Vernice D. Ferguson Named NYU College of Nursing Inaugural Professor in Health Equity

The NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing recently named Jacquelyn Taylor, PhD, PNP-BC, RN, FAHA, FAAN, the inaugural Vernice D. Ferguson Professor in Health Equity. Vernice D. Ferguson (1928-2012) was a distinguished nurse leader, educator, and champion for the health of all people.

Ferguson received her baccalaureate degree in nursing from NYU, before going on to pioneer leadership positions for nurses and elevate the nursing profession through advocating for increased opportunities, respect, and wages, as well as fostering nursing research.

She also served as the chief nurse executive for the Veterans Administration, president of the American Academy of Nursing and Sigma Theta Tau International, and she was recognized as a Living Legend in the American Academy of Nursing.

In recognition of her leadership and service to the nursing profession, NYU’s College of Nursing established an endowed professorship in her name: the Vernice D. Ferguson Professor in Health Equity. Taylor’s work in this role will focus on the social factors that contribute to health disparities for common chronic conditions among underrepresented minority populations in the United States and abroad. She is also in the midst of conducting a study on the genomics of lead poisoning in Flint, MI.

Taylor’s work has been highly praised in the past, including being awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by President Barack Obama in January 2017, the highest honor awarded by the federal government to scientists and engineers.

To learn more about Dr. Taylor and her new role as Inaugural Vernice D. Ferguson Professor in Health Equity at NYU,.