The Boston Children’s Hospital Global Nursing Fellowship offers education and experiential learning in the delivery of pediatric health care in resource-constrained settings. Global nursing fellows have the opportunity to partner with nurses and clinicians globally to promote excellence in pediatric clinical care, education, advocacy, and research.
This unique two-year fellowship is open to BCH nurses who meet the application criteria and have a strong desire to gain experience in global pediatric health care delivery. The fellowship provides structure, funding, and protected time for nurses to develop leadership skills and expand professional nursing experience through the development, implementation, and evaluation of high-quality, high-impact global health projects. Fellows have the opportunity for experiential learning in the development, management and evaluation of programs and projects to improve child health and promote quality nursing care in resource-constrained settings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Eva Gómez, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CPN is Senior Director of the Nursing Career Lattice Program/Patient Care Diversity, Inclusivity, and Professional Advancement for Nursing and Patient Care Services at Boston Children’s Hospital. Previously Eva worked as Senior Professional Development Specialist in the Clinical Education and Informatics Department at Boston Children’s Hospital. She serves in multiple roles including co-leading the Global Health Nursing Fellowship.
Eva is co-chair of Hispanic Outreach, Latinos, Amigos & Allies (HOLA) employee-led group. She is also actively involved with the Boston Children’s Hospital Nursing Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity Forum, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Council and Hospital Culture Council. She is a member of the Association for Nurses in Professional Development, Society of Pediatric Nurses and Sigma Theta Tau. In 2020 she was appointed as Assistant Director for Inclusion for the Academy for Teaching and Educational Innovation and Scholarship at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Eva is a PhD student at UMass Boston in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Her research interest and dissertation work are focused on organizational health literacy and how organizations can address the health literacy needs of the population.
Lisa has worked in the Hematology/Oncology/HSCT programs at Boston Children's for 38 years, and has been a nurse leader in pediatric oncology collaborations in Tanzania, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Myanmar and Ghana. Since its inception in 2015, Lisa served as director of the BCH Global Nursing Fellowship, which aims to support pediatric health by sharing best nursing practices in clinical care, education, research and advocacy. She holds an MSN in Nursing Administration from Northeastern University, an MPH in Healthcare Management from Harvard School of Public Health. Lisa's global health focus is nursing leadership and education, along with the implementation of baseline nursing standards in low and mid resource countries. She served on the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) Nurse Steering Committee from 2017-2021 and was the chair from 2018-2021. Lisa is enrolled in the Nursing PhD program at U Mass Boston, with a focus on Health Policy and Population Health. Her research interest is on disparities in the delivery of pediatric oncology care.
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