Belmont University selected to join Academic Nursing Innovation Fellows Program

Belmont University's Gordon E. Inman College of Nursing has joined the inaugural cohort of the Academic Nursing Innovation Fellows Program, which is a collaborative effort of the Bedford Falls Foundation and the Elisabeth C. DeLuca Foundation. The ANI Fellows program’s two-year pilot program will bring together leaders in academic nursing to help reshape the future of nursing education.

According to an article on Belmont University’s website, Dr. Julie Honey, who serves as the dean of the Gordon E. Inman College of Nursing, was quoted as saying of the program, "If you want to change nursing education, you have to change how the leaders of nursing education think and work together. This fellowship gives our team a chance to test new ideas alongside some of the strongest nursing programs in the country, and to bring what we learn straight back into how we prepare our students for the realities of practice."

Dr. Honey is representing Belmont University in the program alongside Dr. Christina Beall, the senior associate dean of nursing, and Courtney Daniel, the director of prelicensure nursing clinical. Each member institution sends three individuals to represent itself in the fellowship program. The program posits that in order to change the future of nursing education, input is needed from individuals from every step in a student’s nursing education.

The inaugural cohort of the ANI Fellows program includes Belmont University, Barnes Jewish College, Creighton University, Johns Hopkins University, Medical University of South Carolina, Morgan State University, Ohio State University, University of Florida, University of San Francisco, and Yale University.

Bill Conway, the co-founder of the Bedford Falls Foundation, said, "The future of healthcare depends on preparing the best nurses who will be entering the workforce with the tools they need to succeed. The ANI Fellows program will create an opportunity for thought leaders across the nursing field to rethink how we educate, support and prepare the next generation of nurses. We are truly grateful to partner with the Elisabeth C. DeLuca Foundation on this important collaboration to strengthen innovation in nursing education."

Elisabeth DeLuca added, "Patients, families and entire communities benefit when nurses enter practice ready for the realities of care. The ANI Fellows program gives nursing leaders the room to test bold ideas, learn from one another and share what works. The strongest solutions for nursing education come from the people closest to the work, and we're proud to partner with the Bedford Falls Foundation to bring those ideas to life."

Belmont University has had a longstanding relationship with the Bedford Falls Foundation, which led to the university participating in the fellowship program. Throughout this relationship, the university and the Foundation have discussed the pressures facing nursing education.

Belmont University hosted an inaugural launch retreat for the fellows during the week of August 2, 2026. Moving forward, the pilot program will include both virtual and in-person meetings to collaboratively design new nursing curricula and implement them.

For more information about Belmont University, visit the school’s website.