New Jersey professor honored for championing Filipino nurses in U.S.

William Paterson University professor of nursing and Department Chair Leo-Felix Jurado received the Gawad Alab Ng Lahi (Flame of the Race) award for his “consistent advocacy for Filipino nurses in the United States.”

Dr. Leo-Felix Jurado was cited for his academic accomplishments nursing practice, as well as his community service, leadership and mentorship. WPU

The award from the Philippine Consulate General of New York and the Hiraya Foundation for Filipino American Heritage Preservation honors the exceptional contributions of Filipino-Americans.

Jurado was cited for his academic accomplishments nursing practice, as well as his community service, leadership and mentorship.

As past president of the Philippine Nurses Association of America, Jurado spearheaded a fundraising effort to rebuild a Gawad Kalinga Village in the Philippines, when many of its residents were left homeless by a natural disaster. The village now has 50 homes for the poor.

Jurado also founded the Journal of Nursing Practice and Reviews of Research, an international peer-reviewed publication. He also continued the Balik Turo (Giving Back) educational program, with Filipino nurses returning to the Philippines as mentors to share evidence-based practice with other nurses.

As past president of the New Jersey Board of Nursing, Jurado also oversaw the approval of new nursing programs in the state and lobbied for changes in the state’s nurse licensure procedure to make licensure more equitable and accessible to foreign-educated nurses. He advocated for the same in Michigan and Virginia.

Jurado began teaching nursing full time after a career as a nurse manager in an area hospital. He came to William Paterson University from County College Morris in 2011 as an adjunct, and full time in 2012. He is a published researcher with a focus on foreign-born nurses and men in nursing.

“I would like to be remembered as that young man, coming to America, being ambitious, and having the courage, always motivated and driven to do something good for my fellowmen,” Jurado says in a video introducing him on the award website.