New Appointments
Two faculty members have been named to endowed chairs, the highest of university accomplishments. The School of Nursing also welcomed a new administrator and faculty member and congratulated another administrator’s return to research.
Deborah Watkins Bruner PhD RN FAAN has been named the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Nursing. She is the first nurse to hold a Woodruff professorship, the highest distinction for Emory faculty.
Bruner joined Emory last fall as professor of nursing and associate director of cancer outcomes at Winship Cancer Institute. She is known for her work with the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-supported Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). She is the first and only nurse to lead research in an NCI national clinical community oncology program and serves as RTOG vice chair for outcomes.
Ann E. Rogers PhD RN FAAN now holds the Edith F. Honeycutt Chair. An expert on sleep disorders and chronic disease management, Rogers led the Staff Nurse Fatigue and Patient Safety Study, which led to sweeping changes in nursing policies in clinical settings throughout the country.
The chair that Rogers holds was established in 1990 by the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta to honor Edith Honeycutt 39N, an oncology nurse at Emory University Hospital and a private nurse to the Woodruff family. The Honeycutt Chair is the first endowed chair at a major university named for a staff nurse.
After serving as associate dean since 2006, Ken Hepburn is stepping down to pursue his own research interests. Under his guidance, the school garnered the largest research grant in its 107-year history, attracted the nation’s top nurse scientists to Emory, launched evidence-based practice programs with hospital partners, and created more research opportunities for undergraduate students.
Hepburn is widely recognized as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on caregiver stress and Alzheimer’s disease. He and Marsha Lewis, formerly associate dean for education, developed the Savvy Caregiver Program—a transportable caregiver education program now used in nine U.S. states and Italy.
Ruthanne Porreca has been named assistant dean for research administration. In this newly created position, Porreca will facilitate grant preparation for the Office of Nursing Research.
She is a certified research administrator who previously oversaw grant preparation at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing.
Research Assistant Professor Ashley Darcy PhD RN NNP-BC is an expert in neonatology, infant health, developmental pediatrics, and brain injury. Her current research focuses on developmental outcomes of high-risk infants. Darcy completed her MSN and PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as the research assistant for the Late Preterm Infant Initiative, led by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses and Johnson & Johnson. After completing her studies at Penn, Darcy served as a neonatal nurse practitioner in her hometown of Miami. She currently chairs the research committee for the Florida Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners.
