This is the 40th year Auburn University has conferred the BSN degree. The Year 2020 was heralded as the Year of the Nurse declared by the World Health Organization, and it brought a pandemic to our doorstep along with it! Our response commanded all our resources, stamina and dedication to pull us all through the dark times. As we slowly return to a new normal in 2021 and an extension of the Year of the Nurse, we take this opportunity to honor two outstanding recipients who bring tremendous distinction to our school as community leaders and public servants.
The School of Nursing is proud to honor exceptional graduates through our Distinguished Alumni Awards. Started in 2009, these awards are one way we recognize distinguished and committed alumni who excel in the areas of leadership, professional achievement and community service. We recognize the collective depth and breadth of their interests, talents, career paths and achievements in all spheres. Through their career achievements and engagement with the university and community, these alumni set a standard to which our students and fellow alumni can aspire.
Dr. Gregg Newschwander, Dean of the School of Nursing, presented the 2021 Distinguished Alumnus Award to two of our graduates, a first for the school!
Brooke Dollar Bailey is a 1999 graduate. First and foremost, Brooke was an outstanding student, and she was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi National Collegiate Honor Society and Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. As a student, she served as a representative of the official Auburn Athletic Department public relations in her role as a Tigerette.
After her graduation, she married Stuart Bailey and moved to Birmingham where she worked at Children’s Hospital in critical care, education and infection prevention. When the family moved to Auburn in 2005, she joined the staff of the East Alabama Medical Center. She currently serves as the Director of Infection Prevention and Employee Health at EAMC and EAMC Lanier.
According to the person who nominated Brooke, “she has demonstrated excellence, intelligence, compassion and leadership in her role. In 2020, the impact of this outstanding servant was profoundly realized in her support of the Medical Center, Auburn, Opelika, Lee County and the State of Alabama during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her co-workers knew they could rely on her for pandemic-related information and matters of infection prevention. It is this compassion combined with intellect which makes Brooke someone who makes a real difference for good in the world. With admiration, Brooke was proclaimed Chief Corona Officer and Sheriff of the Infectious Disease Department at EAMC by CEO, Laura Grill.
“Brooke has remained committed to her specialty of infection prevention through membership in the Association of Professionals in Infection Control Epidemiology and the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America. She serves on the Alabama State Healthcare Data Advisory Council as chair of the Infection Control Committee.
Given all this, one would think Brooke has little time for anything else! On the contrary, she is very involved in the Auburn United Methodist Church’s Acolyte program.
Brooke and Stuart have two children, Jackson, who is a freshman in the Pre-veterinary Medicine program in Auburn, and Jacob, who is a sophomore at Auburn High. Brooke’s mother and all her mother’s siblings are Auburn graduates, so tailgating at every home game is a family affair.
Brooke Bailey is an exceptional representative of the Auburn School of Nursing, an outstanding representative of the nursing profession and the Auburn Spirit.
Congratulations to Brooke Bailey!
