Kimberly Powell, an assistant professor in the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing, was honored at the Clinical Informatics Conference in Minneapolis for her contributions to health informatics and gerontology as a Fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association.

The American Medical Informatics Association is a community committed to the vision of a world where informatics transforms people’s care. Over the last 35 years, the use of informatics has grown exponentially to improve health and to make better health care decisions. Today, informatics is key to accelerating the current goals of health care reform.

Powell’s research includes areas of health information technology and gerontology. Her scholarly work focuses broadly on health data sharing with providers, patients and family caregivers using technologies such as patient portals, text messaging applications, health information exchange and telehealth.

In 2022, as the principal investigator, Powell and her interdisciplinary team were awarded a three-year, $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging to show how nursing home staff can securely use HIPAA-compliant text messages to speed up decision-making and allow residents to be safely cared for in the nursing home without the need for a costly and traumatic transfer to the hospital.

UC Davis nursing school announces 2024 Betty Irene Moore Fellows

Powell was also recently announced as a Betty Irene Moore Fellow for Nurse Leaders and Innovators at UC Davis. The competitive fellowship program selects early-to-mid-career nursing scholars and innovators and provides $450,000 in funding over three years for an innovative project or study plus $50,000 for their home institution.

Powell is one of 16 fellows joining the fifth cohort of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. Launched in 2020, this latest addition expands the fellowship community to more than 60 fellows and alumni.

Heather M. Young, fellowship national program director and School of Nursing dean emerita, said the group has significant potential to transform the nursing profession and health care outcomes. 

“Our newest group of fellows is conducting important research on topics such as digital health interventions for underserved populations, navigating cancer care across the lifespan, addressing the needs of families associated with incarceration, and using artificial intelligence to mitigate mental health challenges,” Young said. “We are thrilled to support these nurse scientists as they address these vital health care issues over the next three years. We look forward to seeing them implement innovative approaches to health care delivery and policy, which will ultimately advance health and equity.”

During the three-year program, fellows remain at their home institutions, participate in an online learning community, then gather annually at UC Davis for a week-long convocation.