Professional nursing underwent a cataclysm of change during the active years of the Student Health Coalition. From the beginning, students in the Coalition nurtured those changes. Often, without even a plan or much in the way of self-awareness, certainly without a political agenda, at least at first, young nurses and nursing students who joined the Coalition embraced their mission to build a practice based on the needs of the communities. Their embrace often brought them up against opposition from existing health care culture and state and federal law. Eventually, nurses, alongside their medical, legal, and community partners, became powerful spokespeople for community health needs, including the need to expand existing nurse practice paradigms.
The intersection of radical change in nursing practice with the work of the Student Health Coalition in the 1960s and 1970s is well-described in this detailed timeline. It chronologically describes changes in nursing practice law, student and faculty activities at Vanderbilt’s Nursing School, and developments in communities where SHC nursing students and newly-graduated nurse practitioners were working to improve access to healthcare for underserved communities.
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Carolyn Burr reflects
In this clip, Burr reflects on how the experience of working with the Coalition shaped her values and future career in nursing. Recorded at a 2013 Student Health Coalition reunion in Nashville, Tenn. Continued
Minnie Bommer’s encounter with hospital segregation
Having overcome the adversity of racially biased employment discrimination imposed upon her at the outset of her nursing career, Minnie Bommer shares also about the realities of healthcare inequities and segregation experienced post-hire at a hospital in Covington, Tenn. Recorded… Continued
Dana Ellis
Dana worked West Tennessee health fairs in the summers of 1973 and 1974 while a student in the School of Nursing at Vanderbilt. She served as co-director of the Student Health Coalition alongside George Smith who was in medical school… Continued
On training at Nashville General with Pete Moss and Bill Dow
Rosie Hammond elaborates on her training prior to working in the mountains with the Coalition during the summer of 1971. She had met Bill Dow and received clinical mentoring from Pete Moss at Nashville General the year prior, explaining that… Continued
Did we make a difference? Margaret Ecker and Rosie Hammond reflect.
Margaret Ecker and Rosie Hammond grapple with the question: did we (the SHC) make a difference? Margaret shares how, in reflection of Art Van Zee’s insight to ongoing addiction throughout southwest Virginia and the Appalachian region, there are new challenges… Continued
Margaret Ecker, new NP, treats a young girl with severe allergic reaction
Margaret Ecker describes the scary experience and pressure of treating a young girl exhibiting severe allergy to multiple yellow jacket stings in Clairfield, Tenn. Follow this link for full-footage of Margaret Ecker’s and Rosie Hammond’s reflections about their SHC experience… Continued
On the empowerment intrinsic to Linda Hart’s nursing career and its role in challenging the system
Linda Hart speaks to the evolution of her nursing career, in part influenced by connections to the Student Health Coalition (SHC). Upon being recruited by Bill Dow, she worked five years as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) at the White Oak… Continued
Sally Kimberly on MPHC community boards
Sally Kimberly discusses the challenges of collaborating with community boards on the frontier of a practice largely unfamiliar in Appalachia at the time—community-driven, rural healthcare. Unique to her and other nurse practitioners’ experience was a widespread misunderstanding about their role. Reminiscing about these hurdles, Sally shares what it was like to be… Continued
Margaret Ecker
Contributed by Margaret Ecker, August 2019 I joined the Coalition as a community organizer after graduating from Vanderbilt in Philosophy in 1970. I stayed on with the Coalition through the next school year to help with year end reports and… Continued
Welmoet Spreij
Contributed by Welmoet Spreij, Amsterdam, 2017. I came to Nashville as a Dutch exchange-student in the fall of 1969 and took some classes at Vanderbilt University. While attending a course in philosophy, I came to know John Davis, Dick Burr,… Continued
Caryl Carpenter talks about the origins of the Tennessee Primary Care Association
Caryl Carpenter, former administrator of the Mountain People’s Health Councils (MPHC) of East Tennessee, talks about formation of the Tennessee Primary Care Association. Recorded on May 17, 2017, as a part of a panel discussion at a reunion of the… Continued
Pete Moss reflects
On training nurses, reuniting with fellow Coalitioners, and being a non-conformist. Learn more about Pete Moss on his profile page. Continued
Minnie Bommer on racially charged employment discrimination and her journey to nursing career
Minnie Bommer shares her tumultuous experience at the outset of her nursing career, detailing the extent of racially biased obstacles intended to bar her from hire at hospitals in Tipton County, Tenn. Recorded on June 1, 2018. Full footage… Continued
Diane Lauver
Contributed by Diane Lauver, February 2018 Growing up, I was close to my paternal grandparents; they lived in a pastoral valley looking at Appalachian hills in a northern state. With their 8th grade educations and practical wisdom, they taught me… Continued
Pete Moss
Contributed by Pete Moss and Jennifer Crane, March 2016. Dr. Pete Moss was raised on his maternal grandparents’ farm in Marshall County, Tenn., while his father fought in World War II. As the eldest of his siblings, he learned responsibility,… Continued
Sally Kimberly on becoming a nurse midwife
Sally Kimberly traces her personal development in the medical field and shares what inspired her to become a practicing nurse and midwife with the National Health Service Corps and Mountain People’s Health Councils (MPHC) in Scott County, Tenn. from 1974-1982. … Continued
Article: “Health Care for those off the beaten path,” from the Tennessee Valley Authority
Kollar, Robert. “Health care for those off the beaten path.” Tennessee Valley Authority, post-1975. View PDF. More on the Tennessee Valley Authority: Continued
SHC’s patient-centered healthcare and its role in the expansion of Nurse Practitioners
Carolyn Burr discusses the Student Health Coalition’s (SHC) approach to healthcare, emphasizing their value of patient/community involvement and accountability. She describes Dr. Amos Christie’s direct influence on her own nursing career, as well as on the profession moving forward–namely as… Continued
Pete Moss on mentorship and expanding the boundaries of healthcare workers
Pete Moss, who at the time of his involvement with early SHC health fairs (1970) was Vanderbilt’s Chief Resident of Pediatrics, discusses what drew him to the Coalition: the opportunity to mentor students and influence their pursuits in the medical… Continued
Sally Kimberly’s first observations of rural community healthcare with MPHC
Sally Kimberly discusses her preparation for practice and early experiences with Mountain People’s Health Councils (MPHC) at the clinic in Norma, Tenn. Full footage of Sally Kimberly’s interview with Rick Davidson. Continued
On the SHC’s process identifying post-health fair follow-up needs in East Tennessee
Rosie Hammond describes the Coalition’s process identifying cases in need of follow-up, be it subsequent visits to the nearby clinic in Clairfield, Tenn. (where Sister Martha Stucker conducted primary care), a referral for speciality care, or ongoing support from Frontier… Continued
Cathy Barrow Heck and Jeff Heck
Contributed by Cathy Barrow Heck I was absolutely sold on the Appalachian Student Health Coalition upon seeing the video as a nursing student in the fall of 1973. The idea of a team of students working in partnership with rural… Continued
Lewis Lefkowitz recalls the legacy of Marie Cirillo and impact of local nurses
Lewis Lefkowitz highlights Marie Cirillo’s contributions to the work of the Student Health Coalition (SHC) and discusses the role of nursing in promoting public health. Recorded on December 1, 2015. Full footage of his recollection about the development of… Continued
Bill Dow
Bill Dow co-founded the Student Health Coalition while in medical school at Vanderbilt University, in 1969. His larger-than-life role in the SHC origin story and beyond warrants special telling, which we attempt in the essay that follows. Contributed by Margaret… Continued
On the development of Vanderbilt’s Nurse Practitioner program and other critical role expansions
Pete Moss describes one of the key developments that came about as a result, at least in part, of the Student Health Coalition’s philosophical contributions to the medical arena. He references the origination and evolution of Vanderbilt’s Nurse Practitioner (NP)… Continued
J. Thomas “Tom” John
I am a bit late in getting my bio in, best done in the earlier stages of pending dotage. I am originally from Laurinburg, N.C., a small farming and, then, textile community in the eastern part of the state. I… Continued
Article: “Health Fair Attracts 1,080 Here,” from the Grundy County Herald
Click image to enlarge. More on Grundy County: Continued
Nurse Practitioners, in the beginning…
Community leaders recognized early on the added value nurses with expanded roles brought to the table. In this video clip, community leaders Marie Cirillo and Betty Anderson recollect their efforts to lobby for legal changes that would continue to support… Continued
The Coalition’s influence on Carolyn Burr’s work as an NP and personal healthcare philosophy
Carolyn Burr reflects on the Coalition values she carried forward into her future work as a Nurse Practitioner (NP). In doing so, she describes the intellectual stimulation that came from working with a diverse group of folks and its influence… Continued
Rosie Hammond’s introduction to the Student Health Coalition, fall of 1970
Rosie Hammond shares how she first got involved with the Coalition in the fall of 1970 and describes her role as a pediatric examiner, including both the training she received alongside second year med students beforehand and her follow-up work… Continued
Dana Ellis: Personal reflections
In this video clip, Dana Ellis reflects on her personal experiences as a student nurse working with community leaders in rural West Tennessee back in the early 1970s and how that work affected her career and her life. Continued
Margaret Ecker on her inspiration to pursue nursing
Margaret Ecker shares about early career pursuits and explains how the Student Health Coalition (SHC) played a prominent role in steering her toward a life of service through nursing. Recorded on June 2, 2018. Full footage of the conversation… Continued
How to do followup after a health fair
Ann Baile Hamric on continuing care, local resources, and navigating through Appalachia. Continued
Sally Kimberly’s take on patient education in rural healthcare
Sally Kimberly discusses clinical challenges during her time as a nurse practitioner with Mountain People’s Health Councils (MPHC) in Norma, Tenn., focusing specifically on the indispensable role of patient education in effective rural healthcare. Full footage of Sally Kimberly’s interview with Rick Davidson. Continued
Richard Davidson
Richard Davidson was born in West Palm Beach, Fla. in 1947. He attended Vanderbilt undergraduate and medical schools, and did a residency in internal medicine there as well. During the summer of his second year in medical school (1970) he… Continued
How the perception of nurse practitioners and midwives has changed over time
Rick Davidson asks Sally Kimberly to reflect on how the role and societal perception of nurse practitioners and midwives has evolved—from the time she first became certified in the early 1970s to present day. She celebrates that the profession has… Continued
What drew Carolyn Burr to the Coalition
Carolyn Burr shares how she first got involved with the Student Health Coalition (SHC) and what about the organization spoke to her, framing it as an opportunity to live out her values for sociopolitical activism in a way that was… Continued
Carolyn Burr on Rick Davidson’s mentorship
Carolyn Burr describes her work at the SHC health fairs in Smithville, White Oak, Briceville, and Deer Lodge from 1970-1971. She explains the nature of nursing students’ role in conducting physical exams and providing follow-up care, their skills having been… Continued
Martha Stucker
Martha was a Catholic nun and a registered nurse working in East Tennessee at the Clairfield clinic in 1969 when Bill Dow first encountered her and engaged her help in designing student-run health fairs. She had been conducting primary care… Continued
Ann Baile Hamric
Ann participated in the Coalition in 1970, the first summer that the Coalition conducted multiple health fairs in middle and eastern Tennessee. She had just graduated from Vanderbilt School of Nursing. Ann was instrumental in the establishment of structured followup… Continued
Diane Lauver’s response to sexism with pivot toward becoming a Nurse Practitioner
In exploration of how sexism influenced Coalitioners’ career paths, Diane Lauver describes her introduction to the Nurse Practitioner role that Loretta Ford championed and that Bill Dow and Leah Albers advocated for in the SHC approach to community healthcare. Following… Continued
Rebecca Joffrion Ingle
Contributed by Rebecca (Becca) Joffrion Ingle. I was born in Starkeville, Miss. in 1952, but grew up from age 5 in Huntsville, Ala. This small, sleepy Alabama town exploded in growth and diversity during those years with the coming of… Continued
On Vanderbilt’s first PrimEx program and its role in the movement toward Nurse Practitioners
Rosie Hammond describes her life post-SHC, beginning with an invitation to participate in Vanderbilt’s first PrimEx program during her Senior year. PrimEx was a government-sponsored initiative designed to provide primary care training for nurses. It functioned as a pivotal step… Continued
SHC influence on Rosie Hammond’s career arc: public clinics vs private practice
Rosie Hammond details how the SHC experience influenced her career arc, highlighting a nurtured commitment to Coalition philosophies (such as really listening to the patient for context and expressed needs, as well as considering all social determinants of health) and… Continued
Becca Ingle on the SHC and community healthcare
Becca Ingle, R.N., F.N.P. shares about her experience with the Student Health Coalition (SHC) in the summer of 1974 and discusses its profound influence on later becoming a nurse practitioner. She also explains how the organization facilitated a shift in… Continued
A conversation with Martha Stucker
Martha Stucker shares about her time working in the mountains from 1968-1972, and explains her role as a nurse practitioner focused on meeting community needs. Continued
Discussion about the SHC’s degree of influence on approaches to nursing
Margaret Ecker and Rosie Hammond discuss their difference in perspective about the Coalition’s degree of influence on participants, namely as it regards those who went on to pursue nursing. They ponder how much certain characteristics (such as fierce autonomy and… Continued
“What it took” – Nine nurses reconvene fifty years later and discover the power of common denominators
Nine nurses gathered in Nashville in May 2019 to reminisce about their beginnings as nurses. Nursing practice underwent radical changes in those days. These nine nurses stood apart from their peers and in conflict with convention. Here, they discuss what… Continued
Sally Kimberly on the professional development of nurses with MPHC
Sally Kimberly describes what became an essential element to her and other nurses’ weekly routines while working in Scott County: self-directed educational sessions committed to their professional development. She explains that these weekly meetings were both a professional and social support system… Continued
Margaret Ecker’s introduction to the Coalition and its role in her shift of career pursuits
Margaret Ecker describes her introduction to the Student Health Coalition during the summer of 1970. She had just graduated from Vanderbilt University with plans to pursue a law degree. Having not yet set the intention to pursue a career in… Continued
Tom John on the Student Health Coalition and community self-determination
Tom John, M.D. comments on his work with the Student Health Coalition (SHC) in 1971. He shares that one of the most powerful takeaways from this learning experience was an introduction to and participation in the development of community health… Continued