Mariah Wood is an RWJF Nursing and Health Policy Collaborative Fellow. Prior to becoming a nurse, Mariah received an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of New Mexico (UNM). She then worked as a field researcher for UNM’s Institute for Social Research and co-authored a published article on community-based policing. Mariah later became an officer with the Albuquerque Police Department, serving as both a field training officer and a member of the Crisis Intervention Team.

While working as a police officer, Mariah received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from UNM. She left law enforcement in 2006 to pursue a career in nursing and has worked in the Pediatric Emergency Room at the UNM Hospital (UNMH) since that time. Mariah received her Master of Science in Nursing degree, with an emphasis in Nursing Education, from UNM in 2009. While working at UNMH, Mariah received recognition for her work as a preceptor for new nurse graduates. She also taught both didactic and clinical nursing courses to nursing students. Mariah currently serves as Chair of Breckinridge School of Nursing at ITT Technical Institute. She is a member of the American Nurses Association and the National League for Nursing. Mariah believes that participating in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nursing and Health Policy Collaborative will allow her the opportunity to network with leaders who currently influence health policy at local, state, and national levels while helping her build a strong foundation in nursing research.