Dr. Dorothy Sexton, Professor Emeritus and creator of the Yale School of Nursing's Medical-Surgical Nursing Program and GEPN and leader in the development of the school's doctoral program, died this morning at Milford Hospital; she was 69.
She came to YSN in 1974 after conducting research studies on how families cope with chronic illness, particularly pulmonary disease. Within two years, she created a curriculum in medical-surgical nursing for the incoming class in the new master's program for college graduates with no prior experience. This new program paved the way for our Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing (GEPN) program. It was the first program if its kind in the U.S. and has since been duplicated by other universities. In 1994, she prepared the grant application that allowed YSN to launch its doctoral program. Upon her retirement in 2001, YSN created a scholarship in her name and Delta Mu a mentorship award named for her.
Dorothy's devotion to YSN and to her students and alumnae/i was full and complete and she never wavered in meeting the highest possible standards of excellence in teaching, writing, practice and friendship. She retired a few years ago, and true to her commitment to students, helped the School to raise funds for a scholarship in her name.A dear friend and colleague, a devoted teacher and leader in nursing, she will be dearly missed by her YSN family.We were fortunate to have her in our midst for over 30 years.
Personal reflections on Dorothy's life are shared here by her former colleagues Donna Diers and Linda Pellico.
Memorial contributions can be made to YSN’s Dorothy Sexton Scholarship Fund. For more information, please contact:
Lisa Hottin Director of Development Yale School of Nursing P.O. Box 9740 New Haven, CT 06536-0740
