(August 17, 2020) – Justina Ewoh, MSN, FNP, has been selected as the first recipient of the Jane and Robert Cizik PhD Scholarship. This full-time scholarship was established this year to enable one outstanding future nurse scientist to devote three years to innovative health care research while earning a Doctor of Nursing Philosophy (PhD) from the Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth. 

Since 2013, Ewoh has provided care as a family nurse practitioner in Houston-area primary care facilities and volunteered at a clinic for underserved populations. She also served for four years as mission coordinator for the Enugu USA Medical Mission, which provides health care support in Enugu, Nigeria. 

“The PhD program will enable me to pursue a research agenda in a new area of scholarly inquiry on COVID-19, as well as other areas like cardiovascular health and diabetes that disproportionally affect the African American community and other minorities, such as Hispanics and tribal communities,” Ewoh wrote in her scholarship application. 

“We are delighted to welcome Justina to the PhD program and to provide this full scholarship that will allow her to focus on her research and studies full time,” said Geri L. Wood, PhD, RN, FAAN, director of the Cizik School of Nursing’s PhD program and the Bette P. Thomas Distinguished Professor in Innovative Health Care Delivery. “Going forward, this prestigious scholarship program will offer great opportunities for the next generation of nurse scientists to learn from our distinguished faculty while advancing research into relevant and timely health care issues.”

The Jane and Robert Cizik PhD Scholarship provides full tuition and fees as well as a $50,000 annual stipend for three years. 

Ewoh earned two MSN degrees from Kennesaw University in Georgia – one through its FNP program and another in advance care management and leadership. She holds a BSN from Texas Woman’s University.