Above left: Broome welcomes Healthcare Economist Peter I. Buerhaus, PhD, RN, FAAN to Duke. Above: One of Broome’s passions is mentoring future nurse leaders.
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Above right: Broome, University President Price and Duke Health leaders march against racism.
The Pandemic, Social Justice and New Leadership When the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020, Broome faced one of her greatest leadership tests to date as she led the School in making quick decisions regarding the ever-changing health crisis. She credits her executive leadership team at DUSON for working together with her to keep the School moving forward while communicating with faculty, staff and students as the situation evolved. A few months into the pandemic, the national conversation expanded to include the important issue of social justice. The racial justice crisis that unfolded brought renewed attention to what institutions were doing, or not, to remedy racial inequities. “I can hardly think about the pandemic without thinking about the racial justice crisis because they’re so interwoven,” Broome said. “People were deeply distressed and understandably so,” she said. “No matter how much we thought we had done to address diversity and inclusion, it was not enough. I felt like I was the visible face of what was wrong, and that was one of the toughest points of my career.” Part of being a leader is being able to weather crises and to learn and grow from them. Broome said her interactions with alumni have given her much needed perspective and appreciation. “When you’re in an organization, sometimes it’s easy to feel like all we’re doing is looking for ways to improve, but when you go out there and speak with people who think the School is so strong, it’s good to hear,” she said. Passing the torch of leadership to the next dean,
Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, MSN’17, PhD, MPH, LCSW, RN, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, AAHIVS, FAAN, is exciting for Broome. She feels good about the transition and looks forward to where the School is headed. “We have worked really hard as a School to build a strong sense of community,” Broome said. “That’s why we are planning now for what’s going to happen when we come back to campus and a more ‘normal’ environment. Are we still going to be the same? What resources will it take?” Broome suspects a new ethos will emerge, one that takes into account how the world’s sense of community has changed. “In a way, I’m sad I won’t be here to see it as dean, but I’ll come back to see how it’s turned out,” she says. “It’s time for a new leader, with new places for the School to go and more impact to make.” n Broome signs a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Hong Kong.
