Bridgette Brawner, PhD, APRN
Bridgette Brawner graduated Cum Laude from Villanova University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, and completed her Master’s of Science in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nurse, specializing in working with children and families. She is currently a full-time doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania where she is a Research Assistant in the Center for Health Disparities Research.
Ms. Brawner has developed a course of study that will help her investigate and improve HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs targeting African-American adolescent females in mental health and substance abuse treatment settings.
Ms. Brawner began her nursing career as a Neonatal Intensive Care nurse at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, during which time she was appointed as the Program Coordinator for the unit’s Safe Passage initiative designed to reduce adverse events (i.e. central line infections, medication errors, etc.) experienced by newborns and infants during their stay in the NICU. She is currently utilizing the expertise gained from her academic and professional training to help reduce the health disparity that exists for African-American adolescent females in regard to disproportionate rates of HIV incidence and prevalence within this population. Particularly, her focus will be to determine and address the under-researched prevention needs of African-American adolescent females with mental health and/or substance abuse disorders. In preparation for achieving this goal, Ms. Brawner’s current activities include serving as a member of the Community Advisory Board for the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for AIDS Research, participating in the Youth and Young Adult Roundtable sponsored by the Office of HIV Planning for the city of Philadelphia, and speaking/presenting at conferences devoted to attaining a better understanding of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among African-American youth.
Over the course of her academic and professional career, Ms. Brawner has received numerous scholarships and awards for excellence in academics, service, and leadership. She holds membership in the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society (additionally serves as the Alpha Nu Chapter Nominating Committee Co-Chair), American Nurses Association, Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, and is a Certified Spanish Medical Interpreter.