Jessie M. Colin, PhD, RN, a professor at the College of Health Sciences, Division of Nursing at Barry University was one of two Florida nurses inducted into the American Academy of Nursing as a Fellow during the academy’s 37th annual meeting and conference in November. Selection for membership in the academy is one of the most prestigious honors in the field of nursing and Colin was selected for her significant contributions to health care.
"This was an amazing experience," said Colin, who is now one of two FAAN nurses at Barry following Dr. Sandra Walsh. "There were 114 nurses inducted this year, seven of which were international nurses and there were more than 1,400 in attendance. I was proud to be a nurse and to know that my work makes a difference in people’s lives."
As a professor at Barry's School of Nursing, Colin teaches in the graduate and doctoral programs where she has designed and implemented various educational strategies to promote cultural competence in nursing students. She is a cultural consultant for both academic and practice settings and has developed a conceptual model titled the Haitian Cultural Care Model in order to assist health care practitioners in understanding Haitian clients and in assisting them to achieve positive health care outcomes.
Colin, a Haitian native, is fluent in English, French, and Creole and has devoted her life’s work to underserved populations in the United States and in her home country. She co-founded the Haitian Health Foundation, an organization that provides health education and health services to Haitians and others in need and was one of three volunteers who serve as consultants in Léogane, Haiti for a new baccalaureate nursing program for which she helped obtain financing through US-AID.
As a professor at Barry's School of Nursing, Colin teaches in the graduate and doctoral programs where she has designed and implemented various educational strategies to promote cultural competence in nursing students. She is a cultural consultant for both academic and practice settings and has developed a conceptual model titled the Haitian Cultural Care Model in order to assist health care practitioners in understanding Haitian clients and in assisting them to achieve positive health care outcomes.
Colin, a Haitian native, is fluent in English, French, and Creole and has devoted her life’s work to underserved populations in the United States and in her home country. She co-founded the Haitian Health Foundation, an organization that provides health education and health services to Haitians and others in need and was one of three volunteers who serve as consultants in Léogane, Haiti for a new baccalaureate nursing program for which she helped obtain financing through US-AID.
This much needed program has already made a significantly positive and sustained impact on the health of people in Haiti, a nation with a severe nursing shortage. The nursing students are caring for the community of Léogane, which was completely destroyed by the earthquake. The school has had two graduating classes to date. Another example of Colin's work was when she took her graduate students to Haiti where they provided CPR training to 62 nurses and physicians, and trained the trainers in CPR so they can continue to educate.
Colin is a national and international speaker and has received numerous awards, most recently she was recognized for Nursing Leadership by the Florida Hospital Association in 2009 and named as one of the 25 Most Influential & Prominent Black Women in South Florida by Success Magazine.
The academy is constituted to anticipate national and international trends in health care, and address resulting issues of health care knowledge and policy. Not only is the invitation to Fellowship recognition of one's accomplishments within the nursing profession, but also affords an opportunity to work with other leaders in health care in addressing the issues of the day. The academy’s mission is to serve the public and nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge.