Ferguson appointed to national expert panel
Stephanie Ferguson, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, Associate Professor and Coordinator of the VCU School of Nursing Community Nursing Organization, has been appointed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)to participate in an expert panel guiding the “Study and Report to Understand the Impact of Health Information Technology in Underserved Communities and Those with Health Disparities” mandated by legislation passed in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.
Ferguson is the only nurse to be appointed to this panel representing a variety of organizations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the U.S. HHS Office of Minority Health, National Quality Forum and many others.
“Throughout her nursing career, Dr. Ferguson has committed herself to improving care for the underserved and addressing health disparities. Her work has extended from our local community of Richmond to throughout the world. We are pleased that she has been selected to be at this important national table and in so doing bring our University, School and Community Nursing Organization prominence at the national level,” said Nancy F. Langston, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, Dean of the VCU School of Nursing.
The work of this panel fulfills an important provision within the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The legislation called for efforts to explore initiatives that could improve health care for all patients through the use of information technology.