02/06/2023

Member Spotlight: Mallory Bejster

Mallory Bejster is an associate professor in the Department of Community, Systems, and Mental Health Nursing in the College of Nursing at Rush University. She is also the president-elect of APHN and a new member of ACHNE. Mallory joined in 2022 when she presented an abstract at the AI, where she felt deeply welcomed. She currently serves on the joint-planning committee for the upcoming joint conference with APHN.

Mallory’s scholarship work focuses on academic-practice partnerships, including how to best build them and then sustain them, as these partnerships highlight the importance of collaboration and shared resources to reach shared goals. Students get real-life opportunities for engagement and are exposed to the workplace, having a positive impact on the future public health workforce. Agencies get faculty expertise and the support needed to complete various projects. In the end, the community benefits.

In addition to her scholarship, Mallory is passionate about helping students find the projects that interest them where they get to build public health nursing skills. She also enjoys teaching students about public health nursing concepts, and how they can be applied in various work settings. Personally, Mallory has recently had the opportunity to be part of community health improvement planning for Lake County, Illinois. This work is rewarding as it promotes optimal levels of health and allows Mallory to share current examples of local public health efforts in the classroom. Mallory is grateful to be involved in this collaborative work in her community.

Mallory would like ACHNE members to know that everyone can participate in academic-practice partnerships. It all starts with a conversation with community-based agencies, and she encourages members to reach out to agencies in your community to discuss the agency’s needs and opportunities for collaboration. For those who already have academic-practice partnerships, Mallory encourages you to check in with the agency regularly to explore ways the partnership can continue to evolve and grow.