Corinna Hughes

Corinna Hughes, BSN, RN, CCRN is the recipient of the 2019-2020 Evelyn J. Barclay Scholarship. This scholarship is given to a doctoral applicant in nursing education or research. Corinna is a Spring 2020 candidate for a degree in Doctor of Nursing Practice, Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Track at the University of Kentucky. She also earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Kentucky and completed a nursing externship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota in 2014 during her course of studies. After graduating with her BSN Corinna began working in the Medical Intensive Care Unit, where she still serves today. Whilst working in the MICU Corinna also serves as a nursing clinical instructor for the Bluegrass Community & Technical College.

Through her experiences as a prenatal research intern and a sexual health educator, respectively, Corinna uncovered a passion for women’s preventative health care and a passion for providing sexual health education to high risk populations. This spark led her to become an educator/mentor for high-risk adolescents and women in her community. Corinna extended her outreach for vulnerable populations to an international scope in 2016 when she volunteered at triage clinics in Haiti. In the summer of 2019, she will revisit her global health initiative as she works in apprenticeship with an experienced midwife in Ecuador in order to further her understanding of international women’s health conditions.

Corinna belongs to a number of nursing organizations including American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners & Nurse Midwives (KCNPNM), Lexington Chapter National Black Nurse Association (LCNBNA), Delta Psi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing, and the University of Kentucky Graduate Nursing Activities and Advisory Council. She continues to volunteer at local high schools and local health advocacy organizations to provide sexual, reproductive, and mental health education.

Throughout the duration of the DNP program Corinna has developed a personal focus on reproductive health planning for women with substance use disorders. Her doctoral project will focus on health care provider behaviors in regard to pre-conception health care practices among high risk populations. Upon completion of the DNP degree, Corinna looks forward to transitioning into life as a licensed Nurse Practitioner where she can deliver care to patients in underserved populations, at home and abroad. In the future, Corinna plans to return to formal education as an instructor or guest lecturer where she may have an opportunity to build new academic partnerships that further the field of nursing. Furthermore, she intends to continue nurturing her volunteer relationships within her community, always pursue global outreach, and to constantly grow and adapt with the ever-changing field of nursing in hopes to positively impact everyone she serves.