Program Overview

Introduction to the Women’s Health NP MSN Program

The Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) MSN program at Duke University School of Nursing is designed to prepare students to deliver exceptional, inclusive care to individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds and gender identities. The program focuses on developing skilled and compassionate women’s health nurse practitioners to address the alarming maternal mortality rate in the U.S. and provide effective solutions for better patient outcomes.

Program Overview

The WHNP MSN program at Duke University School of Nursing offers a hybrid learning format, combining distance-based learning with hands-on clinical training. The program is designed to prepare students to provide primary, reproductive, and sexual health care to individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds and gender identities. The curriculum incorporates reproductive and sexual healthcare for people of all gender identities, with a focus on advancing inclusive and culturally competent women’s health care.

Program Highlights

• Hybrid learning format, allowing students to learn at their own pace while managing work and personal commitments
• Personalized mentorship, connecting students with a senior student or alumnus who understands their journey
• World-class curriculum, preparing students to step into their career with confidence and competency
• In-patient rotations, providing students with a wide variety of experiences in in-patient OB triage and postpartum treatment
• Centering Group Facilitation Workshop Certification, helping students stand out from other women’s health specialists

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the WHNP MSN program can pursue careers in various settings, including:

• General OB-GYN settings
• Fertility clinics
• Breast and gynecology oncology
• Integrative women’s health care clinics
• Maternal-fetal medicine
• Student health clinics
• Substance use disorder centers
• Inpatient perinatal facilities
• Planned Parenthood
• Urogynecology

Program Director

The program director is Kathryn Trotter, DNP, CNM, FNP-C, CHSE, FAANP, FAAN. Dr. Trotter teaches advanced women’s health courses and mentors WHNP students at the gynecology clinic for Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers.

Faculty

The faculty at Duke University School of Nursing are internationally renowned and foster a supportive learning environment that prioritizes students’ academic and professional success. The faculty includes:

• Anne Derouin, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, PMHS, FAANP, ANEF
• Kathleen Turner, DNP, RN
• Karin Reuter-Rice, PhD, CPNP-AC, FCCM, FAAN
• Carolina Dimsdale, DNP, ACNP-BC, AACC, FAANP
• Marilyn Oermann, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
• Lawrence Yang, PhD
• Mary Lou Affronti, DNP, MHSc, RN, ANP, FAAN
• Kais Gadhoumi, PhD
• Jennie De Gagne, PhD, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, CNE, ANEF, FAAN
• Sophia Smith, PhD, MSW, FAOSW
• Rémi Hueckel, DNP, CPNP-AC, CHSE, FAANP
• Kara McGee, DMS, MSPH, PA-C, AAHIVS
• Kathryn Kreider, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP
• Valerie Sabol, PhD, MBA, ACNP-BC, GNP-BC, ANEF, FAANP, FAAN
• Margaret (Peggy) Bush, PhD, MBA, RPh
• Tonia Poteat, PhD, MPH, PA-C, AAHIVS, DFAAPA
• Jamison (Jamie) Lord, DNP, MSN, RNC, PMHNP-BC
• Christina Leonard, APRN, DNP, FNP-C, CNL
• Mitchell Knisely, PhD, RN-BC, ACNS-BC, FAAN
• Thomas Blodgett, PhD, RN, AGACNP-BC
• Margaret (Midge) Bowers, DNP, FNP-BC, CHSE, FAANP, FAAN, FACC
• Debra (Debbie) Travers, PhD, MSN, RN, FAEN, FAMIA
• Malinda Teague, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC/PC
• Lem Scott, DNP, APRN, PMHNP, CNE
• Allison Stafford, PhD, RN
• AnnMarie Walton, PhD, RN, MPH, OCN, CHES, FAAN
• Deirdre Thornlow, PhD, RN, CPHQ, CNE
• Staci Reynolds, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, CCRN, CNRN, CPHQ, FAAN
• Ragan Johnson, DNP, FNP-BC, CNE, FAANP
• Marissa Abram, PhD, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP, FIAAN
• Maryellen Kelly, DNP, CPNP, MHSc
• Schenita Randolph, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN
• Elaine Kauschinger, PhD, MSN, FNP-BC, FAANP
• Casey Brown, DNP, RN, AGPCNP-BC, AOCNP
• Devon Noonan, PhD, MPH, FNP-BC, CARN, FAAN
• Michael Cary, PhD, RN
• Ryan Shaw, PhD, RN, FAAN
• Blanca Iris Padilla, PhD, MBA, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP
• Benjamin Smallheer, PhD, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, CCRN, CNE, FAANP
• Sean Convoy, DNP, PMHNP-BC
• Desi Newberry, DNP, NNP-BC
• Kathryn Trotter, DNP, CNM, FNP-C, CHSE, FAANP, FAAN
• Michelle Webb, DNP, RN, CHPCA
• Brandon Knettel, PhD
• Lisa Lewis, EdD, MSN, RN, CNE
• Cristina Hendrix, DNS, GNP-BC, FNP, FAAN
• Alison Edie, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP
• Stephanie Ibemere, PhD, RN
• Amie Koch, DNP, FNP-C, RN, ACHPN, FAANP
• Tara Albrecht, PhD, ACNP-BC, ACHPN, RN
• Jacquelyn McMillian-Bohler, PhD, CNM, CNE
• Shari Rushton, DNP, MS, RN, CCM, CNE
• Michael Zychowicz, DNP, ANP, ONP, FAAN, FAANP, FNAON

Admissions

The MSN program employs a holistic admissions strategy, considering each candidate’s unique life experiences alongside their academic performance, grades, and test scores. This ensures that nurse practitioner students represent the diversity of patients they will care for in their careers.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Duke School of Nursing offers a variety of financial aid options for MSN students, including merit-based scholarships and federal loan opportunities to fund their MSN degree.