In July, 2013 the OHSU School of Nursing was awarded a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to recruit and enroll more underrepresented students in nursing school and support them during their educational program. This work is part of a national initiative to diversify the nursing workforce. The program, Advancing Health Equity through Student Empowerment &Professional Success (HealthE STEPS) seeks to attract and advance a diverse nursing student body within the Oregon public education system, from pre-nursing through graduate education. By diversifying the nursing workforce, we believe that minority groups will be able to identify with their health care providers, resulting in increased access to health care and improved health equity across communities.

The SON was reawarded another grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration in 2017 to launch this successful program on all five undergraduate campuses, HealthE STEPS 2.0