By Sarah Morgan Johnson
Chief Nursing Officer of UAB Hospital and University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of Nursing Clinical Practice and Partnerships Terri Poe, DNP, RN, NE-BC (BSN 1986, DNP 2013), and Associate Vice President of Ambulatory Services at UAB Hospital and Adjunct Instructor Andrea Boohaker, CRNP (DNP 2021), have been selected for the 2025-2026 Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship.
This prestigious one-year fellowship equips Chief Nursing Officers, nurse executives and senior nurse leaders to drive transformative change in their respective health care systems through nurse-led innovation. 15 pairs of nurse leaders from organizations across the nation have been selected to participate in a rigorous innovation curriculum developed by Penn Nursing along with business acumen, change management and strategic leadership skills development through Wharton Executive Education. Poe and Boohaker are honored to be the first team of Nurse Innovation Fellows selected to represent the state of Alabama.
“We are so grateful to be chosen as Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellows. Representing the state of Alabama as fellows is a privilege, and we can use what we learn during our fellowship to truly influence health care in our state,” Poe said.
Each team of fellows is tasked with identifying an issue specific to their organization and testing innovative solutions with the guidance of experts from Penn Nursing, Wharton Executive Education and Johnson & Johnson. At the end of the program, fellows pitch their solutions and develop a strategy for implementation at their home organizations.
During their fellowship, Poe and Boohaker plan to improve upon the UAB Nurse Residency Program. This one-year program is designed to provide support and training to new nursing graduates as they transition from the classroom to a clinical practice setting at UAB Hospital.
“Our goal is to use our opportunity as Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellows to grow our Nurse Residency Program. We want to meet new graduates where they are and shepherd them through a multi-month process to build their confidence and make them more comfortable in a clinical setting. We have an incredible opportunity here to arm our new nurses with knowledge and empower them to excel in practice and patient care,” Poe said.
Boohaker echoed Poe’s excitement and is honored to represent UAB as a Nurse Innovation Fellow.
“I am so humbled and extremely proud to represent UAB alongside Dr. Poe. This opportunity is a testament to the excellent care UAB is known for, the quality of education the School of Nursing provides and the limitless impact a nurse can have,” Boohaker said.