DNP student appointed to Maryland Health Care Commission.
Awawu "Awa" Ojikutu, MSN, RN, CRNP, a student in UMSON's Doctor of Nursing Practice Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner - Family specialty, has been appointed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to the Maryland Health Care Commission. Ojikutu will serve the remainder of a four-year term, ending Sept. 30, 2022, vacated by a former UMSON faculty member. She has the opportunity to be reappointed to a four-year term.
The Maryland Health Care Commission is an independent regulatory agency that provides oversight for the health planning functions of the state and approves projects for hospital services, nursing home services, and in some cases the expansion of ambulatory care services and substance use treatment. It plans for health system needs, promotes informed decision-making, increases accountability, and improves access in a rapidly changing health care environment by providing timely and accurate information on availability, cost, and quality of services to policy makers, purchasers, providers, and the public.
Ojikutu is a nurse practitioner specializing in addiction medicine, and she operates a private practice, AIM Behavioral Health Services. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Howard University and a Master of Science in Nursing degree from George Washington University. She is a proud member of Chi Eta Phi Sorority Inc., a volunteer with the American Red Cross, and a member of the Board of Directors for Lynn’s Gift Inc., a national nonprofit that supports families from low-income backgrounds.