhood cancer care, preparing nurses to lead and advance pediatric oncology practices within their institutions.

Kierrah Leger contributed to improving newborn care in Haiti. Confronted with high infant mortality rates and limited healthcare resources, Kierrah collaborated with local clinics in Cabaret to implement the Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) program. This initiative focuses on training birth attendants in essential newborn care techniques to prevent deaths from birth asphyxia. Since June 2019, Kierrah has helped train 22 healthcare providers, 18 community workers, and 149 birth attendants, resulting in improved outcomes for newborns across the region. Her ongoing efforts aim to expand HBB training and enhance data collection in collaboration with Haiti's Ministry of Health.

Scotty Fay is a pediatric nurse in the Boston Children’s Hospital Emergency Department. Scotty has earned two bachelor of science degrees, her first in in biology, and a second degree in nursing. Prior to joining BCH, Scotty worked in a busy outpatient pediatrics clinic. Additionally, Scotty worked extensively in West Africa before becoming a nurse, spending two years in Mali with the Peace Corps, teaching high school biology and physics. Scotty's fellowship work was a multi-stream program in partnership with a pediatric hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. Scotty designed a 10 week nursing curriculum in general pediatrics nursing care including pathophysiology, pharmacology, and skill-based education for nurses to enhance their knowledge, skills, and confidence to provide pediatric care. Additionally, Scotty worked with BCH child life staff (Christine Dumais and Dafne Saavedra-Preskins) to implement a focused curriculum for nurses in methods to support ill or injured children to help them cope with the challenges of hospitalization, illness, and disability.

Michael Felber, RN, began his career as a public school teacher for 14 years before transitioning into nursing. Michael then worked on an inpatient adolescent mental health unit before transitioning to inpatient medical/surgical nursing at Barbara Bush Children's Hospital and Shriner's Burn Hospital. After joining BCH, Michael gained experience as a staff nurse on a surgical unit, in the emergency department and in the float pool. Michael has extensive global health experience in Colombia, Haiti, Cuba, Honduras, Guatemala, Ghana, and Zambia. During his fellowship, Michael worked to support nursing training in management of orthopedic surgical care in Colombia with local partners. Subsequent to his fellowship, Michael has worked extensively to support the health and well being of migrant and refugee children and their families along the US-Mexico border in partnership with a NGO, Global Response Medicine, in Reynosa, Mexico.

Liliana was an integral part of a multidisciplinary team from Boston Children's Hospital that collaborates with Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica (UNOP) in Guatemala City to enhance patient safety and the quality of critical care nursing education. As part of the ECHO Project (Educación de Cuidados Intensivos en un Hospital de Oncología), Liliana and her colleagues focused on delivering nurse education in pediatric resuscitation and implementing patient safety measures. Her contributions included advancing training on adverse event reporting and initiating patient care programs to prevent pressure sores. Liliana attributes her success in these initiatives to the comprehensive training and learning opportunities provided by the Global Health Nursing Fellowship. She continues to leverage her expertise to scale the ECHO Project's efforts, aiming to further improve the quality of pediatric cancer care in Guatemala and potentially expand these successful interventions to other pediatric cancer programs globally.

As a Global Nursing Fellow, Rose Mintor, MSN, RN, collaborated with BCH Hematologist Dr. Natasha Archer to enhance the care for children with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Haiti. They initiated a quality improvement project aimed at improving diagnosis and early follow-up care. Despite challenges, their efforts increased the accuracy of SCD diagnoses, boosted penicillin prophylaxis usage among children under 5, and expanded hydroxyurea availability. Moving forward, they aim to introduce point-of-care testing, develop interactive educational materials, and establish a research platform in Haiti.

Michele received her Master's in Nursing from Northeastern University. Michele has assumed many emergency nursing roles over the last twenty years here at Children's, such as staff nurse, clinical nurse specialist and nurse manager. She has been involved in many projects around the globe representing Boston Children's Hospital. She is very interested in outcomes and is committed to helping with those outcomes. She has been an active member of the Disaster Medical Team (MA-1 DMAT) for 18 years. Michele has provided medical care to large number of patients in austere environments.

Colleen is the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinical Educator at Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. With over 30 years of experience, Colleen has provided pediatric oncology education to nurses in Egypt, Mexico, Myanmar, Tanzania and Thailand. As a 2016 global nurse fellow, Colleen worked with clinicians and educators in Tanzania to develop a pediatric oncology nursing curriculum at the university in Dar es Salaam.

Kathryn Barrandon received her Masters in Public Health from Boston University with a concentration in Global Health. She subsequently worked as the Community Health Education Coordinator with the American Refugee Committee in refugee camps on the Thai Burmese border. After returning to the US, she received her nursing degree from MGH Institute of Health Professions, with the goal of combining her skills in program development with hands-on clinical expertise. During her fellowship, Barrandon worked to improve the health and wellness of vulnerable adolescents and youth in rural Rwanda at a partner site at Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, a boarding school that provides education, basic health care, and safety and security. Barrandon worked with another fellow, Michele Morin, to develop and implement a training program and implementation package for school nurses.

Beverly Small is a Staff Nurse III in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Throughout her 32-year career at BCH, Bev's nursing leadership has enriched several initiatives to improve pediatric healthcare locally, nationally and internationally. She played a key role in projects such as the Clinical Expansion Committee, creating Huddles for the CICU, and in the annual Nursing Education Day.

Throughout her 26-year career at BCH, Marilyn has been a leader in promoting nursing education. She is a Clinical Nurse Educator for BCH Surgical Programs and a longtime clinical instructor in the Simmons College of Nursing. Marilyn earned an MSN in Nursing Education from Drexel University and a BA in education from Boston College. She completed the BCH Nursing Research Fellowship, focusing on healthy work environments. Marilyn became involved in global health nursing in 2000 through Operation Smile. She has traveled to Peru, Paraguay, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Kenya, Morocco, Madagascar, Ethiopia and the Philippines as a pre/post op nurse for children receiving cleft lip & palate surgeries. Her leadership and expertise guided nursing education and mentoring initiatives in these resource limited settings.