Sunny G. Hallowell
Nurse Researcher and Educator
Dr. Sunny G. Hallowell was born and raised in the multicultural city of Toronto, Canada. With more than 20 years of clinical practice as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse (NICU), and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Dr. Hallowell brings to her research a deep understanding of how health systems and education impact pediatric outcomes. Through her research and innovation, she seeks to improve the ways in which nurses are able to address the needs of the diverse and dynamic communities they serve.
Dr. Hallowell graduated from the University of Toronto with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Biology, however, her experiences as a volunteer with children and adults with chronic conditions helped her to recognize that a Bachelor of Science in Nursing would prepare her for a career in healthcare. After several years of clinical practice, Dr. Hallowell pursued studies at the University of Pennsylvania where she earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), followed by Ph.D., and a post-doctoral fellowship in Advanced Training in Nursing Outcomes Research at the Center for Health Outcomes and Research (CHOPR). Her research focused on the challenges of discharging patients to the community and explored the associations between the nurse work environment, breastfeeding, and human milk provision in the NICU.
Dr. Hallowell’s position as a researcher and educator is a prime example of how nurses are well-positioned to lead and shape systems that are patient-centered, evidence-based, and supported by policy to meet the needs of all individuals in the present and future. This was never more apparent than during the COVID-19 global pandemic when Dr. Hallowell channeled her innovative spirit to develop of virtual gaming systems (VGS) to supplement clinical experiences for nursing students. Her use of and expertise with the VGS format led to her being selected and nationally recognized as one of five Josiah Macy Foundation Faculty Scholars, a forward-thinking group of nurses and physicians poised to lead health care in the country. Her program Inclusive Clinical Advocacy, Responsible Education — Virtual Gaming Simulation (ICARE-VGS) is an open access, web-based educational platform to support healthcare providers’ development of clinical and communication skills to promote equity, diversity, and belonging in the communities they serve. The pandemic also revealed to her the stunning numbers of Filipino nurse deaths which she realized needed to be better understood. Dr. Hallowell has been examining the underlying structural environments which, for more than a century, have created an inadvertent pipeline of healthcare workers from the Philippines to the United States.
Dr. Hallowell’s expertise and participation in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on vulnerable populations has also brought her into the discussion surrounding firearm violence. Using her knowledge and innovative abilities, she has begun work on a model that may help engage communities in meaningful, sustainable change to improve firearm safety and prevent firearm violence. Working as a team leader with nurses and other providers, Dr. Hallowell has begun exploring the use of a harm reduction model as a framework to provide nurses with strategies to mobilize community resources to foster firearm injury prevention in addition to actionable approaches to advocate for and implement firearm safety interventions.
Dr. Hallowell is currently an Associate Professor at the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University, where she is known for her innovative approach to education and research that integrates her skills in health services research, health policy, pediatrics, and health care innovation. Dr. Hallowell is passionate about Advanced Practice Nursing leadership and has had rich experiences collaborating with a variety of researchers, experts, and influencers. Notably, she was honored when selected as one of the first national Jonas Health Policy Scholars, where she served a two-year term leading national health policy with the American Academy of Nursing. She has also served as a clinical professional as the President of the Pennsylvania Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Hallowell is a distinguished healthcare professional with a passion for improving patient care through the convergence of research, clinical practice, and education. With a unique blend of experience and expertise, she has dedicated her career to advancing the field of nursing and making a lasting impact on the healthcare landscape. The importance of her research and work is evident by her successful dissemination in scholarly journals, media interviews, social media posting, funding, and presentations at national and international conferences.
More About Sunny
View Sunny G. Hallowell’s Nurses You Should Know Video here.
Sources
The information for the above profile was provided by Sunny G. Hallowell
Learn More
To learn more about inclusion in nursing and be part of the national discussion to address racism in nursing, check out and share the following resources:
Know Your History
- Nursing CLIO to engage with historians and scholars committed to deep work around historical accuracy in healthcare and nursing.
- American Association for the History of Nursing to attend monthly webinars on topics of nursing history, view the calendar here.
Examine Bias
- NurseManifest to attend live zoom sessions with fellow nurses on nursing’s overdue reckoning on racism or to sign their pledge.
- Breaking Bias in Healthcare, an online course created by scientist Anu Gupta, to learn how bias is related to our brain’s neurobiology and can be mitigated with mindfulness.
- Revolutionary Love Learning Hub provides free tools for learners and educators to use love as fuel towards ourselves, our opponents, and to others so that we can embody a world where we see no strangers.
Support & Advocate
- National Coalition for Ethnic Minority Nurse Association to stay engaged with topics relevant to nurses of color.
Help us paint the internet with nursing’s diverse origin stories. Follow this Medium publication, NursesYouShouldKnow on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook, or @KnowNurses on Twitter to share and re-post our articles far and wide.
