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Villanova Nursing doctoral student interns at WHO
 Villanova, PA, March 27, 2008 —
Suzanne Foley, M.S.N., CRNP, a nurse practitioner specializing in women’s health, recently completed
a seven-week internship starting January 13, 2008 at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva,
Switzerland. Foley is a doctoral student at Villanova University College of Nursing and sought the
experience as part of her program practicum.
“Last spring when I was in Japan (for the International Council of Nurses conference) I met the
(WHO) chief nursing scientist, Dr. Jean Yan, and started to dialogue with her to see if it could work
out,” Foley explains. “I always admired the work of the WHO and wanted a chance to work there.” Her
goal was to broaden and enhance her professional experience. Foley’s application was accepted by WHO.
Foley worked in WHO’s Nursing Division, a small department which she describes as “depending on many
volunteers around the globe for their work output.” She was focused on two projects related to the 30th
anniversary of the Declaration of Alma-Ata and its acceptance of primary health care. Alma-Ata, in the
then-Soviet Union, was the site for a 1978 WHO conference on primary care where primary care was defined
as essential and integral to a country’s health system and overall social and economic development of a
community. While titles are still to come, her work was “related to nursing and midwifery
contributions to primary health care.” Foley appreciated the opportunity, “I learned a lot about
primary health care and saw the inner workings of the WHO…It was a great experience to work for an
international organization.”
Foley looks forward to applying her knowledge in a career as a teacher-scholar. She is adjunct
faculty at Villanova’s College of Nursing. After she earns her Ph.D., she hopes to continue to teach
nursing, pursue her research interests in postpartum care for new mothers and be involved in
international nursing projects.
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