Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation

Scholarships & Awards

NPHF/AstraZeneca Diversity Scholarships Program Award Recipients 2008-2009

Erica Bolar, RN, BSN—is studying for her Master of Science in Nursing degree at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia with a dual focus in family nurse practitioner and emergency nurse practitioner. She works with homeless, low-income and Spanish-speaking populations as an emergency room nurse and medical interpreter. Erica is active in her church, is a National Health Service Corps ambassador, serves on medical mission trips to Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic and volunteers in clinics serving low-income populations. Her goals are to provide cost-effective, quality bilingual primary health care to African American and Hispanic populations in the emergency room and in primary care settings. She will also continue her volunteer work.

TaWanda Mercer, RN, BSN—is studying for her Master of Science in Nursing degree at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, School of Nursing, specializing as a psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner. TaWanda presently works as a nurse in the psychiatric emergency center caring for the mentally ill in crisis. She chairs her sorority’s physical and mental health committee, which provides mental health services in the community. She also volunteers with the Open Door Mission Homeless Shelter, and serves as a mentor to high school students interested in healthcare careers. She plans to work as a psychiatric NP at the Charles Drew Health Care Clinic, which provides care and medications to indigent patients. She plans to focus primarily on care of mentally ill adults from the local homeless shelter.

Yuriko Lee, BSN, MSN—is a family nurse practitioner/nurse midwifery graduate student in the Master of Science in Nursing program at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Yuriko is multilingual, able to communicate in English, Spanish and Japanese. Throughout her career, she has served low income, uninsured populations, and migrant populations. She has also worked with transgendered, gay/lesbian, the deaf, and other marginalized populations. Yuriko’s future plan is to work in a non-profit organization, providing primary care for minority populations with a focus on women’s health, HIV/AIDS care, and chronic disease management.

Raquel Gonzalez Roepke, BSN. MSN—is a Master of Science in Nursing student in the Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program at Kennesaw State University, WellStar College of Health and Human Services School of Nursing in Kennesaw, Georgia. Raquel was a practicing physician in Panama before emigrating to the United States. In the U.S., she has worked as a medical translator and childbirth/lactation consultant and volunteers in various health screening activities in her community each month. She is passionate about working with the Hispanic community and the underserved, and hopes to work in an OB/Gyn clinic that serves the Hispanic population upon completion of her program.

Ivonne Johnson, MSN, ARNP—is enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of Central Florida School of Nursing in Orlando, Florida. Known as an outstanding NP, she is ranked #1 among mid-level providers in a group of over 60 practices in central Florida. Ivonne volunteers weekly at Shepards Hope Clinic, which provides free acute and chronic care to low income and minority populations. Ivonne administers a Coronary Health Improvement Program in her church, is active in local schools, serves as a preceptor for NP students, and works with the Red Cross. At the primary care office where she works, 10% of the daily practice is devoted to charitable service. Upon completion of her DNP, she hopes to develop and implement systems that will promote wellness among the minority community and reduce the usage of urgent care settings for preventable illnesses.

Eleanor Lee, PhD, ARNP—is completing a Post Master’s Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program at Seattle University College of Nursing in Seattle, Washington. Eleanor is the director and founder of the Kin On Community Health Care Home Health Program, which is the only home health program in Washington specifically serving the Asian population. She also has established the only in-home hospice program for Asian elders in the community. Eleanor speaks in different forums within the Asian community on health issues. Her passion is to serve the elderly population, especially within the under-served Asian community.