Cambia Health Foundation announces the seventh cohort of scholars accepted into its Sojourns® Scholar Leadership Program. Twelve emerging palliative care leaders were carefully chosen through a rigorous selection process from a highly competitive pool.  In addition, the Foundation has opened the 2021 Sojourns® Scholar Leadership Program Call for Applications and encourages palliative care professionals from across the country, including all disciplines and practice settings to apply.
The Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program is designed to identify, cultivate and advance the next generation of palliative care leaders. As part of the leadership program, each Sojourns Scholar receives $180,000 in funding ($90,000/year over a two-year period) to conduct an innovative and impactful clinical, policy, educational, health equity or systems change project in the field of palliative care. Scholars also participate with other scholars in a collaborative learning community while receiving individual mentorship to design and implement a development plan that supports their growth as national palliative care leaders. 

“COVID-19 has reinforced the importance of and magnified the need for palliative care services,” said Peggy Maguire, president and board chair, Cambia Health Foundation. “Our goal in supporting the innovative projects and personal development of this elite group of palliative care professionals is to ensure that ALL people impacted by COVID-19 and other illnesses receive personalized care that is aligned to their wishes.” 

Since the program’s inception in 2014, the Foundation’s purposeful investment in palliative care leadership has awarded more than $13 million to 74 scholars around the country.  Scholars represent different areas of the palliative care team including physicians, nurses, chaplains, pharmacists and social workers, but all are committed to improving the experience of people facing serious illness and their caregivers. 

Listed below are the 2020 Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program Grant Recipients: 

Angela M. Feraco, MD, MMSc
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Bethany-Rose Daubman, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital

Cara L. Wallace, PhD, LMSW, APHSW-C
Saint Louis University

Donald Sullivan, MD, MA, MCR
Oregon Health and Science University

Heather Coats, PhD, APRN-BC
University of Colorado, College of Nursing

J. Nicholas Dionne-Odom, PhD, RN, ACHPN, FPCN, FAAN
School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Jennifer Needle, MD, MPH
University of Minnesota

Laura Gelfman, MD, MPH
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Rachel Rusch, LCSW, MSW, MA
Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Rachel Thienprayoon, MD, MSCS, FAAP, FAAHPM
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Stephanie P. Wladkowski, PhD, LMSW, APHSW-C
Eastern Michigan University

Tamryn F. Gray, RN, PhD, MPH
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School

To learn more about the individual scholars, please visit the Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program page on the Cambia Health Foundation website.

2021 Sojourns® Scholar Leadership Program Call for Applications
The Foundation has opened the 2021 Sojourns® Scholar Leadership Program Call for Applications. Interested individuals must submit a Letter of Intent by March 8, 2021. After review, a select group of applicants will be invited to submit full grant applications by June 14, 2021. More information, including details about eligibility, is available on the Foundation website on the Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program page.

CONTACT 
For Cambia Health Foundation                         
Mary Frances Baldes, Brand Communications Manager 
Maryfrances.Baldes@Cambiahealth.com 
 
About Cambia Health Foundation 
Cambia Health Foundation is the corporate foundation of Cambia Health Solutions, a total health solutions company dedicated to making health care more person-focused and economically sustainable. Founded in 2007, the foundation has funded almost $78 million in grants to advance patient- and family-centered care for all. Cambia Health Foundation strategically invests in philanthropy to change the way people experience health care from birth to natural completion of life.  Learn more at www.cambiahealthfoundation.org, and follow us on Twitter: @CambiaHealthFdn.