11/12/2026
NYU Langone Health is helping early-career nurses build the skills and confidence to explore leadership opportunities through our Emerging Leaders Fellowship, a yearlong program that provides mentorship, hands-on learning, and training in communication, professional development, and navigating workplace challenges.
Launched in September 2025, the program has already proved to be an effective resource for nurses. After completion of the first cohort in August, 38 percent of participants moved into leadership or specialized roles.
For Andrea Certa, RN, a nurse at NYU Langone Hospital - Long Island and graduate of the first cohort, it helped her recognize the leadership skills she was already using in her daily work. “I didn’t realize how many leadership qualities you use on the unit,” she says.
Lauren Konsul, RN, an emergency department nurse at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, joined the second cohort that began this past October after taking on responsibilities as a charge nurse. “My work and this program have given me the self-confidence to believe I can be a leader,” she says.
“As nurse leaders, we have a responsibility to help our staff be the best nurses they can be,” says Melissa Silva, MSN, RN, director of nursing operations at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, who leads the program. “The Emerging Leaders Fellowship does just that, showing nurses that there are many ways to be a leader at NYU Langone and giving them the skills to lead in whichever way they choose.”
