Gift Establishes Nursing Innovation Fund at Duke Health

A group of health care professionals looking at a screen

The following is a summary of a story written by Emily Ford on Giving to Duke Health.

A new gift will establish the Nursing Innovation Fund at Duke Health — an investment designed to advance nurse-led models of care.

“Over the years, the complexity of nursing has increased, along with the administrative burden,” said Nancy Schlichting, chair of the DUHS Board of Directors and a Duke University trustee and alumna, who established the fund with her wife, Pam Theisen. “Innovation is required to scale ideas so they can be applied across an entire health system. That’s exciting to me, because I’ve spent my whole life trying to improve health care, and nurses are at the center of it.”

Schlichting’s first job after graduating from Duke in 1976 was working at Duke Hospital. Her healthcare leadership began when she became chief operating officer of Akron City Hospital at age 28 and has spanned more than 35 years. She has spent her career elevating the role of nurses in delivering better care. 

The new Duke University Health System fund will support nurses in imagining, testing, and scaling new ideas that improve outcomes for patients and families, while also strengthening the profession. 

Nurses play a unique role in coordinating care – working alongside physicians, trainees, social workers, pharmacists, and others – while supporting patients and families during some of life’s most challenging moments.

“Typically, nurses are the quarterback of that team,” Schlichting said. “There is so much coordination required, and Pam and I hope that through innovation, we can make nurses’ lives easier and bring back the joy and rewards of nursing.”

For more information, go to Giving to Duke Health.