Tongan Ministry of Health's Global Nursing Quality Improvement Fellowship

The Center for Global Nursing collaborates with the Tongan Ministry of Health (MOH), along with leaders from Tonga National University, nursing directors, hospital administrators, and quality improvement champions, to offer the Global Nursing Quality Improvement Fellowship. The Fellowship builds nursing leadership capacity in quality improvement methodologies and facilitates high-quality, nurse-led quality improvement projects that advance national health priorities across Tonga. Early priorities identified include strengthening clinical care delivery, advancing preventive health and chronic disease management, and enhancing nursing education and workforce development. The Fellowship also strengthens interprofessional collaboration and contributes to the development of sustainable health systems by championing continuous global nursing quality improvement education, mentorship, and advancements in quality care, ultimately leading to improved patient care outcomes and quality care advancements across Tonga and the Pacific islands.

Program Objectives

Strengthen nursing leadership: Provide hands-on training and mentorship in QI methodologies, enabling Tongan nurse educators to address critical healthcare challenges.
Empower nurses educators: Provide training to lead and facilitate improvement in health care systems.
Foster collaboration: Bidirectional relationship between Tongan and UCSF nurse faculty together for problem-solving and collaboration.

Program Impact

Improve outcomes in Tonga: Through targeted quality improvement projects, nurse educators will enhance the quality of healthcare services in resource-variable areas of Tonga.
Foster partnerships: Ongoing collaboration between UCSF and the Tongan Ministry of Health will create equitable, long-term improvements in global health.
Strengthen workforce: By designing, implementing, and evaluating a quality improvement project, nurse educators will be prepared to lead quality improvements across the region.

Program Faculty

Adam Cooper, DNP, RN, NPD-BC
Director of Nursing Continuous Improvement and Interim Director of Nursing Research at UCSF Health | UCSF Leadership Institute