Nancy Roecklein Co-Authors AJN Article
NEF Board Member and Scholar Nancy Roecklein, PhD, ANP-BC, AOCNP, CBCN, is one of the authors of “Building Community Among PhD-Prepared Nurses in a Health System,” published in the October 2026 issue of the American Journal of Nursing (126(10), pp. 52–56). The article was led by Bevin Cohen, Senior Director of the Center for Nursing Research and Innovation at Mount Sinai Health System and Associate Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and was written on behalf of the Mount Sinai Health System PhD-Prepared Nurses Network.
The PhD in nursing is often associated with academic careers, but the role of the PhD-prepared nurse in hospital settings is not well defined. The article addresses that gap by showing the many paths doctorally prepared nurses are taking outside of academia. "It’s about how we built a community for PhD nurses in the health system and highlights how they’re using their doctoral education in practice," said Dr. Roecklein.
Dr. Roecklein practices in Breast Medical Oncology at NYU Langone Health. She previously served as a nurse practitioner at Mount Sinai Health System and as faculty at CUNY Lehman College. She has presented nationally and internationally and is a co-author of the chapter “Building Comprehensive Breast Centers” in the forthcoming third edition of the ONS Site-Specific Cancer Series: Breast (2026).
Dr. Roecklein was awarded two scholarships from Nurses Educational Funds: the first while completing her Master of Science in Nursing from New York University, and the second for her PhD in Nursing at the CUNY Graduate Center.
As an NEF Scholar, Dr. Roecklein served as the organization’s first student liaison to the Board of Directors. Her vision helped inspire the creation of the NEF Circle of Scholars, a community that fosters mentorship, leadership development, and the continued success of the scholars. She joined NEF’s Board of Directors in 2024 and now serves as Co-Chair of its Criteria and Eligibility Committee.
FEATURED SCHOLAR
Ukamaka Oruche
(2009-2010 Winner)
"After obtaining my master's degree in child psychiatric-mental health nursing, I practiced for eight years before deciding to return for a PhD. In my work as a clinical nurse specialist with children and adole... read more.
Support Graduate Nursing Education
Nurses Educational Funds, Inc. (NEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by nurses for nurses in 1912, and since then, the organization has awarded over 1,500 scholarships to support the pursuit of advanced degrees in nursing.
NEF’s named scholarships, created with a minimum donation of $50,000, honor and memorialize nurse leaders, from Isabel Hampton Robb to Thelma Schorr to Susan Bowar-Ferres. 100% of donations help to keep NEF scholarships funded in perpetuity; organization expenses are covered by prudent management of NEF’s investments.