4th Annual Community Health Lecture Empowers Nursing Professionals

On September 30, 2024, Duke University School of Nursing hosted its 4th Annual Community Health Lecture on campus and via livestream. U.S. Public Health Service Rear Admiral and Chief Nursing Officer Jennifer Moon delivered the keynote lecture, “Strengthening the Nursing Workforce through H.O.P.E.,” emphasizing the key role that nursing professionals play in strengthening the healthcare system and improving health outcomes.

“Part of what we do as nurses is public health. Even when we’re interacting with a patient directly, we have an impact on the wider community and public health,” said RDML Moon.

RDML Moon serves in a branch of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) known as the Commissioned Corps, which is made up entirely of uniformed officers working to advance the nation’s public health. Unlike other uniformed services of the United States, the Commissioned Corps is not trained in armed combat.

“But we are armed,” said RDML Moon. “We’re armed with the knowledge and the skills to fight disease.”

As Chief Nursing Officer, Moon coordinates efforts towards improving nursing education, workforce, leadership, and service delivery across government and national advocacy organizations. Throughout her lecture, Officer Moon highlighted the importance of welcoming and nurturing early-career nurses, and she encouraged interested parties to consider a career in the Corps.

Stressing that “nurses are hope and give hope,” RDML Moon’s H.O.P.E. acronym outlined the internal values that drive the nursing profession (hope, obligation, purpose, and empowerment) as well as the external impact that nursing has (in terms of health, outcomes, promotion, and education).

“That’s what nurses do,” said RDML Moon. “We have an impact.”

This lecture was planned and coordinated by the DUSON Community Health Improvement Partnership Program (D-CHIPP) with support from the Office of Global and Community Health Initiatives (OGACHI).