Remembering Dr. Marion E. Broome

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Marion E. Broome, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean Emerita of the Duke University School of Nursing and Ruby L. Wilson Distinguished Professor Emerita, on June 23, 2025.

Dr. Broome was a nationally recognized expert, scholar, and leader in pediatric nursing research and practice, as well as a highly regarded academic healthcare executive. She tirelessly championed both nursing education and nursing research, as well as the broader nursing profession, and she believed passionately in nursing’s ability to create positive change in the world.

Dr. Broome received her BSN from the Medical College of Georgia, her MSN from the University of South Carolina, and her PhD from the University of Georgia. From 1973-2000, she served the United States in the Army Nurse Corps, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and in 2001 was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. She was Professor and Vice President for Research at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and then Dean of the Indiana University School of Nursing and Associate Vice-President for Nursing at Indiana University Health, where she was awarded the rank of Distinguished Professor.

Dr. Broome served as dean of the Duke University School of Nursing from 2014-2021; during this same period, she served as Vice Chancellor for Nursing Affairs at Duke University and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs for Nursing at Duke University Health System.

As dean, Dr. Broome led the School to the top of the U.S. News & World Report rankings in 2020 and 2021 and to #8 in NIH funding and research in 2020. She oversaw strategic investments for the Center for Community Health Improvement project, which focused on improving population health in the Durham, N.C. area. Dr. Broome successfully led the School’s fundraising efforts during Duke’s last capital campaign, securing $46 million, and partnered with the Duke University Health System to implement an award-winning professional development initiative for health system nurses, faculty, and nursing students. Dr. Broome also left an indelible mark on the School’s culture, founding the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging and shepherding the School through the COVID-19 pandemic.

A vocal advocate of academic-practice partnerships, Dr. Broome developed and co-led, with Duke CNO Dr. Mary Ann Fuchs, the Duke Advancement of Nursing, Center of Excellence, or DANCE, which was selected to receive the Practice Academe Innovation Collaboration Award from Sigma Theta Tau International Society of Nursing in 2017.

She consulted for a variety of educational and health systems to develop leadership capacity, including the NIH Clinical Center, University of Alabama Hospital, Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, John F Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, Liberia, University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, and the STTI Maternal-Child Leadership Academy.

Dr. Broome’s research developed and tested interventions designed to assist children to cope with acute and chronic pain, informed consent and assent for children in research, research misconduct in clinical trials, and ethical dilemmas in publishing and leadership of nurse executives. Dr. Broome’s research was published in more than 129 papers in 58 refereed nursing, medicine, and interdisciplinary journals. She also published seven books and 21 chapters on a wide range of topics, including transformational nursing leadership. Her text Marshall, E., & Broome, M. E. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader. Springer Publishing Company is used in Doctor of Nursing Practice programs nationwide.

Dr. Broome served as longtime Editor-in-Chief of Nursing Outlook, the official journal of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), and held numerous leadership positions in the field. She served a four-year term as an appointed member of the Nursing Science Study Section at the NIH, was president of the Society for Pediatric Nurses, and served on governing boards of the Association for the Care of Children's Health and the Midwest Nursing Research Society. She also served on the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science, the board of directors for the Institute for Child Success and Nurse-Family Partnership, and the board for the Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation. She was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Researcher Hall of Fame in 2010.

Dr. Broome was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 1994. Select additional honors of Dr. Broome’s include receiving the Phoebe Kandel Rohrer Founder’s Award (Distinguished Alumnus) from the Georgia Health Sciences University College of Nursing; being named Outstanding Alumna for the College of Nursing, University of South Carolina; and her selection in 2012 to receive the National League of Nursing Award for Outstanding Leadership in Nursing Education. In 2021 Dr. Broome received a Duke University Health System Nursing Living Legends Award in recognition of an individual fundamentally shaping the future of nursing, having made a transformational impact across the Duke Health system and beyond.

Knowing that this loss will affect many of you deeply, we encourage you to utilize the resources provided by Duke to support you during this time of grief.

We will be in communication again soon regarding plans to celebrate Marion’s legacy and contributions to our community. Please keep her family, friends, and colleagues in your thoughts.