Resisting neutrality and reclaiming history: Penn Nursing leaders call on profession to amplify its impact ahead of US semiquincentennial
Live, virtual webinar: Nursing the Revolution: 250 Years of the Power of Nurses, on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, from 2:30 to 4:30 PM EST
image: Nursing the Revolution explores the overlooked yet essential role of nurses during the American Revolution, whose vital work helped shape early American healthcare.
Credit: University Communications
PHILADELPHIA (July 2, 2026) — As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, Penn Nursing leaders are issuing a powerful joint call to action for the nursing profession. In separate commentaries published in the July 2026 issue of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN), Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing and J. Margo Brooks Carthon, PhD, RN, FAAN, Director of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, urge nurses to reclaim their foundational role in America's history and use that legacy to advocate for social justice and professional equity today.
Both pieces center on Nursing the Revolution, a collaborative photo-essay and exhibit currently on display at the Bates Center. The exhibit uncovers the hidden stories of forgotten 18th-century caregivers—including Indigenous, enslaved, and free-born women—who sustained armies and civilian populations through profound wartime public health crises.
American Nursing: 250 Years and Counting
Drawing direct parallels to modern nursing, Dean Villarruel notes that today's nurses must continue to innovate, adapt, and transform care across global health systems. However, she warns that untold stories of ethical leadership remain vulnerable to erasure in the current social climate.
Reflecting on her own immigrant roots, Villarruel asserts that periods of social unrest demand active advocacy rather than neutrality from healthcare professionals. Citing the Code of Ethics for Nurses, she challenges the profession to:
- Confront structural inequities that undermine public health.
- Safeguard human dignity across all communities.
- Amplify nursing's contributions through scholarship, practice, and voice as the nation marks its 250-year milestone.
"As we mark our nation's 250th year, we must do more than look back; we must bring the untold stories of our past caregivers to light to guide our path forward," said Villarruel. "Today's challenges remind us that nursing has never been a neutral profession—it is a calling of continuous innovation, courageous advocacy, and an unwavering commitment to social justice."
In her accompanying commentary, Brooks Carthon expands on this call to action by examining how the systemic omission of nurses from foundational American history devalues the modern workforce. She notes that while popular history heavily emphasizes generals, battles, and physicians, it routinely ignores the vital intellectual and physical labor of early caregivers.
"Deeply entrenched beliefs that nursing began with Florence Nightingale in the 19th century are challenged," writes Brooks Carthon, whose center holds the world’s largest archival collection of nursing history. "Nursing in the United States has far older roots—roots embedded in wartime necessity, community care, and the survival of a nascent nation."
Brooks Carthon explicitly warns that omitting these diverse 18th-century practitioners minimizes their skilled contributions, reducing caregiving to mere instinct or romanticized myths. She stresses that this historical erasure has enduring, real-world consequences, directly impacting how modern nursing work is perceived, respected, and financially compensated today. As the professional status of contemporary nurses faces scrutiny, Brooks Carthon views reclaiming this history as a transformative act of self-definition. She concludes that revolutions are not sustained by ideals alone, but by care, urging modern nurses to assert their value and shape the future of health care.
To further connect these themes to modern practice, the Bates Center and the American Nurses Association (ANA) will co-host a live virtual webinar, “Nursing the Revolution: 250 Years of the Power of Nurses,” on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, from 2:30 to 4:30 PM EST. Moderated by Brooks Carthon and ANA’s Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, the event features three panels pairing historical insight with contemporary scholarship to examine workplace safety, the "hidden" value of nursing, and professional advancement. Panelists include experts from Penn Nursing, Emory University, Swarthmore College, the University of Edinburgh, and the American Philosophical Society.
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About the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) is a global leader in nursing education, research, and practice, and is ranked the #1 nursing school in the world by QS World University (2026), a distinction it has held nine prior times. Penn Nursing also consistently earns top national rankings from U.S. News & World Report for its BSN and graduate programs and is the top National Institutes of Health (NIH)–funded nursing research institution in the United States. By integrating innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and evidence-based practice, Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists, clinicians, and leaders to meet the complex health needs of a global society. Follow Penn Nursing: Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram.