Bri Satterwhite graduated from Duke’s prelicensure nursing program in May 2023 and now works for 

For Sophia K. Smith, PhD, MSW, FAOSW, personal experience and challenges have helped build the foundation of her work.

“In addition to being a social scientist, I’m also a 51-year cancer survivor,” said Dr. Smith, Associate Professor at Duke University School of Nursing. “I experienced Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a teenager, and then many years later… I developed breast cancer as a late effect from the radiation therapy.”

At the inaugural Vicennial Celebration, Dean Michael V. Relf, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN led the acknowledgement of Duke University School of Nursing faculty and staff who have devoted 20 or more years of service to the School. The combined 409 years of service by these 17 individuals, Dean Relf said, have helped shape Duke into one of the top nursing schools in the world.

Shannon Monroe has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Dean’s Faculty and Staff Fellowship program.

The Growing Need for Advanced Practice Nurses in Primary Care

In response to a growing need for primary care providers, Duke University School of Nursing is expanding student enrollment in our master’s level Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Program.

When preparing to become an acute care nurse practitioner in rural Appalachia, Luke Velickoff encountered the problem that would eventually become the focus of their PhD research at Duke University School of Nursing: a lack of resources outlining best practice guidelines for the care of transgender and gender-expansive (TGE) persons during critical illness, complex disease states, or following invasive medical procedures.

Between long days in the sun, backyard grilling, and celebratory fireworks, summer brings plenty of opportunities for burns and other heat-related injuries, making it the perfect time to brush up on burn prevention and first-aid basics. Associate Professor and Vice Dean Ernest Grant, an internationally recognized burn care and fire safety expert with decades of experience in burn units, shares practical advice to help people stay safe and respond quickly if an injury occurs.

Jacqueline Lawdley is a 2017 alumna of Duke’s prelicensure nursing program, now working in the Duke University Health System.

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), often diagnosed in infancy, alters the trajectory of a patient’s life forever. The average lifespan of a sickle cell patient is roughly 20 to 30 years shorter than average due to the ongoing, constant complications that come with a SCD diagnosis. Here at the School of Nursing, we have one of the most robust programs of SCD research in the nation, with multiple nurse scientists approaching the care of patients with SCD from a variety of angles.