Dr. Millie Hepburn is an Associate Professor in the Davis & Henley College of Nursing at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Upon meeting Millie, you quickly feel her energy and enthusiasm for her work in the healthcare field. With her many publications, grants, service work and projects in motion, it is her passion and leadership for cultivating understanding and curiosity for the next generation of nurses that is most impressive and prevalent. Her statement, “Diversity in nursing makes patient care safer” is the seed she plants with students each day, impacting nursing students to understand that who they will take care of may be a person from a culture with a native language, skin tone, and heritage much different than their own. Her office is filled with signs to build self efficacy with students, but also to build community among them.

Dr. Hepburn’s advanced degrees and vast experience speak for themselves, but it is her personal commitment to caring for others that is at her core. The youngest of 6 children, as a child she hoped to be a veterinarian, but scholarships weren’t enough to fund becoming a vet. However, nursing school felt like the perfect fit for her and she never looked back. Working in various hospitals in both urban and rural environments, she continued to flourish in professional and academic arenas. Her curiosity and research extended beyond the walls of the traditional classroom and clinical settings to working with Native Americans and learning about their healing practices. In her interview she speaks candidly about her experience as a nurse and supervisor, but her real passion came when she began to impact students preparing for their professional practice. Her deep understanding of first-generation college students and the many challenges they juggle makes her the perfect candidate to work as the Associate Director with the accelerated students who are on the fast track to complete their nursing degree. Her firm but empathetic approach to their preparation is magical as she builds a community of inquisitive learners and focused practitioners. With a recent grant to purchase a virtual reality training system, she creates opportunities for students to immerse in diverse settings broadening their experience and preparation for their future in healthcare. She routinely seeks grants to support her students through their educational pursuits, as she knows first hand about the financial burdens of getting a college degree.

In addition to her work preparing the next generation of nurses, she engages in research and serves on a variety of boards. Her focus is on stroke patients and promoting neurological care, but she is also deeply involved in supporting addiction programs and advocating for domestic violence victims.