School of Nursing instructor named top nurse under-40 by National Black Nurses Association

University of Louisville School of Nursing Instructor Cynethia Bethel-Jaiteh has received the National Black Nurses Association Under 40 Award, which recognizes nurses age 40 and younger who have shown strong leadership and excellence in practice. She was honored during the association’s national conference in Memphis, Tenn., on Aug. 5.

Bethel-Jaiteh, M.S.N., A.P.R.N., is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Park DuValle Community Health Center in West Louisville and has focused on developing solutions for her patients, particularly for children who are overweight. She started a program at the center that emphasizes proper nutrition and exercise.

“I grew up in West Louisville and I feel a connection with the people there,” Bethel- Jaiteh, 35, said. “A majority of the population there are underserved and they face issues with health disparity, equality and access to care.”

Aside from her practice duties and educating students at the School of Nursing, Bethel-Jaiteh is in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) program at Northern Kentucky University. Over the summer, she received $3,196 from Academic Partnerships to Improve Health, a joint program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The grant will support Bethel-Jaiteh’s D.N.P. evidence-based population health project that focuses on breastfeeding among African-Americans.

“Cynethia consistently demonstrates compassion and clinical knowledge in her delivery of care,” said Alona Pack, UofL School of Nursing assistant professor and president of the KYANNA Black Nurses Association of Louisville. “She has also impacted students with her clinical knowledge.”

School of Nursing alumna Ta’Neka Vaden, assistant professor at Bellarmine University, also received the Under 40 Award.