As healthcare rapidly evolves, healthcare providers who merge compassion with innovation play a crucial role delivering care for patients. And who better to apply patient insights and healthcare expertise than nurses? Colleen Mallozzi, MBA, RN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Informatics Officer at Jefferson Health System in Pennsylvania is doing just that. Colleen’s journey exemplifies the power of nursing and technology that J&J supports through J&J CareCommunity, our global social impact platform.
“Nursing is a calling, and what you envision is the ability to heal people, to advocate for them,” Colleen shares.
Nurses’ core mission is caring for patients, but rapidly growing demands on their time and responsibilities are taking away from their work. Nurses are innately innovative and as a leader, Colleen advocates for nurse participation in hackathons and innovation contests to address the challenges facing nurses. “Accelerating nurse-led innovation is critical so advancements in care support nurses, their patients, and the health systems they lead.”
Nurse, leader and now, innovator
Through the Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship, Colleen had the opportunity to put her solutions into practice. This pioneering, one-year, team-based fellowship aims to empower Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs), nurse executives, and senior nurse leaders, like Colleen, with the innovation and leadership skills they need to lead their teams and health systems.
Colleen and her colleague, Charlene Eltman, MSN, RN, RN-BC, who serves as the Associate Chief Nursing Informatics Officer at Jefferson, joined the 2023-2024 Class of Fellows and focused on solutions to evolve care team models due to nurse shortages, taking on a challenge facing their team with new tools and expertise.
“You have this goal of taking your hands and putting them on someone and healing them, or guiding them through some of their darkest days,” said Colleen. “But health systems are struggling after COVID, and it’s falling on the backs of our nurses.” There are different resources available to nurses, from employee assistance programs to mentorship tools, but the ecosystem of support is fragmented.
From human-centered design to design thinking, the curriculum provided by Penn Nursing combines business acumen and strategic leadership development through Wharton Executive Education, providing Fellows with a holistic approach to healthcare innovation. At the conclusion of the fellowship, Colleen and Charlene pitched their innovative solution, Nurse Beacon, an app that instantly connects nurses to resources.
Integrated with the system’s information system, nurses can leverage wellbeing tracking tools, provide shift feedback before, during and after their shifts, and access educational policies and support tools. Managers are also able to intervene and provide direct support more quickly where needed. “It’s immediate assistance to connect you to your peers, to our policies, fully integrated with your hospital system,” said Charlene.
Colleen and Charlene are now putting Nurse Beacon into practice at Jefferson, helping nurses across their hospital better manage their evolving roles so they are confident and supported to deliver for their teams and patients.
Our commitment to nurse-led innovation
Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system, and their insights are invaluable in developing solutions that improve both patient care and health system efficiency. By supporting initiatives like the Nurse Innovation Fellowship, we empower nursing professionals to share their expertise and create a future where technology facilitates, rather than hinders, their vital work.
Colleen is a shining example of what can be achieved when innovative minds in nursing are encouraged and equipped to lead. Her work is a testament to the transformative power of nurse-led innovation and its potential to reshape healthcare for the better. As she continues her journey, Colleen remains dedicated to ensuring that nurses have a prominent voice in the future of healthcare, paving the way for advancements that resonate at every level of the system.
That’s why J&J CareCommunity supports programs to equip nurses, like Colleen and Charlene, with innovation and leadership support to strengthen their teams. Learn more about J&J CareCommunity today.
