News Release

Age Is No Limit For This New Wilmington University Doctorate

Marilyn Hughey presented the research that clinched her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree on her 70th birthday

May 21 was a big day for Wilmington University's latest Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) candidates, who accepted their doctoral degrees at the Wilmington University commencement ceremony at the Chase Center.

On April 27, the candidates delivered the research presentations that completed their degrees at the Wilson Graduate Center in New Castle.

For one of the 11 candidates, however, April 27 was more than just one landmark. "This is a wonderful way to celebrate my 70th birthday," said Marilyn Hughey of Millsboro, Delaware, who became WilmU's oldest DNP graduate to date.

A board-certified clinical nurse educator with more than 45 years of experience in the field, including extensive work with mental health and geriatric patients, Hughey retired from the Delaware Psychiatric Center in 2015.

Hughey chose "Trauma Informed Education in the Care of Homeless Veterans" as her research project. In it, she studied how healthcare providers who understand the emotional trauma and triggers that vets suffer may be able to treat them more effectively.

"Trauma is different for every person, and triggers manifest in many ways," she said, describing her interventions to a conference room full of faculty and peers. But, she noted, better communication leads to better care.

A 70-year-old doctoral graduate "says a lot about Wilmington University and the College of Health Professions, that we're committed to educating a diverse student body at any stage of a student's career," said Dr. Aaron Sebach, chair of the DNP program and Hughey's academic advisor throughout her studies.

Hughey herself is quick to cite industrialist Henry Ford, who said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

"I don't normally consider students' ages as variables in their progress," said Sebach. "She'd mentioned her birthday when we were scheduling the presentations."

Noting her 4.0 grade point average, Sebach said, Hughey's "exceptional" research project also represented the first time a DNP candidate collaborated with faculty in another college, namely Dr. Debra Berke of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. It's about time, he said. "After all, the nursing profession does not exist in a silo. Providing patient-centered care is cross-disciplinary with a variety of other professions"

Hughey arrived at her research topic after seeing a pair of photos in a clinical study. One showed a strong young soldier in Vietnam, his upright frame strapped with ammunition belts. The other showed a withered panhandler in a wheelchair carrying a cardboard sign.

"It's the same man," she said. "Why is this hero who fought for our freedom at such risk of being homeless? What can healthcare do to minimize that risk? I found a mission."

She reached out to community-based non-profit organizations that serve the homeless, including Ministry of Caring in Wilmington, ACE Peer Resource Center in Seaford, Delaware, and HOPE in Salisbury, Md. She taught their staff and volunteers the basics of trauma-informed care to help them advocate for local veterans and inspire further improvements in the care they offer.

With her new doctorate, Hughey will work to spread the word, starting with return visits to her research sites to present her results. "I see myself as a mentor," said she said in an interview before her presentation. "If I share what I know, and if people share what they learn, that's a continual growth process."

Indeed, that's the point of the DNP degree, to bridge the gap between academic research and clinical practice in a wide range of nursing specialties. The degree program has been available at Wilmington University since 2012: 

By validating academic findings and integrating them into clinical care, "the DNP program has the ability to make changes across the entire healthcare continuum," said Sebach.

About Wilmington University

Wilmington University is a private, nonprofit institution committed to providing flexible, career-oriented, traditional and online associate, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs. Ranked as the second fastest growing nonprofit doctoral institution in America 2004 – 2014 by The Almanac of The Chronicle of Higher Education, affordable tuition, academic excellence and individualized attention are hallmarks of the University that enable greater student success in their chosen careers. For more information, contact Wilmington University at 302-356-INFO (4636), via email at infocenter@wilmu.edu, or visit our website: www.wilmu.edu.

Published: Sunday, May 21, 2017 - New Castle, DE