Jawanza R. Bundy

Jawanza R. Bundy serves as an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at Widener University, specializing in nursing education reform and healthcare equity. Her work centers on dismantling systemic barriers for African American students in nursing programs through mentorship frameworks and family engagement strategies, with the explicit goal of diversifying the nursing workforce to address racial health disparities.

Her academic credentials include:

• PhD in Family Research and Nursing Education (2016), Hampton University
• Post Master's Certificate in Midwifery (1999), University of Pennsylvania
• MSN in Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (1996), University of Pennsylvania
• BS in Nursing (1992), Hampton University

Dr. Bundy's research interrogates how parental involvement and structured mentoring pipelines impact college enrollment and degree completion among Black nursing students. She connects workforce diversification directly to improved health outcomes in marginalized communities, particularly focusing on women's health access and culturally competent care delivery within the Black community. Her approach integrates community-based participatory methods with institutional policy analysis.

Her 2021 publication 'Black Americans in Nursing Education' examines racial representation gaps across nursing education pipelines and proposes concrete recruitment/retention strategies for BIPOC students and faculty. This work exemplifies her research trajectory analyzing systemic inequities while developing actionable solutions for inclusive nursing education environments.

Professional recognition includes:

• NLN Jonas Scholar
• Golden Key Honour Society

Dr. Bundy actively implements DEI frameworks through her AACN Diversity Leadership Institute capstone 'Color Blocking: Creating a Colorful Canvas of Culture Across the Campus,' which operationalizes Widener University's diversity commitments into measurable nursing school initiatives. As a Sigma Theta Tau International and Chi Eta Phi Sorority member, she contributes to national nursing education standards through the National League for Nursing while mentoring future healthcare leaders.