Rush University College of Nursing’s Assistant Dean Receives Health Care Innovation Award

Angela Moss, PhD, MSN, APRN-BC, FAAN, has been awarded the prestigious Institute of Medicine of Chicago Innovation in Health Care Award. Moss, the assistant dean of Faculty Practice at Rush University’s College of Nursing, is the sole recipient of this competitive honor, which is given annually to recognize an individual or organization that has implemented an approach, strategy or improvement in health care or health care delivery that enhances patient care, equity or improves outcomes. 

Moss will receive the award at the Institute of Medicine Leadership Summit on Dec. 17.

“Moss demonstrates all of the qualities of an innovative leader,” says Christine Kennedy, PhD, RN, FAAN, the John L. and Helen Kellogg Dean at the College of Nursing. “She is unwavering in her commitment to patient care and has at every turn responded to emerging health care needs with compassion, tenacity and respect. This award recognizes what we know about Moss — she will go above and beyond to meet the needs of the people she serves.”

As assistant dean of Faculty Practice, Moss guides the College of Nursing’s efforts to deliver comprehensive, evidence-based nursing services and direct care to diverse populations across the Chicago area. She leads the Rush Nursing Office of Faculty Practice, which works with more than 25 community partners to provide a wide range of clinical services, primarily to underserved populations.

“I am honored to be counted among this group of influential leaders,” Moss says. “My main goal is to advance the quality and equity of health care in our community, so I’ll always work to find creative solutions to the problems my patients face.”

One of the areas that Moss directs has been the College of Nursing’s community response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moss has focused her attention on vulnerable and under-resourced communities, and through her innovative and collaborative efforts across disciplines and systems, she has helped Rush deliver host more than 300 special community clinics, administer 8,000 doses of vaccine and provide more than 43,000 PCR tests.

“My main goal is to advance the quality and equity of health care in our community, so I’ll always work to find creative solutions to the problems my patients face.”

A particular focus for Moss has been the delivery of care to people experiencing homelessness. She has demonstrated this throughout her career, but this became especially salient at the start of the pandemic. The Rush Nursing Office of Faculty Practice, in collaboration with partners at the Chicago Department of Public Health and A Safe Haven Foundation, has established an isolation facility specifically designed to care for people experiencing homelessness, a population that faces particularly difficult health care challenges. This innovative nurse-led facility has cared for more than 1,000 individuals since it opened in April 2020.

In addition to her leadership in the community response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Moss has grown the Office of Faculty practice to provide Chicagoans with high-quality care. Through this office, community health nurses from the College of Nursing work directly with community-based organizations to provide on-site care. This has resulted in improved health biometrics, decreased health care costs, and high partner and patient satisfaction.

“The nurses I work alongside every day are changing lives,” Moss says. “They remind me of the power nurses have to transform outcomes, advocate for patients and lead with empathy for folks from all walks of life. I am so proud to work with these health care heroes.”