About Our Graduates

LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing graduates make a difference wherever they go.

Alumni news with illustration of graduation cap and diploma

Alumna Named University of Mississippi Medical Center Dean

Julie Sanford

Congratulations to 2002 Doctor of Nursing Science alumna Julie Sanford, who was named dean of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in July 2019. Dr. Sanford previously served as director of the School of Nursing at James Madison University in Virginia. She was inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in 2017. In 2018, she testified before the U.S. Senate, advocating for nursing workforce development funding. She also served five years as chair of the International Network of Universities’ Nursing Leadership Collaborative, composed of leaders in nursing education from around the world.

Shirley Holt-HillIn Memoriam: Shirley Holt-Hill

The LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing community was saddened to hear of the passing of 2004 Doctor of Nursing Science graduate Shirley Ann Holt-Hill in January 2020. Dr. Holt-Hill recently retired from her post as a nursing professor at Pensacola State College and was a member of the Holt Sisters Gospel recording group. As a doctoral student at the School of Nursing, she completed a dissertation titled “Stress and Coping Among Elderly African Americans.” She will be missed and fondly remembered.

In Memoriam: Katherine Jane BlakeKatherine Jane Blake

The LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing remembers alumna Katherine Jane Blake, who passed away in February 2019. A dedicated New Orleans nurse, she served local patients in many capacities at Charity Hospital, Touro Infirmary Hospital, Baptist Hospital, Ochsner Medical Center and the New Orleans VA Medical Center, and also worked for the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association. We are grateful for her many years spent caring for our community, and she will be missed.

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