Nursing Government Affairs Advocates (NGAA)
The strategic goals of both The Ohio State University and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center include attracting and developing a diverse and talented team as well as providing high-quality professional development. Government affairs staff support Ohio State through the pursuit of public policy outcomes that strategically benefit the university.
The creation of the Nursing Government Affairs Advocates (NGAA) is a collaboration of our academic and medical center nursing and government affairs leadership. Its mission is to address policy, regulatory and legislative issues that impact nursing at Ohio State and to mobilize nurses to become active in government and community affairs.
Key to this collaboration is communicating the effect that proposed policies and laws will have on our nurses and their patients and profession; our students and their preparation and education; and our medical center and its health care professionals and operations. We offer quarterly town halls with guest speakers, publish updates on the HealthBeat HUB and in nursing and other newsletters, and send e-mails to inform our nursing faculty, staff and students of current matters of interest.
For more information on the NGAA and to receive its communications, please email obrien.140@osu.edu.
2024-25 Fellow for Nursing Government Advocacy
The Ohio State Nursing Government Affairs Advocates have selected Barry Frey, MSN, RN, NE-BC, associate director of nursing services for East Hospital, as the 2024-25 Fellow for Nursing Government Advocacy.
Introduced at the Dec. 16 NGAA Town Hall, Frey joined East Hospital in 2003 as a staff nurse and later served as a nurse manager. Since 2013, Frey has been an associate director of nursing services with current responsibility for six hospital departments.
From a young age, Frey has had an innate interest in government and policy-making. Through his graduate coursework, he has gained a better understanding of how public policy shapes medical center operations and, in turn, how the medical center can impact laws and rules. Frey has spent considerable time researching the issues surrounding the undocumented immigrant population and end-stage renal failure/chronic renal failure, and would like to use his knowledge of dialysis clinical operations and health policy to ensure more affordable and efficient pathways.
Through the fellowship, he hopes to influence meaningful change for our hospitals and those we serve. Currently, Frey is working toward his Doctor of Nursing Practice at the Ohio State College of Nursing with an expected graduation date of May 2026. He holds a Master of Nursing and Health Systems Management from Ohio State and received his BSN from Capital University.
The fellowship is a top priority of the NGAA and reflects the goal of providing an opportunity for nurses at Ohio State to experience the full spectrum of advocacy and further develop our health professionals into informed and skilled champions of the nursing profession and Ohio State.
The Office of Government Affairs will mentor and guide Frey through a 13- month period (December 2024-December 2025) of educational programming, shadowing opportunities and projects such as working on legislation, initiating community health programs and informing legislators through various forums. Frey will be exposed to the administrative and legislative branches of the federal, state and local levels of government, with the opportunity to engage directly with appointed and elected officials.
Executive Sponsors of NGAA
The NGAA is supported by its executive sponsors, who include:
Stephanie Milburn
Associate Vice President, Government Affairs
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Health Sciences Colleges
Karen Rose, PhD, RN, FGSA, FNAP, FAAN
Dean and Professor, Ohio State College of Nursing
Kris Kipp, MSN, RN
Executive Director of Clinical Services, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute
Chairperson, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Nurse Executive Council
Corrin Steinhauer, RN, DNP, NEA-BC, CPPS
Chief Nursing Officer, James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Deana Sievert, DNP, MSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer, University Hospital and Ross Heart Hospital