Filipino American nurse Job Marconi Mascardo has been named the 2026 individual recipient of the American Association for Men in Nursing/DAISY Foundation Health Equity Award for his contributions to advancing health equity.
Separately, Mascardo’s research on financial literacy and retirement planning among nurses highlights a gap in professional preparation. Graduate nursing students in one of his studies reported making retirement plans but averaged just 37% on a financial literacy assessment. The findings raise questions about whether nurses preparing for leadership roles have the financial knowledge needed to carry those plans out.
The study involved 165 students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Nursing distance-learning program, with a nursing administration specialization, at Wesleyan University-Philippines. Participants were employed in the Philippines and abroad, bringing different work settings and financial experiences to the research.
Their average financial literacy score was 18.35 out of 50. Meanwhile, respondents reported a level of retirement planning that the study classified as high — a contrast between preparing for the future and understanding the financial decisions that preparation requires.
The findings put nurses’ own financial preparedness under scrutiny. While graduate education prepares students to take on greater professional responsibility, Mascardo’s research asks whether that preparation also equips them to make informed decisions about savings, investments and retirement.
His study, “Preparing Financially Competent Nursing Leaders: Implications from Financial Literacy and Retirement Planning Among Graduate Nursing Students,” was published Sept. 6 in the International Journal of Research on Multidisciplinary Studies. Mascardo is listed with an affiliation to Wesleyan University-Philippines’ College of Nursing in Cabanatuan City.
A research summary provided to this publication also reported that his poster received special recognition at the Philippine Nurses Association NCR Zone 1 Manila Chapter’s 46th Annual Convention and Scientific Meeting. The convention’s theme was “Empowered Filipino Nurses: Leading Transformative Care, Advancing Health and Saving Lives.”
The study found that students with greater financial literacy tended to report more retirement-planning activity. It measured an association, however, rather than establishing that financial knowledge caused better planning. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling, not random selection, so the findings should not be treated as representative of all nursing students or nurses.
Mascardo recommended incorporating financial management education into graduate nursing curricula. He also called for future studies to test financial education programs across different nursing settings.
His research extends beyond graduate students. A separate study of 38 immigrant Filipino nurses in Missoula, Montana, examined financial literacy and retirement planning and identified comparatively lower confidence in investments such as stocks and bonds. That paper recommended practical investment education and workplace-based financial programs.
Separately, Mascardo was named the 2026 individual recipient of the AAMN/DAISY Foundation Health Equity Award. AAMN’s official honors board lists him alongside Guam Memorial Hospital Authority, which received the organizational award.
The award recognizes work advancing health equity and addressing social determinants of health — the social and economic conditions that influence health outcomes and access to care. Its selection criteria include community commitment and significant contributions to patient care or the nursing profession.
Mascardo’s financial literacy findings offer a concrete recommendation for nursing educators: Make financial education part of professional preparation, rather than leaving nurses to navigate those decisions entirely on their own. For the students in his study, planning for retirement was already a priority. The challenge was strengthening the knowledge needed to put those plans into practice.
Editor’s note: Mascardo is also scheduled to be honored among the recipients of the 16th annual The Outstanding Filipino Awards (TOFA) this month in Florida.
