FROM THE DEAN

The same can be said of health care. It takes a host of players to address the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Undoubtedly, health care professionals including nursing clinicians, leaders, researchers, and educators are part of this effort. But to have a real and lasting impact, health care must be a partnership with the individuals and communities we are called to serve. It must involve a myriad of stakeholders — nonprofit organizations, governmental leaders and agencies, corporate partners, volunteers, donors, and many others.

The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing has embraced this kind of partnership throughout its history. Over the past 20-plus years, this partnership has been embodied in the Lillian Carter Center for Global Health & Social Responsibility, which focuses on community engagement, student service learning, and global health. This center’s work has evolved more recently to incorporate a laser focus on community-engaged research, resulting in over $20 million in federal funding for research projects benefiting the health of communities.

This work would not be possible without partnerships — without the entire orchestra. No one knows a community better than the community itself; no one understands the social determinants of their community’s health more so than they do. That’s why we walk alongside community organizations and other partners so that we can learn together and create lasting progress. This knowledge and expertise inform every facet of our curriculum, and our students are better prepared for it.

This issue of Emory Nursing is focused on community engagement — understanding that the last five letters of the word “community” are central. It takes the unified efforts of our faculty, staff, and students — along with our community partners — to move the needle toward greater health and well-being.

Linda A. McCauley 79MN, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN Professor and Dean Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing