Joshua Minks, an assistant teaching professor in UMSL’s College of Nursing, is serving a second term on the Jonas Scholar Alumni Council. Minks was named a Jonas Scholar in 2016 while completing his PhD at UMSL. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)
For Joshua Minks, being named a Jonas Scholar was nothing short of transformative.
An initiative of Jonas Philanthropies, the national Jonas Scholars program helps doctoral nursing students become leaders in research, academia and advanced clinical practice by providing them with financial support, mentorship and leadership development.
Minks, now an assistant teaching professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, was named a Jonas Scholar in 2016 while completing his PhD at UMSL. The experience left such a mark on him that he jumped at the chance to join the Jonas Scholar Alumni Council, which seeks to amplify the program’s impact.
“It connected me to a network of visionary nurse leaders who believe in advancing care through compassion, evidence and leadership,” Minks said. “The support allowed me to focus on my research and develop as a change agent in my field. Now, as a part of the Alumni Council, I’m completely honored to give back and mentor new scholars and ensure the Jonas legacy in continuing to empower nurses to make a lasting impact.”
Minks first joined the Jonas Scholar Alumni Council in 2022 and started a second term this semester. The 10-person council consists of members from across the country who aim to support new scholars and advance nursing research more broadly. The council’s three-tiered approach focuses on providing mentoring opportunities for Jonas Scholar alumni, creating networking opportunities for alumni to connect and collaborate and creating learning opportunities for alumni, such as webinars with content-matter experts.
“We look at how we can support new nurse scholars, who are typically doctoral nursing students that have a high potential for nursing research or leadership,” Minks said. “We look at supporting them in their roles as doctoral students and helping them to develop their skills so that they can eventually give back. There are different ways that we go about supporting these individuals as they transition from being students in academia to being scholars or academics.”
That work is especially important today, as many universities or institutions are limiting resources provided for early career researchers. With that in mind, Minks is especially proud of UMSL’s Early Career Research Network, a year-long, cohort-based program that provides monthly research and grant-related professional development and networking. As a Jonas alum himself, he’s excited to help offer even more resources for doctoral nursing students to become leaders in the field.
“Jonas gave me the opportunity to develop my skills in leadership and scholarship,” Minks said. “As a result, I have honed my expertise in the area of psychoneuroendocrinology and teach students about stress, adaptation and the relationship with the development of chronic diseases. My greatest contribution to health care inequity may be helping people develop stress resilience to uncontrollable circumstances as a primary prevention measure for the development of chronic disease. I believe UMSL can help me in that mission.”
