Johnson & Johnson expands efforts to champion the nursing workforce globally

New social impact platform J&J CareCommunity aims to collaboratively help address global nursing challenges

Johnson & Johnson today announced the expansion of its efforts to champion the nursing workforce and improve access to quality care for communities around the world. These efforts are part of J&J CareCommunity, a new social impact platform that focuses the resources and expertise of J&J and J&J Foundation to support nurses at every step of their career journey and strengthen health systems worldwide. The expansion aims to help address the global shortfall of nurses, which will reach approximately 4.5 million by 2030, driven in part by burnout and low morale, contributing to a significant gap in care and poorer patient outcomes.

“For healthcare to work, it takes nurses. They are leaders, innovators and changemakers within our health systems. J&J CareCommunity enables us to double down in our efforts to support nurses at this pivotal point. Together with our partners, we aim to equip nurses with the skills and support they need to drive meaningful change for patients around the world,” said Vanessa Broadhurst, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs at Johnson & Johnson.

Accelerating Nurse Education and Innovation through Global Flagship Programs

Flagship J&J CareCommunity programs advance solutions to elevate, empower and equip nurses in collaboration with leading academic institutions, health organizations and local authorities. These programs include:

• Together with the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Wharton Executive Education, J&J is announcing the 2025 class of J&J Nurse Innovation Fellows*, a groundbreaking, one-year, team-based fellowship for nurse leaders focused on nurse-led innovation and leadership to drive transformative change.
  
  
  
  “Nurses are innovators on the front lines of care,” said Marion Leary, PhD, MPH, RN, Director of Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. “By investing in their creativity and leadership, we strengthen the profession and tap into critical expertise. Our collaboration with Johnson & Johnson helps scale nurse-led solutions that drive meaningful change for patients and communities.”

• Building on 25 years of impact, J&J Foundation and the Aga Khan University School of Nursing & Midwifery East Africa are continuing to expand opportunities for nursing education and leadership across East Africa. To date, the university has helped train over 3,500 nurses, significantly advancing healthcare across the region.

• Through our long-standing partnership with Operation Smile, the Nurse Leadership and Development Initiative is expanding access to safe surgical care by providing nurses with advanced clinical training and mentorship in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. To date, the initiative has trained 2,880 nurses from 24 countries, reaching more than 18,800 patients.
  
  
  
  “Nurses are the heart and strength of our healthcare system — vigilant guardians, compassionate advocates, and skilled navigators through each patient’s health care journey,” said Saber Mostafa, Clinical Nurse Educator at Operation Smile. “Nursing development trainings are essential in equipping them with the expertise and confidence they need to advance their professional growth and deliver high-quality, compassionate care.”

• A partnership between World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA) and J&J Foundation is doubling down on its impact after helping nearly one million nurses in more than 60 low-to-middle income countries access more than 70 million hours of training via low-bandwidth and digital platforms optimized for offline learning.

• J&J is proud to announce the J&J CareCommunity Employee Family Nurse Scholarship, a scholarship for J&J employee family members that builds on our decades of scholarships and academic partnerships for students. It honors J&J employees and family members whose nursing careers share Our Credo values.

• In collaboration with Microsoft and SONSIEL, and with support from J&J Foundation, NurseHack4Health will continue convening nurse-led teams globally to innovate solutions for challenges in care delivery. The program has brought together over 5,500 nurses to date and will host its inaugural Hackathon with the International Council of Nurses at their bi-annual congress in Helsinki, Finland, in June 2025.

• Together with Brazil’s Federal Nursing Council (COFEN), J&J Foundation is supporting education and leadership development through CofenPlay, a first-of-its-kind digital platform that integrates more than 100,000 resources for more than one million registered nurses and supports the long-term resilience of Brazil’s nurses.

• Impact Ventures, an investment fund within J&J Foundation, is funding in scalable solutions that engage and equip nurses in Kenya to provide quality and affordable care, including Jacaranda Maternity, Penda Health, and South Lake Medical Center.

Building on a long legacy of impact

Johnson & Johnson has championed nurses since 1897. In 2002, the Company launched the Campaign for Nursing’s Future, a multi-year, collaborative, $50 million initiative to elevate the reputation of nursing, recruit new talent, and support nurse educators across the United States. With the support of cross-sector partners, this campaign helped more than one million nurses enter the workforce, accounting for nearly one-fourth of the U.S. nursing workforce, and supported the growth and recognition of the nursing profession.

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*2025 Class of J&J Nurse Innovation Fellows: University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital (AL), Cleveland Clinic (OH), CommonSpirit Saint Anthony Hospital (CO), St. Elizabeth Healthcare (KY), University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (MD), Advocate Health (IL), Mercy Hospital South (MO), Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune (NC), Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (CA), NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens (NY), Yale New Haven Health Bridgeport Hospital (CT), Atrium Health Pineville (NC), Ascension Seton Williamson (TX), Lahey Hospital and Medical Center (MA) and Penn Medicine (PA).

Johnson & Johnson’s Commitment to the Global Health Workforce

As healthcare advances, we believe in supporting those who shape it – healthcare professionals. J&J CareCommunity is a global social impact platform from Johnson & Johnson to advance access to quality care through championing nurses and community health workers. We do this by collaborating with those closest to the challenge to connect more people to care. Learn more at www.jnj.com/jnjcarecommunity.

About Johnson & Johnson

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com.

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