Donna Cill

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From Admission to Attrition: A Practice-Informed Model of Institutional Responsibility and Support for Women in STEM Abstract Women in STEM continue to experience disproportionately high levels of psychological distress, lower academic self-efficacy, and higher attrition rates than their male peers. Although institutions have invested heavily in recruitment and academic preparation, far less attention has been paid to the mental health and developmental infrastructure required to support persistence after admission. This article presents a practice-informed needs assessment conducted across multiple universities to examine how undergraduate women in STEM perceive academic and mental health supports and to identify gaps in institutional care. Findings highlight limited access to mental health resources, reliance on family and peer networks, experiences of isolation in competitive climates, and the persistence of impostor phenomenon despite institutional affirmation at admission. Grounded in student development theory and informed by successful national STEM support models, this paper proposes a multi-tiered institutional framework that integrates mental health, belonging, academic development, and home-support engagement into a coherent student success ecosystem. Implications for student affairs practice, equity, and institutional responsibility are discussed. Keywords: Women in STEM, mental health, student development, belonging, persistence, impostor syndrome, student affairs.

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Nurses are central to achieving global health and equity goals, yet they remain underrepresented in international policy spaces, including the United Nations. As the largest segment of the global health workforce, nurses possess unique clinical, community, and systems-level insight that is critical to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to health, gender equality, and social protection. This feature article draws on the author’s experience organizing and participating in parallel events at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to illustrate how nurses can engage global governance processes and elevate underrecognized issues such as motherhood and unpaid care work now recognized as a multitrillion-dollar but largely invisible pillar of the global economy (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), 2022). The article (1) examines the alignment between nursing and the UN development agenda, (2) demonstrates how motherhood and caregiving function as public health and economic issues, and (3) distills lessons and implications for nurse leaders seeking to influence policy at national and global levels. The experience of nurse-led engagement at theCommission on the Status of Women offers a practical model for translating practice-based knowledge into policy-relevant action. Keywords: nursing leadership, global health policy, United Nations, Commission on the Status of Women, unpaid care work, health equity

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AACN TRANSFORM DEC 2025 CONFERENCE  Innovating Nurse Practitioner Education: A Design Thinking Framework to Cultivate Entrepreneurial Leaders    Introduction: The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report directs nurse educators to prepare the next generation of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) as leaders in healthcare innovation. The report encourages fostering skills that empower nurses to leverage technology, improve care delivery, and suggests the pursuit of nurse-led entrepreneurial ventures. As the number of nurse-led practices rises, accelerated by the adoption of full practice authority in more states, a large urban College of Nursing is addressing this trend through a curricular innovation involving a Design Thinking Project across two APRN programs. 

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This session will highlight the criticality of supporting motherhood in advancing gender equality and development. It will explore the progress and challenges in fulfilling the Beijing +30 commitments to mothers worldwide and how these commitments align with the global development agenda. The event will also discuss intersectional inequalities faced by mothers and their potential to be agents of change locally and globally. Background The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) is a landmark global policy document focused on advancing gender equality and women's rights. It was adopted by 189 countries at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China in 1995. The Platform for Action is considered one of the most comprehensive and progressive blueprints for gender equality worldwide.  In contrast with other women-focused policy efforts and commitments around the world, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action explicitly calls for the recognition and support of mothers. The words “mothers” and “motherhood” are mentioned seventeen times in 14 different clauses of the Platform for Action. It touches on a variety of topics affecting mothers, including recognition of motherhood’s impact on family and society, the importance of mothers’ health and education, and the need for equal career and income-generating opportunities and empowerment. Paragraph 29 is specifically dedicated to highlighting the importance of women’s role as mothers and carers, and care as a shared responsibility across all of society. While presumably, some of the 189 countries in the declaration have made advancements in these action commitments, no organization is monitoring and reporting progress at a global level. Motherhood is one of the least discussed areas of gender equality and sustainable development. This 30 year review of the Beijing declaration and platform for action present a timely opportunity to spotlight the power of motherhood in global development, the lack of societal and policy support for motherhood, and some mechanisms of change going forward. Objectives To reinvigorate the discussion around motherhood as engine of global development and gender equality To explore the progress and challenges in fulfilling Beijing +30 motherhood-specific commitments To collectively envision a way forward that includes identifying mechanisms and actions for progress.

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Normalizing Global Advocacy for Student Nurses at the United Nations.  Background Teaching a Women’s Global Health Course at a major university in New York City (NYC) provides students the opportunity to engage in global advocacy through experiential learning. The United Nation hosts The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in NYC for two weeks. Global organizations, thought leaders, etc. from around the globe come to advocate for the health of women and girls. Nurse must advocate globally, we believe that incorporating advocacy in the curriculum normalizes the skill set. Methods: As a nurse leader, professor and practicing nurse practitioner an application to host an in-person parallel event was submitted and accepted. Students were educated about the process of hosting a parallel event, global advocacy and sustainable development goals (SDG) as it relates to nursing. Nursing students were deemed ambassadors of the parallel event and actively participated in global advocacy. Results: Over 130 participants attended the event, 46 of them were nursing students with standing room only. Students demonstrated increased levels of confidence, advocacy and leadership. Conclusion: Nurses are experts of health, identifying their expertise with the understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals with access to the platform to advocate (the UN); nurses and nursing students can change the world.   References     Sensor CS, Branden PS, Clary-Muronda V, Hawkins JE, Fitzgerald D, Shimek AM, Al-Itani D, Madigan EA, Rosa WE. Nurses Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: The United Nations and Sigma. Am J Nurs. 2021 Apr 1;121(4):65-68. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000742544.07615.db. PMID: 33755634; PMCID: PMC8051639.        United Nations Women (2024). Data and statistics. http://apps.who.int/research/en/4)https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/csw50/sideevents/sideevents.htm

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This panel explores the evolving dynamics of motherhood, mental health, and the power of unpaid care work. Join us as we discuss the loss of self many mothers experience, the importance of creating supportive communities, and ways to empower women to do more—or less—on their own terms. We’ll examine how to break the silence around challenges faced by mothers and provide strategies to support their well-being and leadership. Together, we’ll reimagine motherhood as a source of strength, connection, and transformation, inviting girls, mothers, and allies to be part of the conversation.

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Background At a large, urban College of Nursing, our educational model is designed to help Family Nurse Practitioner students attain or exceed competencies prescribed by the standards of our profession. Students are trained to manage difficult conversations with patients by employing a series of novel simulations. Simulation enhances skills by providing a safe environment to practice these challenging conversations. Patients who discuss their prognosis, medical, treatment and personal goals with their clinicians are more likely to experience better quality of life and receive safe goal concordant care.  Methods Faculty created five unique scenarios in which students interact with Standardized Patients (SPs) in 30-minute intervals practicing skills to conduct challenging conversations with patients and families. Scenarios are tiered (simple, moderate, difficult and referral).Specific tools include use of the SPIKES framework to help guide the encounter and the use of empathic statements (NURSE Statements).  Outcomes Students are expected to demonstrate understanding, application and evaluation of how to conduct sensitive, thoughtful conversations with patients. AACN and NONPF competencies for patient/provider communication interactions are supported throughout the content. Evaluation Evaluations are completed by student’s subjective responses and faculty evaluations of concrete skills. Students’ complete self-evaluation reflection by using a unique SELF-SOAP note model. The course coordinator works with the faculty to use all evaluations to revise, edit, and improve future experiences.