New Soul, New Voice

Vernice Ferguson: A consummate nurse and colleague

After much anticipation and excitement, my new grandchild has arrived (early, at 8 lbs. 3 oz.) and I cannot wait to see who this new person is and will become.

But even as we celebrate his arrival, we often find ourselves pausing to reflect on those who would share our happiness and understand it deeply. We think of those we have lost. Sadly comes the news that nursing has lost a great leader. Vernice Ferguson, a dear friend and nursing colleague, has passed away. In Vernice, we had a unique and strong voice representing nursing, as well as representing diversity and inclusiveness in nursing.

Vernice played a very important role in our School. She served for several years on our Board of Overseers and as a senior fellow, holding the Fagin Family Chair in Cultural Diversity from 1993 to 1997. She was a frequent visitor to our School where she mentored faculty and students and was a speaker at our commencement ceremony.

From 1980 to 1992 she was the assistant chief medical director for nursing programs in the Department of Veterans Affairs. In this position she was responsible for the largest organized nursing service in the world. Prior to this assignment, she was chief of nursing at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.

Vernice was an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom, the second American nurse so honored. She received eight honorary doctorates and two fellowships -- one in physics, the other in alcohol studies -- and was named a “Living Legend” by the American Academy of Nursing. In 2008, Ms. Ferguson received the FREDDIE Lifetime Achievement Award, considered by many to be “the Oscar of health and medicine.”

In all of her roles, Vernice was the consummate nurse and colleague who was the voice and conscience for inclusion of diversity in every aspect of the nursing mission. She challenged us to envision and create a world that was more ethical and that valued diversity in all its forms and was behind many of our initiatives in diversity that made Penn Nursing a model for the University.

As she told young nurses at the 40th anniversary of the Breakthrough to Nursing Project: “Now you can continue to trailblaze. . . . Ask yourself: What will you bring to the table [as a nurse]? What will you do to help eliminate health disparities?”

I had the honor of knowing Vernice as a friend and colleague for nearly 20 years. I learned a great deal from her leadership and commitment to diversity. And, I have been very grateful for her generosity to our School.

We will all miss her voice. I hope my grandson will find a voice that is just as strong – but, for the sake of my son and daughter-in-law, just not at 3 a.m.! I hope he will defend diversity and inclusiveness and will be intolerant of any intolerance.

I have heard often that when one soul leaves the world, a new one arrives. Perhaps a new nurse leader will be in our midst!

In the Year 2022

What should the world look like for women in 2022? It should be safe and equitable. It should be free of the trafficking and exploitation of women, and violence against them. It should ensure that women are educated, empowered, and that their voices are heard and valued. My hope is that in 2022 all women – regardless of geography – can reach their full potential and capacity to be productive members of society.

Prioritizing the health and well-being of women took center stage at the 19th Congress of the International Council on Women’s Health Issues (ICOWHI) in November. Health leaders and thought leaders from around the world met in Bangkok, Thailand, to partner for “a brighter global future.” Those leaders included Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand. ICOWHI honored the Princess for her unwavering commitment to women’s rights with the Taylor and Francis Distinguished Award for Exemplary Work on Women’s Health.

Meeting the needs and rights of women by 2022 (which is what should be) will take much effort, systematic and deliberate planning, and strategic actions. This will take a cross-section of social sectors must embrace partnerships rooted in justice and equity.

There has been some progress toward these goals and powerful examples of best practices have resulted in outcomes that many thought leaders envisioned and articulated for many years. Seemingly small efforts have yielded big gains. In several countries, the new development of having separate toilets for boys and girls has reduced the rate of school drop-out among girls after the onset of puberty. Women in Nairobi, Kenya, in partnership with local businesses, developed “Adopt-a-Light Limited” to ensure working street lights so urban women can travel safely. An urban maternal and newborn health program called Manoshi brings skilled birth attendants to women living in the slums of Dhaka in Bangladesh.

These programs have successfully brought women’s issues to the forefront, raising the consciousness of leaders and enhancing women’s opportunities to influence politics and society.

Fast forward to 2022 - by continued work toward a future of equity, safety, well-being, and productivity we may be able to make that future happen sooner for women world-wide.