FSU Nursing Faculty Inaugural Recipient of Endowed Professorship
FSU College of Nursing faculty member Dr. Henna Budhwani has been named the inaugural recipient of The Michael and Paula Read Phelan Professorship in Obstetrical Nursing. As the endowed professor, Dr. Budhwani will work to bolster maternal health research, programmatic endeavors and women’s health in under-resourced settings.
“I am honored to accept this important endowed professorship,” Dr. Budhwani shared. “The maternal health crisis has reached epidemic levels in the U.S., and quality prenatal and postpartum care are necessary to improve maternal health, deliver healthy babies, and build strong families. This endowment will enable me to do more for mamas and their babies in Florida, surrounding communities and globally.”
As a form of private support, endowments provide critical funding for the position holder’s academic and professional endeavors. When asked about the importance of such support, College of Nursing Dean Jing Wang expressed the need for endowments. “As the college continues to boldly rise in nursing research and innovation, support for our faculty becomes increasingly important,” she said. “Endowed faculty roles are critical in our ability to enrich the academic experience, further our research capabilities and expand the footprint of the College of Nursing. I am grateful to have generous donors who recognize the importance of these positions.”
The appointment of this endowment is personally significant to Dr. Budhwani as someone who experienced maternal health complications. “I had a high-risk twin pregnancy; I developed pre-eclampsia, was admitted to the hospital, and delivered my boys at 33 weeks,” she said. “They weighed less than four pounds each, and I lost so much blood that I required multiple transfusions. I was fortunate. Had I delivered in many other parts of the world, neither my boys nor I would have survived.”
Dr. Budhwani is committed to bringing better maternal health to underserved populations. “We live with access to some of the most advanced technologies, but access to these resources is uneven, with rural communities being left behind. This endowed professorship will be used to make a difference, improve awareness and inspire future generations of maternal health providers who will assuredly save the lives of pregnant women, such as myself, those many years ago.”
Dr. Budhwani joined the FSU College of Nursing in 2022 and is based at the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her contributions to science and health. In addition to being a member of the Societal Experts Action Network of the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), she is a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.