YSN and Yale Alumni Donate $7.7 Million to Advance Care for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

By Christina Frank

Yale School of Nursing (YSN) is poised to become a national leader in healthcare education focused on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) thanks to a $7.7 million gift from YSN alumna Susanna Peyton '83 M.S.N. and Yale alumnus John Campbell '80 M.A., '84 Ph.D., an economics professor and founder of an asset management company. Their donation supports the Strength Fund, an endowment they established to ensure that future generations of advanced practice nurses and midwifery students are equipped with the specialized skills and understanding that is crucial for this population. The gift—the second largest single donation in the school’s history—also brings YSN closer to its $50 million Yale Challenge goal, with all such donations matched dollar for dollar by the university to the school’s endowment.

"This is not just a curricular upgrade—it’s a fundamental rethinking of how we view care. Every nurse, regardless of specialty or setting, will encounter individuals with IDD," says Associate Dean of Nursing Impact Dr. Christine Rodriguez who is leading the new initiative. "They need to be armed with the right knowledge and advocacy skills as well as with a deep, empathetic understanding of how ableism, communication differences, sensory sensitivities, and, unfortunately, systemic neglect can all have a significant influence in the healthcare experiences of individuals with IDD,” Rodriguez says. Through faculty development, community partnerships, interprofessional collaboration, and most importantly, centering and amplifying the voices of individuals with IDD, YSN aims to combat misdiagnosis, communication barriers, lack of appropriate care, and much more.

Peyton’s passion for IDD healthcare education began after she graduated from college and worked in a group home for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She was inspired by the professionals who cared for them, including a nurse with a master's degree. In 1980, she entered the master’s program at YSN and pursued a degree in psychiatric nursing. At the time, neither YSN nor any other nursing school offered specialized training in caring for individuals with IDD.

“Back in the 1980s, there was almost nothing formalized around IDD in nursing education,” Peyton says. “I realized then that we needed to change that so that future nurses wouldn't face the same hurdles.”

YSN alumna Susanna Peyton '83 M.S.N. and Yale alumnus John Campbell '80 M.A., '84 Ph.D. Photo by Leigh Chodos

After graduating, she and Campbell married, moved to New Jersey, and later, Massachusetts. They also welcomed their first child who was born with Down syndrome. This deepened the couple’s commitment.

In 1994, the family participated in Operation House Call (OHC), a program in which medical students visited families with children with disabilities in their homes. Peyton would go on to become a parent instructor for OHC and eventually expanded the model to include a co-teacher with IDD to meet with each class for a half hour. "The co-teacher does not have to be somebody who can speak," said Peyton. "It can be a person who needs an advocate with them, or it could be somebody who has the ability to self-advocate.”

GEPN students with their IDD co-teachers during Operation House Call (OHC).

“Many healthcare providers either ignore individuals with IDD or dismiss their capacity to participate in their own care,” Peyton said. “For example, some practitioners focus solely on caretakers, overlooking the patient, especially if nonverbal or autistic behaviors are misinterpreted or misunderstood. This exposure through OHC humanizes the experience for students. They learn how to communicate, connect, and respect individuals with disabilities as active participants—skills that are vital across all healthcare settings."

In 2015, Yale School of Nursing piloted Operation House Call for their graduate entry pre-specialty in nursing (GEPN). It is now offered in the Community Health rotation and is required for all YSN first year students.

"We are grateful for the generosity, commitment, and vision of Susanna and John, who partnered with YSN to provide the support to develop this unique, high-impact program that incorporates knowledge from multiple academic disciplines, dialogue with experienced community organizations, and most important, input from those who will directly benefit,” said Yale School of Nursing Dean Azita Emami. “This remarkable gift will enable us to build an innovative, creative, and compassionate specialty curriculum that promises to transform healthcare for countless people with intellectual and developmental disabilities."

Rodriguez emphasizes the broader implications of the Strength Fund. “Beyond the financial aspect, this gift sends a resounding message to the broader healthcare community,” she says. “Health equity for individuals with IDD is non-negotiable; it is a right, not a privilege. YSN is not merely responding to a curricular gap but is leading in health justice, reimagining education, practice, and policy with intention and urgency to consistently advance it.”