About the Author
Dr. Janice Phillips
Dr. Janice Phillips is a nationally recognized nurse leader with fifty plus years of service in health care. As a former foster youth, she attributes her success to a social worker who told her she had potential. Janice never heard these words or any semblance of them from her biological or foster family. She is the author of over 150 articles, thirty-six opinion pieces, and five co-edited textbooks.
Her OpEds have appeared in Scientific American, U.S. News and World Report, as well as the Hill, to name a few. She has written on topics including health policy, nursing, oncology, health disparities, and the determinants of health. Janice’s OpEds on foster care underscore the urgent need to help foster youth successfully transition from aging out to adulthood.
Her recent opinion piece “Nursing Note: Reflections on 50 Years of Service” garnered over seven hundred impressions on LinkedIn and is now required reading for students attending a highly ranked graduate nursing program in Chicago.
In 2010, Janice became the first nurse on the cover of the University of Illinois’ (UIC) alumni magazine. The article “Difference Maker” described her work in reducing breast cancer disparities and captured how she realized her potential despite an abusive foster care experience. Portions of her life’s story were featured as part of the oral history project “Mapping Care: The History of Black Nurses in Chicago.”
In February 2026, Janice was featured on Chicago’s ABC special program “Black History: A Push for Foster Parents in Families of Color.” Here she championed the need for caring adults to open their hearts and homes to children in need of a loving home. During the segment, she shared her gratitude for the social worker who helped her get to where she is today.
She is a firm believer that “to whom much is given, much is expected.” Janice has dedicated her career to improving the health and wellbeing of underserved populations.
Recognition
Janice is the recipient of over sixty awards and recognitions, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. A sampling of relevant writing recognitions follows: