Lessons in Bravery

There are many reasons to feel deep concern about the health of our planet and the communities that inhabit it today. There are many reasons to feel overwhelmed in the face of environmental degradation and wonder, “What could I possibly do? What difference could one person make?”

Sometimes we need to see someone else model behavior to imagine what’s possible for us. At the Emory School of Nursing, this example has been Dean Linda McCauley. Here are some lessons she has modeled over the years, as told by colleagues and community partners — lessons that speak to her significance to environmental health research.

*Dean McCauley with Roxana Chicas as she defends her dissertation.*

*Dean McCauley with Roxana Chicas as she defends her dissertation.*

*Farmworker health is a focus of Dean McCauley’s Girasoles (Sunflower) Project.*

*Farmworker health is a focus of Dean McCauley’s Girasoles (Sunflower) Project.*

Step 1: Start with an unforgettable meeting

Dean McCauley is a foundational researcher in community-based participatory research, which involves partnering with communities in every research phase — from designing studies to sharing results.

The Girasoles (Sunflower) Project is an example of this methodology. A partnership between Emory School of Nursing and the Farmworker Association of Florida, the Girasoles Project has brought together farmworkers, nurse scientists, and community researchers for over a decade. Under McCauley’s guidance, they have studied occupational health hazards that affect agricultural workers, including pesticides and extreme heat.

How do you build impactful community partnerships? One meeting at a time.

“We had the best meetings,” says Jeannie Economos, pesticide safety and environmental health project coordinator for the Farmworker Association of Florida. “Everyone felt both listened to and truly heard. In our meetings, we learned from each other. We felt comfortable when we spoke that we — including the farmworkers — would not be judged. We knew that we had a voice, and that our voice mattered."

Step 2: Share the vision — and step back

According to her colleagues, a unique aspect of McCauley’s leadership style is that she shares a vision with you, provides resources, and then steps back. She trusts those around her. McCauley’s signature leap of faith has propelled outstanding accomplishments and helped shape countless career pathways.

“Dean McCauley helped me find my identity and gave a name — environmental health scientist — to my passion for preventing heat-related illness and death among agricultural workers,” says Assistant Professor Roxana Chicas 16BSN 20PhD, RN, FAAN. “She gave me opportunities I never thought possible, and she continues to mentor and push me to be fearless. Her influence has transformed my career and my family’s future; my children now see college and professional careers as the norm and feel confident in spaces that once felt out of reach.”

Step 3: It’s okay to sass, sometimes

Many barriers can impede environmental health research. McCauley has repeatedly shown her mettle by challenging those in positions of authority, as well as herself and her friends. When she errs, she takes accountability; when those around her fall short, she asks how she can help them do better.

“There are so many things I have seen in her as a servant leader that I hope to emulate,” says Nathan Mutic, MS, MAT, MEd, assistant dean of research operations for the school.

Mutic recalled a time in 2020 when funding cuts led to the dissolution of the six national Children's Environmental Health Research Centers. McCauley had been leading one of the centers at Emory, focused on understanding the environmental threats that put Black mothers and babies at disproportionate risk of outcomes like cancer, miscarriages, and early childhood illnesses.

“She was the first and most vocal center director to advocate for a new iteration of the program focused on research translation,” Mutic says, referring to the process of sharing scientific knowledge with stakeholder groups in relevant, engaging and actionable ways.

“Her first reaction was not to think about herself,” says Mutic. “It was about ensuring community voices could remain in the field.”

Her advocacy helped to inform a new wave of investment and a profession-wide shift towards translation science. At Emory, it led to the formation of the Center for Children's Health Assessment, Research Translation, and Combating Environmental Risks (CHARTER).

*McCauley (back row, center) meets with fellow children’s environmental health researchers.*

*McCauley (back row, center) meets with fellow children’s environmental health researchers.*

*Dean McCauley and students visit U.S. Rep. John Lewis (second from left) on Capitol Hill in 2013.*

*Dean McCauley and students visit U.S. Rep. John Lewis (second from left) on Capitol Hill in 2013.*

Step 4: Try, fail, learn, repeat

McCauley’s scientific achievements are many. She was among the first investigators to show a link between handling chemotherapy drugs and health risks in nurses, and she revealed ways in which women and children in agricultural communities are exposed to harmful pesticide chemicals, for example. She has also consistently advocated for doing something about these findings — engaging in White House roundtables, Congressional briefings, and Environmental Protection Agency committees.

The journey to these achievements was not linear. McCauley persisted through failure, rejection and setbacks — as every true innovator does.

“At every turn, Dean McCauley supported new ideas and risk-taking,” says Mutic. “She never dwelled on missed opportunities or failed projects. I supported her teams in the development of many proposals. Many didn’t get funded. She never wavered in her diligent, calm and positive approach.”

Step 5: Keep your feet on the ground

McCauley was raised in a rural agricultural community, and her life experiences have guided her approach as a scientist. She’s remained humble and curious, always listening first to those with whom she partners.

“She is successful because she leads with open ears, an open mind, and an open heart,” says Girasoles Project collaborator Joan Flocks, JD, MA, BS, emeritus faculty at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Step 6: Write

Science doesn’t stop with discovery. “Linda has always stressed that you don’t have real success in research unless you are getting results into the hands of the people who need it most,” says Carmen Marsit, PhD, professor of epidemiology at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health.

Dean McCauley has found joy in sharing science through writing tailored to different stakeholder groups. She has been prolific, with over 200 publications spanning policy, clinician, scientific and public audiences. These publications have included reports of national significance on topics such as the future of primary care and justice for veterans exposed to toxic substances while serving our nation.

Her span of influence as a writer extends beyond her own work. “As a reluctant writer, I am deeply grateful for a mentor who brings wisdom, vision and creativity to the way she cultivates individual potential,” says Associate Clinical Professor Angela Haynes-Ferere 01MPH 08BSN 09MSN, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN. “Without her encouragement and guidance, I might still be sitting on the sidelines.”

Step 7: Pay it forward

Dean McCauley has spent a lifetime serving patients and communities. She has paid forward everything she has learned tenfold through education, mentorship and innovative programs designed to prepare the next generation of nurse scientists.

It’s time to return the gesture by protecting her legacy: Stand for science, write and speak your truth, stand firmly with one another, do not keep what you learn for yourself, and nurture the next generation.

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

Lead Photo: Ted Pio Roda Photography