Photo by Matt Schorr
VUMC Executive Chief Nursing Officer Marilyn A. Dubree, MSN, RN, NE-BC (right) presents Audrey Hall, BSN (left) with the VUMC Hidden Figures award.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Inspired by the movie Hidden Figures, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) Office for Diversity Affairs acknowledged the contributions of four individuals in the VUMC community. One of those figures was Meharry Medical College (MMC) graduate and VUMC Nursery Head Nurse Audrey Hall, BSN.
VUMC Executive Chief Nursing Officer Marilyn A. Dubree, MSN, RN, NE-BC presented Hall with her award and said, “She grew up in a household where there was an emphasis on helping others through medicine.”
Hall was a member of the last class to graduate from MMC’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in 1962. She then went to work at Meharry Hubbard Hospital for two years before joining VUMC in 1964. Her most memorable period was when she became the first African-American head nurse for the Nursery.
“It was so important to be very careful in hand washing when you took care of infants,” Hall recalled in a video presentation, “because they were so susceptible to infections.”
Her case study on infection control, “Epidemiology of Infections Caused by Gentamiein-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Over 15 Years at the Nashville Veterans Administration Medical Center,” would later be published in the Oxford Journal.
After eight years at VUMC, Hall returned to MMC to start an infection control program. To prepare, she trained at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To incoming nurses, Hall offered the following advice: “You really have to listen … it may be the physicians or other nurses who’ve been there, but take lessons from them.”
Dubree noted that Hall continues to remain active in the community through various volunteer activities with organizations like the Council on Aging, AARP and others. “Thank you for your efforts,” she said.
Today, Hall also serves as a community partner with the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance and Nashville Health Disparities Coalition’s Faith and Health Collaborative. Additionally, she is part of the Ministerial Team at Lee Chapel AME Church, which held the recent Faith and Health Summit in May 2017 and is pastored by Tennessee General Assembly Representative Harold Love. Three other VUMC Hidden Figures were also recognized: James Phillips, Dru Bratton-Newson and Howard Price.
About the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
Founded in 1999, the Alliance bridges the institutions of Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Its mission is to enrich learning and advance clinical research in three primary areas -- community engagement, interprofessional education and research -- by developing and supporting mutually beneficial partnerships between Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the communities they serve. Through community engagement, the Alliance serves a large community of stakeholders including surrounding universities and colleges, community organizations, faith-based outlets and community health centers. Its interprofessional education enhances students' interdisciplinary understanding and improves patient outcomes through integrated care. The research conducted provides access to experienced grant writers and materials supporting the grant application process and facilitates grant-writing workshops.