The Year in Review: 2025-2026
“Three years ago, Yale School of Nursing began
an ambitious transformation. This year, that
transformation began delivering measurable results.”
—Dean Azita Emami
Message From the Dean
Leading with Purpose
For more than a century, Yale School of Nursing has prepared leaders who improve health and transform care. Today, that mission has never been more important.
Over the past year, the School has reimagined how nurses are educated, how research is translated into practice, and how academic institutions can improve health far beyond their campuses. Guided by a bold vision, YSN has invested in programs, partnerships, and infrastructure that position the School to shape the future of nursing.
This year marks an important milestone in that journey.
Across education, research, philanthropy, and community engagement, those investments are producing measurable results. National rankings climbed dramatically. New academic pathways prepared students for emerging healthcare challenges. Faculty advanced groundbreaking research. Donors and partners invested in a shared vision for better health.
The progress of this reflects a school grounded in its history, energized by innovation, and focused on what comes next. Together, our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and partners are advancing a bold vision for nursing and strengthening our impact on health locally, nationally, and globally.
Sincerely,
Azita Emami, PhD, RN, FAAN
Linda Koch Lorimer Professor of Nursing Dean, Yale School of Nursing
Explore the Year in Review by Section
Rising to New Heights
A Year of Rising Recognition
This year, YSN’s rise in national and global rankings offers a powerful reflection of the school’s growing momentum and impact. Our MSN program rose from No. 30 to No. 14 and our DNP program from No. 47 to No. 16 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, while our DNP in Leadership, Systems, and Policy ranked No. 7 nationally. YSN was also ranked No. 15 globally by QS and No. 12 nationally in NIH funding among schools of nursing.
Center for Aging Well Launches
a New Vision for Wellness
In 2025, Yale School of Nursing launched the Center for Aging Well, a new research and clinical hub dedicated to redefining wellness across the lifespan. Led by inaugural director Miia Kivipelto, the center brings together research, clinical innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration to advance prevention, brain health, healthy aging, and well-being. Building on YSN’s legacy of health innovation, the Center for Aging Well reflects a bold vision for nursing to lead in precision wellness, helping people not simply live longer, but live healthier, more fulfilling lives at every age.
Shaping the Next Century
Leading Nursing.
Transforming Health.
The YSN Strategic Plan
Over the past three years, YSN has engaged faculty, staff, students, alumni, healthcare partners, and community leaders in one of the most comprehensive strategic planning efforts in the School’s history. The resulting YSN Strategic Plan 2026–2031 reflects a shared commitment to advancing nursing education, research, practice, and leadership while strengthening YSN’s role as a global leader in nursing. Guided by the theme Leading Nursing. Transforming Health., the plan provides a bold roadmap centered on prevention, wellness, innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and improving health for all.
Deepening partnerships across education and health care
YSN continued to strengthen its network of clinical and community partnerships, with the Clinical Community Advisory Board (CCAB) now bringing together 23 healthcare and community organizations. A key milestone this year was the deepening partnership between YSN and Yale New Haven Health System, including a shared three-year strategic plan focused on education, workforce development, research, and innovation. Together, the institutions expanded collaboration in clinical education and ambulatory care, strengthened opportunities for student clinical placements, and advanced new initiatives to build a sustainable and resilient nursing workforce.
Nursing as the Architecture of
Precision Wellness
YSN brings together an interdisciplinary Precision Wellness Advisory Board representing more than 20 organizations across nursing, medicine, genomics, functional and longevity medicine, technology, health care, and innovation. The board brings diverse expertise and industry perspectives to help shape YSN’s emerging focus on precision wellness. The board aims to advance education, clinical innovation, research that integrate data, technology, lifestyle, and human connection to move care upstream from illness toward prevention and lifelong health. Together, these leaders are helping position YSN at the forefront of a wellness-first model of nursing education and practice.
Expanding Pathways to Nursing
In response to critical nursing and nurse faculty workforce shortages, YSN advanced new educational pathways to expand the nursing workforce and prepare the next generation of nurse educators. A key milestone was the Yale Corporation’s approval of YSN’s new Master of Nursing (MN) degree, creating a graduate-level pathway to rapid RN preparation. YSN also established a seamless DNP pathway from pre-licensure preparation into advanced practice doctoral education, while preserving existing MSN options, and began developing a post-master’s DNP specialty in Nursing Education. In partnership with the Bedford Falls Foundation and Yale New Haven Health System, YSN will also sponsor an annual cohort of four MN community scholars committed to continuing into the DNP in Nursing Education, with the inaugural MN cohort beginning in Spring 2027.
Building the Future of Nursing
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A New Approach to Whole Person Care
This academic year, YSN launched its new Integrative Health & Precision Wellness Concentration, preparing MSN students to practice at the intersection of conventional medicine, integrative health, and precision wellness. The concentration equips future advanced practice nurses with tools to deliver individualized, prevention-focused, whole-person care, including functional laboratory interpretation, nutrigenomics, lifestyle medicine, and wearable and digital health technologies. By combining nursing science with emerging approaches to personalized health and wellness, the program reflects YSN’s commitment to preparing nurses to lead the future of care.
Expanding Learning Beyond the Classroom
During the 2025–2026 academic year, YSN expanded its online Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) offerings, providing healthcare professionals with flexible, evidence-based learning grounded in the School’s academic and clinical expertise. As part of this effort, YSN developed two new diabetes-focused modules, extending specialized knowledge and practical education to nurses and other healthcare professionals beyond the Yale community. The online format allows learners to complete modules at their own pace while earning continuing education credits.
Advancing Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities (IDD) Care Education
This academic year, YSN advanced its commitment to improving care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) with the launch of a new IDD concentration and a dedicated course, Principles of Pediatric Care for Children and Youth with Developmental/Intellectual Disabilities. The course prepares advanced practice nursing students to provide person-centered, evidence-informed care for children and youth with IDD and their families, while strengthening clinical skills, collaboration, and understanding of the lived experiences of this population. The concentration is part of a broader school-wide initiative to integrate IDD education across YSN’s curriculum and prepare nurses to deliver more equitable, responsive care across the lifespan.
Reimagining Care Through Entheogen Education
YSN launched its Entheogen-Assisted Care in Nursing (EACIN) concentration, positioning the School at the forefront of culturally responsive, evidence-informed education in this emerging field. The concentration prepares advanced practice nurses to approach entheogen-assisted care with rigorous clinical and safety training alongside cultural humility, ethical grounding, and respect for Indigenous knowledge systems. Its first course will launch in the upcoming academic year, introducing students to the science, practice, policy, and relational dimensions of this evolving area of care.
Putting Policy at the Center of Health
YSN’s Political Determinants of Health concentration prepares nurses to understand and address the policies, systems, and structures that shape health outcomes and health inequities. Building on the work of health equity scholar Daniel Dawes during his tenure as a Presidential Visiting Fellow, the program gives students both the theoretical foundation and practical experience to translate this knowledge into action—from engaging with policymakers to advocating for more equitable policies at local, national, and global levels. The concentration reflects YSN’s commitment to preparing nurses not only to care for individuals, but also to address the root causes of inequity.
Advancing Translational Research
YSN’s research enterprise reached new heights this year, with annual grant funding more than doubling between FY23 and FY26, from $4.49 million to $9.6 million representing a 113% increase. This growth reflects the strength and expertise of YSN faculty, investments in research infrastructure, and a growing portfolio of scholarship aligned with some of healthcare’s most pressing challenges. YSN’s research impact was also recognized nationally, with the School ranking No. 12 in NIH funding among schools of nursing.
Faculty Spotlights
We celebrate the visionary nurse scientists, clinicians, and educators advancing the future of nursing. Below, get to know three YSN faculty members and explore highlights of their research. These spotlights represent just a few examples of the depth of expertise across our faculty. Explore all YSN faculty and discover the many ways our faculty are shaping healthcare and making an impact in communities.
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Dr. Elizabeth Doyle
Associate Professor
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner—Primary Care Specialty Director
Dr. Elizabeth Doyle has devoted her career to advancing compassionate, evidence-based diabetes care for children, adolescents, and young adults while preparing the next generation of nurse practitioners.
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Dr. Shelli Feder
Associate Professor
Palliative and End-of-Life Care Innovation Lab Director
Dr. Shelli Feder’s research focuses on improving access to high-quality palliative and end-of-life care for people with serious illness.
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Dr. Hermine Poghosyan
Professor
Dr. Hermine Poghosyan’s research focuses on tobacco and cannabis use, lung cancer screening, and improving outcomes for cancer survivors and their families through innovative, transdisciplinary research.
Elevating Emerging Voices
Inspired by Care, Driven to Lead
“I want to advocate for my patients.
I want to treat patients as a whole.”
Hear more from Sam Mensah, MSN '26
For Sam Mensah, nursing became a calling shaped by personal experience. Growing up in Ghana, she witnessed how access to healthcare can profoundly affect patients and families. After initially pursuing medicine, Sam discovered the role nurse practitioners play in providing holistic, patient-centered care and found her path at Yale School of Nursing.
Through YSN’s mentorship and clinical experiences, Sam developed the skills to advocate for patients and address the many factors that influence health. After graduation, Sam will continue serving patients as a family nurse practitioner through a community health residency.
Innovation in Psychiatric Nursing
“There are many gray areas in psychiatric nursing, so we learn to integrate evidence to provide the best care.”
Hear more from Zachary Cornett DNP '26
For Zach Cornett, psychiatric nursing is about embracing complexity and finding innovative ways to address the challenges of mental health care. A psychiatric nurse practitioner with eight years of experience, Zach pursued his Doctor of Nursing Practice at Yale School of Nursing to deepen his expertise in evidence-based practice, systems of care, and clinical innovation.
Through YSN’s hybrid DNP program, Zach strengthened his ability to approach complex clinical problems from a data-focused perspective while building connections with faculty and classmates across nursing specialties. After graduation, he hopes to continue working at the intersection of clinical practice and innovation, identifying gaps in care and developing solutions for the future of psychiatry.
Leading While Learning
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“You can never stop learning—
formally and from your colleagues.”
Hear more from Maureen Scanlan, DNP '26
A senior healthcare leader with more than 30 years of nursing experience, Maureen Scanlan pursued her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at Yale School of Nursing to advance solutions for today’s workforce challenges. Her doctoral project explored how experienced nurses can mentor early-career colleagues to strengthen retention and knowledge transfer.
As chief nurse executive of Montefiore Einstein’s 10-hospital system, Scanlan exemplifies how nurse leaders use education, experience, and innovation to transform healthcare.
A Journey to Mental Health Nursing
I can do a lot to help the community I'm part of right now and also back home.
Hear more from Mohammed Mohammed MSN '26
For Mohamed Mohamed, nursing became a calling shaped by personal experience and a desire to expand access to mental health care. After moving from Somalia to the United States without speaking English, Mohamed built a career in nursing across diverse clinical settings before discovering his passion for behavioral health.
At Yale School of Nursing, Mohamed deepened his expertise in psychiatric mental health nursing while continuing to work full time. His experiences—both professional and personal—have strengthened his commitment to supporting patients and communities facing mental health challenges. After graduating in August, Mohamed hopes to continue working in psychiatric nursing and eventually open a practice focused on expanding access to mental health care.
Leading by Example
Celebrating Alumni Leadership
At the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards Ceremony, YSN honored alumni whose leadership is making a difference across clinical practice, education, health systems, and policy. The School celebrates their contributions to advancing health care and improving the lives of the communities they serve.
Decade award
Elyssa Ely
'17 MSN
Distinguished Alumni Award
Dilice Robertson
’08 MSN
Distinguished Alumni Award
Caroline Piselli
'15 DNP
Fostering Global Collaboration
Building a Global Nursing Network
YSN’s BRIDGE Consortium (Building Research & Innovation and Developing Global Engagement) has grown into a global network spanning 17 countries, connecting institutions committed to advancing nursing, health, and planetary health. Through shared projects, cross-border collaboration, and the exchange of ideas and expertise, BRIDGE creates new opportunities for global partnership and strengthens the collective impact of its members.
Learning Through Planetary Health
a New Vision for Wellness
YSN’s Planetary Health Leadership Program (PHLP) is an eight-week virtual professional program designed to equip clinicians, faculty, researchers, and healthcare professionals with the skills to lead amid climate disruption, health inequities, and growing global interdependence. Through systems thinking, cultural intelligence, simulation-based learning, and global partnership engagement, participants develop practical tools to strengthen leadership and drive meaningful change across health systems.
Advancing Better Health for All
In FY26, YSN raised $10.6 million and established 12 new scholarship funds. Over the course of the For Humanity Campaign, YSN added 39 new scholarships and met the Yale Challenge of adding $50 million to the school’s endowment. Planned gifts are an essential part of supporting YSN’s mission of better health for all. This year, alumni and donors stepped forward to leave a legacy for YSN, increasing the number of planned gifts by 80% over last year. Donor generosity is already making a difference, supporting financial aid, innovation, nursing education, research, and health impact. Looking ahead, philanthropic support will help advance YSN’s vision of a tuition-free graduate school, the Center for Aging Well, global nursing leadership, AI in nursing education and research, and innovation in nursing-led research.
Investing in YSN's Future
Many Alumni and Friends contributed to the campaign. Read more about the generous gifts YSN has received.
Major Gift Launches IDD Program
Planned Gift Honors a Beloved Instructor
Wendy U. & Thomas C. Naratil Professorship in Acute Care Established
The Rodman Family Professorship Gains $6M
Cash Funds vs Endowed Funds
A Culture of Caring
YSN celebrated its third annual Staff Appreciation & Awards Day on June 10, recognizing the dedication and contributions of staff who strengthen the school’s mission across education, research, clinical practice, and student success. The celebration brought colleagues together for a day of connection and appreciation, culminating in the 2026 Staff Awards honoring Amanda Parks (Leadership Award), Sohani Sirdeshmukh* (Impact Award), Stephanie Liebnick (Workplace Values Award), Michael Gossett (Committment Award), and Michael Wood* (Inclusive Excellence Award).
*not pictured
