“Dr. D”, is originally from Jamaica, West Indies, and has resided in New York since the early 90’s. In the span of her 15-year nursing career, Dr. Dunkley has worked extensively in the arena of maternal-child health, and is an experienced nurse leader with a demonstrated history of working in both hospital and community healthcare, as well as academia. She has now transitioned to a full time academic role as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Farmingdale State College in Long Island, NY. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Hampton University, and earned both her Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Phoenix.
While conducting her doctoral research, which was focused on the experience of being Black and female in executive nursing leadership, the available literature and the stories of her study participants illustrated the lack of adequate supportive resources for Black and minority nurses. Dr. Dunkley was inspired to create The League of Extraordinary Black Nurses (LEBN), a nonprofit nursing organization, whose mission is to cultivate, nurture, and inspire current and future Black nurses, to improve the representation of Black nurses in positions of leadership, and to advocate for equitable and quality healthcare for people of color. Dr. Dunkley has spoken and presented internationally in several prestigious academic and professional arenas. She is a dedicated and passionate nurse and scholar whose goal is to serve as a change agent by advocating for systematic improvement in matters of diversity and inclusion within the profession, and for the eradication of racial health disparities, particularly related to Black maternal health outcomes.
