The primary audience for the NWHCP website are middle school, high school, undergraduate, or post-graduate students and community members interested in becoming health professionals, the website highlights programs that serve young people from groups identified as underrepresented in the healthcare fields, including ethnic, racial, socioeconomically and geographically disadvantaged, or LGBTQ. The interactive site provides resources, links and a map to help find information on summer camps, shadowing opportunities, after school programs, workshops, internships, college access programs, and more!

• Learn about opportunities in the health sciences and STEM
• Experience hands-on activities and training
• Prepare academically
• Attend programs that help you build your resume
• Explore a wide variety of health based careers
• Access leadership development programs and fellowships

This website is also a tool for staff and administration working in the career pathway system. Help us create a health workforce that is reflective of the people of our communities by adding your program to our map. This can be done by filling out the NWHCP survey.

Many outreach programs throughout the Northwest region strive to bring individuals who are under-represented in the health care fields toward college level training in the health sciences. The NWHCP is cultivating a space to curate and connect all these programs that make the lifetime career pathway for individuals in health careers.

The NWHCP is actively recruiting new programs, resources and services for under-represented and disadvantaged students with the goal of creating a more equitable healthcare workforce reflective of the communities served.

Put your program on the map today! Or sign up to learn more about participating in this project.

The NWHCP Summit first began in 2017 in conjunction with a website initiative to create a health workforce that reflects the communities served with a primary goal of helping people connect to programs and resources. The project includes collaboration among a wide spectrum of career outreach programs to form a “career pathway” for our region. Health career pathways provide an opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds to explore health careers through experiential learning.

The NWHCP Summit addresses issues impacting access and development of health career programs for individuals under-represented in healthcare, building pathways from community to leadership:

• Awareness building and enrichment programs to
• Health education and training programs to
• Leadership development, residencies, and fellowships

Summit Objectives:

• Clarify and align initiatives and resources for underrepresented community members and students in healthcare education programs.
• Discuss how programs can link together to form equitable health career pathways.
• Identify workforce education gaps and bridge them gaining a clearer view of services and programs across the state.
• Hear student stories from those underrepresented in the health workforce.
• Achieve success by coming together to collaborate, develop community and solutions.

Cori Garcia-Hansen- Strengthening & Expanding the NWHCP Network & Resources

Devyn Nixon - Cultural Humility Workshop

Mónica Koller - Digital Storytelling Introduction

Health Equity:  Exploring Cultural Humility- Eight Digital Stories

Dr. Kristen Wilbur - Developing Workforce Diversity in the Health Professions

Fawzi Belal & Amanda Quintana - Centers for Nursing and Excellence DEI Strategy

Panel Discussion- Health Workforce Development Using A Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion Lens 

2023 Northwest Health Career Path Virtual Summit Partners

Primary funding for this event comes from the Washington Department of Health as a part of the Washington AHEC Program.  We are grateful for donated time, effort, and expertise from our planning and presenting partner organizations. Thank you!!

This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U77HP03022, for the WA Area Health Education (WA AHEC) Program Office and its five regional Centers in the total amount of $836,630 for the 2020-2021 fiscal year (with a 1:1 total match of $836,630 from non-federally funded governmental sources). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

Community Healers, Speakers, and Storytellers

Sislena Grocer Ledbetter, PhD

Sislena Grocer Ledbetter, Ph.D., is a social psychologist, researcher, lecturer, author, and life coach. She received a Bachelor's degree in psychology from North Carolina Central University,  Magna Cum Laude.  She earned with honors her Master's and Doctoral degrees in psychology from Howard University.  Her post-graduate studies include educational leadership training at Georgetown University Graduate School of Professional Studies and Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She has received several fellowships and internships, including an internship during the Clinton administration.

Dr. Ledbetter has held many higher education leadership roles, including Assistant Professor of Psychology, Executive Director of Counseling, Health and Wellness, Director of Counseling and Student Development, and Associate Vice President of Student Development. She's written and attracted millions of dollars in grants funds for behavioral health issues addressing HIV-AIDS, substance abuse, suicide prevention, and domestic violence. As the Associate Vice President of Counseling, Health, and Wellbeing at Western Washington, within two years, she led the institutional adoption of the Okanagan Charter.

For almost 10 -years, she was the host of the DC Cable Television program "A Healthy Mind," where she interviewed guests on topics related to wellbeing and mental health. Her research interests include exploring wellbeing, power, and leadership for women of color at home and in the workplace and exploring factors that enhance healthy intimate relationships in the Black community.

Swil Kanim

Swil Kanim, US Army Veteran, classically trained violinist, native storyteller and actor, is a member of the Lummi Nation. Because of his unique ability to inspire audiences to express themselves honorably, Swil Kanim is a sought-after keynote speaker for conferences, workshops, school assemblies, and rehabilitation centers. He travels extensively throughout the United States, enchanting audiences with his original composition music and native storytelling. His workshops, The Elements of Honor, are attended by people from all walks of life.

Swil Kanim considers himself and his music to be the product of a well supported public school music program. Music and the performance of music helped him to process the traumas associated with his early placement into the foster care system.  Swil Kanim's compositions incorporate classical influences as well as musical interpretations of his journey from depression and despair to spiritual and emotional freedom. The music and stories that emerge from his experiences have been transforming people's lives for decades.

Devyn Nixon

Devyn Nixon is a family and cardiovascular nurse practitioner and diversity, equity and inclusion consultant. A former Navy kid and wife, descendant of American chattel slavery and the first generation in her family to grow up in integration, Devyn started her career in healthcare as a medical transcriptionist in 1998. She was a nontraditional student who went on to become an LPN, an RN and finally an NP all while working and raising a family with her partner Matthew. Devyn has practiced at critical access and rural hospitals in addition to a Level II trauma center. Her intersections of identity, lived experience and nursing practice give her a unique voice in health equity work.

Mónica Koller

Mónica Koller is Owner and Storyologist at Connecting Community. She started her business in 2017 with a dream to lean into community wellness issues with love. Mónica believes in the healing that happens when we share stories and is excited to help individuals and organizations create strength-based videos that support advocacy and policy change efforts. With 15+ years of counseling experience, she values building relationships, transparency, and ethical practices to ensure that digital stories are created and shared with integrity.

Every single person has a story. Mónica is here to bring yours to life!

Cori Garcia Hansen

Cori Garcia Hansen is the past director of the Area Health Education Center for Western Washington, currently supporting the center as the Health Workforce Grants Assistant. Cori has worked in education, primary care, behavioral health, interprofessional education, immigration law, agriculture and sustainable community projects. She has a background in teaching and developing curriculum, and ten years of experience working in clinics and health centers. Cori Garcia Hansen is committed to creating innovative health education programs that address disparities in health care, access to health careers, social determinants of health, and equitable pathways to leadership. 

Kirsten Wilbur

Kirsten Wilbur holds a baccalaureate and post professional master’s degree in occupational therapy and a doctorate in educational leadership. She was full time faculty at the School of Occupational Therapy at the University of Puget Sound (UPS) from 2009 to 2022 when she retired, however is currently continuing to teach in an adjunct position.  Dr. Wilbur’s primary teaching responsibilities are in foundational occupational therapy, mental health, gerontology, and social and cultural awareness training. She has served on various university committees including the Committee on Diversity and the Diversity Advisory Council and volunteered with the Race and Pedagogy Institute’s (RPI) 2018 quadrennial conference. In addition, she is a member of RPI’s Community Partner’s Forum. Her doctoral studies helped her become well versed in Critical Race Theory and her research centers on promoting equity and inclusion in the OT profession, as well looking at increasing the diversity of student cohorts and faculty, and improving upon inclusive teaching practices. She has presented her research at national and international professional conferences.

Fawzi Belal 

Fawzi is currently the DEI Associate for the Washington Center for Nursing, he works to promote inclusivity and leadership development in nursing.  Fawzi holds a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University, a Master of Science in Human Services with a focus on Leadership and Organizational Management from Capella University and is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory.

His work for WCN include increasing DEI-related knowledge and capacity for partners, help WCN sustaining change through centering DEI in the nursing workforce through education, integration, and advising. His work also includes developing DEI content for nursing to help integrate DEI into nursing through existing structures, cultures, policies, processes, and best practices.  WCN’s work is centered around the use of data to make DEI-informed decisions, interrogates systems, offers strategies and toolkits, and shares best practices to increase inclusion in the nursing workforce. 

Amanda Quintana DNP, RN, FNP

Amanda Quintana DNP, RN, FNP has been an RN since 1989. She worked as a Family nurse practitioner from 1999-2008 and then focused on nursing academia and leadership. In her current position as Senior Project Director for the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence, she leads the HRSA Nursing Workforce Diversity Project and has successfully implemented a robust mentoring program for diverse and underserved nursing students and has trained hundreds of healthcare workers, faculty, and students on bias and becoming culturally inclusive. In collaboration with the National League for Nursing, she has also led the Holistic Admissions Initiative for several Colorado nursing programs. Dr. Quintana is an Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI®) Qualified Administrator and a Professional Coach. She has been a member of the NAHN Denver Chapter since 2015. Her projects focus on mentoring, holistic admissions, cultural competence training, and nursing education pipeline in an effort to bridge the nursing diversity workforce gap.

Dr. Quintana has presented her diversity work at many local and national conferences and has also presented to Action Coalition members and nurse educators in both the Rocky Mountain Region and Region III states in collaboration with RWJF, AARP, The Center to Champion Nursing in America, the Office of Minority Health, and the Nurse Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities. She also served on the HRSA Diversity Pipeline Project Task Force in 2021. 

Dr. Quintana is very active in the nursing community. She is a member of the American Nurses Association, Colorado Nurses Association, Colorado Organization of Nurse Leaders, Sigma Theta Tau – Alpha Kappa at Large, and National Association of Hispanic Nurses.  She also serves on the Adams County 27J District Advisory Board. 

Dan Ferguson

Dan Ferguson has over thirty years of experience in higher education, non-profit management, health care, and human services.  He has a real interest in organizational culture and change management.  In Dan’s current role as the Director of the Washington State Allied Health Center of Excellence, he is working to assist the community college system in increasing its capacity to be responsive to the health workforce needs of the health care industry and to the communities that they mutually serve.

The Allied Health Center of Excellence is dedicated to addressing Washington State’s healthcare workforce needs of today and tomorrow.  Through collaboration and cooperation with industry and community partners, the center provides guidance and leadership to support innovation, flexibility, and responsiveness in the state’s community college health workforce programs.

Renee Fullerton 

Renee Fullerton is the Health Workforce and Social Policy Associate at the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. Renee serves as staff for the Health Workforce Council, a legislatively created health workforce effort. Before joining the Workforce Board, Renee worked ten years at the Department of Health in health professions regulation and rural/underserved health workforce.

Diane Oakes

Chief Mission Officer, Washington Dental Service & Delta Dental of Washington
Diane Oakes is the Chief Mission Officer for Washington Dental Service (WDS), a mission-driven enterprise that encompasses Delta Dental of Washington (DDWA), Arcora Foundation, and additional investments in strategies to move the needle on oral health in Washington. In this newly created role, Diane is responsible for developing strategy, leading initiatives, and influencing processes and systems across the WDS Enterprise to transform oral healthcare delivery and improve health equity. Most recently Diane was President and CEO of Arcora Foundation. Prior to that Diane worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When Diane isn’t diving deep into oral health, she is running around with her two rambunctious boys. Diane holds master’s degrees in public health and social work from the University of Washington.

Suzanne Swadener, RN, BSN, MHA 

Suzanne Swadener is a Workforce Senior Health Policy Analyst at the Washington State Health Care Authority.  She brings passion and expertise built over 30 years in clinical nursing and nursing management, managed care and health policy.  She worked for 15 years in bedside nursing and clinical management in teaching and community hospital settings.  Suzanne gained a deep understanding of the health care system during her 15 years as a contracting and clinical program manager at Group Health Cooperative (now Kaiser Permanente). Her expertise in health policy includes working at the Washington State Legislature and Health Care Authority for nearly 10 years. She is excited to bring her broad background to creating informed and strategic approaches to workforce innovation that move us forward to team-based, whole person care.

Steve Perry 

Steve Perry is a Behavioral Health Workforce Development Manager for the Washington State Health Care Authority, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery.  Steve has dedicated the past 18 year to workforce development.  Former roles include the WorkSource Systems Manager for the Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council, and Workforce Initiatives Manager for the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Meghan Regis

Workforce Innovation & Alignment Manager, Health Care Authority (HCA): Meghan oversees HCA’s new Workforce Unit, which will coordinate the agency’s wide range of external health care workforce activities. Prior to joining HCA, she served in public policy and strategic planning roles for the State of Texas; including three sessions with the Texas Legislature and organizational transformation with the Department of State Health Services. Most recently, she oversaw policy and social services programming for the largest public housing authority in Texas. 
Meghan has a Masters of Social Work with a concentration on Practice with Latinx Children & Families, and a Bachelors in Political Science. She is a recent arrival to the State of Washington and enjoys exploring state parks, learning local history, and getting way too competitive in pub trivia.