Letter from Dean Linda McCauley

Leading the School of Nursing is one of the greatest blessings in my life. Teaching and mentoring the next generation of caregivers, innovators, researchers, and innovative leaders comes with rewards and challenges my colleagues and I take very seriously.

There are many paths to success and problems to address. 

In this issue you will read about a deep and meaningful partnership between the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and Spelman College—a historically Black liberal arts college for women in Atlanta. Our institutions recognize the growing need for nurses and the importance of a more diverse health care workforce. We created a joint degree offering, bringing together Emory nurse education and Spelman’s long history of success in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math. 

For the past seven years, the School of Nursing has welcomed Spelman graduates into one of our programs to complete a degree in nursing. All have successfully passed their NCLEX on the first try. And most stayed in the Atlanta area.  

Our role goes beyond education and well into securing the future of nursing by understanding its challenges and bringing more care and advocacy to a growing and diverse population. The personal journeys profiled in this issue represent just a few examples of how the world of nursing continues to evolve and the importance of community—in education and practice. Efforts such as these strengthen the nursing industry by increasing diversity and making training available to more aspiring health care workers. It also supports the work of HBCUs long noted for developing exceptional leaders, including Vice President Kamala Harris. 

I’m very proud of these students and excited to see what their future holds. Our partnership with Spelman is just beginning, and I’m eager to share more success stories and promote additional ways the school moves forward by innovating in all areas of teaching, research, policy, and developing new tools and procedures to advance health care. 

To complement this issue’s cover story, you’ll find details about integrating more materials and teaching on social determinants of health into the School of Nursing’s curriculum. When finished, every class offered at the school will contain elements of society, culture, environment, and policy that affect patients, particularly those experiencing health inequities. 

At most graduation and award ceremonies I leave our students with a message of encouragement and a reminder their call is more than their chosen job functions. Whether in research, administration, education, or the bedside, nurses have a duty to be the advocate for those in need. 

These are just some of the ways we’re preparing them for that most important job.

Enjoy the issue, 

Linda McCauley 79MN, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAAOHN

Professor and Dean

Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing