AACN Mourns the Loss of Nursing Leader Dr. Bernardine Lacey

AACN is mourning the loss of renowned nursing leader Dr. Bernardine Lacey, who passed away March 26.

Dr. Lacey was appointed the founding dean at Western Michigan University in 1994 and remained at in that position for 5 years. She went on to many positions of leadership through her career, including chairperson at the Department of Nursing at Bowie State University in Maryland. She earned her BSN from Georgetown University, her MA from Howard University, and her EdD from Teachers College at Columbia University.

Among the many honors she received was her induction in 2014 as a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing.

In the August 2020 issue of the American Journal of Nursing, Dr. Lacey was featured in ‘You Don’t Have Any Business Being This Good’: An Oral History Interview with Bernardine Lacey, in which she discussed the indelible mark of racism and her professional growth as a nurse, including roles as an educator, political advocate, researcher, clinician, and leader.