UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing has been selected by the National Academy of Medicine as a member of the second cohort of its Change Maker Accelerators program, a yearlong initiative designed to help health organizations implement and measure professional well-being efforts.
The college is one of 26 organizations named to the 2026-27 cohort, which includes health systems, academic institutions, professional associations and care delivery sites across the country. Christina Lightner, assistant teaching professor and coordinator of academic wellness at Penn State’s Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, will serve as the college’s representative in the program.
The Change Maker Accelerators program builds on the National Academy of Medicine’s 2022 National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being and is part of the academy’s broader Change Maker Campaign, which aims to advance sustainable, evidence-based strategies to address burnout and support health workforce well-being.
Members of the cohort commit to tracking implementation of the National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being at their institutions. The National Academy of Medicine will work directly with the organizations to facilitate and measure progress across the national plan’s priority areas, which include creating positive work and learning environments, supporting mental health and reducing stigma, institutionalizing well-being as a long-term value, and recruiting and retaining a diverse health workforce.
Through the program, participating organizations will receive coaching, implementation support and measurement tools to help assess and advance their work. This includes monthly virtual coaching sessions, quarterly cross-cohort learning sessions, and hybrid public meetings, with additional opportunities for retreats and closed member sessions. Accelerators also become members of the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience.
“As we prepare the next generation of nurse leaders, we also have a responsibility to support well-being throughout their careers,” Lightner said. “The Change Maker Accelerators program will help us further this work, measure its impact, and learn alongside peers across the country.”
The Nese College of Nursing brings to the cohort a longstanding commitment to promoting well-being among nursing students, faculty and staff. Since 2021, the college has implemented programs based on Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment (COPE), a cognitive-behavioral skills-building curriculum designed to foster resilience, reduce burnout, and improve healthy lifestyle behaviors and beliefs. Beginning in summer 2026, the college will launch a virtual version of the program, led by trained faculty facilitators, as an offering to the general public.
Learn more about the Change Maker Accelerators program, the National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being, and the Nese College of Nursing COPE program.