Nurse Anesthesia Alumna Receives Inaugural Mary Karlet Service Award

As part of a history project during her time in Duke’s Nurse Anesthesia program, Emily Cyr profiled alumna Shanna Weaver, one of the first Black students to earn a Nurse Anesthesia degree from Duke.

The journey of alumna Shanna Weaver, CRNA ’07 from a small town outside of Charlotte to leadership in pediatric nurse anesthesia is a testament to determination, resilience, and a passion for excellence. Raised in Kannapolis, a town where few pursued higher education, she set her sights on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With a firm belief in her intelligence and ability, she never entertained the idea of a backup plan—Chapel Hill was her only option, and she made it happen.

Coming from a family where no one had attended a four-year college, Weaver entered UNC without a roadmap, but with an unshakable drive. While she was initially drawn to architecture due to her artistic talents, her life took an unexpected turn when she became a mother. Facing the realities of raising a child on welfare, she saw healthcare as a stable and rewarding career and graduated in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Her path took her to the pediatric ICU at Duke, and she planned to pursue a PhD in continuation of her nursing education. However, the emotional toll of working with critically ill children made her question that long-term direction. Seven months into her role, a seasoned CRNA colleague in the ICU recognized her potential and encouraged her to consider anesthesia. After shadowing that colleague in the operating room, Weaver found herself captivated by the complexity and depth of the field.

“I was blown away,” she remembered. “He quizzed me on drugs and basic anesthesia questions, and even though I didn’t know all the answers, it set in me a determination to go back to school and learn more.”

Weaver entered Duke’s 28-month CRNA program in 2005, one of the few students who had completed the required pre-courses beforehand. However, she faced unique challenges as one of the only Black students in the program, with Black women underrepresented in the field. “At one clinical site outside of Asheville I remember everyone looking at me when I began,” Weaver recalls. “I was told that I was only the second Black student to come through.”

“Sometimes people, when you would go to small hospitals, would say things like, ‘I never have seen someone that looks like you in anesthesia’,” Weaver continues. “But my philosophy was to be nice to everyone regardless of what their role is, because you never know who is going to come back to need you later.”

After completing the program, Weaver faced another critical decision—where to work. She ultimately chose UNC for its pediatric OR numbers, taking a stipend to solidify her place there. By 2010, she stepped into a leadership role as Clinical Site Coordinator (CSC), following in the footsteps of Gina Pike, a mentor she deeply respected. In this role, she committed herself to shaping the next generation of CRNAs, ensuring that students had every resource necessary to succeed.

Giving Back Through Clinical Leadership

Weaver remains one of the longest-serving CSC’s that Duke’s Nurse Anesthesia program has had to date. She was honored earlier this year at the annual White Coat Ceremony with the inaugural Mary Karlet Anesthesia Program Service Award, named in honor of Dr. Mary Karlet, who led the charge in reopening the Duke University Nurse Anesthesia Program within the School of Nursing.

For Weaver, her most meaningful achievement is the life she has built. Raised by a single mother with three children in poverty, she now provides a stable and secure life for her own family. Weaver’s work in pediatric anesthesia is more than just a job, she said; it’s a calling.

“I love what I do every single day,” she said. “You get to make a difference and you get to have fun.”

She often reflects on the importance of representation in the field. “You can’t aspire to be something you have never seen,” she said, recognizing the power of her presence in a profession where people of color remain underrepresented. Through it all, her guiding principle has been simple: be excellent, be kind, and never stop striving for greatness.