Wharton Elected Secretary of AACN's DEI Leadership Network

Mitchell J. Wharton, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, CNS, University of Rochester School of Nursing’s associate dean for equity and inclusion, has been elected to serve as secretary of a new American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) network focused on diversity issues.

Wharton will serve as one of the members of the steering committee of AACN’s new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Network (DEILN).

The DEILN serves as a convening body to unite expertise, experience, and guidance and will work collectively to explore innovative approaches to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in academic nursing and the nursing workforce. Its efforts will include sharing evidence-based practices, engaging with membership, providing consultative services, and convening networking forums. Membership is open to any faculty or staff with an interest in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

UR Nursing Dean Kathy Rideout, EdD, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, and Kristin Hocker, EdD, an assistant professor of clinical nursing and a faculty diversity officer, are also members of the DEILN.

An associate professor of clinical nursing and 2013 graduate of the UR Nursing PhD program, Wharton also serves as treasurer for the Associate of Nurses in AIDS Care and serves on several different DEI committees and task forces at the University of Rochester Medical Center.