Leading the Way: NURSE ENTREPRENEURS OF COLOR
Make Possibility a Reality
Four alumni seized the opportunity to start their own businesses. Now they are helping patients and communities in their own ways. Cleopatra Kum knew she wanted to establish a business with a familycentered care model that allowed older adults to age in place. But entrepreneurship concepts were not a part of her nursing education. “It was hard at the beginning because, as you might guess, as a nurse I had close to no entrepreneurial knowledge,” says Kum, a 2021 graduate of UC’s PhD in Nursing program and a UC College of Nursing faculty member. With help from regional organizations and mentors in the business and nursing fields, along with many hours of business trainings and research,
By: Laura Toerner
Kum made it happen. After going through the process, she hopes to bring more awareness to entrepreneurship in nursing and inspire other nurses, especially nurses of color. For decades, health organizations like the Institute of Medicine and American Nurses Association have called for more support for nurses to lead in creating and adopting innovative care models, health devices, IT products and more. On the frontlines of health care, nurses are poised to recognize these opportunities, yet only 0.5% to 1% of working nurses worldwide are entrepreneurs.
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