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Symposium II - Preparing for Future Pandemic Risks: What Will it Take?

Speaker: Professor Dr. Jennifer Dohrn, Columbia University

Biography:
Jennifer Dohrn, DNP, CNM, FAAN, is a Professor of Nursing and Assistant Dean at Columbia University
School of Nursing, where she directs the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for Advanced Practice
Nursing. With a focus on global health equity, she has pioneered midwifery services in underserved
communities and led initiatives to strengthen nursing and midwifery capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Dohrn’s extensive work with the WHO includes research on nurses’ roles during pandemics, shaping
Symposium Sessions
her teaching and advocacy for maternal health equity globally. Her forthcoming book explores
racialized maternal healthcare in the US and transformative models for change.

Abstract: Nurses’ Experiences on the Frontlines of Pandemics: Lessons for the Future

Managing infectious disease outbreak is a great challenge of our time, with heightened urgency in
our increasingly interconnected world. Nurses comprise the largest cadre of the health workforce
and are frequently the only available providers. The project “On the Frontlines: Nursing Leadership in
Pandemics” at Columbia University seeks to catalyze the role of nurses as change agents in response
to infectious disease, with specific focus on the Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics. In August 2019,
a nursing delegation with expertise in pandemic management collected oral histories from nurses
involved in the Ebola response, in Spring 2020 from nurses in New York, USA, with the objective of
synthesizing their collective stories to inform effective policies.

The recording of 39 nurses’ stories in Sierra Leone and Liberia and 15 stories in NYC was the primary
historical methodology. Categories of inquiry included: preparedness/competencies for pandemic
outbreak; recognition for role; community engagement; and leadership/governance. Interviews were
then transcribed and analyzed to understand lessons learned and make recommendations for policy
change. Nurses who directly provided care in both pandemics stated they persevered, in spite of the
many deaths amongst colleagues from infection, because of a strong commitment to the nursing
profession. Nurses in both regions with disparate access to resources nonetheless repeatedly spoke
of inadequate recognition for their sacrifices, both personally and publicly, and missed opportunities
for intervention in providing community awareness of the pandemic. There was consensus that
infection control was essential as a routine part of nursing education.

Evidence from the lived-experiences of nurses in both regions was consistent in the following areas:
development of core competencies for nursing education in pandemic response; increasing nursing
involvement from beginning of outbreaks at policy and governance levels for effective community
education, prevention and treatment; maintenance of preparedness in Infection Protection and
Control (IPC) knowledge and skills; and systemic recognition of nurses who served.

Analysis of these oral histories provides clear policy guidelines for pandemic response with expanded
roles for nurses. To prepare for future pandemics, these recommendations should be incorporated at
global, regional and country levels to inform global health policy.

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