Duke University School of Nursing 90th Anniversary Posters

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1930s

Bessie Baker (1931-1938)

In 1925, James Buchanan Duke made a bequest of

$4 million to create Duke Hospital, the School of Medicine, and facilities for the education and training of nurses. The goal was to create the best medical center between Baltimore and New Orleans.

The first class of 24 students enrolled in the new diploma program on January 2, 1931. A notice placed on the bulletin board at the School of Medicine read, “These young women were selected and recruited

by Dean Bessie Baker and taught primarily by Ann Henshaw Gardiner, MS, RN, assistant professor of nursing education.”

From its beginning through 1944, the annual tuition at the School of Nursing remained at $100.

During the same period, enrollment grew from 57 to 275 students and the faculty from two to 19.

1931 - The Duke School of Nursing is founded.

1930 - Dean Wilburt C. Davison, MD, the medical school's founding dean, recruits Bessie Baker, RN, (1930-1938) to become the first dean of the School of Nursing and head of Nursing Services for Duke Hospital. Baker served as dean, instructor, recruiter, and hospital liaison at Duke University.

Margaret I. Pinkerton (1939-1946)

1931 - The Alpha Psi chapter of Sigma Kappa is installed, with a focus on education and scholarship as well as standards of health, personal grooming, and refined manners.

1931 - Baker recruited and selected the first students to enroll in the new three-year diploma program. In January, 24 young women are admitted as Duke School of Nursing’s first class in the new three-year diploma program. Tuition is $100 per year.

1932 - Construction of the Nurses Home (later renamed Baker House in honor of Dean Bessie Baker) completed.

1931 - The Duke Hospital Auxiliary is started.

1933 - First graduating class of 14 nurses received their diplomas.

1938 - The School began awarding baccalaureate degrees to students who completed two years of college along with the nursing curricula.

1934 - First meeting of the Duke Nursing Alumnae Association.

1939 - Margaret Pinkerton (1939-1946) named dean.

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1940s After Bessie Baker’s retirement in 1938, the School underwent a brief period of diminished status on campus. The School was renamed The Duke Hospital School of Nursing — the first of several times that the University, its hospital, and the School of Medicine would wrestle with the School’s proper role and purpose. Margaret Pinkerton was named dean of the School of Nursing and director of nursing service. She began her new position on October 1, 1939.

Pinkerton combined the philosophies of a teaching hospital and a university in her leadership of the School. The students, head nurses, supervisors and physicians all participated in the weekly ward conferences, at which physicians discussed disease etiology, symptoms and methods of diagnosis. A statement in the June 1941 Alumnae Notes emphasized Dean Pinkerton’s vision to combine academic and clinical education: “Next year we hope to include a definite number of hours of ward teaching in the curriculum, thus lessening the actual number of hours spent in the classroom.”

On April 30, 1941, the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) suggested that schools of nursing at Duke and elsewhere increase their enrollment to train more nurses for military, health and civilian service.

On December 7 of that year, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and the United States formally entered the World War II. Classes of 54 to 121 students enrolled in the School every nine months throughout the war.

Beginning in 1941, nursing students who had completed the entire diploma program were allowed to add another year of combined university studies to upgrade their diploma to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

During the war, many graduate nurses went abroad to support U.S. and Allied troops, leaving the care of Duke Hospital patients in the hands of nursing students and far fewer graduate nurses. From 1939 until 1946, 302 nurses graduated from the School of Nursing.

Following the war, women retreated from the labor force, and a nursing shortage developed. The need was so great that from 1947 to 1950 the School sponsored the Red Cross Volunteer Nurse’s Aide Corps, teaching Duke Woman’s College students to assist in caring for patients.

Margaret I. Pinkerton (1939-1946)

Florence K. Wilson (1946-1954)

1942 - During World War II, Duke trains cadet nurse corps and staffs U.S. Army’s 65th General Hospital in England.

1944 - The School launches a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education degree. degree.

1944 - Santa Filomena, the senior honor society of the Duke University School of Nursing, is organized to recognize achievement and promote leadership.

1946 - Florence K. Wilson (1946-1954) named dean.

1948 - A nine-month clinical course in operating room management was initiated.

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1950s

Florence K. Wilson (1946-1954)

As a professor and chair of the Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing at Duke from 1949 to 1962, Thelma Ingles directed the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education (BSNEd) degree program until it ended in 1955.

Her leadership was crucial in establishing the national and international reputation of Duke’s nursing education programs, including the nation’s first clinical master’s program.

Ingles’ ideas for nursing education and clinical practice were often ahead of her time, identifying her as a leader nationally and internationally.

These ideas were sometimes viewed as too revolutionary by the nursing associations and other schools of nursing but championed by some Duke faculty members who believed nurses should be able to provide advanced clinical care and recognize the signs of disease within a sophisticated understanding of human physiology.

These new degree programs necessitated better educational preparation for instructors, and many of the nursing staff members of the Hospital and School took courses in nursing education to became eligible for faculty rank. By 1950, there were 19 faculty members, many prepared with bachelor’s degrees in nursing education. The student body at the School of Nursing numbered 141.

In the early 1950s the School’s Curriculum Committee planned a new four-year program integrating general and professional education to lead to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. In 1953, while maintaining its diploma program, the School launched its new BSN program.

For Fall 1953, the cost for one semester of the BSN degree program was $540: $175 for tuition, a $75 general fee, $80 for room rent, $200 for board and $10 for laundry.

The School of Nursing stopped admitting students to the diploma program in 1957 in favor of the new generic BSN program. The last class of diploma program students graduated in 1959.

1950 - An advanced program in medical-surgical nursing within the BSNEd program was created.

1950 - A master’slevel psychiatric nursing program began.

Thelma Ingles

1952 - Hanes House opens as a dormitory for Duke nursing students.

1955 - Ann Jacobansky (1955-1967 and interim 1970-1971) named dean.

1953 - In response to the challenges of increasingly specialized health care and greater patient responsibility for nurses, the School starts a four-year professional program leading to a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree.

Ann Jacobansky (1955-1967) Interim Dean (1970-1971)

1957 - The original Medical School and Hospital are renamed “Duke University Medical Center.”

1956 - Duke Hospital creates nurse clinician position.

1958 - Under the leadership of Thelma Ingles, MA, RN, professor and chair of the Department of MedicalSurgical Nursing from 194962, Duke develops the clinical nursing specialist program, the first master’s program of its kind in the United States.

This program prepared nurse leaders with advanced clinical knowledge in the delivery and teaching of nursing care.

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1960s The 1960s was a decade in which tensions persisted in the governance of the School of Nursing, as its faculty and administration felt pulled between the vice provost for professional schools and the vice provost for health affairs (who was also the dean of the School of Medicine and a professor of neurosurgery). The 1963 accreditation report from the North Carolina Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education pointed out that the School officially reported to the vice provost for health affairs, and this placed the School of Nursing under the School of Medicine, essentially rendering the program a department. The report cautioned that this “traditionalism” could stifle progress.

In the midst of this challenging time, Myrtle Irene Brown was appointed as the new dean for the School in 1967. Her responsibilities included both nursing education in the School and nursing service in the Hospital. This was the second attempt to unify nursing service and nursing education. From February to July 1970, Brown took a medical leave of absence for illness, and Ann Jacobansky returned as acting dean of the School and remained in that post until June 1971.

Brown led the School during a period when activist Duke Students were demanding an end to racial segregation and discrimination. On November 13, 1967, School of Nursing students joined others from across the campus for a sit-in at Duke University President Douglas Knight’s office in the Allen Building.

In 1967, the first African-American student entered the School of Nursing.

Donna A. Harris was a pioneer for her time and eventually returned to the school as a researcher after spending decades as a clinical instructor, public health nurse and school nurse. In 2011, she received the trailblazer award from the School for her contributions to the field of nursing and her efforts to break down racial barriers. In 1966, just one year before Harris enrolled as a student, Roger Voelkel and Don Brown became the first male students at the School of Nursing as part of the U.S. Navy Enlisted Nursing Education Program.

1960-1961 - Sixteen new graduates of Duke’s BSN program institute the Hanes Project, the first primary care nursing project in the country.

Ann Jacobansky (1955-1967) Interim Dean (1970-1971)

Myrtle I. Brown (1967-1970)

1963 - Ruby L. Wilson, EdD, RN, FAAN, is promoted to Duke Hospital’s first clinical nurse specialist, providing care for dialysis and kidney transplant patients in the Division of Nephrology.

Wilson also developed a training program for corpsmen that led to the later development of Duke’s Physician Assistant Program.

1966 - Roger Voelkel and Don Brown became the first male students at the School of Nursing as part of the U.S. Navy Enlisted Nursing Education Program.

1965 - Virginia Stone, PhD, RN, develops and implements the first gerontological master’s degree program for nurses interested in caring for older adults.

1967 - Myrtle Irene Brown (1967-1970) named dean.

1967 - Donna A. Harris became the first AfricanAmerican student.

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1970s In 1971, Ruby Wilson was appointed dean, ushering in a new chapter for the School.

University Chancellor Jack Blackburn was pivotal in recruiting Wilson for the deanship. Wilson accepted the position under three conditions: the recently closed Master of Science in Nursing degree program would reopen, an endowment fund would be created, and the dean would be appointed to highlevel University and Medical Center policy committees with voting privileges.

At the start of Wilson’s term as dean, the School ushered in a major curriculum revision for the BSN program that focused on clinical knowledge and performance to prepare students as clinical nurses.

As part of the revamped BSN program, Wilson created a public health component of the curriculum that gave students the option to work at a veteran’s hospital in Asheville or a rural hospital in Smithfield, North Carolina.

Students would carpool to the Smithfield hospital and stay overnight in a hotel. The next morning, the students would be given bicycles and ride to patients’ homes, where they conducted blood pressure checks, reviewed diets and nutritional information, and discussed current treatment plans. After the home

Ann Jacobansky (1955-1967) Interim Dean (1970-1971)

visits, the students would bike back to the hospital and return to Duke.

To further expand students’ experiences, Wilson also created a study abroad program. Each semester eight senior students along with one faculty member would travel to England to study a non-American health system in a community nursing setting.

In December 1978, Chancellor Kenneth Pye released the report “Planning for the Eighties” that would alter the School’s future at Duke. The report detailed an impending financial crisis, caused by high inflation and a recession, as well the need for refocusing the curriculum of the university. Although limited in its specific details, the “Pye Report,” as it was known, asserted that Duke’s trustees should consider eliminating or scaling back academic departments or schools to save money.

In August 1979, Pye released a list of University departments slated for elimination. The list included the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; the School of Education; the School of Forestry and Environmental Science; the Duke University Marine Laboratory; the Department of Sociology; and the School of Nursing.

1970 - Wilma A. Minniear, a former associate professor in the School, becomes Duke Hospital’s first executive director of nursing services. During her 14-year tenure, she leads the planning of Duke Hospital’s North Division, establishes the first quality assurance program in nursing in the U.S., and raises Duke’s nursing staff levels from 167 to 1,200 despite nationwide nursing shortages.

1970 - Ann Jacobansky serves as interim dean.

1971 - The BSN program implements a major curriculum revision.

Ruby L. Wilson (1971-1984)

1971 - Women’s Field Hockey is recognized as a sport at Duke.

The team was founded by DUSON students.

1971 - Ruby L. Wilson named dean.

1973 - MSN program was reinstituted with a curriculum preparing nurses as generalists or clinical specialists and offered a post-master’s certificate in either teaching or administration.

1972 - Beta Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing, was established at Duke with a charter membership of 100 students, faculty and alumni.

1979 - Chancellor Pye released a list of University departments slated for elimination including the School of Nursing.

1978 - Chancellor Kenneth Pye released the report “Planning for the Eighties.”

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1980s In reaction to the decision to close the School, the Coalition to Support the Duke University School of Nursing was formed. Campus protest marches and letter writing campaigns were organized to the trustees and administrators. Supporters distributed pamphlets at the 1980 homecoming parade and at halftime for the football game against Wake Forest University.

Also during this time, students, faculty, alumni and supporters — including deans from other schools of nursing, members of professional nursing associations, and medical practitioners who worked with nurses from the School—sent hundreds of letters of support for the School to Chancellor Pye and University trustees.

Behind the scenes, Wilson worked to preserve the School and spoke passionately before the trustees to keep Duke’s nationally-recognized nursing school. Despite the best efforts of the School of Nursing, however, the trustees voted in December 1980 to eliminate the BSN program.

Wilson was able to preserve the small master’s program and the School’s basic structure within the Duke organization. In 1980, the last class of students—60 women in total—were admitted to the bachelor’s program in nursing.

During the next four years, Wilson’s main focus was retaining the School’s faculty to maintain academic excellence and successfully graduating the remaining classes of students. The final class of BSN students at Duke University School of Nursing graduated in 1984. Every single member of this class would go on to pass their state board exams on their first attempt, a bittersweet achievement.

1980 -The new $94.5 million, 616-bed Duke North Hospital opens, bringing the total beds to over 1,000.

Ruby L. Wilson (1971-1984)

Nationwide, several other private nursing schools were closed, including the distinguished programs at Cornell University, Stanford University and Boston University.

The prevailing sentiment of the time was that nursing education was expensive and not consistent with the mission of elite, private universities.

The School was effectively closed for most of 1984 and part of 1985. The existing faculty, which had once numbered at more than 25, dwindled to about 10. Rachel Z. Booth became the new dean of the School, and Wilson became assistant to the chancellor for health affairs.

Booth spent most of her first year developing a new curriculum for the master’s program. She surveyed national leaders, spoke with the School’s alumni, and carefully analyzed the needs and priorities of the Hospital.

Based on a national market study determining where MSN-prepared nurses would be most needed during the next five to ten years, her assessment culminated in a plan to refocus the master’s program and offer three specialty areas — oncology, critical care, and nurse leadership. Interwoven within each of the three areas was an emphasis on client systems, adaption, technology, ethics, role development, and inquiry and research.

Booth left DUSON in 1987, and long-time faculty member Dorothy Brundage became dean. For the next several years, the fate of the School was somewhat uncertain.

Brundage focused on maintaining stability for the School. She worked to keep DUSON operating normally and the master’s program students engaged and challenged. She also supported the teaching, advising and governance responsibilities of the faculty members.

1984 - The final students of the traditional four-year BSN program graduate, and the master’s program is closed for a curriculum overhaul as part of Duke University’s retrenchment.

1984 - Rachel Z. Booth (1984-1987) named dean.

1984 - Eight Duke nurses join three pilots to form Duke Life Flight, North Carolina’s first private hospital-based helicopter transport service.

Rachel Z. Booth (1984-1987)

1987 - Dorothy Brundage (1987-1990) named interim dean.

1985 - Master of Science Program re-opens with new curriculum.

Dorothy Brundage (1987-1991)

1988 - Duke University Hospital establishes the Clinical Ladder Program to award nursing excellence at the bedside. In subsequent years, the program would grow to encompass three tracks, administration, clinical, and education and helps to establish succession planning for the nursing staff with focuses on leadership and career development.

1988 - Friends of Nursing at Duke developed. This program is designed to recognize professional excellence in nursing practice, education, and research and to promote the image of nursing as a positive career choice.

1978 - Women’s Health Nursing Internship and the Medical Specialty Nursing Internship initiated at Duke.

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1990s With the arrival of Dean Mary T. Champagne in 1991, the School began a period of restoration and growth that continues to the present day.

Champagne said when she first arrived at the School of Nursing, she believed that it was still capable of great success despite the recent downsizing.

Champagne petitioned to be included in the Medical Center Leadership Committee and the Deans Council for the University; the dean for the School of Nursing had not participated on the boards of leadership and governance since the retrenchment in 1984.

At the start of Champagne’s tenure, one of her first priorities was expanding the master’s program in an effort to meet the country’s increasingly urgent need for highly skilled, specialized nurses. The MSN program had been limited to three areas of study: oncology, critical care and nurse leadership. With input from faculty, over the next decade 11 new master’s majors were created that integrated seamlessly into the Duke University and Health System landscapes.

The growing elderly population with longterm, chronic, and acute health care needs remains one of the most critical issues facing nursing professionals. In 1991, as one of the first areas of growth within the School, the Gerontology Nurse Practitioner program was launched in collaboration with the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human

1991 - With the arrival of Mary T. Champagne as dean, the School of Nursing of enters a period of tremendous growth.

Dorothy Brundage (1987-1991)

Development; it was the first program of its kind offered in North Carolina.

Collaboration was key in creating new programs within the School. Partnerships with physicians in the neurological intensive care unit helped create the adult acute care nurse practitioner program, and working with the neonatal department was instrumental in the creation of the neonatal nurse practitioner program. Recognizing a critical national shortage of nurse anesthetists, the School also collaborated with Duke’s Department of Anesthesiology, Durham Regional Hospital and Durham Anesthesiology Associates to develop a nurse anesthesia program.

In 1992, the School launched a distance learning program through a partnership with the Southern Regional Area Health Education Center for nurses living in nine rural and underserved counties in North Carolina. In 1995, the School began the first-ever online, distance-based graduate program for nurses working in rural areas of the state.

In 1993, the creation of the Duke Nursing Research Center, through a partnership with Nursing Service at Duke Hospital, was the School’s first venture into faculty-led nursing research. Ultimately, the leadership at the School wanted to create a PhD program but first needed to foster an atmosphere conducive to student and faculty inquiry.

1992 - North Carolina’s first Master’s Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Program begins at Duke. Other nurse practitioner programs soon follow, including pediatric, acute care and oncology/HIV.

1992 - The first distance-learning program was launched.

1983 - Duke Nursing Research Center created to foster faculty-led research.

Mary T. Champagne (1991-2004)

1995 - Duke’s family nurse practitioner program launches one of eight national projects designed to address disparities of care in rural areas.

1996 - Marva Price joined DUSON as the School’s first African-American faculty member.

1996 - School of Nursing alumna Brenda Nevidjon becomes the first registered nurse to hold the position of chief operating officer of Duke University Hospital.

1999 - New Health and Nursing Ministries Program created, combining master’s-level work in theology and advanced nursing practices.

1998 - Duke Health System expands to include Duke Health Raleigh Hospital, Durham Regional Hospital, Duke Health Community Care and Duke University Affiliated Physicians, adding several hundred more nurses into the Duke Nursing family and expanding learning opportunities for nursing students.

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2000s Over time, the research at the School evolved to focus on health disparities and underserved populations. In 2000, important funding from the National Institutes of Health created the Trajectories of Aging and Care Center, which was a major step towards creating the PhD program that eventually launched in 2006. The Center became a catalyst in attracting and mentoring the next generation of research faculty while also building the School’s scientific and research base.

In 2002, the School launched a new second degree program in nursing. Amid a serious shortage of entry-level nurses, the School created an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) Program with a $6 million grant from the Helene Fuld Health Trust; it was the largest grant the School had been awarded by that time. Concurrently with the launch of the new ABSN Program, the School also established the Center for Nursing Discovery (CND), a state-of-the-art simulation and clinical education facility within the School.

The 13 years that Dr. Champagne was dean were a significant for the School. Under her leadership, the School experienced explosive growth, attracted entrepreneurial faculty, entered into new interdisciplinary partnerships, and established a renowned research program. Student enrollment also skyrocketed from 50 in 1991 to 374 in 2003.

In 2004, Catherine L. Gilliss, a 1971 graduate of Duke’s undergraduate nursing program, became

2000 - Trajectories of Aging and Care Center became the first Duke center funded by the NIH Research and was a major step toward creating a PhD program.

Mary T. Champagne (1991-2004)

the first alumna to serve as dean of the School of Nursing. In the mid-2000s, the School opened the new PhD and Doctor Nursing Practice (DNP) programs in response to both the School’s growth in research as well as to produce the next generation of nurse leaders, researchers and faculty members.

The new PhD in nursing program admitted its first students in fall 2006 and addressed urgent health care issues of chronic illnesses, the shortage of faculty to teach in schools of nursing, and the need for ongoing nursing research.

In 2008, the School developed a doctoral program designed to prepare nurses for the most advanced leadership positions in clinical care. Once again, the School was at the vanguard, as Duke was the first nursing school in North Carolina to offer the new DNP degree.

As the School grew in prominence regionally and nationally, the Office of Global and Community Health Initiatives (OGACHI) was launched in January 2006. The global view of the School mirrored the growing global interest happening on the Duke campus through teaching, research and service.

Dorothy Powell was recruited to serve as the first director of OGACHI, which focused on addressing health disparities locally and abroad through academic programming, professional service and research development.

2001 - The Nurse Anesthesia Program re-established as a graduate nursing specialty that awarded a master’s degree.

2001 - Duke School of Nursing ranked #27 of 200 graduate nursing programs in 2001 U.S. News & World Report ranking.

2002 - New 18-month ABSN program for students who already have their college degree is established to address the national nursing shortage.

2004 - Catherine L. Gilliss becomes the first alumna to serve as Dean and Vice Chancellor for Nursing Affairs.

Catherine L. Gilliss (2004-2014)

2004 - The Center for Nursing Research helps Duke reach 23rd in National Institutes of Health research funding.

2006 - New PhD program admits first class of students.

2005 - Ground is broken on a new facility to physically unite all nursing education and research programs on one campus.

2008 - New DNP program admits first class of 25 students, specializing in translational science.

2007 - Duke School of Nursing ranked 5th among all private schools of nursing and 15th overall in U.S. News & World Report ranking.

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2010s DUSON emerged onto the world nursing in the 2010s. The School saw the growth of its prestige reflected in the numbers of students and faculty that it attracted but also of physical expansion, worldwide recognition and academic program development.

In 2010 the School was ranked #1 Best Nursing School for Men in Nursing by the American Assembly for Men in Nursing. The first of five such designations DUSON would receive over the decade (2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019). Likewise, the School saw its NIH-funded researching rankings break into the Top 10 for nursing schools and remain one of the leading nursing research institutions in the country.

U.S. News and World Report rankings also recognized the development happening at DUSON as the report continually ranked the School and many of its programs as being among the best in the country.

In the span of five short years, the School launched the first online HIV-AIDS MSN Specialty in the nation (2013), a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program (2014), the nation’s first adult MSN Endocrinology Specialty (2016), Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program (2017), a DNP Executive Leadership Specialty (2017), and a Pediatric Behavioral and Mental Health Specialty (2018).

2010 - DUSON ranked #1 Best Nursing School for Men in Nursing by the American Assembly for Men in Nursing, the first of five such designations during the decade.

Catherine L. Gilliss (2004-2014)

From 2010 to 2019, the school underwent two major building expansions with the addition of more than 147,000 square feet of new nursing and interprofessional education space. Also during this time the main nursing building was named in honor of 1984 BSN graduate Christine Pearson who, along with her husband, donated $15 million to the School, the largest single donation in DUSON has ever received.

Marion E. Broome was named dean of the School of Nursing; vice chancellor for nursing affairs, Duke University; and associate vice president for academic affairs for nursing, Duke University Health System in 2014. Broome continued the DUSON’s leadership role as the National League for Nursing presented the School with three National Center of Excellence designations and expanded partnerships with the Duke University Health System through the Duke Advancement of Nursing, Center of Excellence (DANCE) initiative and the creation of the DUSON Community Health Improvement Partnership Program, D-CHIPP. Recognizing the crucial importance of ensuring a diverse and inclusive environment during increasingly complex times, the School received the prestigious The INSIGHT into Diversity HEED Award (2016) and open its Office of Diversity and Inclusion in 2018.

2012 - Ground is broken on a 45,000-square foot addition to the Christine Siegler Pearson Building.

Marion E. Broome (2014-Present)

2015 - DUSON and Duke University Health System launch the launch the DANCE initiative.

2016 - DUSON receives The Insight into Diversity HEED Award.

2016 - The DUSON Community Health Improvement Partnership Program (D-CHIPP) launched.

2017 - Nurse Anesthesia students complete their graduate studies earning the DNP degree.

2018 - Duke School of Nursing ranked #1 among graduate schools of nursing in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.

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2020 The new decade was kicked off by the World Health Organization proclaiming 2020 as The Year of the Nurse. Little did anyone know the important role that nurses would play on the world’s stage in just a few short weeks.

In late February 2020, focus had shifted towards fighting a global pandemic of the novel COVID-19 virus.

At Duke, University and Health System leadership began planning for how to respond to this deadly threat. At DUSON, leaders organized the School to shift its didactic courses to a virtual format, while others planned for meeting the stringent requirements that a reentry to campus would demand.

At the center of Duke’s ramp up efforts was the School’s Health Innovation Lab that served as a fasttrack testing site for the development of personal protective equipment and operational testing that the University and Health System was requiring.

Across the campus and across the country, DUSON faculty, staff and students responded to the call for help on the COVID-19 front lines. Thousands of DUSON students, faculty and alumni

Marion E. Broome (2014-Present)

volunteered for hazardous assignments or placed their personal lives on hold to meet the professional demands that were needed from the nursing profession.

Simultaneous to the pandemic, the United States was gripped in societal conflict as the nation struggled with the impact of racism at every level of our culture. In response, Duke University and Health System made addressing racism and creating a more diverse, welcoming environment on campus and in our health care system a top priority.

Broome join Duke leaders in a variety of public and private events to raise awareness, engage in dialogue, and put into practice the values and convictions that that the University and Health System community share.

The first part of the new decade has demonstrated in the most extreme terms the value and importance of nursing. The efforts given this time

by DUSON students, faculty, staff and alumni prove why, throughout the last 90 years, the School has become a Destination for Outstanding Talent and will continue to be for the next 90 years.

2020 - The World Health Organization proclaimed 2020 the Year of the Nurse

2020 - DUSON ranked #7 among online graduate nursing programs and #4 best online graduate nursing program for veterans.

2020 - The School reaches 9th in NIH-funded research for nursing schools nationally.

2021 - DUSON ranked #2 among graduate school of nursing in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.