UnitedHealth Group's Center for Nursing Advancement Forms External Nursing Advisory Board

MINNETONKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The UnitedHealth Group Center for Nursing Advancement (CFNA) announced the formation of an External Nurse Advisory Board (ENAB).

The goal of the ENAB is to inform, create and evolve nursing best practices in order to create strong partnerships across nursing, education and the health care industry; influence nursing policy and changes in the national landscape; and further the nursing profession. UnitedHealth Group is the largest nongovernmental employer of nurses in the United States.

“The Center for Nursing Advancement (CFNA) was founded in 2008 to prepare nurses for expanding roles and solving the most pressing health care problems of today and tomorrow, tackling the challenges of a health care system in transition and shaping the future of the health care industry,” said Jeannine Rivet, executive vice president, UnitedHealth Group and executive sponsor of the CFNA. “The ENAB was created to further this mission, not only for the more than 24,000 UnitedHealth Group nurse employees in the United States and seven other countries, but for nurses everywhere.”

“We formed the External Nurse Advisory Board to help lead the way in advancing nursing as a profession, and influencing thought leadership and innovation in nursing and health care in our country,” said Dawn Bazarko, senior vice president Center for Nursing Advancement at UnitedHealth Group and ENAB co-chair.

ENAB members include:

• Dawn Bazarko, DNP, MPH, RN, Center for Nursing Advancement Senior Vice President,
  UnitedHealth Group Co-chair
• Sue Hassmiller, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Senior Advisor for Nursing and Director, Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action
  External Co-Chair
• Catherine Dower, JD, Health Policy and Law Director, University of California San Francisco, Center for Health Professions
• Mark Earnest, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine; Director of Interprofessional Education, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
• Jean Johnson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Dean and Professor, The George Washington University School of Nursing
• Mark Pauly, Ph.D., Project Director, Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative (INQRI); Professor, Health Care Management; Professor, Business Economics and Public Policy, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
• Adriana Perez, Ph.D., RN, ANP-BC, Assistant Professor, Arizona State University, College of Nursing & Health Innovation
• Polly Pittman, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Public Health & Health Services, George Washington University
• Cathy Rick, Ph.D.(h), RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, FAAN, Former Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs, Senior Advisor, Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence
• Julee Thompson, MSN, RN, MBA, CPHIMS, FACHE, Chief Healthcare Executive, Sprint
• Jeannine Rivet, MPH, BSN, RN, FAAN, Executive Vice President, UnitedHealth Group
  Ex-Officio UnitedHealth Group Member
• Susan Jeska, BAN, RN, MBA, Ed.D., Vice President, Center for Nursing Advancement
  Ex-Officio UnitedHealth Group Member

“UnitedHealth Group and the Center for Nursing Advancement are already doing so much to harness the power of nursing for better patient care,” said Sue Hassmiller, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, senior advisor for nursing, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Director, Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. “To form a group like this and combine forces to explore ways to improve health care is even more remarkable.”

To learn more about the Center for Nursing Advancement, visit http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/Nursing%20Advancement/Default.aspx

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group UNH is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making health care work better. With headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare, which provides health care coverage and benefits services; and Optum, which provides information and technology-enabled health services. Through its businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves more than 85 million people worldwide. For more information, visit UnitedHealth Group at www.unitedhealthgroup.com.

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