Nursing Leaders to be Inducted into UA-Sponsored Hall of Fame

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Five nursing professionals will be inducted into the eighth annual Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame.

Established by The University of Alabama’s Capstone College of Nursing’s Board of Visitors in March 2001, the Hall of Fame was created to honor nurses and others who, through their work and accomplishments, have brought honor and fame to the profession of nursing and the state of Alabama.

The 2015 recipients include Drs. Debra Davis, Jason Farley, Doreen Harper, Rhoda Hutchinson and Norma Mobley (deceased). The ceremony will take place Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Embassy Suites Hotel Ballroom in Tuscaloosa.

Individually and collectively this group of inductees have greatly influenced the profession of nursing and health care in the state of Alabama and the nation. To honor them is to honor the most noble of  professions — nursing.

Dr. Debra Davis

Davis’s career has been dedicated to advancing educational opportunities for nurses. She is dean of the University of South Alabama College of Nursing, where she has served since 1998. Under her leadership, USA College of Nursing founded the first online Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in Alabama. During her tenure, USA also developed one of the first Clinical Nurse Leader programs in the country. Davis is a driving force behind the move to online education, and she has demonstrated a pioneering spirit in coordinating the development and funding of online programs. Davis began her nursing education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she completed her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in nursing.

Dr. Jason Farley

Farley is an international leader in the field of nursing and infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS and Multi Drug Resistant TB. He serves as a faculty member at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and nurse practitioner at Johns Hopkins AIDS Service and is the only nurse co-director of the Clinical Core of the Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research. Farley received his undergraduate degree in nursing from UA’s Capstone College of Nursing. He went on to pursue a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Alabama, Birmingham School of Public Health; a Master of Science from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing; and a Doctor of Philosophy, also from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Dissemination of his research and scholarship has informed and changed practice in the care of people living with HIV around the world.

Dr. Doreen Harper

Harper has served as the dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing since 2005. During her time there, she has committed to increasing the nursing workforce and its diversity; UAB graduates 22 percent of the states’ African American nurses. During tenure at UAB, Harper has also led the development and implementation of two new degree programs (Accelerated Master’s in Nursing Pathway and UA System joint Doctorate of Nursing Practice) and eight new graduate specialties. She secured funds to create an educational partnership with the Birmingham VA, The VA Nursing Academy, which prepares nurses to meet the workforce demands of the VA system. She is a leading advocate in building partnerships and creating interdisciplinary teams to address complex needs of health care delivery. Harper was recognized as one of 25 Exceptional Nurse Practitioners for the 25^th anniversary issue of Nurse Practitioner Journal and named one of Birmingham’s 100 Most Influential People by the Birmingham Business Journal in 2007.

Dr. Rhoda Hutchinson

Hutchinson is the retired chairperson of the health science division of Calhoun Community College and instructor in its nursing program. She established the first accredited Practical Nursing Program in the state of Alabama. Hutchinson earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Tuskegee University, a Master of Science with a concentration in emotionally disturbed children from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University and a Doctor of Education with a concentration in curriculum development from Nova South Eastern University. She served two years as a member of the National League for Nursing Review Board in New York City. She also serves as a consultant to the Alabama Board of Nursing and deans of nursing programs to standardize nursing curricula and secure and maintain National League of Nursing accreditation status.

Dr. Norma Mobley

Mobley was the fourth dean of The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing, serving from 1982 to 1988. She was a visionary leader in nursing education for four decades. Her initiatives focused specifically on expanding the capacity of nursing programs through faculty development, recruitment and retention, and the transformation of nursing curricula. Mobley is a graduate of the Baptist Hospital School of Nursing in Birmingham. She went on to receive her RN from the Ida Moffett School of Nursing at Samford University and her BSN, MSN and EdD from UA. Mobley will be remembered not only for her contributions to the College as an administrator and teacher, but also for contributions to the profession. She served as president of the Alabama State Nurses Association and was member of the legislative committee. She was a member of the board of directors for the Alabama League for Nursing and served on the Southeastern Regional Council on Nurse Midwifery. She was a charter member of Sigma Theta Tau, Nu Chapter. Mobley died Dec. 27, 2014, at the age of 86.