#HuskyNurse selected for National Graduate Student Nursing Association's Leadership Council

University of Washington PhD Nursing Science student Melissa Vera, BSN, RN has been selected for the 2021-2023 national Graduate Student Nursing Association’s (GNSA) Leadership Council through the American Association of the Colleges of Nursing (AACN). 

Vera received her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Seattle University and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boise State University. Melissa is a citizen of the Tsimshian from SE Alaska and Yaqui First Nations in New Mexico and her research focus is on Indigenous women’s reproductive health disparities and climate change.  

“I chose nursing because it specifically takes a holistic lens on patient care, a much-needed paradigm shift in the Westernized healthcare industrial complex,” said Vera. 

GNSA provides high value programs, services, and resources to graduate nursing students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs at AACN member schools. The academy is committed to supporting graduate students preparing for careers as faculty members, researchers, advanced practice registered nurses, clinical nurse leaders, policy experts, and healthcare administrators, among other roles. 

The Leadership Council consists of 10 graduate nursing student members who will serve a two-year term to help shape the formation of the GNSA and provide direction on what programs, services, and resources should be developed to meet the needs of nursing students in master’s and doctoral degree programs. Learn more here

Read more about Vera in this student spotlight.