M. Elizabeth Carnegie African American Scholarship

For “Black Nurses Enrolled in Doctoral Programs” (Dr. Carnegie)

M. Elizabeth Carnegie, RN, DPA, FAAN, was an educator and author in the field of nursing, known for breaking down racial barriers. She was the first black nurse to serve as a voting member on the board of a state nursing association. She was later president of the American Academy of Nursing and edited the Journal of Nursing Research. Dr. Carnegie was an NEF Board Member who contributed to this fund each year, along with other donors, to award an annual scholarship. Upon her death in 2008, Dr. Carnegie left $125,000 to NEF to be used explicitly for "Black nurses enrolled in doctoral programs in memory of Dr. M. Elizabeth Carnegie."

Featured M. Elizabeth Carnegie African American Scholarship Recipients

The doctoral nursing students who have received this scholarship exhibit leadership in nursing practice, education, and research—at times, simultaneously—as these featured recipients illustrate:

Taleah Frazier, BSN, RN

2026-2027 Winner | Doctoral Degree

Selected as a scholar for the prestigious Hillman Scholars in Nursing Innovation Program, a BSN-to-PhD program that prepares nurses to lead innovative and effective change in the field of healthcare
Completed a nurse residency in obstetric/women’s health nursing
Was a member of the Interprofessional Health Equity Education Collaborative, an organization dedicated to educating and empowering health professionals to promote the health of all, as well as her clinical unit’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative, a group focused on addressing gaps in perinatal cardiovascular care
Is a Research Assistant for The HARMONY Study, a randomized-controlled trial that implemented a culturally-tailored mindfulness intervention for African American women with cardiometabolic risk, and has participated in two NIH-funded fellowships (Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training program and Advanced Research Training in Social Determinants of Health program)

Renee Byfield, MS, RN, FNP, FAAN

2024-2025 Winner | Doctoral Degree

Was a National Institutes of Health T32 Pre-Doctoral Scholar W
as the Program Director and co-author of the Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement’s SPEAK UP Against Racism Program, a groundbreaking national perinatal equity curriculum and cultural change paradigm to accelerate the elimination of perinatal disparities by addressing the maternal mortality crisis
Taught baccalaureate and master’s level courses as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Drexel University
Worked as Perinatal Safety Administrator for the Association of Women’s Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses at NYP – Weill Cornell
Was OB/GYN, Urogynecology, Quality and Education Nurse Manager at Kaiser Permanente, where she launched the Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation clinic

Onome Osokpo, PhD, MSc., MSN, RN

2019-2020 Winner | Doctoral Degree

Was an Associate Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, a 2018-20 Jonas Scholar, a Fontaine Scholar, and a Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Doctoral Fellow
Was an adjunct lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and a journal reviewer for three academic journals
Served as a member of the Diversity Committee of New York State Action Coalition and was a board member of the New Careers in Nursing Scholars Association
Developed and delivered evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion talks to older adults at senior centers within Philadelphia as a consultant for the Philadelphia Corporation of Aging
Was involved in activating grassroots advocacy efforts leading to an amendment of the VA provider's regulation granting full practice authority to four APRN roles

Brianna Singleton, PhD, MPH, RN, PHN, AGPCNP-BC

2018-2019 Winner | Doctoral Degree

Became an Adult-Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, with an emphasis in occupational and environmental health at UCSF
Was the first Vice President of Administrative Affairs of the Graduate Student Senate, co-founded the Nursing Students of Color on campus, was a leader of the Black Student Health Alliance, and a graduate student representative on the UCSF School of Nursing DIVersity in Action (DIVA) Committee
Volunteered her time as a health educator to incarcerated women at the City and County of San Francisco Jail
Was politically active with Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, speaking with California representatives to ask them to support aggressive legislation that puts a moratorium on the extraction of natural gas
Was the Continuity Care Clinician at St. James Infirmary, a peer-based occupational health and safety clinic offering free, compassionate, and non-judgmental healthcare and social services for former and current sex industry workers