FEARLESS NURSE
ERNEST J. GRANT
PhD, DSc(Hon), RN, FAAN
Vice Dean Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Duke University School of Nursing
Immediate Past President, American Nurses Association
Dr. Ernest J. Grant has led an extraordinary career marked by milestones in the field of nursing and beyond. In 2018, Dr. Grant became the first male President of the American Nurses Association (ANA) in the 128-year history of the organization. This achievement is just one of many firsts: He was the first African American man to serve as president of the North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA) and the first African American man to graduate with a PhD in Nursing from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Greensboro. He is also the first African American male to graduate from his LPN program, a milestone that began his career in nursing more than 30 years ago. In 2023, Dr. Grant became the vice dean of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) at Duke University School of Nursing.
STILLS & CLIPS
A lot of white nurses will say, ‘I don’t see color.’ Well, if you don’t see color then you don’t see me. One of the things about nursing in healthcare is that you want it individualized for that particular patient. I should not be lumped into a category of every 6’6” African American male. If I’m going to participate in my care, we should sit down and have a conversation and address the care specific to me.
Ernest J. Grant, PhD, DSc (Hon), RN, FAAN
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BIOGRAPHY
Ernest J. Grant has led an extraordinary career marked by milestones in the field of nursing and beyond. In 2018, Dr. Grant became the first male President of the American Nurses Association (ANA) in the 128-year history of the organization. This achievement is just one of many firsts: He was the first African American man to serve as president of the North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA) and the first African American man to graduate with a PhD in Nursing from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Greensboro. He is also the first African American male to graduate from his LPN program, a milestone that began his career in nursing more than 30 years ago.
Dr. Grant is an internationally recognized burn care and fire safety expert. He formerly served as the burn outreach coordinator for the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at University of North Carolina (UNC) Hospitals in Chapel Hill. It was in this role that Dr. Grant oversaw burn education for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. In 2002, President George W. Bush presented Grant with a Nurse of the Year Award for his work in treating burn victims from the World Trade Center site. For many years, Dr. Grant was affectionately known as “Sparky the Fire Dog” to young school children in North Carolina when he dressed up and gave fire safety lessons in their classrooms.
Dr. Grant is not only a clinician and expert educator on fire safety, but he is also an advocate for health equity in the nursing profession. Dr. Grant serves as adjunct faculty for the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing. In 2021, he received the Civitas Award from the American Academy of Nursing for his work to improve care, advance health equity, and promote the nursing profession. In 2021 and 2022, the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day Planning Committee selected Dr. Grant as the recipient of the Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award.
In 2021 and 2022, Dr. Grant was named one of Modern Healthcare’s 50 Influential Clinical Executives in Healthcare, and in 2020 and 2021 he was recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare. In 2022, Grant received an honorary doctorate degree from the UW–Madison School of Nursing. Then, in 2023, Dr. Grant received an honorary doctorate degree from Thomas Jefferson University. Also in 2023, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) honored Dr. Grant with its AACN Pioneering Spirit Award. Also in 2023, Dr. Grant became the vice dean of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) at Duke University School of Nursing.
He believes that being aware of the political and legislative healthcare issues happening around you is a critical part of being a nurse.
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