Nursing PhD student selected as 2026-2028 Jonas Scholar
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — West Virginia University School of Nursing PhD student Aaron Aliff has been selected for the 2026-2028 cohort of the Jonas Scholars program, a national initiative designed to prepare doctoral nursing students to become the next generation of nursing faculty and leaders.
Aliff is one of 80 doctoral nursing students from across the country selected for the two-year program based on academic achievement, commitment to teaching and research abilities. Through the program, scholars receive financial support, mentorship and faculty development opportunities designed to help them successfully transition into nursing faculty roles.
Aliff's supported research and practice topic is Access, Connection, and Engagement (ACE). For Aliff, the recognition represents both a reflection on his nursing career and an opportunity to contribute to the future of the profession.
“Being selected as a Jonas Scholar reminds me of where I started and the future impact I hope to make through nursing,” Aliff said. “During my time as a bedside nurse, nurse practitioner, and now as a PhD student, I am constantly reminded of the importance of research and education in nursing.”
Aliff said the recognition will allow him to strengthen his scholarship while continuing to advance nursing practice, research and education, including the integration of public health competencies into nursing education.
His research interests center on nursing students and the ways they navigate challenging experiences. Specifically, Aliff is interested in examining the relationship between selfconfidence and concepts such as resilience, coping mechanisms and stress, as well as how these factors influence student performance. His experiences as a clinical preceptor have also shaped his research interests. Aliff has observed the uncertainty students may experience when encountering public health challenges and concepts in educational and practice settings. Through his research, he hopes to help students recognize fear and vulnerability, connect with peers and instructors for support and develop greater readiness to approach challenging life events.
As part of the Jonas Scholars program, Aliff will participate in a faculty development curriculum throughout the two-year grant period and attend the 2027 Jonas Scholar Conference in Washington, D.C. The Jonas Scholars program seeks to strengthen the nursing workforce by expanding the number of PhD- and DNP-prepared nurses available to educate future generations of nurses. The 2026-2028 cohort includes scholars with research interests addressing a variety of health care challenges, including pediatrics, mental health and veterans’ health.
Following completion of his PhD, Aliff hopes to continue his career at WVU as a faculty member while advancing his research and scholarship.
“As an educator, I hope to mentor future nurses and nurse scholars and emphasize their role and importance of their work to the discipline of nursing,” Aliff said. “My overarching goal is to create learning experiences that extend beyond the four walls of a classroom and how they connect nursing practice with the communities that we serve.”
About Jonas Nursing The mission of Jonas Nursing is to enhance the nursing profession by developing nurse leaders who will address the nursing shortage by educating the future nursing workforce and by investing in the health and well-being of our most underserved communities. For more information on Jonas Nursing, visit www.aacnnursing.org/jonas-nursing.
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hk/10/2/2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu