In honor of Rev. Martin Luther King’s dedication to service, Vanderbilt University Medical Center honored King’s legacy through student community service, a lecture by UCLA Dean Courtney Lyder, and presentation of the annual Martin Luther King award.
Lyder, ND, ScD, noted researcher, policymaker, educator and pioneer, captivated faculty, students and staff by honoring nursing icons who shaped his career and the profession of nursing, as part of Rev. Martin Luther King Day activities at Vanderbilt.
“Reflecting the meaning of this day, and the man Martin Luther King, the key is that he always had a dream,” said Lyder. “At every stage of your career, you have to reflect. You have to dream a re-dream.”
Lyder shared his personal mentors as examples of service to others and making a lasting impact. They include: Bev Malone, president of the National League of Nursing, the first American nurse named as the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing; Mary Harper, PhD, whose groundbreaking work resulted in the Institutional Review Board (IRB); and Luther Christman, former VUSN dean, the first male dean of a school of Nursing. He also credited Angela McBride, Indiana University professor emerita.