The ECU College of Nursing

Vickie Downing is one of our 2026 Hall of Fame inductees.

Downing was honored as a 2001 North Carolina Great 100 Nurse, which recognizes exceptional dedication and impact in the profession.

She played a key role in the successful 2018 opening of the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Cancer Tower at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville, expanding access to advanced cancer care in eastern North Carolina.

Downing was awarded the 2022 East Carolina University College of Nursing Preceptor of the Year distinction for excellence in mentoring and developing future nurses.

Thank you, Vickie, for being a role model for Pirate Nurses to emulate.

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We continue to experience growth and increased interest in our PhD in Nursing pathways, including the BSN-to-PhD, MSN-to-PhD, and DNP-to-PhD options. To support the much needed expansion, we are proud to announce leadership changes that will further strengthen support for our PhD program and the Department of Nursing Science.

Over the past year, Dr. Linda Bolin has served as Interim Department Chair for the Department of Nursing Science while simultaneously fulfilling her role as Assistant Chair and PhD Program Director. Her experience, collaborative approach, and unwavering commitment to the ECU College of Nursing have been instrumental in supporting our faculty, staff, and students while advancing the department’s mission in teaching, research, and service. Bolin’s dedication to academic excellence and service to both the College and the university continues to be deeply valued and appreciated and we are pleased that she will continue serving as Interim Department Chair for the Department of Nursing Science.

Additionally, Dr. Taylor Richardson will serve as Interim Assistant Chair for the Department of Nursing Science/Interim PhD Program Director. Richardson is a graduate of our BSN-to-PhD program and completed postdoctoral training at The University of North Carolina. She brings strong scholarly expertise, leadership, and a deep commitment to nursing education, research, and student success.

Richardson has already demonstrated exceptional dedication to the College through her contributions in teaching, scholarship, mentorship, and service. In this interim role, she will provide important leadership and support for our PhD program as we continue advancing our mission in research, scholarship, and doctoral education. We are confident that she will serve the department and program with excellence, enthusiasm, and vision.

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Dr. Felicia Collins demonstrates what it means to be a College of Nursing Hall of Fame inductee.

She leads a high performing, multi-site rehabilitation division of more than 700 team members across nine hospitals, achieving the facility’s 16th specialty accreditation and
contributes nationally to rehabilitation nursing and patient safety through published research and sustained advocacy for evidence-based practice, advancing outcomes for patients, caregivers and the healthcare workforce.

Collins was recognized as a North Carolina Great 100 Nurse in 2014 and received the 2025 Leadership Excellence Award. For the last three years, she has served on the Board of Directors for the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce, actively supporting initiatives that enhance Greenville–Pitt County as a vibrant place to live, work, and play. Her commitment to community service is a defining strength of her leadership.

Congratulations, Dr. Collins.

You served your country, now serve your community.

With generous scholarships, advanced Special Operations medics with a four-year degree can be practice ready as a registered nurse in 12 months and prepared to tackle our graduate Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesia; and acute care and family nurse practitioner programs.

For more information about the advanced military medic program send an email to [email protected].

Some quiet moments during a break for our Accelerated BSN students.

Oh, and Let’s Go !

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Today is the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season. It’s not a matter of if, but when, a healthcare emergency will occur and as a nurse, your skills will be desperately needed. Are you ready to answer the call?

Our Healthcare Emergency and Disaster Management certificate program will give you the education and practical stills to:

🏴‍☠️ Understand the language of disaster planning and emergency management
🏴‍☠️ Know the four phases of emergency management and how different agencies work within response systems
🏴‍☠️ Understand the legal and ethical principles that underlie emergency and disaster management
🏴‍☠️ Understand how to respond to the psychological and spiritual impact of disasters

“We just graduated our largest group in the history of the program in May, who enrolled in response to Hurricane Helene,” said Dr. Michelle Skipper, the certificate program’s director. “We are also doing increased work in these courses on emerging infections such as hantavirus and Ebola.”

For more information or to register for upcoming classes, email [email protected] or visit bit.ly/4o2zntN

Please help us welcome our newest faculty to the Advanced Nursing Practice and Education department. Dr. Tonya Rutherford-Hemming, assistant professor; Dr. Beth Vestal, assistant professor; and Dr. Barnes, clinical assistant professor

Each of our new faculty will be teaching in the MSN and DNP core giving our students a strong foundation for their advanced nursing career.

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Dr. Ann Maria Bell, a member of our DNP faculty, is a 2026 Hall of Fame inductee.

Bell was awarded a College of Nursing Teaching Grant for Project SAFE NP, advancing adolescent primary care by integrating comprehensive substance use screening and brief intervention training into the nurse practitioner curriculum.

She completed the Vanderbilt Leadership Academy and successfully implemented the Empowered to Care person centered care curriculum, strengthening leadership development and enhancing nurse practitioner education.

Bell sustains ongoing clinical practice as a nurse practitioner, providing high quality, community centered care to local and neighboring tribal communities.

Congratulations, Dr. Bell.

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Michelle Ball is one of this year’s College of Nursing Hall of Fame inductees.

Ball earned dual professional certifications in Infection Control and Critical Care Nursing, demonstrating advanced clinical expertise and commitment to excellence in patient care. She was honored with the prestigious North Carolina Great 100 Nursing Award in 2021, recognizing exceptional leadership, compassion, and contributions to the nursing profession.

Her career has been marked by service, mentorship and lasting impact on the profession of nursing.

Congratulations, Michelle.

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Every year we take time to celebrate the luminaries of Pirate Nursing by inducting them as members of our Hall of Fame and presenting our Distinguished Alumni award. These nurse leaders represent all that is good about our profession – professionalism, expertise and compassion.

Over the next few days we will recognize each of our newest HOF members. Please help us to celebrate them.

First up, our 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, Michelle Brooks.

Brooks has devoted her career to advancing rural healthcare especially for the underserved. Through advocacy, public policy development and expanded access to care she has shaped innovative solutions to healthcare needs for our most vulnerable populations.

Brooks received her BSN from the in 1983 and her MSN in Nursing Administration in 1992 from the carolina university College of Nursing. She guided the development of a Medicaid Managed Care Demonstration Project in Pitt County which transformed how Medicaid managed care is operationalized in North Carolina. Her early work resulted in a $5.2 million federally funded grant to provide medical care and case management services to the uninsured. She was also responsible for project oversight in the establishment of the James D. Bernstein Community Health Center in northern Pitt County, a Federally Qualified Health Center supporting underserved populations. As the executive leader of Access East she led the public-private partnership with the North Carolina DHHS for the management of more than 180,000 Medicaid enrollees in 27 eastern North Carolina counties.

Brooks currently serves as Executive Vice Dean for . As a member of the senior leadership team, she is responsible for administrative operations of the Office of the Dean including human resources, strategic planning, external/government relations, and special initiatives.

She received the Community Care of North Carolina Leadership Award in 2020 for her work with Community Care of North Carolina. She is a member of the ECU College of Nursing Hall of Fame Class of 2014 and was recognized by the UNC-Chapel Hill College of Nursing for Outstanding community service in 2007. Michelle was selected a North Carolina Great 100 Nurse in 1994.

It is our honor to recognize Michelle Brooks as the 2026 ECU CON Distinguished Alumi.

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