alumni
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elinda Giuffre Barker received an Associate of Science degree from Ferrum College in 1978. While on campus she was involved with the student council and served as the first Vice President of the Student Government Association. During her tenure she helped to pave the way for coed dorms and for female representation on the council. Following graduation Barker attended Alfred University in New York and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1980. After a nursing career lasting close to 30 years, she returned to school at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, and in 2004 earned a Master of Science degree and licensure as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Barker did not stop there. Continuing her studies at Hampton University, she completed her Ph.D. in nursing research with a dissertation exploring the daily psychosocial factors involving chronic hepatitis C patients. She currently works as an assistant professor in the college’s School of Nursing and as a lobbyist in support of screening, education and treatment funds for the hepatitis C population in Richmond and Washington, D.C.
Melinda Giuffre Barker, Ph.D, RN, FNP, BC ’78 2 0 1 0 Disting u ished A lu mni Award “ I am honored by this award from Ferrum. It is always nice to go back to my ‘home’ in the mountains. I so love the college and I think it’s fantastic to see all of the great things going on there.”
As founder and clinical facilitator of a hepatitis C support group, Barker considers her most cherished achievement (besides her daughters) to be her work with patients and her research on their behalf. Her publications include articles for the Sigma Theta Tau International-Nursing Society (STTI), the Council of American Nurse Science (CANS) and the Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS) – three of the most prestigious reference publications in the field of nursing science. Melinda Giuffre Barker epitomizes the Ferrum College motto “Not Self, But Others.” With the 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award she will continue as a vivid role model for both current students and alumni across the country.
– Melinda Giuffre Barker, Ph.D., RN ’78
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Ferrum Magazine | Winter 2010–2011