More than 220 people from 14 countries and 30 states came to Nashville in February for the Nursing Leadership in Global Health (NLGH) Conference. Her Royal Highness Princess Muna al-Hussein of Jordan kicked off the event where presenters and attendees addressed the overall goal of improving patient care by elevating the voice of nursing, delved deep into four specific tracks of discussion: leadership and management, policy, advocacy and field engagement.
“Although nurses deliver 90 percent of all health care services worldwide, they remain largely invisible at decision-making tables in national capitals and international agencies. Their absence constitutes a global health crisis,” said Sheila Davis, from the global health organization Partners in Health.
More than 30 speakers brought a wealth of real-world experience to the issues at hand, along with research posters exhibited throughout the conference. Event coordinator Carol Etherington, MSN (VU ‘75), RN, associate professor of Nursing, said, “The real work happens after the conference, as attendees and presenters share their insights and strive to elevate nursing influence in their home environments. We wanted NLGH to spark new channels of networking in order to support nurses’ efforts to become strong patient advocates, often in very challenging contexts.”
The conference was presented by Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Nursing Education and Professional Development, the Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health and the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. For more information and summaries of the content discussed, visit nlgh2014.org.