Beyond Four Walls

Under Dean Linda McCauley’s leadership, the Emory School of Nursing rose from No. 26 to the No. 1 nursing school in the nation for both undergraduate and graduate programs. This distinction reflects the dedication of countless individuals, yet Dean McCauley’s service to the profession has played a pivotal role.

As dean, she has taken a system-level view of her position as a servant leader, thinking not only about what is right for the school but also for the nursing profession. This view has positioned her as someone other deans and health system leaders can turn to for guidance and support in navigating issues affecting us all.

“She’s never been constrained by her affiliation or discipline,” says Sheila Burke, RN, MPA, FAAN, strategic adviser for Baker Donelson and one of McCauley’s collaborators. “Rather, she thinks broadly about the state of nursing education, the health of the nation, and the overall effectiveness of our health care delivery system.”

Her leadership in nursing education, Burke continues, has been about broadening the scope of responsibility for educators so they may develop the workforce of the future. “Linda has urged educators to consider nursing as having shared challenges beyond the walls of any one school,” she says.

McCauley has consistently advocated for the future of nursing and health care at the national level. She has been an active leader in the National Academy of Medicine since 2009, most recently serving on its Governing Council.

She understands the power of coalition building, especially on national issues that no one leader can solve alone. She co-leads a national Council of Deans that meets regularly to address some of the most pressing challenges facing nursing schools and their practice partners today.

“Linda is a force of nature,” continues Burke. “Her legacy is one of testing limits — not only in her role as dean, but also in her role at the National Academy of Medicine and with the profession of nursing at large. She has been willing to ask questions about what works and what doesn’t.”

In 2022, Burke partnered with McCauley on the Business Case for Nursing Summit, held in collaboration with Emory’s Goizueta Business School. Held in the wake of COVID-19, when health systems faced severe financial strain from widespread nursing resignations, the summit convened national health leaders to address these challenges. The summit — and the initiatives that have followed — demonstrated the power of coalition-building and the distinctive academic-practice partnership between the Emory School of Nursing and Emory Healthcare.

The Emory Nursing academic-practice partnership, formed during the Ebola crisis, has allowed the school and health system to withstand historic challenges together. Under the joint leadership of Dean McCauley and Emory Healthcare Chief Nurse Executive Sharon Pappas, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, the two organizations have been able to pool resources, people power, knowledge, and data to design innovative solutions in nursing education and practice.

Emory’s academic-practice partnership is considered a gold standard, having won the 2019 Academic-Practice Partnership Award from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

“Linda’s yardstick for her vision is what is best for the profession,” Pappas says.

Under Dean McCauley’s leadership, the school has pioneered numerous innovative programs that are considered models of nursing education. Examples include the first nursing PhD program in Ethiopia, started in partnership with Addis Ababa University (AAU) in 2015. 

“The Emory-AAU PhD in Nursing Program has produced much-needed nurse researchers and educators to address population health needs, advance nursing research, create professional infrastructure, and train future nurse leaders in Ethiopia,” says Rebecca Gary, RN, PhD, FAHA, FAAN, director of the Ethiopian PhD collaboration. “The results of this program will reverberate for years to come.”

Rose Hayes is director of engagement at the School of Nursing.

Lead Photo: Ted Pio Roda Photography