Twin sisters Kaylan Sharp and Kiera Davis (formerly Kaylan and Kiera Larsen) graduated from Duke University School of Nursing’s prelicensure program in 2011 and 2010, respectively. Now, they own and operate Baby Mama, a business that provides support around pregnancy, birth, and postpartum to families in Denver, Colorado. Below, they share their individual nursing experiences and their combined journey towards creating Baby Mama.

Michael Relf, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, Mary T. Champagne Distinguished Professor of Nursing and Dean of the Duke University School of Nursing, met with pre-licensure students Caitlin McClear and Vernon Stepney, Jr., to get insights from the next generation of nurses as they pursue their nursing education at Duke. Watch the video (full transcript available on Vimeo) or check out highlights below.

Duke University School of Nursing Celebrates Excellence with 2026 Faculty and Staff Awards 

Duke University School of Nursing proudly announces the recipients of the 2026 Faculty & Staff Awards. The awards celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of faculty and staff whose dedication continues to advance the school’s mission and strengthens our impact. 

Faculty, students, postdoctoral scholars, and alumni from the Duke University School of Nursing and Duke University Health are prominently featured in a newly published special issue of Advances in Nursing Science titled “Evolutions in Nursing Theory.” The issue, co-edited by Sharron L. Docherty, PhD, PNP, FAAN, Vice Dean of Nursing Research at Duke University School of Nursing and Danny G.

At the Duke University School of Nursing First Annual Rural Health Symposium, the audience emphasized key common terms in crowd-sourced word cloud activities: innovation, collaboration, and community.

“It was gratifying to see the group coalesce around these themes, since a key driver of this event has been the idea that innovation comes from collaboration,” said Dr. Devon Noonan, Associate Dean for Community Engaged Science and Director of Rural Health Equity.

Michael Relf, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, Mary T.

Duke University School of Nursing is celebrating a historic milestone for nursing leadership globally. Six nurse experts from Rwanda have graduated with their Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees and are the first known DNP graduates in Rwanda and on the African continent.

Jennie De Gagne, PhD, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, is a Professor at the Duke University School of Nursing and Director of the Nursing Education Major. Dr. De Gagne has experimented with AI in her research and teaching, facilitated global conversations on AI among nurse educators, and created resources to ensure that nursing-specific AI tools are widely accessible.

With a Duke Nursing degree, Lester Manalo BSN’09 embarked on a unique career trajectory, moving from work with babies recovering from cardiac surgery, to a nurse practitioner degree, to a community health organization, to a role in a US embassy, to his current leadership role in university health. He shares insights from his journey, highlighting the versatility of nursing.