Postdoctoral Associate Receives Numerous Honors

Ragnhildur “Raga” Bjarnadottir, postdoctoral associate in the UF College of Nursing and the UF Informatics Institute, has received numerous honors recently. At AcademyHealth’s national meeting, she received the the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues’ 2017 New Investigator of the Year award. The Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues focuses on influencing the development of scientific health services research knowledge relevant to nursing practice, policy, and education; building a community of interdisciplinary researchers, clinicians, policymakers and administrators 
interested in advancing health services research issues (such as practice, education, and others) that are important to nurses and patients; and facilitating the development of nurses and others in the conduct of health services research and the use of health services research methods. The New Investigator Award is given to recognize the best submission by an investigator who is less than five years post doctorate.

Bjarnadottir was also selected for the American Academy of Nursing Jonas Policy Scholar Program’s 2017-2019 cohort. She will be working with the Informatics and Technology Expert Panel (chaired by Endowed Professor Gail Keenan) on national policy initiatives. The Jonas Policy Scholars Program seeks to recruit highly qualified doctoral and post-doctoral nursing students for a two-year fellowship experience with the Academy for the purposes of:

  1. Creating a pipeline of early-career nursing scholars who will contribute to shaping practice, education, and research policy relevant to nursing and the work of the American Academy of Nursing
  2. Providing a mechanism for Academy expert panel leaders to mentor early-career policy scholars on key policy issues relevant to the panel’s area of focus and strategies for shaping those policies
  3. Providing support to expert panel chairs in advancing the work of the expert panel to inform and shape policy and improve the health of the public

Expert panels represent the working groups of the American Academy of Nursing. They review current research and needs within their fields to make recommendations on projects or initiatives the Academy should undertake to transform health policy and practice. This program is highly competitive and Raga was selected based on her outstanding record of scholarship and productivity. Associate Professor Robert Lucero is Raga’s mentor.