Molly Secor-Turner, associate professor in the NDSU School of Nursing, has been designated a fellow in the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine. She will be honored at the 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine at its annual meeting March 10 in New Orleans.
Secor-Turner was selected for her local and global health leadership efforts. “You have clearly documented your commitment to the health and welfare of adolescents,” said society president Gregory D. Zimet, in making the announcement.
At NDSU, Secor-Turner founded the group For the Good Period, providing health education to girls in Kenya, and opportunities for nursing students at NDSU to learn about global health care and rural Kenyan community health. The experience of traveling to a different continent provides students an opportunity to build skills and learn beyond the classroom. Nursing graduate Brianna Bertsch found it to be invaluable. "In nursing school, we learn the importance of being culturally competent of the patients we care for and this experience allowed me to practice cultural competence and awareness first hand," she said.
Secor-Turner and Brandy Randall, associate professor in human development and family science, received the Exemplary Leader Award at Progress on the Prairie. Their award celebrated the successful implementation of Reach One Teach One, helping Fargo youth in a program to prevent teen pregnancy, while providing research on the impact that the program could have on at-risk youth. More than 400 area youth have participated in the program.
A $1.2 million, three-year competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families funded Reach One Teach One.
Additional honors for Secor-Turner include being nominated as a 2016 Woman of the Year by Cass Clay YWCA. She also was inducted into the NDSU Tapestry of Diverse Talents, which recognizes students, faculty, staff and alumni for the diversity and contributions they bring to NDSU.
“Molly Secor-Turner provides unparalleled leadership and opportunities for nursing students,” said Carla Gross, associate dean of NDSU’s School of Nursing in the College of Health Professions. “This national honor illustrates that others recognize her commitment to students, as well as her contributions to the nursing field in adolescent health on local to global levels.”
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