SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

My name is Susan Kioko. I was born in Nairobi, Kenya and mothered by a registered nurse. Trained as a nurse in Kenya, my mother left the hospital wards soon after graduation and went into the community with her practice. She opened two donation-based clinics in poor, underserved communities, recruiting the financial support for basic health supplies and medication. I had my first nursing job at the age of seven, assisting my mother with community immunizations. These early training days are responsible for my involvement with community health initiatives during my secondary school and college years. Using a reconstructed medical van, we traveled to underserved communities throughout Kenya, providing immunizations, basic care, and health education. During this time I was also teaching at an HIV/AIDS children’s orphanage. I currently work as a charge nurse on a surgical unit. In this role I have developed and led initiatives to improve central line management and depression screening post-MI. I am a member of the hospital outcomes committee, through which I review specific patient cases and identify areas of improvement. I am pursuing a doctorate in nursing science having realized that my passion extends beyond clinical practice and into health care systems development in Kenya. My research interest is in the development of advanced practice nursing in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Kenya. I believe that the World Health Organization task shifting model for the management of HIV/AIDS in this region can be a catalyst for the development of advanced practice nursing.