Columbia University Grant Will Support Nursing Education

NEW YORK — Columbia University School of Nursing in New York was awarded a $6.5 million grant from the Helene Fuld Health Trust for three projects that will educate future nurses.

First, funding will support the development of the newly named Helene Fuld Simulation Center, a simulation learning laboratory where students will practice their skills on high-tech mannequins prior to entering the clinical environment. The simulation lab will be housed in the new building for Columbia University School of Nursing, currently under construction at West 168th Street and Audubon Avenue.

The new Fuld Simulation Center will include a variety of realistic care settings, such as patient exam rooms, a critical care unit, and delivery and operating rooms that will help students develop their skills. Audio-visual technology will also allow instructors to play back a sequence of events and provide real-time feedback to students.

The Fuld Center will occupy nearly two full floors of the new building, more than quadrupling the school’s current simulation space. This will allow Columbia Nursing to incorporate simulated learning into all of its clinical programs and to educate more than 800 students during the academic year.

Second, funds will expand the existing Helene Fuld Scholarship Fund by providing increased financial aid for students entering the accelerated master’s and doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program.

“These clinicians of the future will be fully equipped to make major contributions to educating, caring for, and treating individuals, families, and communities as well as play key roles in advocating and formulating progressive health care policy,” said Bobbie Berkowitz, dean of Columbia Nursing, in a statement.

Third, funds will establish the Helene Fuld Institute for Excellence in Simulation. This portion of the gift will enable Columbia Nursing to help learn about best simulation practices throughout the field of nursing.

“These three crucial initiatives allow us to honor our tradition while maintaining the kind of innovation that benefits not only our students, but enriches the entire profession of nursing for generations to come,” Berkowitz said in a statement. “We are grateful to the Trust for their extraordinary commitment to nursing education.”

The Helene Fuld Health Trust was established by Dr. Leonhard Felix Fuld and his sister, Florentine, in honor of their mother. Dr. Fuld earned five degrees from Columbia University between 1902 and 1909, during which time he worked as a secretary to university president Nicholas Murray Butler.