ATLANTA -- Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing has received $3 million to create The Charles F. and Peggy Evans Endowed Distinguished Professorship in Simulation and Innovation. This professorship, which is named in honor of the generous donors who made it possible, will allow the School of Nursing to advance simulation learning and scholarship far into the future.
“We are beyond grateful to the Evans Family for their generous support,” said Linda McCauley, dean of the School of Nursing. “This endowed faculty chair will have a transformational impact on our school and our ability to prepare the next generation of nurses for today’s complex health care environment through technology and simulation.”
The School of Nursing is currently building a state-of-the-art simulation center, called the Emory Nursing Learning Center (ENLC), in downtown Decatur, Ga., a popular intown neighborhood in Atlanta. One of the skills labs in the new building will also be named the Charles F. & Peggy Evans Skills Lab in honor of the generous support from the Evans Family.
The ENLC is a 70,000-square-foot space that is expected to open in late summer 2022.
The new facility will support experiential and immersive learning for students. Simulation centers give nursing students the opportunity to prepare for real-world scenarios in a high-impact and low-risk clinical setting. The ENLC is equipped with high-fidelity infant, child, and adult manikins that can replicate human behavior through advanced technology. The manikins are life-like and can talk, breathe, cry, and perform other bodily functions. The ENLC includes a replicated nurse’s station, hospital rooms, operating rooms, and more. The ENLC will be the largest simulation center of its kind in Georgia and one of the largest simulation centers in the U.S. with five high-fidelity rooms, six skills labs, and 12 exam rooms.
The creation of this professorship is a major priority of Campaign 2036, Emory University’s most ambitious fundraising campaign to date.
The late Charles F. Evans and his wife, Peggy, wanted to impact the future of health care in Atlanta. These Atlanta philanthropists made good on that wish through a generous bequest to the School of Nursing in 2003. Their gift to Emory is continuing to make a difference in health care nearly 20 years later. This new endowed chair underscores Emory’s commitment to becoming a national leader in developing research and innovative technologies to enhance nursing education and patient care.
About the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing produces nurse leaders who are transforming healthcare through science, education, practice, and policy. Graduates go on to become national and international leaders in patient care, public health, government, research, and education. Others become qualified to seek certification as nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives. The doctor of nurse practice (DNP) program trains nurse anesthetist and/or advanced leaders in healthcare administration. The school also maintains a PhD program in partnership with Emory's Laney Graduate School.