The First Graduates of Duke University’s Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program

Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, has graduated its first seven students from its Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program. The program began in January 2015. Students can earn a master’s degree in nursing or a post-master’s certificate for students interested in specializing in women’s health. The first seven graduates of the program are all women: Amber Barron, Emily Brandmeyer, Lucian Daniels Aravapalli, Melanie King, Lisvel Matos, Ashlye Thorpe, and Jessica Wood.

Kathryn Trotter, an associate professor at the Duke University School of Nursing and the lead faculty member of the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program, stated that “there is a need for more providers to help with women’s issues in diverse populations. Over 70 percent of health care visits are by women, and these graduates are ready to care for them in both continuity primary care and specialty care of obstetrics and gynecology.”

Dr. Trotter is a graduate of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She holds a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Kentucky and a doctor of nursing practice degree from Duke University.