Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Partners with Nursing School of Coimbra to Create Sigma Theta Tau International Chapter Model

The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing’s (JHSON) chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Nu Beta chapter, has partnered with the Nursing School of Coimbra’s Phi Xi chapter, creating the first chapter model of its kind. The newly “twinned” chapters have created a partnership that fosters international collaboration and strategic success models between the two organizations, paving the way for other scholarly nursing organizations worldwide to increase their impact.

Kenneth Dion, PhD, RN, MSN, MBA, assistant dean for JHSON business development and strategic relationships and Sigma Theta Tau treasurer, tells Newswise.com, “The new model will serve as an example of how longstanding chapters with a history of successful recruiting and financial stability can provide guidance to up and coming chapters across the globe. This exciting opportunity to be the first “Twinned” chapter will not only strengthen the relationship between the two chapters, but may become an exemplar for similar international chapter alliances within Sigma.”

JHSON’s Nu Beta chapter was founded in 1992 and was recently inducted as Sigma Theta Tau’s first Chapter-At-Large to join an entire health system to its charter on December 5, 2018, a milestone bringing together chapter membership from the school and the Johns Hopkins Health System.

The Nursing School of Coimbra established the Phi Xi chapter in 2011, making it the 492nd chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. The partnership between these two chapters is a natural fit for the schools’ rich histories and contributions to the nursing profession and scholarly research. The new chapter partnership model will pave the way for student and faculty exchanges that result in culturally informed scholarship and policy recommendations that will influence nursing practices globally.