A new year has just begun, and already we are eagerly anticipating Reunion Weekends this spring. For most classes in the 0s and 5s, it will have been a decade since they last celebrated their reunions on campus. Five years ago today, we hadn’t yet grasped the severity of a new virus making its way around the world or how it would alter the ways we connect with each other.
Recalling those early days of the pandemic, a bright spot stands out: the outpouring of support for medical professionals on the front lines. Whether banging on cookware nightly in New York City or painting red hearts for lawn signs in the suburbs, we were united in appreciation for those whose jobs are to heal, to treat, to care.
These are the words that come to mind when I think of the nurses who supported my own family in a medical crisis recently. Comprising the largest component of the healthcare workforce, nurses are the primary providers of hospital patient care and deliver most of our nation’s long-term care. It’s no wonder that nursing is the most trusted profession in the US.
Yale’s own School of Nursing (YSN) has been a pioneer in science and nursing for over 100 years. It educates advanced practice nurses who provide capable, comprehensive, independent primary care in offices, clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities, delivering more healthcare for less cost. This is critical in shifting a healthcare system away from a focus on disease towards a strategy on prevention, which advances the nation’s overall health and reduces significant and inefficient medical expenditures.
In this issue, you can read how YSN is positioned for this work, especially with its collaborative approach—a cornerstone of the profession—and the interdisciplinary nature that is deeply embedded in all parts of Yale. And be sure to mark your calendars for the next webinar in our Reunion Giving Speakers Series, Yale School of Nursing: Nurturing Leaders, Advancing Care, on February 4 at 4:00 p.m. EST. We’ll learn more about the School and how Yale has committed $50 million to match endowed gifts to any area of YSN to ensure nurses are prepared for an evolving healthcare landscape.
Best wishes for 2025 and for our volunteers in southern California, please know that you, your families, and your community are in our thoughts.
Chris Seager
Director, Reunion Giving
