July 14, 2006 Local Health Care Executive Selected for Prestigious National FellowshipDoris G. Brown Named a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow

BATON ROUGE, Jul 14, 2006 - Doris G. Brown has been selected to participate in national Fellowship program focused on leading the country’s health care system into the 21st century. She is one of twenty nurses in executive leadership roles nationwide selected as a 2006 Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow.

Now in its ninth year, the three-year Fellowship program is designed to strategically position the voice of nursing across many sectors of the economy in a health care system undergoing unprecedented change and challenges.

“For years nurses have been on the forefront of health care delivery and now our role has transcended into being health advocates/leaders,” said Doris Brown. “The Executive Nurse Fellowship is an intensive opportunity to develop essential leadership skills, work with a nationally recognized team of coaches and instructors from within the health care realm as well as from other sectors of the economy, and benefit from collaboration with nursing and health care leaders throughout the country. I am honored and excited to be selected as a participant.”

As part of the Fellowship, Doris Brown will have an opportunity to undertake a leadership project to benefit the Louisiana Department of Health (DHH), Office of Public Health (OPH), with funding support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Doris G. Brown has been a registered nurse for 30 years and has over 27 years of experience in public health nursing, education and health care administration. Currently she is serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary and Center Director for the Office of Community Preparedness.  In this leadership role Doris provides oversight for six public health programs (Emergency Preparedness & Response, Emergency Medical Services, Chronic Disease, Medical Social Services, Injury Prevention and Workforce Development).

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The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

For more information about the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program, visit www.futurehealth.ucsf.edu.